bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Critical Mass of Wireless Communications
Authors: Puumalainen Kaisu , Frank Lauri , Sundqvist Sanna , Tuppura Anni
Published: September 2010

The aim of this chapter is to identify and analyze the timing and level of critical mass in the development of market penetration for wireless communications. The authors assume that critical mass is fulfilled at the point when the acceleration of the diffusion process is at its maximum. In practice, this point is determined by estimating the diffusion function and calculating the second derivative with respect to time. The diffusion of mobile subscription is modelled using the Bass diffusion model. The penetration levels and points of time of critical mass of 209 countries or areas of the world are identified and subsequently subjected to regression analysis against population and economic characteristics. The findings suggest considerable differences between developing and developed countries.
Mobile Technologies and Rich Media
Authors: Andrews Trish , Smyth Robyn , Tynan Belinda , Berriman Andrew , Vale Deborah , Caladine Richard
Published: September 2010

This chapter focuses on the emerging possibilities and issues arising from the rapid adoption of mobile technologies for learning in tertiary and higher education contexts in developing countries. In particular, it explores the implications for developing nations of the rapid proliferation of mobile devices. Many opportunities are forecast along with some lessons learned from an Australian investigation into the use of rich media technologies in higher education.
Assessing the Application of 3D Collaborative Interfaces within an Immersive Virtual University
Authors: McArdle Gavin , Schön Bianca , Bertolotto Michela
Published: September 2010

The need to stimulate and engage students is of paramount importance within any learning scenario. Despite this, recent developments in online learning have failed to take this requirement into account. As a result e-learning courses which utilise traditional online learning management systems have a higher dropout rate than their classroom based counterparts. The attrition rate is attributed to boredom with the interfaces used to deliver learning material and also to the lack of opportunities to interact socially with others. Furthermore, being in a virtual environment imposes a whole new set of challenges onto users due to the distinct lack of stimuli provided, compared to the real world. Technological advances now permit the development of multi-user, networked, virtual reality environments which can address these issues. Such environments provide an immersive desktop 3D interface which is used to deliver learning material. Real-time communication and collaboration tools permit interaction between students and tutors. This chapter describes one such environment called CLEV-R (Collaborative Learning Environments with Virtual Reality) which fosters collaboration and social interaction via specialised tools. Although there are systems which offer similar functionality to CLEV-R, these have not been adequately evaluated. This chapter describes two studies which were conducted using the CLEV-R interface. The first study assesses the usability of this paradigm for e-learning while the second determines which factors influence performance in the Virtual Reality environment in order to ensure that some students are not unfairly advantaged by this means of e-learning. The studies have shown that several factors, such as age and experience in Virtual Reality games influence a user’s success in Virtual Reality environments. Furthermore, the study shows that students enjoy and benefit from the opportunity to interact with each other.
Practice What You Preach
Authors: Benvenuti Laura , van der Veer Gerrit C.
Published: September 2010

This chapter is not on the technology of Virtual Worlds. The authors discuss the application of a Virtual World as a teaching and learning environment for a course on Virtual Worlds. In their view, innovation and education should go hand in hand. Too often, new technologies are discussed without being applied. The authors argue that innovative technologies do belong in those classroom where their application is relevant to the topic. In thischapter, the authors discuss an example of how this issue can be tackled. They show that application of innovative tools is useful to all parties: students, lecturers and researchers, even if it raises new problems from which we all can learn.
Immersive Language Learning in Collaborative Virtual Environments
Authors: Shih Ya-Chun
Published: September 2010

This chapter explores the role of collaborative virtual environments (CVE) in the language learning immersion experience. Despite the lack of strong empirical evidence, CVE assisted language learning has become an interesting point in recent research on technology-supported language learning. The current work reviews specific issues in the context of CVE assisted language learning: (a) current research, theory and practice; (b) virtual reality assisted language learning; (c) link between CVEs and Web 2.0.
Capitalizing on Immersive Persistence as an Emergent Design Concept (A Position Paper)
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: September 2010

In their evolution, virtual worlds have become more persistent. Their three-dimensional (3D) objects are more easily ported and interoperable between 3D repositories and may eventually be portable between synthetic world systems. If trend-lines continue, these synthetic spaces will become more integrated into the fabric of virtual learning and research, community-building, socializing, and digital information archival. Their continuity-in-time adds fresh capabilities for learning (human actualization, long-term virtual collaborations), digital resource protection (digital artifact preservation, long-term and evolving simulations, virtual ecologies), human relationship management (customer relationship management and branding, digital governance), and information exchange and management (international exchanges, and immersive long-term 3D libraries and knowledge structures). However, this immersive persistence must be balanced against the needs of temporality, transience, and forgetting.
Sound in Electronic Gambling Machines
Authors: Collins Karen , Tessler Holly , Harrigan Kevin , Dixon Michael J. , Fugelsang Jonathan
Published: September 2010

A much neglected area of research into game sound (and computer games in general) is the use of sound in the games on electronic gambling machines (EGMs). EGMs have many similarities with commercial computer games, particularly arcade games. Drawing on research in film, television, computer games, advertising, and gambling, this chapter introduces EGM sound and provides an introduction into the literature on gambling sound in general, including discussions of the casino environment, the slot machine EGM, and the physiological responses to sound in EGMs. Throughout the article, we address how the study of EGM sound may be relevant to the practice and theory of computer game audio.
Sound is Not a Simulation
Authors: Keeffe Linda O
Published: September 2010

In order to design a computer game soundscape that allows a game player to feel immersed in their virtual world, we must understand how we navigate and understand the real world soundscape. In this chapter I will explore how sound, particularly in urban spaces, is increasingly categorised as noise, ignoring both the social significance of any soundscape and how we use sound to interpret and negotiate space. I will explore innovative methodologies for identifying an individual’s perception of soundscapes. Designing virtual soundscapes without prior investigation into their cultural and social meaning could prove problematic.
Time for New Terminology?
Authors: Jørgensen Kristine
Published: September 2010

This chapter is a critical discussion of the use of the concepts diegetic and non-diegetic in connection with computer game sound. These terms are problematic because they do not take into account the functional aspects of sound and indicate how gameworlds differ from traditional fictional worlds. The aims of the chapter are to re-evaluate earlier attempts at adapting this terminology to games and to present an alternative model of conceptualizing the spatial properties of game sound with respect to the gameworld.
An Acoustic Communication Framework for Game Sound
Authors: Droumeva Milena
Published: September 2010

This chapter explores how notions of fidelity and verisimilitude manifest historically both as global cultural conventions of media and technology, as well as more specifically as design goals in the production of sound in games. By exploring these two perspectives on acoustic realism through the acoustic communication framework with its focus on patterns of listening over time, acoustic communities, and ecology, I hope to offer a model for future theorizing and exploration of game sound and a lens for in-depth analysis of specific game titles. As a novel contribution, this chapter offers a set of listening modes that are derived from and describe attentional stances towards historically diverse game soundscapes in the hopes that we may use these to not only identify but also evaluate the relationship between gaming and culture.
Listening to Fear
Authors: Roux-Girard Guillaume
Published: September 2010

This chapter aims to explain how sound in horror computer games works towards eliciting emotions in the gamer: namely fear and dread. More than just analyzing how the gamer produces meaning with horror game sound in relation to its overarching generic context, it will look at how the inner relations of the sonic structure of the game and the different functions of computer game sound are manipulated to create the horrific strategies of the games. This chapter will also provide theoretical background on sound, gameplay, and the reception of computer games to support my argument.
Emotion, Content, and Context in Sound and Music
Authors: Cunningham Stuart , Grout Vic , Picking Richard
Published: September 2010

Computer game sound is particularly dependent upon the use of both sound artefacts and music. Sound and music are media rich in information. Audio and music processing can be approached from a range of perspectives which may or may not consider the meaning and purpose of this information.Computer music and digital audio are being advanced through investigations into emotion, content analysis, and context, and this chapter attempts to highlight the value of considering the information content present in sound, the context of the user being exposed to the sound, and the emotional reactions and interactions that are possible between the user and game sound. We demonstrate that by analysing the information present within media and considering the applications and purpose of a particular type of information, developers can improve user experiences and reduce overheads while creating more suitable, efficient applications. Some illustrated examples of our research projects that employ these theories are provided. Although the examples of research and development applications are not always examples from computer game sound, they can be related back to computer games. We aim to stimulate the reader’s imagination and thought in these areas, rather than attempt to drive the reader down one particular path.
Behaviour, Structure and Causality in Procedural Audio1
Authors: Farnell Andy
Published: September 2010

This chapter expands some key concepts and problems in the emerging field of procedural audio. In addition to historical, philosophical, commercial, and technological themes, it examines why procedural audio differs from earlier “computer music” and “computer sound”. In particular, the extension of sound synthesis to the general case of ordinary, everyday objects in a virtual world, and the requirements for interactivity and real-time computation are examined.
Physical Modelling for Sound Synthesis
Authors: Mullan Eoin
Published: September 2010

While the first computer games synthesised all their sound effects, a desire for realism led to the widespread use of sample playback when technology matured enough to allow it. However, current research points to many advantages of procedural audio which is generated at run time from information on sound producing events using various synthesis techniques. A specific type of synthesis known as physical modelling has emerged, primarily from research into musical instruments, and this has provided audio synthesis with an intuitive link to a system’s virtual physical parameters. Various physical modelling techniques have been developed, each offering particular advantages, and some of these have been used to synthesise audio in interactive virtual environments. Refinements of these techniques have improved their efficiency by exploiting human audio perception. They have been implemented in large virtual environments and linked to third party physics engines, unveiling the potential for more realistic audio, reduced production costs, faster prototyping, and new gaming possibilities.
New Wine in New Skins
Authors: Hug Daniel
Published: September 2010

With the disappearance of technological constraints and their often predetermining impact upon design, computer game sound has the opportunity to develop into many innovative and unique aesthetic directions. This article reflects upon related discourse and design practice, which seems strongly influenced by mainstream Hollywood film and by a striving for naturalism and the simulation of “reality.” It is proposed that this constitutes an unnecessary limitation to the development and maturation of game sound. Interestingly, a closer understanding of aesthetic innovations of film sound, in particular in relation to what can be termed “liberation of the soundtrack,” can indicate thus far unexploited potential for game sound. Combined with recent innovations in creative practice and technology, they serve as inspiration to propose new directions for game sound design, taking into account the inherent qualities of the interactive medium and the technological and aesthetic possibilities associated with it.
Data Mining and Privacy Protection
Authors: Faganel Armand , Bratina Danijel
Published: September 2010

Modern data mining tools search databases for hidden patterns, finding predictive information that is otherwise not evident. There exist four models for privacy protection, which depending on their application, can be complementary or contradictory. This chapter deals with the comparison of EU comprehensive laws model and US sectoral laws model that arise from different cultural and historical background. The main objectives are to compare the current state of consumer’s privacy protection in EU and USA, discuss legal frameworks, propose some best practice implications, and summarize perceived future trends. We must not forget that consumers have the right to communicate and interact, and also to keep the control over their personal data, even after they disclosed it to others.
Using POS Data for Price Promotions Evaluation
Authors: Bratina Danijel , Faganel Armand
Published: September 2010

Price promotions have been largely dealt with in the literature. Yet there are just a few generalizations made so far about this powerful marketing communication tool. The obvious effect, that all authors who have studied price promotions emphasize, is quantity increase during price promotions. Inference studies about the decomposition of the sales promotion bump do not converge to a generalization or a law, but end in radically different results. Most of these studies use consumer panel data, rich of demographical characteristics and consumers’ purchasing history. Companies that use such data, available from marketing research industry, usually complain that data is old and expensive. The authors start with literature review on price promotions in which they present existing models based on consumer panel data (Bell, et al., 1999; Mela, et al., 1998; Moriarty, 1985; Walters, 1991; Yeshin, 2006). Next they present existing POS analysis models and compare their findings to show the high level of heterogeneity among results. All existing models are based on powerful databases provided by professional research institutions (i.e. Nielsen or IRI) that usually cover the whole market for the analysed brand category geographically. The authors next apply existing models to find which best suits data available for Slovenian FMCG market. They show two models analysis – quantity (SCAN*PRO) and market share (MCI) and their power for explanatory and forecasting research using POS data. Having dealt with more than 30 brand categories within a wider research, they conclude that the models developed are usable for a fast decision making process within a company, but their exploratory power is still poor compared to panel data.
E-Learning for SMEs
Authors: Rolstadas Asbjorn , Andersen Bjorn , Fradinho Manuel
Published: September 2010

SMEs have a special need to be able to collect knowhow from the global community and implement this as competence in the enterprise. E-Learning is an approach for competence development that can assist SMEs in creating a learning organization. There are different approaches to E-Learning. Amongst the most powerful ones is the application of serious games. The PRIME project conducted experiments with serious games in project business and in manufacturing. This has resulted in a set of guidelines for successful implementation of games in an organization. It is necessary to allow a learning curve and put emphasis on the social context to obtain effective learning. For delivery of E-Learning the hybrid learning model is recommended. SMEs are advised to develop E-Learning in cooperation with academic institutions, and to use real life cases and problems for assignments. Delivery should be based on proven technology when used in SMEs.
Specifications for a Website Audit Tool for Small Businesses
Authors: Burgess Stephen
Published: September 2010

These days, small businesses typically have a web presence beyond their own website, employing the services of other online providers to host details of their businesses and hopefully attract more customers to them. This chapter examines the notion of a web presence audit tool for small businesses to enable them to track the various website features that they have implemented on their own, and other, websites over time. A ‘website feature‘ can be something as simple as listing the business address and telephone number on the website, but it can also include more advanced features such as online ordering and purchasing. The chapter discusses the specifications for such a website audit tool and suggests a relational database design for the tool. The resultant specifications are to be trialed in a number of settings before being introduced to a wider group of small businesses.
An Approach to Efficient Waste Management for SMEs via RBVOs
Authors: Katriou Stamatia-Ann , Ignatiadis Ioannis , Fragidis Garyfallos , Tolias Evangelos , Koumpis Adamantios
Published: September 2010

Businesses are aware of the popular demand for careful waste management as a high priority environmental issue. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face greater pressure when coping with waste products, because they often lack necessary resources or expertise. E-business could offer unique opportunities both for SMEs wanting to dispose of their waste or find waste management services and for SMEs who deal with specific aspects of waste disposal itself. This chapter proposes an approach for locating actors involved in the transportation, disposal, recycling and reuse of waste created by SMEs. Our approach incorporates the notion of Request Based Virtual Organizations (RBVOs) using a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and an ontology for the definition of waste management requirements. The populated ontology is utilized by a Multi-Agent System which performs negotiations and forms RBVOs. This approach enables SMEs to find appropriate partners, handle waste management and gain competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Issues Influencing Electronic Commerce Activities of SMEs
Authors: Zerenler Muammer , Gözlü Sitki
Published: September 2010

This study aims to investigate the issues of electronic commerce activities in small and medium sized enterprises as a consequence of organizational change initiated by the adoption of information technologies. The fundamental issues influencing electronic commerce practices of SMEs are their insufficiency of cognitive learning and organizational strategy, financial and distribution problems specific to SMEs, limitations of supply chain management, reluctance of organizational culture for electronic change, problems of information technologies usage, insufficiency of human resource, resistance of top management to organizational change as required by the adoption of information technologies, integration problems of new technologies with the existing systems, lack of confidence on the side of customers towards electronic commerce. A study of the Turkish Automotive Supplier Industry has revealed that electronic commerce has been adopted and its benefits are accepted. However, the industry has to overcome some technical and managerial difficulties to implement it more efficiently and effectively.
Web Mining for Strategic Competitive Intelligence
Authors: Wagner Lynnda , Van Belle Jean-Paul
Published: September 2010

This chapter explains the use of web mining for gathering strategic competitive intelligence. It first discusses some concepts relating to web mining. This is followed by the findings of an exploratory study on how web mining for strategic intelligence is actually used by competitive intelligence professionals in some South African organizations. The findings are discussed under the three major themes, namely general intelligence practices; Web-based intelligence; and skills development and education. The bulk of the chapter proposes a practical methodology for using web mining to gather strategic business intelligence. Some practical comments about the impact of particular circumstances of emerging African countries on this methodology are also given.
Transfer Knowledge Using Stories
Authors: Kalid Khairul Shafee B
Published: September 2010

Storytelling is part of our daily life. Everybody tells stories everyday without even realizing it. Storytelling has always been used in knowledge transfer. This chapter attempts to explore the usage of knowledge-embedded stories in a Malaysian institute of higher learning and will consider the understanding of organization members concerning storytelling in knowledge management and the facilitators and barriers of implementing storytelling. The significant of this study is that it provides insights on the culture of storytelling as a method of knowledge transfer in a Malaysian institute of higher learning. This study examines how other organizations are establishing storytelling practices and the way knowledge-embedded stories are being used. This study explores the practice of storytelling as a knowledge transfer medium and explores the practicality of using stories in the organization and the employees’ perception of the usage of stories to transfer knowledge. This case reveals that storytelling is regarded as an acceptable approach in knowledge transfer. It is demonstrated through gathering sessions that stimulate storytelling. The case also presented context-specific factors that influence KM storytelling.
Cross-Cultural Knowledge Management Practices to Support Offshore Outsourcing
Authors: Ghosh Biswadip
Published: September 2010

In offshore business process outsourcing (BPO) arrangements between US client firms and Indian vendor firms, a ”culture gap” has been reported between the organizations. This gap originates from (1) macro level differences between the two firms in their operating procedures and (2) micro level differences in the cultural proclivity of the individual workers. This gap often hinders the much needed bi-directional knowledge sharing in the outsourcing organization. To close this gap and improve knowledge sharing, effective organizational practices are needed. This chapter studies a case where a set of technical support processes were outsourced by an US based multinational client to an Indian vendor. Data was collected using interviews of client-side, process and business managers to understand what challenges were faced in the organization after BPO and what practices facilitated cross cultural knowledge sharing. A set of organizational enablers and collaboration tools were reported by the interviewees to be successful in bridging the gaps and enhancing bi-directional knowledge sharing. This case demonstrates the benefits of three organizational practices – (1) bridging, (2) bonding and (3) linking, that build social capital in the form of relational norms and connections among workers. These relational practices, together with social capital, complement the use of collaboration tools and technologies to improve knowledge sharing between the client and vendor teams.
Perceptions of Factors Influencing Knowledge-based Technology Management in Conflict Areas
Authors: Hipkin Ian
Published: September 2010

A challenge for developing countries is to enter the global economy. This is impeded by weak infrastructure, poor educational and other formidable barriers as these countries embark on essential projects to improve living standards and ultimately create some sort of technological base. This chapter describes perceptions of knowledge-based technology management in Afghanistan, one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Afghanistan’s politics and history have always confronted managers with unique demands. The chapter examines the perceptions of Afghan managers regarding technology management by studying the relationship between the importance of different factors in managing new technology, and the extent to which a manager can control them. An importance-control grid framework is used to isolate individual parameters and to assess these in relation to a manager’s environment. The research highlights imbalances between importance and control, and suggests reasons therefore. Some broader implications for managers are also discussed.
Knowledge Management to Promote Organizational Change in India
Authors: Kettunen Juha , Chaudhuri Manodip Ray
Published: September 2010

This chapter contributes to the literature of knowledge management by providing a conceptual framework to promote organizational change. The chapter demonstrates that knowledge management can be used as a general framework which integrates the approaches of strategic and change management. A business company is an organization that must continually respond to environmental change and adjust to fluctuations to gain competitive advantage. Business intelligence produces tacit and explicit information about the markets that are used in the strategy process. The tools of change management provided in this chapter can be used in different kinds of organisations to increase competitiveness for the future. In addition, this chapter presents cases of successful change management. This chapter is useful for those who want to enhance change to increase competitive advantage of companies and other organisations.
Knowledge Management and Entrepreneurship Cases in India
Authors: Baporikar Neeta
Published: September 2010

Entrepreneurs in general, do contribute to the development of national economies. We need their innovation and risk-taking to create wealth, generate employment and fuel the economy. Hence, knowledge management – both soft and hard is crucial. The benefits of great entrepreneurial venture using the most advanced technology can be nullified by poor knowledge management practices. It is knowledge and management that is the link between success and growth. The key objective of this chapter is to explain different perspectives on what is meant by the Knowledge Management (KM) in relation to entrepreneurship through two cases from India. It is essential that research and policy development fully take into account the differing perspectives of entrepreneurship and knowledge as no single definition fully captures the concepts, nor their underlying assumptions. The chapter focuses on understanding KM as a tool for developing competitive edge and identifies areas of KM application for entrepreneurship success.
Secure Exchange of Electronic Health Records
Authors: Flores Alejandro Enrique , Win Khin Than , Susilo Willy
Published: September 2010

Protecting the confidentiality of a patient‘s information in a shared care environment could become a complex task. Correct identification of users, assigning of access permissions, and resolution of conflict rise as main points of interest in providing solutions for data exchange among health care providers. Traditional approaches such as Mandatory Access Control, Discretionary Access control and Role-Based Access Control policies do not always provide a suitable solution for health care settings, especially for shared care environments. The core of this contribution consists in the description of an approach which uses attribute-based encryption to protect the confidentiality of patients’ information during the exchange of electronic health records among healthcare providers. Attribute-based encryption allows the reinforcing of access policies and reduces the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive information; it also provides a set of functionalities which are described using a case study. Attribute-based encryption provides an answer to restrictions presented by traditional approaches and facilitate the reinforcing of existing security policies over the transmitted data.
Information Security Standards for Health Information Systems
Authors: Kotsonis Evangelos , Eliakis Stelios
Published: September 2010

Current developments in the field of integrated treatment show the need for IS security approaches within the healthcare domain. Health information systems are called to meet unique demands to remain operational in the face of natural disasters, system failures and denial-of-service attacks. At the same time, the data contained in health information systems are strictly confidential and, due to the ethical, judicial and social implications in case of data loss, health related data require extremely sensitive handling. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of information security management standards in the context of health care information systems and focus on the most widely accepted ISO/IEC 27000 family of standards for information security management. In the end of the chapter, a guide to develop a complete and robust information security management system for a health care organization will be provided, by mentioning special implications that are met in a health care organization, as well as special considerations related to health related web applications. This guide will be based on special requirements of ISO/IEC 27799:2008 (Health informatics — Information security management in health using ISO/IEC 27002).
Statistical Models for EHR Security in Web Healthcare Information Systems
Authors: Zimeras Stelios , Kastania Anastasia N.
Published: September 2010

Security is an important requirement for health information systems. Security is important for several reasons, most of which have a foundation in economics. Firstly, equipment is expensive to get, install, and integrate into the infrastructure of an organization. Secondly, the operations of an organization are based on the applied technology infrastructure, which means that disruption of operations quickly turns into unnecessary costs and, when applicable, potential loss of revenue. The adoption of digital patient records, increased regulation, supplier consolidation, and the increasing demand for information, highlights the need for better information security. Electronic health (e-Health) has become an important area of concern. A comprehensive EHR (Electronic Health Record) at the point of care could be created by collecting and sharing data among all sites at which patient receives care, as well as by incorporating information supplied by the patient. One of the greatest incentives to adopting EHRs will be reaching a critical mass of information sharing investors in health care information technology. In this work the authors examine the security properties of the EHR, with a special emphasis on software reliability. The authors focus on modelling and studying the reliability feature of the EHR. Special attention is given on exploiting the mathematical foundations of reliability modelling in a service-oriented architecture. Statistical measures called web metrics can be introduced to assess the performance of these systems.
Identity Management and Audit Trail Support for Privacy Protection in E-Health Networks
Authors: Peyton Liam , Hu Jun
Published: September 2010

E-health networks can enable integrated healthcare services and data interoperability in the form of electronic health records accessible via Internet technology. Efficiency and quality of care can be improved for example by: streamlining administrative processes involving prescriptions and insurance payments; providing remote access to specialists through telemedicine; or correlating data from clinics, pharmacies and emergency rooms to detect potential adverse events. However, a major requirement to enable adoption of e-health networks is the ability to address issues around security, privacy and trust in a systematic manner. In particular, privacy legislation, regulatory guidelines, and organizational policies require that a framework for privacy protection must be established. Federated identity management can be used to systematically protect patient and health care provider identities in a single sign on framework that controls access to patient data, but an audit trail and reporting mechanism is needed in order to ensure and validate compliance. In this chapter, the authors use example e-health scenarios to analyze the legal, business and technical issues that need to be addressed.
Health 2.0 and Medicine 2.0
Authors: Moumtzoglou Anastasius
Published: September 2010

The collaborative nature of Medicine 2.0/Health 2.0 and its emphasis on personalized health care clearly outlines it with respect to e-health and Web 2.0. The Semantic Web uses the notion that the meaning of a concept relates to other concepts. Therefore, it amplifies many of the existing challenges, but also offers new opportunities for the quality problems of Web 2.0 and enhances the potential to translate information into knowledge. Perhaps the most exciting expectation is that people will use the semantic web to search for healthcare providers of the highest quality, using services that take into account their own preferences and employ decentralized data from different sources. On the other hand, the Semantic Web magnifies privacy and may raise concerns about disintermediation between patients and health professionals and over reliance on virtual interactions. Therefore, the perspective of the chapter is to consider the key debates that occur in the literature with respect to the terms Medicine 2.0 and Health 2.0 acknowledging that any authentic solution to health problems has to originate from patient-centered care.
Securing and Prioritizing Health Information in TETRA Networks
Authors: Siassiakos Konstantinos M. , Lazakidou Athina A.
Published: September 2010

Cost reduction pressures and the need for shortened in-patient stays are promoting the use of wireless patient monitoring systems in hospitals. Their contribution to better process management, superior flexibility and increased efficiency within hospitals is further underlining the appeal of wireless networking options for patient monitoring systems. Wireless connectivity has encouraged an overall rise in productivity through improved workflow and data management. Wireless patient monitors have also supported enhanced flexibility within the hospital environment by enabling remote monitoring of patients. TETRA technology provides several ways of protecting the privacy and security of communication, such as authentication, air interface encryption and end-to-end encryption. The objective of this chapter is to study how simply can a healthcare professional collect physiological data from mobile and/or remote patients and how securely and reliably health information can be transferred from emergency places to hospitals through a TETRA network.
Conventional Online Teaching vs. Andragogical Online Teaching
Authors: Wang Victor X.
Published: September 2010

In an effort to promote the andragogical teaching model in helping adult learners learn online, the author of this chapter has sought to compare and contrast this model with conventional online teaching model. In doing so, the author argues while conventional online teaching is guided by behaviorism, in order to help adults learn in the online environment, instructors must go beyond the conventional online teaching model characterized by the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives and embrace humanism from which andragogy flows. The two models addressed in this chapter were not developed in a vacuum. Rather, they were derived from pedagogical and andragogical assumptions of learners. According to the literature in adult education, pedagogical principles were developed as early as in the 7th and 12th centuries whereas andragogical principles emerged in the early part of the 19th century in Europe. Both pedagogical principles and andragogical principles have been used to guide online adult teaching and learning since universities began to deliver courses in the virtual environments at the beginning of the 21st century.
Promoting Digital Competences through Social Software
Authors: Torres-Coronas Teresa , Vidal-Blasco María Arántzazu
Published: September 2010

In the present landscape of technological change there is increasing awareness of the need to support the acquisition of digital competences. In this chapter, we address how digital competences can be developed through formal learning. We show how to design a web 2.0 learning experience that was undertaken at Universitat Rovira i Virgili1 and which developed both digital competences and management knowledge. In particular, the case presented focuses on the field of gender equality within the framework of labor relations in a non-real company created for this purpose, “Quadratonics SA”. Through Quadratonics’, web 2.0 tools and social software students improve their digital competences and, at the same time, are exposed to the most up-to-date innovations in ICT. Our final reflection is that higher education academics should continue to expand their awareness of web 2.0 applications and the role they can play in optimizing learning and knowledge creation among students, who will be the digital workers of the future.
Personal Learning Networks
Authors: Carter Teresa J. , Nugent Jeffrey S.
Published: September 2010

Twenty-first century information communication technologies are enabling learners to create personal learning networks (PLNs) tailored to individual learning goals, needs, and interests, with implications for self-directed learning in the digital age. New, readily available digital media tools, open courseware, and other Web 2.0 technologies are changing how learners interact online, creating a participatory culture of knowledge sharing and content creation that is very different from early uses of the Web for accessing content. As learners participate in the multiple virtual communities of practice that comprise a PLN, they require new skills that merit reconsideration of the role of the educator in helping learners to become self-directed in both formal and informal learning contexts.
Structuring and Facilitating Online Learning through Learning / Course Management Systems
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: September 2010

Online learning—whether it is human-facilitated or automated, hybrid / blended, asynchronopus or synchronous or mixed--often relies on learning / course management systems (L/CMSes). These systems have evolved in the past decade-and-a-half of popular use to integrate powerful tools, third-party software, Web 2.0 functionalities (blogs, wikis, virtual worlds, and tag clouds), and a growing set of capabilities (eportfolios, data management, back-end data mining, information assurance, and other elements). This chapter highlights learning / course management systems, their functionalities and structures (including some integrated technologies), their applied uses in adult e-learning, and extra-curricular applications. A concluding section explores future L/CMSes based on current trends.
Using Qualitative Methods to Evaluate Distance Education
Authors: Beck Jules K. , Kacirek Kit
Published: September 2010

Qualitative methods can be useful tools to evaluate the effectiveness of distance education programs. This analysis examines an interpretive case study conducted using a hermeneutic phenomenology approach to investigate how nontraditional undergraduate students in a bachelor’s degree completion program perceived their lives, work, and education as members of a Human Resource Development (HRD) cohort. The technology-intensive, distance-learning program served students in rural communities, as well as a small group of students on the main University campus. The blended technology program included compressed interactive video (CIV); Blackboard, a web-based classroom management system; and a face-to-face weekend gathering each semester of students and faculty from current cohorts. The significance of the case study is in the relationship between a distance education program and the transfer of HRD knowledge to lives, work, and community roles.
Gender Impact on Adult Education
Authors: Farmer Lesley S. J.
Published: September 2010

As society becomes more pluralistic, it behooves adult education to understand how gender intersects adult education so that equitable means of learning and teaching can empower all adults. In order to address gender issues in technology-enhanced adult education, the contributing factors of developmental learning need to be examined. Gendered learning has both biological and social constructs, which impact experiences in adulthood. Adult education needs to help learners re-negotiate their personal and social identities. In the process, educators can help students learn different ways to interact socially as well. Several gender-linked issues impact adult education; for example teaching across generations has a new twist because of socially-contextualized technology. In providing distance education, adult educators need to incorporate gender-sensitive resources, learning activities, technical issues, student-teacher relations, and assessment. Twenty-first century trends of changing economies, global interaction and interdependent literacies can help both genders learn optimally.
Comparing Lecturing and Small Group Discussions
Authors: Petty Gregory C. , Brewer Ernest W.
Published: September 2010

This chapter contains a description and discussion of the teaching and learning methods of the lecture (content delivery method) and small group discussion (interaction method). It also addresses the various steps in using each of these two techniques and compares them along with identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each technique. These formats are explored and discussed regarding procedures for facilitating and presenting and a planning sheet and an evaluation form for each is included. Major studies are cited and used to support strategies and techniques presented. In summary, these instructional techniques are compared and contrasted for their respective benefits for the adult learner.
Online Adult Education
Authors: Wang Victor X.
Published: September 2010

To serve a significant portion of the student population, adult learners, in the academy in the 21st century, this chapter argues that online education (e.g., e-learning) has the potential to open wider the door to greater access and advancement for learners across their life spans than the traditional four walled classroom. Some of the major issues revolving around online education and adult learners such as policy, access, completion and equity have been addressed in this chapter. The purpose of this chapter is to show how we can rely on practice and research to harness the great yet untapped potential of online education to promote online education programs especially among adult learners. Policy, access, completion and equity must be well addressed if online adult education is to be employed effectively and efficiently.
Effects of Basic Computer Training on the Self-Efficacy of Adult Learner’s Utilization of Online Learning
Authors: Petty Gregory C. , Loboda Iryna P.
Published: September 2010

As more studies investigate the effectiveness of online instruction for adult learners it is important not to overlook the effects of computer self-efficacy of students. Online learning requires a certain level of computer skill for the student to be successful. This chapter explores the value and efficacy of basic computer training to improve the effectiveness of instruction in an online learning environment. Included is a review of self-efficacy related to online learning and the results of a quasi experimental study that reinforces the value of basic computer training for improving the adult learners’ self-efficacy.
Integrating Digital Photography into Adult Education
Authors: Hoffman Laura D.
Published: September 2010

As colleges and universities around the country face increasing budget challenges, pressure mounts for a more retail-based approach to education, where the needs of students and the ability of institutions to fulfill them are clearly defined. This article presents a case study of a successful digital photography curriculum for adult learners at a large school district in Southern California. The curriculum represents a retail-based approach to education grounded in meeting the needs of students, expanding their zest for learning and providing new educational opportunities. This approach rests on proven concepts of retail marketing woven into the fabric of the learning experience: Give people what they want and they will keep coming back; expand their universe of wants and you will have a customer for life. The article concludes that even with shrinking budgets, rising costs and a dwindling traditional student population, course curricula can be designed for student enrichment, program growth and ongoing institutional success.
Facilitation of Online Teaching and Learning
Authors: Lang Geraint
Published: September 2010

Twenty First Century Education is undergoing change not only to keep in step with the emerging technological innovations, but also to address the needs and meet the high expectations of a technically sophisticated student body. Physical manifestations of these changes may be seen in new institutional building work. Technologically, the Facebook Generation of students in our universities expect online access across the campus, not only to all manner of information and social networks, but to their course work. A growing body of the student population now remain in full time employment, enrolled via online courses. Their virtual access to teaching and learning requires a different form of tuition to that generally experienced in face to face lectures. Online teaching and learning is a facilitated process, which this chapter seeks to explain. The role of the facilitator is explained, along with the process of online learning, with reference to an established online degree course, Ultraversity.
Social Presence in an Online Learning Environment
Authors: Crim Susan J. , Reio Thomas G.
Published: September 2010

Limited studies on social presence in online learning do not lend themselves to understanding its effects on student learning. Research indicates a heightened need for examining the relationship between social presence and perceived learning and satisfaction as well as retention in online courses. Incorporating social presence into online courses might promote better learning. Further research on learning in an online environment is necessary to guide educators in delivering the best educational environment.