VOL. 9, NO. 7, JULY 2014 ISSN 1819-6608 ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences © 2006-2014 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN). All rights reserved. www.arpnjournals.com 999 A FRAMEWORK FOR SHARING COMMUNICATION MEDIA IN SUPPORTING CREATIVE TASK IN COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE Norzilah Musa, Siti Z. Z. Abidin and Nasiroh Omar Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia E-Mail: nasiroh@tmsk.uitm.edu.my ABSTRACT In networked collaborative working environment, users are involved with either repeatable or exclusive task. These variety tasks required the collaborative system to support it dynamic and creative solutions especially in sharing the communication media. Most of the related research is objectively focusing on the alignment of user behavior in shared activities. There is not much research conducted concerning on sharing communication media components in creative collaborative activity in details. In this paper, we analyze collaborative work application systems focusing on the communication module in four common areas; business, health, education and manufacturing. Based on the analysis, communication media sharing elements are formed into three layers. In each layer, media sharing element and its functions are identified. Then, we proposed a general software framework for communication media sharing for creative collaborative activities. The framework is functioning as a platform for users to manage their dynamic creative solutions to accomplish complex task. Keywords: communication media, framework, creative task, collaboration, workspace. INTRODUCTION Globalization and changed in market trends emerged from the evolving of internet and communication technology. These trends contribute to the creating of new organizational structure and business sector to expand in remote areas. Currently, workers in Collaborative Working Environments (CWE) are composed of dynamic assemble groups from diverse professional skills that work together within shared Collaborative Working Environments (CWE) [1]. This new structure makes possible for dispersed experts matters and workers be connected to collaborate and accomplish business projects [2]. Hence, collaborative work breaks through the common concept of computer application by providing collective cooperative workspace for users. Collaborative workspaces are also designed for unpredictable problems that need current workflow systems adapt to the changing environment [3]. In this situation, users need a system that can support their creative solution activities such as ad hoc communications and allow them to react accordingly. This kind of activities needs the system efficiently control the services between sustaining the space for user creativity and coordinating the resources [4]. Moreover, the content of resources involved in such activities might be changed. Hence, provisioning of new knowledge and data transformation needed to be coordinated efficiently. Furthermore, dispersed users in such collaborative activities are not sharing the same physical work environment. They are outside of sensory range of each other. Thus, communication technology plays a major role in supporting the information exchange and interaction between remote group of users by using available communication media (text, video, voice and etc.). Since the communication is a central activity in any collaborative work, issues in communication became one of the ongoing challenges encounter by the group of users [5]. Moreover, most of the problems highlighted by researchers are associated to project-related task coordination, such as workflow management, access control and conflict management [6, 7]. Moreover, the solutions proposed by the researchers are to adhere the need of user behavior alignment on shared activities and resources. In this context, communication media became utility tools with the predefined functions and fixed parameters. Hence, it is important for the systems to provide users with flexibilities to facilitate the sharing of communication media to support creative activities. COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE In designing the high-level system application architecture, most of the collaborative application systems embraced the layered design method. The ideology of this process is adopted from the network reference model; The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Model [8]. This model consists of seven layers. From the top to bottom are; application, presentation, session, transport, network, data-link and physical layers. Each layer has its own functions that categorized by a set of standard protocols. It receives information from the above layer and pass it to the next layer based on their hierarchy. Classification of Layered Architecture Reference Model There is three reference model that used by the researcher in designing the high-level collaborative application system architecture; client/server model, N- level of distributed computing and web based application model [9]. These reference models are the backbone of any communication between networked computers; mainly in collaborative work application systems. The