bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Conceptualised Framework for Edutainment
Authors: Hussain Hanafizan , Che Embi Zarina , Hashim Samsuri
Published: October 2017

Conventional technique of design in computer games normally use programming as the ultimate task for developing computer games. In this framework, the development of edutainment for developing computer games for kids will be spearhead towards educators. The development of this conceptualized environment will lead the users to build an application towards a distributed resource available to a group of children. The aim of this paper is to develop an edutainment framework to be used as a tool for nonprogramming users especially educators for preschool children to develop digital games. Furthermore, it will identify the need for the used of diverse media elements and accommodating different skill levels in interface controls.
An Exploration of Dualisms in Female Perceptions of IT Work
Authors: von Hellens L. , Nielsen S.H. , Beekhuyzen J.
Published: October 2017

This paper explores the way that professional women working in the IT industry discuss the nature of their wDrk. Previous work suggested that the way women talk about their work reinforces widely held impressions of the Information Technology industry (Nielsen, von Hellens, Beekhuyzen and Trauth 2003). In this paper Structuration Theory illuminates how this talk is characterised by dualisms which are not always consistent with the womens' lived experiences. The interview data reveals contradictions in these dualisms, indicating that these polarised views of women and IT work are being undermined by women in the IT industry. The perceptions of the interviewees are discussed as structures of signification that need to be altered in order to successfully challenge these dualisms. This paper suggests that mentoring, interactions with professional IT organisations, and professional IT women talking to females in their IT education years can give new ideas to the perceptions of IT and thus challenge these dualisms. It is suggested that exposing females in their IT education years to the professional IT women who are challenging these dualisms is an essential part of transforming these structures of signification. This research is part of an ongoing project (WinIT) commenced in 1995, which seeks to understand the declining female participation in IT education and work. In order to have a better understanding of the way women help configure the institutional realm of IT work, we propose that more qualitative studies of women at work in IT as well as women talking about IT are needed.
Teaching Data Communications and Networking to School of Business Undergraduates: A Pedagogical Framework for Juxtaposing Theory and Practice
Authors: Gendron Michael , Jarmoszko A.T.
Published: October 2017

This article proposes a pedagogical framework for teaching an introductory data communications and networking (DCN) course to Management Information Systems (MIS) undergraduate majors within a school of business. Building on the material provided in commonly used DCN undergraduate textbooks, the course introduces students to both theoretical and applied knowledge necessary to solve business and DCN technology problems. Since it is taught in a business school, the course encompasses students’ previous business course work, and has a strong business case orientation. All MIS majors at the senior level are required to take it.
Leveling Differences and Reinforcing Similarities: The Interaction between Information and Communication Technologies and National Culture
Authors: Soernes Jan-Oddvar , Stephens Keri , Steinar Saetre Alf , Browning Larry
Published: October 2017

This study compares how workers in Norway and the United States use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Our data—72 in-depth interviews of advanced ICT users - was coded and analyzed using a grounded-theory methodology. As our organizing structure of comparing the two countries, we use Hofstede’s four-dimensional framework of national culture. Our results show that ICTs have a homogenizing effect on cultural differences—but also a reinforcing effect on existing similarities. We hypothesize possible explanations for these findings, including tracing them to our focus on an expert-user subculture and external triggering events.
Wireless Organizational Communication: A Framework for Communicative Informatics
Authors: M. Gallant Linda , M. Boone Gloria , Almquist Gregg
Published: October 2017

As mobile communication becomes more pervasive, there is an increasing need to study the potential uses of wireless organizational communication. The difficulty in analyzing information and communication technology (ICT) in organizational communication is the unintentional split between information processes perspectives and human communication perspectives in the discussions of workplace technology. By merging two constructs, organizational informatics and organizational sensemaking, this paper develops a communicative organizational informatics (COI) framework, which provides a robust perspective on how people communicate through the uses of technology in organizational settings. This communicative informatics framework offers a powerful lens to study the meanings, understandings, uses and gratifications, and potentials of technology in organizations and how it can facilitate workplace communication. A COI analysis of a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Palm VII, with a live wireless connection to a company sales database is examined by applying a usability testing methodology.
Using Micro Management Techniques to Overcome Problems in Group Assignments
Authors: Ford Marilyn , Morice Jenny
Published: October 2017

Group assignments are becoming increasingly popular in education, including Information Technology education. This paper explores problems with the use of group assignments and offers a new strategy designed to keep the good features of group assignments while removing the negative. Many students in Information Technology believe they should have group assignments because they will be working in groups in industry. Staff sometimes justify the use of group assignments as preparing students for team work in industry. However, we suggest that many problems with group assignments can be overcome by making group assignments more closely replicate conditions in industry. We propose a three-phase strategy using management techniques on a small scale.
Teaching Information Technology to a non-Technical Audience: A Graduate Course on IT for the Historical Profession
Authors: A. Ross Shawn
Published: October 2017

The graduate program in History at William Paterson University explicitly promotes itself as emphasizing information technology. HIST501: Information Technology for the Historical Profession, a course required of all entering graduate students, serves as a foundation for the IT literacy the program seeks to foster. Teaching HIST501 has proved challenging, however, due to the diverse interests and backgrounds of our students and a lack of integration with the broader graduate program. By structuring the course around an historical project—research, composition, and presentation of a thesis proposal— students immediately realize the relevance of IT to their research and teaching. Students learn IT applications and tools by using them to advance their proposal. By devoting class time to discussion of techniques for solving problems, while students learn the details of particular software packages on their own or through individual tutoring, a wide range of skill levels can be accommodated.
Promoting Cooperation and Collaboration in a Web-based Learning Environment
Authors: Sudweeks Fay
Published: October 2017

Web-based learning environments provide an attractive method for information dissemination, but in many instances they can be just electronic equivalents of printed course materials. Appropriate learning objectives and pedgagogical strategies are minimal or non-existent. Too often web-based learning environments lack cooperative and collaborative activities with the unintended consequence of feelings of social isolation. This paper describes a case study in which critical elements of online learning settings (Oliver, 2001) were implemented along with essential attributes for effective teamwork. Analyses of student que stionnaires indicate that students gained significant benefits from the instructional design of both the learning environment and the collaborative activity - without meeting face-to-face.
Panel on: The Creation and Distortion of Communication through Information Technology
Authors: Elizabeth Bezanson Mary , J. Levine Kenneth , B. Kretchmer Susan
Published: October 2017

Information and communication technology has opened up both challenges and opportunities for the process of communication. This is particularly true for communicating effectively and efficiently in the digital age, where unique problems of creation and distortion, especially misinformation and bias, can arise. In addition, the broad diffusion of a communication medium eventually prompts both the public and private sectors to establish mechanisms to regulate that medium under the rubric of the public interest. Sometimes this can happen through self-censorship on the part of the industry, while other times it requires the institution of governmental law and regulation. The emergence of the Internet as a mass communication system has raised questions about how this medium can function to benefit society, as well as concerns about its potential harm. Focusing on the nexus of the process of communication and the limitations and prospects of information technology, this panel explores some of the major concerns of the digital age from a legal and policy perspective. The topics to be covered through interactive discussion include: anonymous speech and cybersmearing; the nature of publication and misinformation; and Internet content filtering, freedom of speech, and intellectual property
Facilitating Mentoring Relationships: The Case for New Technology
Authors: J. Kalbfleisch Pamela , K. Eckley Valina
Published: October 2017

This paper describes a research project that analyzes how new technology can facilitate mentoring relationships. The specific new technology assessed in this research is the Internet. This is a particularly useful medium for communication in mentoring relationships because it expands the number and variety of mentoring relationships that can be facilitated, and it expands the time and space available for these relationships. This research supports the mentoring enactment theory developed by Kalbfleisch (2002) and expands our knowledge of how the Internet can play an influential role in the development and maintenance of mentoring relationships.
The Cycle of Knowledge Creation and Learning in Agribusiness
Authors: Binotto Erlaine , Hamer Eleri , Keiko Nakayama Marina , Azambuja Silveira Ricardo
Published: October 2017

This paper aims to analyze the process of knowledge creation, more specifically the four modes of knowledge conversion, on agricultural producers or farmers in Brazil, using the theoretical model of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1997). The research is an exploratory-descriptive study of a qualitative nature. The study demonstrated that for new knowledge to be created in the rural properties researched, at least three conditions should be considered essential: when people and their emotions are associated with work activities; when the personal relationships contribute to the improvement of the rules, the management and the policies of the farm; and when the knowledge is associated with experimentation and external incentives. For the creation of new knowledge to occur, information and insights from different sources, mainly, from co-operative, are also necessary to start the process of change in mental model and for the learning of people, groups and organizations in agribusiness.
Communication Management and Control in Distance Learning Scenarios
Authors: Bodendorf Freimut , Schertler Manfred
Published: October 2017

An approach to improve communication processes in e-learning is introduced. Based on a separation of a content-related and a communicational part of e-learning environments a system to support both students and tutors in their communication endeavors is presented. The communication platform consists of administration, configuration, moderation, and certainly communication tools which are described in detail. Finally the example of a telecooperative case study is given to illustrate the platform’s potential in specific e-teaching/e-learning scenarios.
A Contribution to Defining the Term "Definition"
Authors: Spuzic Sead , Nouwens Fons
Published: October 2017

Knowledge is a model that enables premeditated change. Knowledge can be subdivided: the simplest element is information. Information aggregates/relations constitute a concept. Clusters of concepts make theories. Concepts and theories can be further branched into: conclusions, explanations, cognitions, etc, which together belong to a general class of Definition. Definitions are key elements of knowledge. Yet it appears that we do not sufficiently explain the nature of this concept of definition itself. There is little doubt about the importance of words and languages, however these semantic structures contain some intrinsic ambiguities. Knowledge records grow faster than its substance, and it is increasingly difficult to manipulate and communicate this voluminous structure. The interpretations of terms and knowledge can vary significantly, especially in the multidisciplinary context. Misiformation is exacerbated by vague definitions including synonyms, homonyms and acronyms. This paper attempts to contribute to defining the term ‘definition’ to alleviate the mentioned problems.
Creation of Anticipatory Information Support for Virtual Organizations Between System(s) Theory and System Thinking
Authors: Potocan Vojko , Mulej Matjaz
Published: October 2017

A requisitely holistic information support can help us improve our business operation, but such information is hard to attain and even harder to attain in virtual organizations presenting a specific, more fluid form of business systems. Important difficulties include complexity and complicatedness, time (real and future, and their difference from the past), information requirements (realistic definition of them and meeting them), and related methodological problems. Anticipation capability may help business systems develop into anticipatory ones and develop their prevailing thinking style into the anticipatory system thinking (aimed at requisitely holistic mastering of the potential future, even a virtual one).
Connecting with the Y Generation: An Analysis of Factors Associated with the Academic Performance of Foundation IS Students
Authors: Genrich Rohan , Roberts Dave , Cater-Steel Aileen , Kuan Low Ee
Published: October 2017

A strategy to overcome challenges associated with teaching a foundation Information Systems (IS) course to large cohorts of Business students has been highly successful. To further refine the strategy, a survey was conducted to better understand attitudes and computer experience of the students. This study revealed that factors such as gender, age, study mode, type of secondary school attended, level of previous computing studies, perceived knowledge, frequency of use and attitudes towards using computers did not predict academic performance. Academic performance and characteristics of students belonging to the Y Generation were also compared with those of the Older Generation. Differences between these generations were found to exist in relation to perceived knowledge, level of previous computing studies, and experience of formal computing studies. It is imperative that educators be aware of the characteristics of the growing Y Generation students. This research has raised critical curriculum issues for the development of foundation IS pedagogy.
On-line Learning and Ontological Engineering
Authors: Sambasivam Samuel , Li Tao
Published: October 2017

The effectiveness of delivering course contents for distance learning depends on the organization of the course material, interaction methods and selection of exercise/test questions. The selection of questions plays a role equally important as the course presentation material. The use of multimedia may help ease the learning experience and so does the interaction among the students. A systematic approach to structure the course knowledge is perhaps the most important thing to effective learning. We adopt a novel approach to distance learning in which students are made to learn the ontology of the course through a template based approach.
Retrofitting Generic Graduate Attributes: A Case-Study of Information Systems Undergraduate Programs
Authors: Toleman Mark , Roberts Dave , Ryan Charmaine
Published: October 2017

This paper discusses how a set of ‘mandated’ generic graduate attributes were incorporated, by a retrofit, into an IS undergraduate degree program. The current challenge is to implement these attributes completely by matching them to course objectives, by explicitly including and assessing them, and by refining teaching and learning strategies to be cognisant of them. Other considerations identified are the extent to which these attributes actually suit the needs of IT/business graduates (including those contemplating postgraduate study), employers of IS graduates, and professional bodies. Attributes not addressed in the generic set are also considered as are attributes students possess prior to beginning degree studies.
Restructuring an Undergraduate Database Management Course for Business Students
Authors: Senapathi Mali
Published: October 2017

An introductory undergraduate database management course is quite common in the undergraduate IS/IT (Information Systems/Information Technology) curriculum. This paper describes the restructuring of such a course from a dominantly technical focus to having a much broader and more integrated approach within the Bachelor of Business (IT Major-Information Technology Major) degree programme at the Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. The course philosophy and guiding principles underlying the redesign are also discussed. The aims were to restructure the course to be in line with the graduate profile of the IT Major within the degree programme and to improve student performance. Results collected over a period of 5 semesters (during and after the restructuring) indicates that student performance improved significantly during this period.
A Matrixulation Method for Mapping an E-learning Platform Designer’s Conception of Learning: A Pilot Study
Authors: Marko Sievanen Ari
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a method for analyzing human conceptions related to e-learning, based on positioning data on what is called here a learning matrix. The set of dimensions comprising the matrix distinguish between emphasis on individuality and sociality in learning, between viewing learning as knowledge adoption and as knowledge construction, and between viewing learning as subjective and as objective to time. The learning matrix is used to visualize and compare conceptions of learning extracted from literature and from individual perceptions of learning, revealed through interviews. This study supports the development of e-learning environments and casts light on different conceptions of learning. In addition deriving and representing the learning matrix, the paper positions 13 learning theories on it. A concluding analysis of an interview with an e-learning platform designer implies that while certain aspects of a designer’s conception of learning relate to learning theories, the overall conception remains unique and dynamic.
A Data Model Validation Approach for Relational Database Design Courses
Authors: R. Parker Kevin
Published: October 2017

This paper presents an instructional method for validating a relational database design. Data model validation is often overlooked in course projects involving relational database design, in part because while most database texts stress the importance of validation, few provide an instructional method for performing validation. Validation is a critical step, especially for students. A flawed data model may omit non-key attributes or even the foreign keys required to join tables. This can make the design of SQL queries, forms, and reports a frustrating experience. This approach requires the designer to determine which attributes account for the field values on forms and reports, which entities are associated with those attributes, and how those entities are linked to an integral or primary entity. Such an approach serves to validate the completeness of the data model.
IT Educators and IT Adoption
Authors: Gillard Sharlett
Published: October 2017

Technology is a constant stream of innovations. Thousands of products are introduced each year. Potential adopters, including IT educators, must determine the right time, if ever, to embrace these new developments and to integrate them into their curricula and/or personal professional endeavors. It is the contention of the author that with regard to the adoption of innovations that purport to improve preparation for and classroom delivery of curriculum, IT educators who teach primarily theory classes must not be a laggard or part of the late majority, need not be an innovator, but should be an early adopter (preferably) or in the lead of the early majority. Further, adoption of IT innovations to improve professional goals and development should follow the same standard.
On the Idea of Organization Transformation: The IS/IT Design Challenge in Systems Thinking
Authors: Hou Vat Kam
Published: October 2017

This paper investigates the idea of organization transformation appropriate to the advent of information technologies (IT). Specifically, we describe a traceable framework of transformation, which accommodates the shift of information system (IS) support from automating to informating to knowledging. The paper intends to clarify the context of IT/IS-based organization transformation through the contextualization of IS support and its relation to organizational design. This is done by elaborating the design issue of IS support that help structure and facilitate knowledge interconnectivity, through the exposition of the social processes in which, in a specific organizational context, a particular group of people can conceptualize their world and hence the purposeful action they wish to undertake. That provides the basis for ascertaining what information support is needed by those who undertake that action. Only then does it become appropriate to ask how modern IT can help to provide that support. We conclude by reiterating the challenge of designing IS’s as meaning attribution systems in which people select certain resources out of the mass potentially available and get them processed by means of IT, to make them meaningful in order to support their purposeful actions.
Factors Influencing the Decision to Choose Information Technology Preparatory Studies in Secondary Schools: An Exploratory Study in Regional/Rural Australia
Authors: Van Der Vyver Glen , Crabb Debbie , Lane Michael
Published: October 2017

The career paths of students are influenced and shaped by the subject choices that are made in the final years of secondary schooling. This paper presents the findings of an empirical study that identified the key factors influencing the decision of rural / regional Australian students to choose or not choose to study Information Processing and Technology. The findings revealed that career oriented, extrinsic factors play an important role in motivating the selection of I.P.T. at school and, by implication, information technology at university. There are few apparent gender differences but there is limited evidence to suggest that males may be more influenced by extrinsic motivators and females by intrinsic motivators. Although the factors used in the study were initially identified largely via informal processes, they all appear to influence the decision to take I.P.T. The focus on career-related factors and the instrumentality of taking I.P.T. could explain the drop-off in students taking the subject. This has potentially significant implications as regards the future supply of good information technology professionals.
Dynamic Analysis of Barriers to Entry as a Task for an Intelligent Tool
Authors: Mach Maria
Published: October 2017

The paper addresses the problem of dynamic analysis of barriers to entry in a chosen market. The role and importance of such analysis in enterprise strategy is explained. As a solution to the problem, the use of an intelligent tool is proposed. The tasks that such a tool should be able to perform and the expectations connected with such a tool are pointed out. Next, an architecture of an intelligent tool is proposed. The main components of the tool are presented and discussed. Problems to be solved during construction process of the tool are also pointed out. The paper also shows direction for future research concerning dynamic analysis of barriers.
Collaborative Work Skills for the Beginning IS Professional
Authors: Lynch Kathy
Published: October 2017

One of the greatest concerns for many employers recruiting beginning information systems (IS) professionals is not the new recruit’s inadequacies in discipline skills or knowledge, but their general lack of the skills required to work effectively within a collaborative team in a changing workplace environment. It is the responsibility of education institutions to prepare beginning IS professionals for this change in how work is done and the change in the workplace for which they are to be employed. The research reported here examined what industry purports to want and what the literature says they need. Findings from the research identified a number of skills, attitudes and knowledge required for a team member to be effective on a collaborative work effort in the IS profession.
Common Approaches to Patenting New E-commerce Business Models (a Case Study)
Authors: Gottlieb Max , Stavrovski Boris
Published: October 2017

Three very typical examples of recently patented new E-commerce business models (commercial real estate transaction system, inventory database management system and Internet marketing resource allocating system) are analyzed. Common approaches to patenting new E-commerce business models are proposed and potential usefulness of patents as informing, marketing and protective instruments is discussed.
A Perspective on Achieving Information Security Awareness
Authors: Hentea Mariana
Published: October 2017

The guidelines “Towards a Culture of Security” emphasize a culture of security in all aspects of information systems, from designing and planning through to everyday use, and among all participants, from government down through business to consumers. In response to national needs, Information Security education has become a priority for many educational institutions in US for the past years. More universities and colleges have established courses or specialized programs to teach Information Security skills to students enrolled in degrees related to computers such as computer information systems, computer engineering, and computer science. However, there are aspects of the security education model that need attention. This paper discusses these issues including changes to improve security awareness education. Through close coordination between faculty, industry, government agencies, and universities, the critical education of future graduates, Information Technology professionals, Information Security professionals, and public can be accelerated.
Prior Experience and New IT Students
Authors: Holden Edward , Weeden Elissa
Published: October 2017

The Information Technology (IT) Department of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) offers core courses in four threads. These threads cover various subject areas of Information Technology. Increasingly, students enter the IT program with prior programming experience from high school or college courses, work, or from other activities. Several studies, including the authors’ own have indicated that students, who have prior experience, often perform better in the first programming course. Our earlier study verified that using 2002 data and found that after the first course, the experience did not have a significant impact on student performance in subsequent programming courses. In this study, we reexamined the results of our first study with data from 2003 and looked at beginning courses in other core threads to see if the prior experience had a significant impact on those courses.
Suggested Topics for an IS Introductory Course in Java
Authors: Ali Azad , Kohun Frederick
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this paper is to suggest topics that may be covered in an introductory programming using Java programming language at a typical Information Systems (IS) program. The paper begins by explaining in general terms three different methods that are used for teaching introductory courses in programming. It then clarifies some common characteristics that distinguish IS programming courses. Last, the paper recommends topics that may be covered for an introductory programming course using Java as the selected programming language in an IS program.
Defining the IT Curriculum: The Results of the Past 3 Years
Authors: Lunt Barry , Ekstrom Joseph , Lawson Edith , Kamali Reza , Miller Jacob , Gorka Sandra , Reichgelt Han
Published: October 2017

Efforts to define IT curriculum and accreditation standards began at the first Conference on Information Technology Curriculum (CITC-1) in December 2001, which included representatives from 15 Information Technology (IT) programs at four-year schools in the United States, and representatives from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Since this conference, this work has been ongoing at CITC-2 (April 2002), CITC-3 (September 2002), and CITC-4 (October 2003), and through committee work which has progressed between these conferences. The three main thrusts of this work have been to define standards for accreditation of IT programs, to define a model curriculum for IT programs, and to distinguish IT programs from the most closely-related academic programs, such as Information Systems and Computer Science. Membership in SIGITE (Special Interest Group on Information Technology Education) of the ACM is now over 300 members and represents most 4-year IT programs and several 2-year IT programs in the United States; the outcome of these three main thrusts should therefore be of wide interest to all those in related programs or at institutions considering forming a similar program. This paper gives some of the details of the results of the work on these three thrusts.
Understanding Intention to Use Multimedia Information Systems for Learning
Authors: Saade Raafat , Galloway Ian
Published: October 2017

The challenge today for educators interested in online teaching and learning is how to create, use and assess multimedia technologies for enhanced learning. Unlike hypertext and web-based instruction, the reliance on reading blocks of text is minimized. There still remains little evidence supporting multimedia to enhance learning. From the author’s perspectives, the challenge is to better understand the processes involved in developing effective multimedia tools and to establish appropriate assessment methodologies that may be used to guide standards and ‘good educational multimedia design practice’. This paper aims at sharing the author’s experiences with the development of a multimedia tool and its assessment. A multimedia learning system (MMLS) is presented and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is used to explain user acceptance. We investigate and discuss the TAM results involving a different technology used in a different context. As an initial attempt to understand students’ beliefs, perceptions, attitudes and intentions (and their inter-relationships) our results show that TAM performs well in explaining them.
Learning Management Systems Comparison
Authors: Lewis Barbara , MacEntee Virginia , DeLaCruz Shirley , Englander Catherine , Jeffrey Thomas , Takach Elizabeth , Wilson Sharon , Woodall Jason
Published: October 2017

The trend toward conversion from traditional classroom to online courses follows the shift of learning theories from the behaviorist orientation that portrays learning as a primarily passive activity to theorist orientation which emphasize the active, reflective and social nature of learning. Learners are increasingly considered to be active constructors rather than passive recipients of knowledge. As this trend increases, questions have surfaced regarding the choice of a learning management system (LMS) to use in developing an online course. The selection of an LMS is critical to student success. That selection needs to be based on both the objectives of the online course and the students’ needs. The LMS must have components that will allow the instructor to create a course that emphasizes active learning experiences. This paper will compare nine learning management systems and highlight the product features which enhance their ability to accommodate active learning.
A Profile of Digital Information Literacy Competencies of High School Students
Authors: Shankar Sunita , Kumar Muthu , Natarajan Uma , G. Hedberg John
Published: October 2017

Information literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, and apply information from a variety of sources in appropriate contexts to construct knowledge. In the current digital age, information literacy has inevitably been influenced extensively by developments in technology with the emergence of digital information literacy. The Internet has become a prominent source of digital information and students need to be competent and critical users of the information hosted by the Internet. This paper describes the baseline findings of the digital curricular literacy research project undertaken by the Centre for Research in Pedagogy and Practice in Singapore. Seven Secondary schools in Singapore participated in this preliminary study. Student participants were grouped together in pairs to be collaboratively engaged in Internet information seeking tasks. The student pairs were assigned History-based and Science-based tasks and their online movements were captured using a screen capture software, Snapzpro. The findings of this study have been analyzed and will be presented in this paper based upon Ellis’ information seeking behaviors model. Patterns and characteristics of students’ information seeking processes were investigated according to the different stages of Ellis’ model. Our findings revealed that the majority of Singapore students primarily focused on the following phases of Ellis’ model: starting, browsing, chaining, differentiating and extracting. We have observed two levels of starting, differentiating and extracting which we would like to term as primary and secondary in this study. No significant trends were observed in relation to the monitoring component in his model.
The Use of Technology to Facilitate Authentic Learning
Authors: MacEntee Virginia , Wells Shirley
Published: October 2017

The Use of Technology to Facilitate Authentic Learning will discuss the rationale for developing authentic learning assignments that use technology and allow students to be engaged in exploration and inquiry. Constructivists believe that the most effective way for students to acquire knowledge is to apply that knowledge or instruction to resolve problems that are common to their experience. Therefore, these assignments involve real-world projects that are both relevant and interesting to the learner. Students become involved in an effort to influence an audience beyond their classroom. The Power Point Presentations and the Brochures are developed for their peers and for an audience outside the class (their host teachers and schools).
Become A Star: Teaching the Process of Design and Implementation of an Intelligent System
Authors: Venables Anne , Tan Grace
Published: October 2017

Teaching future knowledge engineers, the necessary skills for designing and implementing intelligent software solutions required by business, industry and research today, is a very tall order. These skills are not easily taught in traditional undergraduate computer science lectures; nor are the practical experiences easily reinforced in laboratory sessions. In an attempt to address this issue, a software development project, designed to take students through a complete process of knowledge engineering, was introduced in an undergraduate Intelligent Systems subject. In this project, students were required to act as domain experts, knowledge engineers, programmers, end users and project manager in the production of a game-playing expert system. The paper describes the project, its objectives and development, as well as some of the benefits.
A Reflexive Model of ICT Practices in Organizations
Authors: Sornes Jan-Oddvar , Stephens Keri , Browning Larry , Steinar Saetre Alf
Published: October 2017

This paper reports a study of information and communication technology (ICT) use in Norway and the United States. Forty-two depth interviews completed in both countries provide the data source. Using grounded theory as a research method, and Adaptive Structuration Theory as our conceptual base, we analyze these interviews to generate an empirical model of ICT use. The 1490 incidents identified in our analysis are first reduced to 49 categories. These categories are further reduced to four: satisficing, communication channels, communication structure, and environmental agents. These four categories comprise the major parts of the reflexive model. The findings suggest that the parts of the model are interdependent and mutually causal in that individuals consider and even reconsider the use of multiple communication channels within and between tasks. As a conclusion we address future research including, credibility and time issues in ICT use.
Concept Mapping as a Tool for Curriculum Quality
Authors: McDaniel Elizabeth , Roth Brenda , Miller Michael
Published: October 2017

Concept mapping is typically used as a classroom tool for students to construct their own learning by illustrating the relationships and linkages among complicated concepts and their component parts. This paper reports on the application of concept mapping to create curricular schematics for academic programs that must be aligned to specific competencies. The competencies are mapped and represented in a visual framework to give administrators and faculty, as well as students, a better understanding of main ideas and how key concepts are integrated. Mapped representation of curriculum can be used to validate complicated curricula content and to assess student learning.
Informing Systems in Business Environments: A Purpose-Focused View
Authors: J Gackowski Zbigniew
Published: October 2017

This paper presents a technology-independent rational inquiry into informing systems in business environments. Depending on the primary concerns, informing systems should be examined from either the viewpoint of information disseminators or informing clients. The latter viewpoint is subject to extensive empirical studies within informing science and partially within the MIT Information Quality Program. It focuses mainly on information products, services, users’ preferences, and requirement specifications. The information disseminators’ viewpoint is rarely taken into account. Based on a short review of the most popular MIS textbooks and research in this domain, this paper discusses problems one encounters during examination of informing systems in business environments. It uses an improved version of the purpose-focused framework (Gackowski, 2004a), which covers both viewpoints. Two refinements of the Informing Science Framework as defined by Cohen (1999) are suggested.
Sarbanes-Oxlev Act of 2002 and IT Education
Authors: A. VanLengen Craig
Published: October 2017

Even though information technology (IT) educators have been teaching basic principles of information systems for over 20 years, business organizations have chosen to ignore or not implement them. By not integrating information systems and allowing uncontrolled manual intervention it was easier to commit the frauds and the financial scandals of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. The frauds and financial scandals have resulted in a large increase in business regulation with many compliance requirements and possible fines and jail sentences for non-compliance. IT educators need to take some lessons from their accounting colleagues (Titard, 2004) and modify IT curriculum to take advantage of the compliance environment to focus on the basic principles of creating quality up-to-date information for organization decision making and to see them implemented.
Modeling and Performance Analysis of Dynamic Random Early Detection (DRED) Gateway for Congestion Avoidance
Authors: A. Akintola A. , A. Aderounmu G. , A. Akanbi L. , O. Adigun M.
Published: October 2017

One of the most prominent congestion avoidance schemes in the Internet architecture is the Random Early Detection (RED) algorithm. Several modifications and enhancements have been made to the original RED so as to make it more responsive to congestion avoidance at the gateways. In this paper, we introduced the Dynamic Random Early Detection (DRED) model, which uses a newly introduced parameter i.e. warning line. A robust and efficacious technique to measure the burstiness of incoming traffic has been developed and tested. This involves the estimation of the average queue size, avg, which is dynamically adjusted hence the name of our scheme. The empirical results obtained from the simulations show that our DRED scheme responds early enough to the increased number of packets at the gateway. Also, the maximum drop probability of packets show improved performance over the original RED. It was concluded that our scheme demonstrated superiority by avoiding global synchronization and there is great reduction in the fluctuations of the actual queue size. Also, its early response avoids buffer overflow at the gateways when the queue is near full.
The Digital Divide and K-12 Student Computer Use
Authors: N. Morgan James , A. VanLengen Craig
Published: October 2017

The divide between those who have computer and Internet access and those who do not appears to be narrowing, however overall statistics may be misleading. Measures of computer availability in schools often include cases where computers are only available for administration or are available only on a very limited basis (Gootman, 2004). Access to a computer and the Internet outside of school helps to reinforce student learning and emphasize the importance of using technology. Recent U.S. statistics indicate that ethnic background and other demographic characteristics still have substantial impact on the availability and use of computers by students outside of the classroom. This paper examines recent census data to determine the impact of the household on student computer use outside of the classroom. Encouragingly, the findings of this study suggest that use of a computer at school substantially increases the chance that a student will use a computer outside of class. Additionally, this study suggests that computer use outside of the classroom is positively and significantly impacted by being in a household with adults who either use a computer at work or work in an industry where computers are extensively used.
An Exploratory Analysis of Intranet Benefits
Authors: V. Knight Linda , A. Steinbach Theresa , and Settimi Raffaella
Published: October 2017

An exploratory survey of business professionals from a broad range of organizations indicates that potential intranet benefits are both difficult to achieve and highly interrelated. Although many organizations implement intranets in the hope of generating cost savings or improving knowledge sharing across organizational units, this study indicates that the only likely benefit of implementing an intranet is faster access to information. The study also suggests that the most difficult benefit to achieve is generating a more cooperative work environment, and that developing an intranet that improves the quality and relevance of information is foundational to achieving most other intranet benefits.
Learning in Virtual Teams: Exploring the Student Experience
Authors: Goold Annegret , Augar Naomi , Farmer James
Published: October 2017

In 2005 an undergraduate course in project management was converted from face-to-face mode to wholly online mode. The online course was designed with an underlying problem-based learning (PBL) pedagogy and used a simulated, fictitious telecommunications company, United Enterprises (UE), as a case study learning resource. The students worked in virtual teams to complete online learning activities and to solve authentic project management tasks for UE. This paper reports the findings of three surveys that were completed by students during the semester, to gauge their opinions about their experiences of working in virtual teams within the learning environment. Most students indicated that they valued the opportunity to discuss various aspects of the course with peers and faculty online, and to interact with real-life employees of UE. Overall the findings show that students were satisfied with this style of learning and enjoyed the experience of working collaboratively within a virtual team.
Towards Changes in Information Security Education
Authors: Hentea Mariana , Dhillon Harpal , Dhillon Manpreet
Published: October 2017

In the ACM guidelines for curricula at educational institutions, the recommendations for Information Security Assurance (ISA) education do not specify the topics, courses, or sequence of courses. As a consequence, there are numerous ISA education models and curricula in existence at educational institutions around the world. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the quality of academic information security programs and suggest changes or improvements in the curricula to ensure that undergraduates and graduates have gained the required skills after completing their studies. Despite a variety of ISA curricula and diverse educational models, universities often fail to provide their graduates with skills demanded by employers. In this paper, we make suggestions for the actions that should make the ISA curricula in the universities responsive to the needs of the general population and the industry in which graduates with ISA skills and specialization will be employed.