bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.): A Viable Credential for Faculty in Programmatically Accredited Business Degree Programs?
Authors: L MacLennan Helen , A Pina Anthony , A Moran Kenneth , F Hafford Patrick
Published: October 2017

Is the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A) a viable degree option for those wishing a career in academe? The D.B.A. degree is often considered to be a professional degree, in-tended for business practitioners, while the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is por-trayed as the degree for preparing college or university faculty. Conversely, many academic programs market their D.B.A. programs to future academicians. In this study, we investigat-ed whether the D.B.A. is, in fact, a viable faculty credential by gathering data from univer-sity catalogs and doctoral program websites and handbooks from 427 graduate business and management programs to analyze the terminal degrees held by 6159 faculty. The analysis indicated that 173 institutions (just over 40% of the total) employed 372 faculty whose ter-minal degree was the D.B.A. This constituted just over 6% of the total number of faculty. Additionally, the program and faculty qualification standards of the six regional accrediting agencies and the three programmatic accrediting agencies for business programs (AACSB, IACBE, and ACBSP) were analyzed. Results indicated that all these accrediting agencies treated the D.B.A. and Ph.D. in business identically and that the D.B.A. was universally considered to be a valid credential for teaching business at the university level. Suggestions for future research are also offered.
Teaching the History of U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Duoethnography
Authors: Nicolazzo Z , B. Marine Susan
Published: October 2017

In this duoethnography, we interrogate our roles as critical pedagogues in designing and teaching a graduate level course focused on the history of U.S. higher education. Throughout this dialogue, we surface tensions around what it means to enact critical pedagogy. Rather than just espousing a critical stance, we wrestle with how external pressures such as limited time, the need and desire to convey certain information to students, and neoliberalism influence the doing of critical pedagogy. We also discuss how our social identities, as well as those of the students alongside whom we teach and learn, affect the learning process. We conclude our paper by drawing upon our experiences and dialogue to consider what it means to do—rather than just espouse—a critical pedagogical style in the study of higher education.
A Face-to-Face Professional Development Model to Enhance Teaching of Online Research Strategies
Authors: E Terrazas-Arellanes Fatima , Knox Carolyn , A Strycker Lisa , Walden Emily
Published: October 2017

To help students navigate the digital environment, teachers not only need access to the right technology tools but they must also engage in pedagogically sound, high-quality professional development. For teachers, quality professional development can mean the difference between merely using technology tools and creating transformative change in the classroom. For students — especially those with learning disabilities (SWLDs) — having well-prepared teachers can mean the difference between passive listening and active learning. This report discusses implementation and impact of a face-to-face professional development model designed to enhance teachers’ implementation of a web-based curriculum (the SOAR Student Toolkit) for teaching online research strategies to all students (both general education students and SWLDs) in the middle school classroom. Fifteen teachers and 446 students participated in this study. Data were gathered from three school-based implementations across two academic years. Results indicate that teachers found that the face-to-face professional development was of high quality (100%), the pace and format was appropriate (93%), and sufficient practice and feedback were provided (100%). All teachers said the professional development supported their professional growth in providing differentiated instruction for all students and integrating technology into their instruction. About half of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they were very happy with the use of the SOAR Student Toolkit, found it easy to use, believed it helped them learn online research strategies, and thought it was a good way to teach. Most students said they would use the SOAR Student Toolkit for future research projects at least sometimes. Students who learned the SOAR Student Toolkit from trained teachers improved scores an average of 29.2 percentage points on performance-based assessments, from 31.3% (SD = 22.1) at pretest to 60.5% (SD = 23.0) at posttest—a statistically significant increase (F(df = 1,857) = 468.4, p < .001). Gains for SWLDs were similar to improvements for general education students.
Key Design Characteristics for Developing Usable E-Commerce Websites in the Arab World
Authors: Hasan Layla
Published: October 2017

This research aims to suggest key design characteristics that are necessary for developing usable e-commerce websites in the Arab world. A comprehensive usability evaluation of four leading Arab e-commerce websites was conducted using the heuristic evaluation method. The results identified major and minor usability problems and major and minor good design characteristics on the selected websites. Based on the results, 51 key design characteristics were suggested. The recommended key design characteristics comprised two levels according to their priority: level one which includes mandatory key design characteristics and level two which includes supplementary design characteristics. The key design characteristics in each level were categorized under specific pages and areas that can be found on any e-commerce website. Such categorizations could direct website evaluators and designers to important pages and areas that should be considered to improve the overall usability of e-commerce websites. The results of this research are particularly important to developing countries which are still facing challenges that may affect the design and accessibility of usable and useful websites. These relate to low speed of accessing the Internet and a lack of website designers who have experience in customers’ needs and websites’ usable design characteristics.
SECURING THE MUMA JOURNALS
Authors: Gill Grandon
Published: October 2017

How do you balance flexibility and security in deploying a new online journal? Is WordPress the best solution? An information security case that was developed during the launch of the MCR and MBR journals and was also used in a cybersecurity program.
MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION AT JAGGED PEAK
Authors: Gill Grandon , Jones Joni
Published: October 2017

A supplier of marketing and logistics web sites has been approached by a customer wanting to incorporate multifactor authentication. What approach should be taken and how should it be configured so as not to disrupt existing customers?
Teaching Reconsidered: Exploring the Teaching Experiences of Student Affairs Professionals in the College Classroom
Authors: Meraz Lewis Ramona , Jones Boss Ginny , T. McConnell Ayanna
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of student affairs professionals who teach in a variety of college classroom settings.

Background Increasingly, student affairs professionals are serving in teaching roles inside the college classroom; yet, there are few empirical studies that explore that teaching role or the impacts of that teaching experience. Because there are so few studies, we know little of the impacts of these experiences on the individual, the institution, or students.

Methodology This qualitative study explores the experiences of student affairs professionals who also teach in a variety of campus and classroom settings. The 12 participants from 11 different institutions ranged in years of service in the profession from six to 40 years. They taught an array of undergraduate and graduate courses including first-year experience and career courses, general education courses, and courses in higher education graduate programs. Participants share insights on how their training as student affairs professionals impacts them in their roles as college teachers.

Findings The findings are categorized into two broad themes: the impacts of practice on teaching and the impacts of teaching on practice. Additionally, participants share how their teaching experiences enhanced their awareness of the academic culture of the academy, enriched their understanding of students, and improved collaborations across their campuses.

Future Research Our research addresses the gap in the literature by providing a number of considerations on how formal teaching and student affairs practice have a recursive relationship. Future research might explore how teaching at the undergraduate level may differ from teaching at the graduate level. Future research, should explore in what, if any, ways the number of years teaching influences how professionals approach teaching. Future research on teaching might also explore the experiences of student affairs professionals who teach in discipline specific areas.
Understanding Internal Information Systems Security Policy Violations as Paradoxes
Authors: Njenga Kennedy
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Violations of Information Systems (IS) security policies continue to generate great anxiety amongst many organizations that use information systems, partly because these violations are carried out by internal employees. This article addresses IS security policy violations in organizational settings, and conceptualizes and problematizes IS security violations by employees of organizations from a paradox perspective.

Background: The paradox is that internal employees are increasingly being perceived as more of a threat to the security of organizational systems than outsiders. The notion of paradox is exemplified in four organizational contexts of belonging paradox, learning paradox, organizing paradox and performing paradox.

Methodology : A qualitative conceptual framework exemplifying how IS security violations occur as paradoxes in context to these four areas is presented at the end of this article.

Contribution: The article contributes to IS security management practice and suggests how IS security managers should be positioned to understand violations in light of this paradox perspective.

Findings: The employee generally in the process of carrying out ordinary activities using computing technology exemplifies unique tensions (or paradoxes in belonging, learning, organizing and performing) and these tensions would generally tend to lead to policy violations when an imbalance occurs.

Recommendations for Practitioners: IS security managers must be sensitive to employees tensions.

Future Research: A quantitative study, where statistical analysis could be applied to generalize findings, could be useful.
Table of Contents of Journal of Information Technology Education: Discussion Cases, Volume 6, 2017
Authors: Gill Grandon
Published: October 2017

Table of Contents of Journal of Information Technology Education: Discussion Cases, Volume 6, 2017
Flow-Based Provenance
Authors: Al-Fedaghi Sabah
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: With information almost effortlessly created and spontaneously available, current progress in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has led to the complication that information must be scrutinized for trustworthiness and provenance. Information systems must become provenance-aware to be satisfactory in accountability, reproducibility, and trustworthiness of data.

Background: Multiple models for abstract representation of provenance have been proposed to describe entities, people, and activities involved in producing a piece of data, including the Open Provenance Model (OPM) and the World Wide Web Consortium. These models lack certain concepts necessary for specifying workflows and encoding the provenance of data products used and generated.

Methodology: Without loss of generality, the focus of this paper is on OPM depiction of provenance in terms of a directed graph. We have redrawn several case studies in the framework of our proposed model in order to compare and evaluate it against OPM for representing these cases.

Contribution: This paper offers an alternative flow-based diagrammatic language that can form a foundation for modeling of provenance. The model described here provides an (abstract) machine-like representation of provenance.

Findings: The results suggest a viable alternative in the area of diagrammatic representation for provenance applications.

Future Research: Future work will seek to achieve more accurate comparisons with current models in the field.
Student Support Networks in Online Doctoral Programs: Exploring Nested Communities
Authors: Berry Sharla
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Enrollment in online doctoral programs has grown over the past decade. A sense of community, defined as feelings of closeness within a social group, is vital to retention, but few studies have explored how online doctoral students create community.

Background: In this qualitative case study, I explore how students in one online doctoral program created a learning community.

Methodology: Data for the study was drawn from 60 hours of video footage from six online courses, the message boards from the six courses, and twenty interviews with first and second-year students.

Contribution: Findings from this study indicate that the structure of the social network in an online doctoral program is significantly different from the structure of learning communities in face-to-face programs. In the online program, the doctoral community was more insular, more peer-centered, and less reliant on faculty support than in in-person programs.

Findings: Utilizing a nested communities theoretical framework, I identified four subgroups that informed online doctoral students’ sense of community: cohort, class groups, small peer groups, and study groups. Students interacted frequently with members of each of the aforementioned social groups and drew academic, social, and emotional support from their interactions.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Data from this study suggests that online doctoral students are interested in making social and academic connections. Practitioners should leverage technology and on-campus supports to promote extracurricular interactions for online students.

Recommendation for Researchers: Rather than focus on professional socialization, students in the online doctoral community were interested in providing social and academic support to peers. Researchers should consider how socialization in online doctoral programs differs from traditional, face-to-face programs.

Impact on Society: As universities increase online offerings, it is important to consider the issues that impact retention in online programs. By identifying the social structures that support online community, this study helps build knowledge around retention and engagement of online students.

Future Research: Future research should continue to explore the unique social networks that support online students.
An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the Constructivist Approach in Teaching Business Statistics
Authors: Maheshwari Greeni , Thomas Susan
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline (InfoSci)]

Aim/Purpose: The main aim of the research is to examine the performance of second language English speaking students enrolled in the Business Statistics course and to investigate the academic performance of students when taught under the constructivist and non-constructivist approaches in a classroom environment.

Background: There are different learning theories that are established based on how students learn. Each of these theories has its own benefits based on the different type of learners and context of the environment. The students in this research are new to the University environment and to a challenging technical course like Business Statistics. This research has been carried out to see the effectiveness of the constructivist approach in motivating and increasing the student engagement and their academic performance.

Methodology: A total of 1373 students were involved in the quasi-experiment method using Stratified Sampling Method from the year 2015 until 2016.

Contribution: To consider curriculum adjustments for first year programs and implications for teacher education.

Findings: The t-test for unequal variances was used to understand the mean score. Results indicate students have high motivation level and achieve higher mean scores when they are taught using the constructivist teaching approach compared to the non-constructivist teaching approach.

Recommendations for Practitioners : To consider the challenges faced by first year students and create a teaching approach that fits their needs.

Recommendation for Researchers: To explore in depth other teaching approaches of the Business Statistics course in improving students’ academic performance.

Impact on Society: The constructivist approach will enable learning to be enjoyable and students to be more confident.

Future Research: The research will assist other lectures teaching Business Statistics in creating a more conducive environment to encourage second language English speaking students to overcome their shyness and be more engaged.
EO Model for Tacit Knowledge Externalization in Socio-Technical Enterprises
Authors: Suresh Rao Shreyas , Nayak Ashalatha
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: A vital business activity within socio-technical enterprises is tacit knowledge externalization, which elicits and explicates tacit knowledge of enterprise employees as external knowledge. The aim of this paper is to integrate diverse aspects of externalization through the Enterprise Ontology model.

Background: Across two decades, researchers have explored various aspects of tacit knowledge externalization. However, from the existing works, it is revealed that there is no uniform representation of the externalization process, which has resulted in divergent and contradictory interpretations across the literature.

Methodology : The Enterprise Ontology model is constructed step-wise through the conceptual and measurement views. While the conceptual view encompasses three patterns that model the externalization process, the measurement view employs certainty-factor model to empirically measure the outcome of the externalization process.

Contribution: The paper contributes towards knowledge management literature in two ways. The first contribution is the Enterprise Ontology model that integrates diverse aspects of externalization. The second contribution is a Web application that validates the model through a case study in banking.

Findings: The findings show that the Enterprise Ontology model and the patterns are pragmatic in externalizing the tacit knowledge of experts in a problem-solving scenario within a banking enterprise.

Recommendations for Practitioners : Consider the diverse aspects (what, where, when, why, and how) during the tacit knowledge externalization process.

Future Research: To extend the Enterprise Ontology model to include externalization from partially automated enterprise systems.
Business Analytics as a Tool to Transforming Information into an Informing System: The Case of the On-Line Course Registration System
Authors: Grozdanov Christozov Dimitar
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline (InfoSci)]

Aim/Purpose: Sharing ideas generated in a Business Intelligence (BI) Applications class to upgrade an Information System in to an Informing System.

Background: Course Registration is the essential university’s business process in a university that follows a liberal-arts education model. Almost all categories of users are involved, including students, individual faculties and departments, and administration. A typical Information System, designed to support this process, allows departments to schedule selected courses for a particular time slot and location, and allows students to choose courses to study for the semester.

Methodology: The course project is to design a BI application. Domain knowledge is essential for such projects and course registration was the natural choice for this class. The assignment includes (1) identifying the categories of stakeholders; (2) identifying the information needs of different categories; (3) identifying available information sources; (4) identifying how is possible to acquire the additional data; and (5) designing the Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process and interface scenarios in a way to inform clients.

Contribution: Contributions are in two directions: (1) pedagogy - involving students in such a project motivates creativity, also enforcing students to think in cost-benefit framework may lead to creation of really effective and efficient solutions; (2) practice - implementation of some of the ideas could be with low cost, but with high impact.

Findings: Exploring BI techniques may increase the informing value of existing Information Systems.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Careful analysis of information needs and the way information is used, combined with deep domain knowledge and understanding the value provided by Data Mining techniques, is the way to initiate a process of transforming an Retrieval Information System to better inform clients.

Recommendation for Researchers: Combining pedagogy with practice allows one to overcome routine thinking and may lead to effective solutions. This needs further structuring and research on outcomes.

Impact on Society: Transforming Information towards Informing Systems has a significant impact by allowing users to make rational data driven decisions in an efficient way.

Future Research: The future of this project is implementation of developed ideas and assessment of the results.
Awareness of eSafety and Potential Online Dangers among Children and Teenagers
Authors: Cohen Zilka Gila
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Awareness of eSafety and potential online dangers for children and teenagers.

Background: The study examined eSafety among children and teenagers from their own perspectives, through evaluations of their awareness level of eSafety and of potential online dangers.

Methodology: This is a mixed-method study with both quantitative and qualitative elements. The study includes questionnaires and interviews. A total of 345 participants from Israel completed questionnaires; 90 children and teenagers were interviewed from among the participants.

Contribution: The study examined eSafety among children and teenagers from their own perspectives, through evaluations of their awareness level of eSafety; potential online dangers; level of privacy online; the degree to which using the Internet facilitates their day-to-day life; exposure to positive, useful, enriching and productive content online; exposure to violent content; the degree to which they communicate or refrain from communicating with strangers online; the degree to which participants feel they require tools to cope with online dangers; the degree to which they define themselves as cautious and prudent Internet users; how they feel online dangers may be avoided – all while accounting for differences in gender, age, and socio-demographic background.

Findings: Our findings show that the children and teenagers who participated in the study reported a high level of awareness. After computing a general variable expressing participants’ eSafety awareness level by averaging their responses to various statements, the study found that participants’ awareness level is medium-high. Issues that participants were concerned about included avoiding contact with strangers and cyberbullying, not necessarily by strangers, but also by friends.

Recommendations for Practitioners: It is important to teach safe practices for Internet use and ways of coping with cyberbullying in order to maximize the potential inherent in the use of the Internet, and to avoid exposure to online dangers.

Recommendation for Researchers: The study examined eSafety awareness by assessing and questioning children and teenage participants regarding their eSafety awareness level, as well as which aspects of Internet use they regard as either positive or negative. The study recommend incorporating in future studies, individual case studies and allowing participants to express how they perceive complex online situations.

Impact on Society: This study illustrates the dual potential of Internet use within the context of eSafety, as seen through the eyes of children and teenagers.

Future Research: Future studies should analyze differences between children, teenagers, and young adults (up to the age of 24), for the purpose of characterizing eSafety awareness and the effects of abiding by eSafety practices over the years, even after the age of 18, when participants have been using the Internet for relatively many years.
The Impact of e-Skills on the Settlement of Iranian Refugees in Australia
Authors: Shariati Saeed , Armarego Jocelyn , Sudweeks Fay
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Skills and Lifelong Learning (IJELL)]

Aim/Purpose: The research investigates the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on Iranian refugees’ settlement in Australia.

Background: The study identifies the issues of settlement, such as language, cultural and social differences.

Methodology: The Multi-Sited Ethnography (MSE), which is a qualitative methodology, has been used with a thematic analysis drawing on a series of semi-structured interviews with two groups of participants (51 Iranian refugees and 55 people with a role in assisting refugees).

Contribution: The research findings may enable the creation of a model for use by the Australian Government with Iranian refugees.

Findings: The findings show the vital role ICT play in refugees’ ongoing day-to-day life towards settlement.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The results from this paper could be generalised to other groups of refugees in Australia and also could be used for Iranian refugees in other countries.

Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers may use a similar study for refugees of different backgrounds in Australia and around the world.

Impact on Society: ICT may assist refugees to become less isolated, less marginalized and part of mainstream society.

Future Research: Future research could look into the digital divide between refugees in Australia and main stream Australians.
Hybrid App Approach: Could It Mark the End of Native App Domination?
Authors: Q. Huynh Minh , Ghimire Prashant , Truong Donny
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology]

Aim/Purpose: Despite millions of apps on the market, it is still challenging to develop a mobile app that can run across platforms using the same code.

Background: This paper explores a potential solution for developing cross platform apps by presenting the hybrid app approach.

Methodology: The paper first describes a brief evolution of the different mobile app development approaches and then compares them with the hybrid app approach. Next, it focuses on one specific hybrid app development framework called Ionic.

Contribution: The paper presents the hybrid app approach as an emerging trend in mobile app development and concludes with the highlight of its advantages and teaching implications.

Findings: The hybrid app approach reduces the learning curve and offers tools to allow the reuse of code to create apps for different mobile devices.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The experience that the paper describes in using Ionic framework to create a hybrid app can be adopted in a web design or mobile app development course.

Impact on Society: The advance in hybrid framework in general and the growing acceptance of open source framework, such as Ionic in particular, may provide an alternative to the native app domination and may trigger the rapid rise of hybrid apps in the years to come.
Enhanced Critical Thinking Skills through Problem-Solving Games in Secondary Schools
Authors: D McDonald Scott
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Students face many challenges improving their soft skills such as critical thinking. This paper offers one possible solution to this problem.

Background: This paper considers one method of enhancing critical thinking through a problem-solving game called the Coffee Shop. Problem-solving is a key component to critical thinking, and game-playing is one method of enhancing this through an interactive teaching method.

Methodology: Three classes of Vietnamese high school students engaged in the Coffee Shop game. The method seeks outcome measurements through the use of analysis of multiple surveys to assess and interpret if critical thinking may have been improved.

Contribution: The study may help to understand the importance of problem-solving in the context of an entrepreneurial setting and add to the variation of methods used to deliver the lesson to students in the classroom.

Findings: The findings show that practicing problem-solving scenarios with a focus on critical thinking in a time limited setting results in a measured improvement of this skill.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that educators could use games more as tools for problem-solving to contribute to their students’ learning outcomes around developing critical thinking.

Recommendation for Researchers: More research could be devoted to developing problem-solving and critical thinking skills through game-play models.

Impact on Society: Improved critical thinking skills in individuals could make a greater contribution to society.
Future Research A comparative study between different high school grades and genders as well as between different countries or cultures.
Executive Higher Education Doctoral Programs in the United States: A Demographic Market-Based Analysis
Authors: Freeman Jr. Sydney , Forthun Gracie
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Executive doctoral programs in higher education are under-researched. Scholars, administers, and students should be aware of all common delivery methods for higher education graduate programs.
Background This paper provides a review and analysis of executive doctoral higher education programs in the United States.

Methodology: Executive higher education doctoral programs analyzed utilizing a qualitative demographic market-based analysis approach.

Contribution: This review of executive higher education doctoral programs provides one of the first investigations of this segment of the higher education degree market.

Findings: There are twelve programs in the United States offering executive higher education degrees, though there are less aggressively marketed programs described as executive-style higher education doctoral programs that could serve students with similar needs.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Successful executive higher education doctoral programs require faculty that have both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in higher education. As appropriate, these programs should include tenure-line, clinical-track, and adjunct faculty who have cabinet level experience in higher education.

Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should begin to investigate more closely the small but growing population of executive doctoral degree programs in higher education.

Impact on Society: Institutions willing to offer executive degrees in higher education will provide training specifically for those faculty who are one step from an executive position within the higher education sector. Society will be impacted by having someone that is trained in the area who also has real world experience.

Future Research: Case studies of students enrolled in executive higher education programs and research documenting university-employer goals for these programs would enhance our understanding of this branch of the higher education degree market.
Let’s Tell a Story Together
Authors: Kelsey Karishma , J. Zaliwski Andrew
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the Interdisciplinary Journal of E-Skills and Lifelong Learning (IJELL)]

Aim/Purpose: The teaching solution presented in this paper was implemented to overcome the common problems encountered by authors during years of practice of applied business studies teaching.

Background: In our school, we have deep multicultural environments where both teachers and students are coming from different countries and cultures. The typical problems encountered with students include: not reading the case studies, language problems, different backgrounds and cultures, a different understanding of leadership in teamwork related to various management traditions, lack of student participation, and engagement in teamwork.

Methodology: The above problems were solved on the basis of the novelty use of several tools usually used separately: a combination of case studies with visualization and current representation of knowledge related to the case study. The visualization context is provided by “rich picture” (as a part of SSM methodology) to create a shared understanding among students. Another ingredient of the proposed solution is based on Pacific storytelling tradition and the Pacific methodology of solving problems.

Contribution: It was suggested the new delivery model strengthening advantages of case studies.
Findings Studies and surveys made from 2009 to the present are promising. There is a visible improvement in students’ grades and observed changes in students’ behavior toward more active in-class participation.

Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper focuses on implementation and technical aspects of the presented method. However, the application of the presented method needs robust and time-consuming preparation of the teacher before the class.

Recommendation for Researchers: The current results show that the proposed method has the potential to improve students’ experience in applied business courses. The project is ongoing and will undergo progressive changes while collecting new experiences. The method may be applied to other types of courses. By focusing on the storytelling and rich picture, we avoid technological bias when we teach business problem-solving. We focus instead on teaching students the social-organizational interactions influencing the problem solution.
Impact on Society Implementing of cultural sensitivity into the teaching process. Making teaching process more attractive for multicultural students.

Future Research: Reducing teacher overload when using the method presented by the development of computerized tools. This is undergoing through utilizing Unreal Engine. Also, it is planned to enhance our team by artists and designers related to computer games.
Representations of Practice- Distributed Sensemaking Using Boundary Objects
Authors: Hermanrud Inge , Eide Dorthe
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology]

Aim/Purpose: This article examines how learning activities draw on resources in the work context to learn.

Background: The background is that if knowledge no longer is seen mainly as objects, but processes, how then to understand boundary objects? Our field study of learning activities reveals the use of pictures, documents and emotions for learning in the geographically distributed Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority

Methodology: The study is a qualitative study consisting of interview data, observation data, and documents.
Contribution Contribute to practice based theorizing.

Findings: Three ideal types of representing practices have been identified, i.e., ‘Visualizing’, ‘Documenting’ and ‘Testing’. All three are combined with storytelling, sensing, reflections and sensemaking, which point at the importance of processes in learning. The article also add insights about how emotions can be an important resource for boundary spanning – and sensemaking – by creating the capability of reflecting upon and integrating different knowledge areas in the in- practice context.

Recommendations for Practitioners : Look for boundary objects within your field to promote online learning.

Recommendation for Researchers: Study boundary objects in work context to understand learning.
Impact on Society Role of objects in human learning.

Future Research: Focus on how emotions can be used for online learning.
Collaboration in Multi-stakeholder, Multi-cultural Organizational Environments
Authors: A Straka Douglas
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Governments, private business, and academia have become increasingly aware of the importance of collaboration in multi-stakeholder, multicultural environments. This is due to the globalization and (developing) mutual relationships with other global partners, due to the often varying visions and goals between the respective organizations in managing projects that span those environments.

Background: This research conducts a survey of literature pertaining to organizational collaboration in multi-stakeholder, multicultural environments in government, private business, and academic sectors, conducting an analysis to identify the gaps in the basic questions thus far explored in the literature. The gap analysis will expose the opportunities for greater collaboration in these environments.

Methodology: The author conducted a literature review to identify existing research gaps to focus interviews that will develop multiple case studies in future research.

Contribution/Findings: This literature review has determined gaps in understanding how contributing factors to cultural communication impact collaboration in multi-cultural, multi-stakeholder organizations, encouraging additional research in this area.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners have the opportunity to develop their use of cultural communication contributing factors, potentially increasing their collaboration efficiency.

Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers have opportunity to gather empirical evidence that factors of cultural communication may influence collaboration in the multi-cultural, multi-stakeholder environment.
Impact on Society Improved understanding of how cultural communication factors influence collaboration in multi-cultural, multi-stakeholder organizations can improve organizational efficiency.

Future Research: Gather empirical evidence that factors of cultural communication may influence collaboration in the multi-cultural, multi-stakeholder environment.
The Effect of IT Integration on Supply Chain Agility Towards Market Performance (A Proposed Study)
Authors: Maleki Far Shaghayegh , Akbari Mohammadreza , J Clarke Steven
Published: October 2017

[This Proceedings paper was revised and published in Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline (InfoSci)]

Aim/Purpose: An important objective of any firm is escalation of its performance and the achievement of competitive advantages. Supply chain agility plays a prominent role to enhance the level of firm’s performance. Moreover, information technology (IT) plays a foundational role in supply chain management practices. Hence, this study proposes the relationship between IT integration as the competency of IT and firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility.

Background: Many studies have been done to date on the impact of supply chain agility on overall firm’s performance. However, the effect of an agile supply chain on firm’s market performance per se needs to be studied. Furthermore, there is a gap in the literature about the effect of IT competency such as IT integration on firm’s market performance both directly and through mediating role of supply chain agility.

Recommendation for Researchers: The first direction this study gives to researchers is to consider the different factors which have significant effect on the agility of supply chain, particularly the IT related ones. The second direction is about the study on the effect of IT competencies and supply chain agility on each category of firm’s performance separately instead of considering it as a one construct.

Impact on Society: Although this is a conceptual study, it can highlight the importance of IT competency not only in our daily life, but also in our businesses and industries.

Future Research: This study only proposes some relationships based on theory and literature. Future researchers can test these proposed relationships in different contexts and compare the results. Furthermore, this study proposes the relationships for large manufacturing sector in developing countries. The model could be tested for SMEs as well. In addition, the proposed theoretical model in this study might be tested in both developing as well as developed countries to compare the results which will be contributed to the body of knowledge.
The Impact of User Interface on Young Children’s Computational Thinking
Authors: Pugnali Alex , Sullivan Amanda , Umashi Bers Marina
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Over the past few years, new approaches to introducing young children to computational thinking have grown in popularity. This paper examines the role that user interfaces have on children’s mastery of computational thinking concepts and positive interpersonal behaviors.

Background: There is a growing pressure to begin teaching computational thinking at a young age. This study explores the affordances of two very different programming interfaces for teaching computational thinking: a graphical coding application on the iPad (ScratchJr) and tangible programmable robotics kit (KIBO).

Methodology : This study used a mixed-method approach to explore the learning experiences that young children have with tangible and graphical coding interfaces. A sample of children ages four to seven (N = 28) participated.

Findings: Results suggest that type of user interface does have an impact on children’s learning, but is only one of many factors that affect positive academic and socio-emotional experiences. Tangible and graphical interfaces each have qualities that foster different types of learning
Exploring Mature-Aged Students’ Motives for Doctoral Study and their Challenges: A Cross Border Research Collaboration
Authors: Sok Kuan Fung Annabella , Southcott Jane , L. C. Siu Felix
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: It aimed at investigating the motives and challenges of 15 mature-aged doctoral students at two education faculties in Australian and Asian contexts.

Background: This cross-border research collaboration investigated the first international higher-research forum between two education faculties in Hong Kong and Australia.

Methodology: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to explore partic-ipants’ self-reported experiences concerning the motivations and challeng-es of 15 mature-aged doctoral students.

Contribution: The findings have important implications for global doctoral program de-velopment, international exchange forum organizations, intercultural capaci-ty building, academic enhancement and cross-border research collabora-tion.

Findings: From interview data four overarching themes emerged: Taking calculated risks, Determination to succeed, Financial stress, and Balancing life and research.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Recommendations include mentoring schemes, greater support for isolated students, and more opportunities for students to complete their PhD by publication.

Recommendation for Researchers: More research is needed to investigate mature-aged students’ motives for embarking on study in diverse cultural contexts among different ethnic groups.

Impact on Society: This study recognized the merits and potentials of mature students whose research contributes to their societies.

Future Research: Future research directions include using multiple case study design, thus exploring diverse aspects of the existing sample in greater depth, as well as tapping into a new sample of students at risk of attrition at both faculties.
The Utilisation of Facebook for Knowledge Sharing in Selected Local Government Councils in Delta State, Nigeria
Authors: Heman Ononye Uzoma , Igwe Anthony
Published: October 2017

Aim/Purpose: Facebook has made it possible for organisation to embrace social and network centric knowledge processes by creating opportunities to connect, interact, and collaborate with stakeholders. We have witnessed a significant increase in the popularity and use of this tool in many organisations, especially in the private sector. But the utilisation of Facebook in public organisations is at its infancy, with many also believing that the use of Facebook is not a common practice in many public organisations in Nigeria. In spite of this fact, our discernment on the implications of Facebook usage in public organisations in Nigeria, especially organisations at the local level, seem to be remarkably limited. This paper specifically sought to ascertain if Facebook usage influenced inward and outward knowledge sharing in the selected local government councils in Delta State, Nigeria

Methodology: The qualitative method was adopted. The study used interview as the primary means of data gathering. The study purposively sampled thirty-six employees as interviewees, twenty from Oshimili South and sixteen from Oshimili North local government councils respectively. The thematic content analysis method was used to analyse interview transcripts.

Contribution: This research made distinct contributions to the available literature in social knowledge management, specifically bringing to the fore the intricacies surrounding the use of Facebook for knowledge sharing purposes in the public sector.

Findings: The local government councils were yet to appreciate and utilise the interactive and collaborative nature of Facebook in improving stakeholders’ engagement, feedback, and cooperation. Facebook was used for outward knowledge sharing but not for inward knowledge sharing.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Local government councils should encourage interaction via Facebook, show willingness to capture knowledge from identifiable sources, and effectively manage critical knowledge assets in order to build trust, cooperation, and confidence in the system. To gain strategic benefits from the use of Facebook for synchronous communication of knowledge, local government councils should ensure that the use of such technology is aligned with strategic plans and that directional change is in line with the new knowledge economy, where interaction and collaboration through technology are seen as strategic imperatives for continued success and sustainability. In addition, local government councils need to train stakeholders on effective use of Facebook for knowledge sharing, with special emphasis on how, why, who, when, and where to use such tool for knowledge sharing activities.