Monthly Archives: April 2015

by | April 30, 2015 · 5:22 pm

Is TrustPal is a Social Network?

Generally, there are a few characteristics of social media that are been identified:

  1. User Based
  2. Interactive
  3. Community Driven
  4. Relationships
  5. Emotions Over Contents
  6. Create Pages

Application to TrustPal

All of the characteristics mentioned above apply directly with TrustPal.

  1. User Based – The contents of TrustPal will be determined by the user. TrustPal can’t achieve its objectives without user involvement. Users populate the TrustPal with conversations, posts, and content. (Within Group Support) This make TrustPal as dynamic as any other well-known social network.
  2. Interactive – TrustPal is very interactive because other than user involvement, there are several features that make it become more than a private-chat application, such as the user can rate support group threads.
  3. Community Driven –  TrustPal is  built from community concepts. The idea of this project is generated from our concern about the problem faced by students at the University of Southampton. Other than that, the user can create the community in this TrustPal by creating the support groups & expanding upon current ones. Support groups can be created based on their same experience or problem.
  4. Relationships – TrustPal thrives on relationships. By creating a relationship between mentor and student, we believe it will help motivate or support the user.
  5. Emotion over content – User will finding that the TrustPal provides a great support, no matter what crisis they are faced with.
  6. Create pages – By allowing the user to create support group in TrustPal.

 

Resources:

Dube, R.(n.d). Characteristics of Social Network. Retrieved from http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Characteristics_of_Social_Networks.

Saxena, S. (2013). 8 Key Characteristics Social Networking Sites. Retrieved from http://www.easymedia.in/8-key-characteristics-social-networking-sites/

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by | · 1:17 pm

Flow Diagram

The image below illustrates the flowchart of the TrustPal application. Only registered user can access to TrustPal and use all the TrustPal features.

Blank Flowchart - New Page (1)

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by | April 29, 2015 · 4:02 pm

Technical demo: Empowering TrustPal with semantic technologies

This post will shed light on utilizing semantic technologies to improve the service provided by TrustPal. Beside its chatting and instance messaging feature, TrustPal meant to be a source of knowledge for different problems that face students. In other words, TrustPal will enable students to search for any similar problems faced by some other students in the past and get the solutions that were suggested as well as other knowledge related to that specific issue (e.g. the consequences of keeping the problem unsolved). So, TrustPal supposes to act as a knowledge base that able to provide similar past situations.

To smartly manage the knowledge stored in TrustPal -that is provided by students and other sources-, we developed a solution that use semantic web technologies. Below is a quick explanation of the issues that will be solved by implementing semantic web technologies:

  • Students’ issues are very likely to vary and distributed between different fields (e.g financial problem, depression, and homesick). In addition, each issue will not easily fit one or more of these fields, but will have many other dependences like depression facing student with health issues. Another example is where a student may have financial difficulties due to lacking of enough skills in managing personal finance. Such complicated situations need to be fetched smartly from the knowledge base to match student search.
  • Each students’ issue is not a standalone problem but having different roots and consequences. TrustPal users (i.e. students) may not be aware of all root problems of a specific issues and this will limit their ability to describe and, in turn, to search for similar past problems. A very simple example of such scenario is when a student have horrible homesick and looking for a solution for his issue. His search for similar issues may be limited by his knowledge about the issue itself. In other words, he may not be aware that this issue may be related to the types of his friends.

In order to improve TrustPal effectiveness in searching for similar issues and help the users to get full picture about their issues, semantic web technologies were utilized. This was implemented by developing a semantic search engine. The below figure shows the concept of the semantic search engine.

semantic search

 

  • TrustPal ontology utilized SIOC (Semantically-Interlinked Online Communities) ontology as a base.
  • Using RDF storage instead of relational database to store students experiences (i.e. In a form of posts and discussion). RDF storage will allow to use SPARQL as a query engine instead of SQL.
  • RDF storage in this framework represent the knowledge stored in TrustPal (i.e. posts, and discussions)
  • Using SPARQL will provide high flexibility and consistency in data querying.

 

Advantages of implementing semantic search engine:

  • Students are able to search for related problems by concept instead of keywords. For instance, if the user (i.e. student) search for an issue by keyword language difficulties, then the semantic engine will retrieve all the related issues even if that keywords are not specified.
  • Students will be able to understand the root and all related problems of the issue they are looking for solve.
  • Interlinking between the different issues is of a great benefit for the users as it will give them full picture and insight of the different solutions as well as the related issues.

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by | · 2:55 pm

Use Case Diagram and Description

This is the final version of the UCD & Description based on the scenarios described in the previous post. There are several features involves, as following:

 

1) Sign Up and Sign In

UCD1

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_100
Use Case Name : Sign up
Description : This use case describes the registration process.Student needs to sign in with their student id to use the system.
Actor : Student, Mentor, Admin
Precondition : All actors must have the sign in identification
Scenarios 1. The actor wants to use the application.2.Click on ‘Sign In’ link on top of the homepage.

a.  If student doesn’t have an account, they must sign up.

3. Actor sign in to the application.

4. The authenticate system will validate the student id.

 
Post Conditions: None

 

 

2) Search Post

UCD2

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_200
Use Case Name : Search post
Description : This use case describes how the actor can search the other actor post by insert and search the keyword
Actor : Student, Mentor, Admin
Precondition : All actors must have the sign in identification
Scenarios 1. The actor searches the keyword.2. The application will display the related results of public post.

3. Actor can view and join the discussion.
Post Conditions: None

 

 

3) Request virtual counselling

UCD3

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_300
Use Case Name : Request virtual consultation
Description : This use case describes how the actor can request virtual consultation.
Actor : Student, Mentor.
Precondition : All actors must have the sign in identification
Scenarios 1. Student can request to have a virtual counselling.2. This request will be assigned to the mentor.

3. Student will be connected to the mentor and they can have counselling session through private message or chatting.

4. After the counselling, student could provide feedback about their mentor.
Post Conditions: None

 

 

4) Request Online Chatting

UCD4

 

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_400
Use Case Name : Request online chatting
Description : This use case describes how the actor can anonymously request online chatting with the other student
Actor : Student.
Precondition : 1. All actors must have the sign in identification.2. Actor can request the online chatting with those with online status.
Scenarios 1. Actor requests online chatting with the other student.2. Student may accept or reject the request.
Post Conditions: None

 

 

5) Create thread

-Blank UML - New Page (2)

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_500
Use Case Name : create thread
Description : This use case describes how the actor can open thread for discussion. The other actor can comment in this thread and reply to other actor’s comment.
Actor : Student, Mentor.
Precondition : 1. All actors must have the sign in identification.
Scenarios 1. Actor create new thread about any issues.2. The other actor give opinion by add comment.

3. The other actor reply comment from no 2 to support or give any opinion.

4.Actor can rate the thread.

5. Any inappropriate thread will be closed by administrator.
Post Conditions: None

 

 

 

6) Create support group

-Blank UML - New Page

Use Case ID : UCD_VC_600
Use Case Name : create support group
Description : This use case describes how the actor create support group to give encouragement and support to each other
Actor : Student, Mentor.
Precondition : 1. All actors must have the sign in identification.
Scenarios 1. Actor create support group.2. The other actor give opinion by add comment.

3.Actor can rate the profile of the group’s creator.

4. Any inappropriate support group will be closed by administrator.
Post Conditions: None

 

 

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by | · 1:17 pm

Scenario 3: Insomnia

Rebecca is university of Southampton student. She is aiming to be a Mental Health advisor after finishing her degree. She wants to get an experience as mental health advisor. So, she decides to join “TrustPal”. She logs in using her university email accounts. She edits her profile and interests. Then she clicks on add post and writes, “I like hearing you talk to me”. After talking to a stranger about his sleeping problems. She decides to create a support group for those who are facing sleeping problems. She feels happy when she sees the 5 yellow stars shining on her profile and reads people comments about how helpful she was. And she replies, “ You give me more than I give you. You make me happy and you raise my self-confidence. Thank you”

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by | · 12:09 pm

Scenario 2: Anxiety

Anxiety

It’s Friday afternoon, Nicholas replies “ Happy weekend to you too” in lower voice “It doesn’t seems to be a happy weekend”. He feels persistently unhappy. And he can no longer cope. He decides to go to bed and take a nap. Hoping that the low mood goes away, but it doesn’t. He feels stress even on the free times. He decides to talk to his friend Joe. Joe picks the phone up and starts the call with “Hello drama queen”. He realized it wasn’t a good idea. He remembered that he saw a poster about anonymous chat application called “TrustPal”. He downloads the application. And he logs in using his Soton ID and a nickname. He clicks talk to mentor tap on the application. Natalie (mentor) accept a chat live request from “drama queen” (Nicholas’s nick name). She asks him, after listening to his issue, to take mood assessment quiz in NHS website. Nicholas scored higher than the average degree of anxiety. Natalie gives him a high support. She also provides information about support groups in Trustpal and links to university and NHS services. She asked him to keep in touch. Nicholas feels good when he founds someone who cares about his problem. And he promise Natalie he will be better soon.

 

Resources:

1.Mood self assessment by NHS http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/mood-self-assessment.aspx

2. image reference http://goodmenproject.com

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by | April 28, 2015 · 6:45 pm

Technical Demo

This post demonstrate the core communication between TrustPal server, university database, and the users (i.e. Students) . The architecture took into consideration hiding the real account (i.e. Students details) from other TrustPal users by associating users’ nickname (that users choose in their first login) with their real university account in the back-end (i.e. Application server).

 

 

 

1) TrustPal user will login with his/her account of the university.

2) The application will verify the account though a communication with university database.

3) University database will authenticate the account and return boolean result (i.e Either the login account is correct or not).

4) TrustPal server will associate the username (i.e. email address) with the user nickname that is store at TrustPal database.

 

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by | · 3:27 pm

Social and Economic Context

Economic Context

This would be a charity based application, which would receive funding from donors, alumni, corporate partners, higher education institutions, and other grant providers.

Having volunteers work for the, generously giving up their time will allow any money raised to be stretched further.

Social Context

Overview:

TrustPal provides a confidential listening, emotional support, information and supplies service, run by students for students at their university. Working to improve student mental health and wellbeing.

Vision:

  • every student is able to talk about their feelings in a safe, anonymous, non-judgmental environment;
  • fewer students have their education while at Southampton University compromised by emotional difficulties;

Aims and Objectives:

  • deliver a consistent, high-quality service by developing Good Practice Guidelines
  •  effective recruitment, training and support of all volunteers
  • recruit and develop a diverse volunteer base which reflects the student population
  • seek expert advice to keep abreast of changes in the mental health sector and the law
  • actively engage with student union

Benefits

For most students their time at university is a positive experience of learning and personal development accompanied by the excitement of new experiences, opportunities and friendships. For some however it can be characterised by periods of stress, anxiety, loneliness and depression. Due to their age, students can be particularly vulnerable to mental ill-health.

Rising fees, academic pressures and concerns about future employability can also impact on student mental wellbeing.

TrustPal operates 24/7 where as other welfare services are usually closed at certain points. TrustPal offer university students a safe and anonymous place to talk about their feelings and whatever’s on their mind or troubling them without fear of being judged or ridiculed.

In 2013 research with a representative sample found that 75% of UK students had experienced psychological distress whilst at university with a 1/3 explicitly recalling it occurring at night – a time when university welfare services are usually closed, but Trustpal would be available.

The research also found that students are more likely to access support from their family or another student than from university provided support such as counsellors and pastoral tutors.

By offering peer support to university students 24/7, meaning whenever they’re feeling most vulnerable they can access support, TrustPal provides a unique and intensely valuable service that can make a real difference to students.

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by | April 27, 2015 · 8:49 pm

Storyboard 3- Trust

Scenario : This picture describes the scenario when the student is been assigned to the mentor. The mentor don’t know about the student identity and vice versa.

 

storyboard2

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by | · 8:46 pm

Storyboard 2-Group Discussion

Scenario: This storyboard depicts the scenario of how the student can share their problem in an open discussion. They will create a thread and the other student can give their opinion in this thread.

group

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