Explanatory Statement
Project ID: 27885
Project Title: Interactive Haskell Type Inference Exploration
| Prof. Tim Dwyer | Prof. Peter Stuckey | Shuai Fu (Ph.D. student) |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Human Centred Computing | Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence | Department of Human Centred Computing |
| Phone: 9905 0234 | Phone: 9903 2405 | Phone: 0449 127 003 |
| Email: tim.dwyer@monash.edu | Email: peter.stuckey@monash.edu | Email: shuai.fu@monash.edu |
You are invited to take part in this study. Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate in this research. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, you are encouraged to contact the researchers via the phone numbers or email addresses listed above.
What does the research involve?
This study is designed to study how programmers understand polymorphic types in Haskell and their effects on reading types from a graphic notation called GeckoGraph.
Once you have navigated to the user study website, you will be prompted with 10 different puzzles. In each puzzle, you are asked to complete a function named zeroToHero, using a list of provided functions. In every level, function zeroToHero always expects a Zero type and returns a Hero type. But the definitions the Zero type and the Hero type are different in every level, and so are the provided functions. On every other level, you will be able to use GeckoGraph alongside the type signatures. GeckoGraph appears in three places: type annotation for provided functions, the target type of the zeroToHero, and the current inferred type of your solution.
After the study, you will be asked to leave feedback on your experience during the puzzle-solving.
How do we collect the data?
We will collect the data in two methods:
- 1. Through post-study web form.
- 2. Through telemetries during the study. We record events (such as "level started", "button clicked", "input changed") and their timestamps during the game. The data are sent to our own servers via HTTPS.
We use same-domain cookies (under 'https://zerotohero.fly.dev') to store a temporary unique identifier in your browser. We will not share any cookies to other parties. Nor will we access the cookies you already have installed from other websites. All data transmission from your browser to our server is encrypted. The detailed usage of cookies is given below:
| Cookie Name | Description | Enabled (collection allowed) | Enabled (collection not allowed) | Expiration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| user_id | A uuid generated for grouping all events data from by their corresponding sessions | Yes | No | 7 days from being set |
| variant | A string indicate showing GeckoGraph on even levels or odd levels | Yes | Yes | 7 days from being set |
| allow_collection | A boolean value indicated whether data collection is allowed. The absence of this value will be inferred as a negative value. | Yes | No | 7 days from being set |
| progress | A string representing the most recent progress, is used to continue the game when a user returns. | Yes | Yes | 7 days from being set |
| first_run_finished | Indicating whether a user finished all levels and restarted the game. In the restarted game, no data are collected. | Yes | No | 7 days from being set |
| level_complete/[n] | Indicating whether a certain level has been completed. It is used to determine whether to show the congratulation modal. | Yes | Yes | 7 days from being set |
Why were you chosen for this research?
You opt in to participate this research by clicking the link we posted on internet forum and interest group websites.
Consenting to participate in the project and withdrawing from the research
The consent process includes the following steps:
- Navigate to the consent web page
- Read the information about the data collection, how we collect and how can you stop participate
- Select I want to participate
You can choose to withdraw from further participation at any stage. To withdraw from this study, you simply close the user study website tab in the web browser. All the study related cookies expire after 7 days. We will erase all the data associate with your session if you do not complete the study. Additionally, you can click on the erase button during the game, to access detailed instructions for a complete erasing of your data.
Possible benefits and risks to participants
There are minimal risks involved in participating in this research. We will keep the study within a short time frame (around 30 minutes), and facilitating completing the study in multiple sessions to further reduce the chance of fatigue.
The user study gives no immediate benefit to the participants, However in the long term, you may benefit from the tools that we develop as part of the research.
Confidentiality
We will not collect any data that can be linked to your identity, your device, or your location. We will use a random identifier ( a UUID) to group the collected data by each participant.
All published data will remain anonymous. The collected data and questionnaire answers will be used in the publication.
The members of this project may include the user study results in journal articles, conference papers, or book chapters. Student co-investigator may include the user study result in his Ph.D. thesis.
Storage of data
Once the data collection is completed, the data will be stored offline-only, in an encrypted hard drive located in Australia. The members of the Interactive Haskell Type Inference Exploration project will be able to access the data. The data will be erased from the hard drive 12 months after it is collected.
Results
The members of the Interactive Haskell Type Inference Exploration project may include the user study results in journal articles, conference papers, or book chapters. Student co-investigator (Shuai Fu) may include the user study result in his Ph.D. thesis. We will only publish summary-formed results. No personal data will be published. Participants may gain access to a pre-print electronic version of a journal article or conference paper after being published. Participants may gain access to the electronic version of the student investigator’s Ph.D. thesis after it has been published.
Complaints
Should you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact the Executive Officer, Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC):
Executive Officer Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC) Room 111, Chancellery Building D, 26 Sports Walk, Clayton Campus Research Office Monash University VIC 3800
Tel: +61 3 9905 2052
Email: muhrec@monash.edu
Fax: +61 3 9905 3831
Thank you,
Prof. Tim Dwyer