bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Composite-Model for E-Commerce Diffusion
Authors: Yap Alexander Y. , Das Jayoti , Burbridge John , Cort Kathryn
Published: February 2011

Why are some countries successful with e-commerce while others flounder? The purpose of this article is to study the impact of technology, cultural, and socio-economic factors on the global diffusion of e-commerce. While past studies have focused on technology reasons alone, this research includes cultural and socio-economic factors as well. Having access to the Internet does not necessarily translate to e-commerce usage. Fundamentally, culture and socio-economic factors are pivotal in bridging the gap between Internet usage and e-commerce diffusion. The objective is to provide a model that quantifies the aggregated influences of all factors on global e-commerce diffusion. A cross-country regression model analyzes the determinants of e-commerce diffusion and the results used in a cluster analysis to provide further evidence that the propensity for e-commerce depends on the interplay among the different factors. The results can provide firms with an improved understanding of strategies to employ while implementing e-commerce.
Web-Based Data Collection in China
Authors: Davison Robert M. , Li Yuan , Kam Carol S.P.
Published: February 2011

Many large organizations are increasingly outsourcing their IT functions. Factors like lower costs, improved productivity, higher quality, higher customer satisfaction, and ability to focus on core areas are some of the benefits of outsourcing. However, there are many challenges and risks associated with IT outsourcing. In this article, we identify the main risk factors and best practices in global IT outsourcing. In addition, we delve into some important issues on IT outsourcing, particularly the challenges along with benefits. Finally, we present case studies of two Global 200 organizations and validate some of the claims made by previous researchers on IT outsourcing. This study will help the management to identify the risk factors and take the necessary remedial steps. Hence, this study is timely and relevant from both an academic and a practitioner’s perspective.
On the Need to Include National Culture as a Central Issue in E-Commerce Trust Beliefs
Authors: Gefen David , Heart Tsipi Heart
Published: February 2011

Trust and trust beliefs (trustworthiness) are key to e-commerce success but depend, to a large extent, on culture. With e-commerce being an international phenomenon, understanding the cross-cultural aspects of trust creation is therefore arguably required although mostly ignored by current research which deals almost exclusively with the U.S. This exploratory study examines whether definitions of trust beliefs as conceptualized and verified in the U.S. apply in Israel which differs markedly in individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and power distance. The data, cross-validating the scale of trust and its antecedents in both cultures, generally support the proposition that trust beliefs apply across cultures, and may be a relatively unvarying aspect of e-commerce. However, as expected, the effects of predictability and familiarity on trust beliefs may differ across national cultures. Implications about the need to include national culture in the research on trust, in general, and in e-commerce in particular, are discussed.
Privacy Protection Overseas as Perceived by USA-Based IT Professionals
Authors: Shah Jaymeen R. , White Garry L. , Cook James R.
Published: February 2011

Privacy laws for the Internet are difficult to develop and implement domestically and internationally. A clear problem is how such laws are limited to national jurisdictions. What is legal in one country may be illegal in another. Due to differences in cultures and values, and government types, it may not be possible to establish global standards and legislations to ensure privacy. Due to the nonexistence of global privacy standards, multinational (international) companies usually select one of the following two possible solutions: (1) implement a most restrictive “one size fits all” privacy policy that is used across various countries, or (2) implement different privacy policies that meet the privacy regulations of different countries and expectations of those citizens. In order to investigate a solution that may be used by multinational companies, and how companies view domestic privacy laws, the authors conducted a survey of U.S.-based employees of domestic and multinational companies. The results of the survey suggest that the majority of the multinational companies prefer the first solution—most restrictive “one size fits all” approach. They develop and implement a single set of privacy policies that is used across their operations in different countries. The majority of the companies surveyed consider domestic privacy laws in the United States to be practical, but ineffective.
Social Institutional Explanations of Global Internet Diffusion
Authors: Zhao Hongxin , Kim Seung , Suh Taewon , Du Jianjun
Published: February 2011

This study attempts to examine empirically how social institutional factors relate to Internet diffusion in 39 countries. Based on nine-year cross-country data, the analytical results show that the rule of law, educational systems, and industrialization significantly influenced the global Internet diffusion, while the economic system did not exert significant impact. Uncertainty avoidance as a national cultural phenomenon significantly inhibited the Internet diffusion. This significant and negative effect is particularly true with less developed countries (LDCs).
Comparative Study of IT Investment Management Processes in U.S. and Portugal
Authors: Sherer Susan A.
Published: February 2011

This article investigates IT investment management processes in the U.S. and Portugal. In Portugal compared to the United States, we find less involvement of operational business users, less formalized processes, more bottom-up generation of ideas, less focus on business metrics other than financial ones, and more highly involved corporate boards. We develop a framework for understanding IT investment that includes five stages: idea generation, business case generation, investment selection, project implementation, and value realization. Several of Hofstede’s factors are used to explain national cultural differences in each of these stages. Cultures with high power distance involve fewer business line employees in idea generation, fewer operational business managers selecting investments, and more centrally managed project implementations. In cultures with high uncertainty avoidance, fewer large scale strategic project ideas are generated and there is a stronger emphasis on financial criteria in information technology investment selection.
Mobile Phone Communication Innovation in Multiple Time and Space Zones
Authors: Chan Shirley , Vogel Douglas , Ma Louis C.K.
Published: February 2011

In most parts of the world, it is generally considered impolite or even rude to pick up an incoming mobile phone call and to have a longer (and loud) conversation in public places. Yet this type of interruption is generally acceptable in Hong Kong. This inspired the authors to ask: How does Hong Kong culture impact the perception of mobile phone interruption? This research note is about an ethnographical study on the culture in Hong Kong indicating a more positive perception towards mobile phone interruption. Their research results show that the cultural characteristics of fast pace, deal-making and sense of urgency explain why Hong Kong people are receptive towards such interruption and have the habit of participating in both the physical and mobile spaces at the same time. Their findings also challenge the engaging-disengaging paradox theory - that is, mobile phone users find it difficult to simultaneously engage in parallel activities.
Factors Affecting E-Commerce Stages of Growth in Small Chinese Firms in New Zealand
Authors: Chen Jihong , McQueen Robert J.
Published: February 2011

We investigate an e-commerce stages of growth model in a cross-cultural business context for small Chinese firms in New Zealand. Research findings from 14 case studies show that the Chinese owners/managers of these small firms have a high power distance, and their attitude toward e-commerce technology directly influences their firms’ e-commerce growth process. It was found that the higher the stage of e-commerce adoption, the greater the need for owners having a more positive attitude toward e-commerce, more innovativeness and enthusiasm, and more technology literacy. The higher the tolerance for ambiguity and the higher the risk-taking propensity, the higher the stage of e-commerce adoption achieved. In addition, firms at lower growth stages of e-commerce adoption are highly rated on individualism, while those firms at higher growth stages of commerce adoption are highly rated on collectivism. The research has implications for small business managers operating in a cross-cultural business context as they move through the different stage of e-commerce adoption.
Issues, Limitations, and Opportunities in Cross-Cultural Research on Collaborative Software in Information Systems
Authors: Zhang Dongsong , Lowry Paul Benjamin
Published: February 2011

Globalization has led to the increasing use of organizational teams comprising individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds. Existing research suggests that collaborative software may benefit multicultural teams. However, most prior studies are limited by their focus on U.S. and Western cultures. We explore this issue by comprehensively examining the literature on cultural effects on collaborative software use. This article makes several contributions by providing common nomenclatures and theoretical perspectives that are essential to promoting scientific progress in this area. It focuses mainly on empirical collaborative software studies in which culture is a key conceptual construct. We discuss underlying cultural theories, research methodologies, and findings of major collaborative software studies on the impact of culture. This article provides insights into various issues surrounding this line of research and highlights future research opportunities.
Project Quality of Off-Shore Virtual Teams Engaged in Software Requirements Analysis
Authors: Nath Dhruv , Sridhar Varadharajan , Adya Monica , Malik Amit
Published: February 2011

The off-shore software development companies in countries such as India use a global delivery model in which initial requirement analysis phase of software projects get executed at client locations to leverage frequent and deep interaction between user and developer teams. Subsequent phases such as design, coding and testing are completed at off-shore locations. Emerging trends indicate an increasing interest in off-shoring even requirements analysis phase using computer mediated communication. We conducted an exploratory research study involving students from Management Development Institute (MDI), India and Marquette University (MU), U.S.A. to determine quality of such off-shored requirements analysis projects. Our findings suggest that project quality of teams engaged in pure off-shore mode is comparable to that of teams engaged in collocated mode. However, the effect of controls such as user project monitoring on the quality of off-shored projects needs to be studied further.
The Information Overload Paradox
Authors: Kock Ned , Del Aguila-Obra Ana Rosa , Padilla-Meléndez Antonio
Published: February 2011

The information overload phenomenon has been studied for many years, and has proven to be more complex than researchers believed it to be. The study presented here aims at shedding some light on the complexity of information overload, by examining the relationship between perceived information overload intensity and three traditional and one nontraditional information overload predictors. The nontraditional predictor was power distance, which was manipulated through the collection of data from 184 local managers and professionals in New Zealand, Spain and the USA. The data analyses employed partial least squares-based structural equation modeling, and led to one surprising conclusion: perceived information overload intensity seems to be more strongly related to power distance than to the volume of written information or number of information transactions processed by an individual. This conclusion is referred to here as the information overload paradox.
Understanding IT Governance
Authors: Robb Alastair , Parent Michael
Published: February 2011

Legislators, regulators, and shareholders increasingly demand good governance over all aspects of their business. While much is made of financial governance, most legislation and regulation implicitly recognizes the need for prudent governance of information technology (IT) functions. In this study we conduct an exploratory collective case study of IT governance (ITG) in two financial mutuals–one in Australia and one in Canada--using a contextual lens. In one case, the mutual governs its IT through Board participation in a subsidiary. In the second, governance is delegated to management and a lead director. Both of these mechanisms appear to minimize ITG risk, and are the result of their respective regulatory environments. This research begins to lend some clarity regarding IT governance choices by firms, and denotes important contextual differences between countries’ regulatory environments. This will allow researchers, managers, and directors to better understand and discriminate between ITG processes and structures.
RSS-Based Learning Using Audio
Authors: García Víctor Manuel Álvarez , Ruiz María del Puerto Paule , van Dort Remko , Pérez Juan Ramón Pérez
Published: February 2011

Specifications such as RSS feeds are opening a new channel of communication for Internet-based learning, which gives a decentralized view of web resources while maintaining the privacy of teachers and students who are consulting the information. This philosophy can be used to create personalized learning tools in which users can take control of resources they want to have access to. In this regard, RSS is XML-based, which makes it easy to complement visual access with audio interfaces, adapting the feeds to different educational contexts and learning styles. This paper discusses the use of feed syndication to create personalized feed readers accessible in visual and voice formats.
Project Managers’ Competence Identification
Authors: Aramo-Immonen Heli , Bikfalvi Andrea , Mancebo Núria , Vanharanta Hannu
Published: February 2011

The objective of this article is to help align higher education of future project managers to the contemporary requirements of global project business. The perspective is project managers’ competencies in knowledge intensive industry, such as in IT branch. In this paper, it is considered that a holistic view of competence self-evaluation helps to assess the current intentional change. The system introduced supports decision making by measuring and capturing the actual drivers designed specifically for the role of project manager. Generalizing the competence identification process appears to be more constructive than detailing about competence content itself. This study brings valuable and novel empirical data using a sample of students acting as project managers in Spain and a sample of experienced project managers from Finland. A number of possible future studies using the same experimental set up are apparent.
Annotation and Auto-Scrolling for Web Page Overview in Mobile Web Browsing
Authors: Arase Yuki , Hara Takahiro , Uemukai Toshiaki , Nishio Shojiro
Published: February 2011

Due to advances in mobile phones, mobile Web browsing has become increasingly popular. In this regard, small screens and poor input capabilities of mobile phones prevent users from comfortably browsing Web pages that are designed for desktop PCs. One of the serious problems of mobile Web browsing is that users often get lost in a Web page and can only view a small portion of a Web page at a time, not able to grasp the entire page’s structure to decide which direction their information of interest is located. To solve this problem, an effective technique is to present an overview of the page. Although prior studies adopted the conventional style of overview, that is, a scaled-down image of the page, this is not sufficient because users cannot see details of the contents. Therefore, in this paper, the authors present annotations on a Web page that provides a functionality which automatically scrolls the page. Results of a user experiment show that annotations are informative for users who want to find contents from a large Web page.
A Picture and a Thousand Words
Authors: Farrell Robert , Danis Catalina , Erickson Thomas , Ellis Jason , Christensen Jim , Bailey Mark , Kellogg Wendy A.
Published: February 2011

Mobile communication is a key enabler for economic, social, and political change in developing regions of the world. This paper describes IBM Picture Discussions, which is a mobile social computing application framework designed to facilitate local information sharing in regions with sparse Internet connectivity, low literacy rates, and having users with little prior experience with information technology. IBM Picture Discussions runs on today’s internet-enabled smartphones as well as camera phones with multimedia messaging. In this paper, the authors argue that engaging citizens in developing regions in information creation and information sharing leverages peoples’ existing social networks to facilitate transmission of critical information, exchange of ideas, and distributed problem solving. All of these activities can support economic development.
Factors Affecting the Adoption of ICT for Health Service Delivery in Namibia
Authors: Maumbe Blessing M. , Shivute Meke I. , Owei Vesper T.
Published: February 2011

The article examines ICT use in health service provision in Namibia. The patterns of ICT use for health services by patients, public and private health service providers are not yet fully understood. This study describes ICT applications in health service delivery to patients in the Khomas and Oshana regions of Namibia. The study interviewed 134 patients and 21 health service providers. Factor analysis on ICT use identified three main factor groupings namely, ‘high technology’, ’mobile technology’ and ‘traditional technology’. Multinomial regression results showed the major factors affecting multiple ICT awareness in the two regions as functional literacy, diverse sources of health information services, age and educational level of the patients. Logistic regression results on individual ICT use identified functional literacy, personal privacy, cost of ICT, age, education, and positive perceptions about ICT applications in improving health services as statistically significant factors influencing adoption by both rural and urban patients in Namibia.
Information Completeness
Authors: Hackbarth Gary , McQuade John
Published: February 2011

Medical information is readily online to patients, family’s doctors and others in search of enhanced or supplementary information arising from healthcare concerns. To a large extent, this information varies greatly in terms of information quality and depending on the healthcare information source, is often incomplete. This study used an indirect qualitative analysis of the information completeness of 31 Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) checklists using CATPAC and found that these sources differed in both the depth and breathe of information provided. We suggest that users of healthcare information may be underserved and that healthcare information providers might act in a more collaborative way to better balance the presentation of their information in terms of depth and breathe of presented content.
Data Mining Medical Information
Authors: Chesney Thomas , Penny Kay , Oakley Peter , Davies Simon , Chesney David , Maffulli Nicola , Templeton John
Published: February 2011

Trauma audit is intended to develop effective care for injured patients through process and outcome analysis, and dissemination of results. The system records injury details such as the patient’s sex and age, the mechanism of the injury, various measures of the severity of the injury, initial management and subsequent management interventions, and the outcome of the treatment including whether the patient lived or died. Ten years’ worth of trauma audit data from one hospital are modelled as an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in order to compare the results with a more traditional logistic regression analysis. The output was set to be the probability that a patient will die. The ANN models and the logistic regression model achieve roughly the same predictive accuracy, although the ANNs are more difficult to interpret than the logistic regression model, and neither logistic regression nor the ANNs are particularly good at predicting death. For these reasons, ANNs are not seen as an appropriate tool to analyse trauma audit data. Results do suggest, however, the usefulness of using both traditional and non-traditional analysis techniques together and of including as many factors in the analysis as possible.
Telehealth Organizational Implementation Guideline Issues
Authors: Yeo Maryann , Jennett Penny A.
Published: February 2011

The current status of policies, guidelines and standards related to the organizational context of clinical telehealth practice were investigated. The directions these should take to meet the healthcare needs of Canadians also were outlined. An environmental scan approach was employed, consisting of a literature review, stakeholder survey questionnaire, and 12 key informant interviews. The literature review resulted in 260 sources related to organizational leadership issues, of which 176 were abstracted. The stakeholder survey questionnaire response rate was 64% (156/245), with 55% (84/154) completing the organizational context section. All (100%) key informants who were selected for interviews participated. Findings were categorized into four key organizational themes: organizational readiness, quality assurance, accountability, and continuity. Organizations need to review existing policies, standards, and guidelines in order to determine whether telehealth is covered and, if not, revise them or develop new telehealthspecific policies. Telehealth policies and procedures should be integrated with those in existence for face-to-face services.
Building Better E-Health Through a Personal Health Informatics Pedagogy
Authors: Wilson E. Vance
Published: February 2011

E-health use is increasing worldwide, but no current e-health paradigm fulfills the complete range of user needs for online health services. This dilemma clouds a number of issues surrounding e-health, as promoters of e-commerce, personal health records, and consumer health informatics paradigms attempt to create encompassing e-health within the constraints of each unique perspective. In the long term, the most important of these issues may be the need to develop an e-health pedagogy that offers conceptual grounding and course curricula in order to effectively represent all facets of e-health. To address that issue, this article introduces a personal health informatics (PHI) paradigm that incorporates the best features of preceding paradigms by integrating informatics, personal, and healthcare perspectives. Drawing from PHI, a pedagogical framework is proposed to guide instruction in the design and development of encompassing e health.
Perceived Level of Benefits and Risks of Core Functionalities of an EHR System
Authors: Davis Diane C. , Thakkar Minal
Published: February 2011

The need to adopt an electronic health record (EHR) system in United States (U.S.) hospitals seems to be more and more obvious when evaluating the benefits of improved patient safety, quality of care, and efficiency. The purpose of the study was to identify the status of EHR systems in U.S. hospitals in regard to the core functionalities implemented (as identified by the Institute of Medicine) and to determine if there was a significant relationship between perceived level of benefit and risk with the use of each core functionality, as well as if there was a significant relationship between the status of the EHR system and size of hospital. A national survey of U.S. hospitals was conducted to answer the research questions. The results showed that 37% had some components in all of the core functionalities of an EHR system, while 27% were using at least some functionalities. Health information and data, administrative processes, and results management were the three core functionalities that a majority of hospitals had as a part of their EHR system. A significant positive correlation between perceived benefits and risks was found in all of the eight core functionalities. There was no significant relationship found between status of EHR system and size of hospitals.
On The Development of Secure Service-Oriented Architectures to Support Medical Research
Authors: Simpson Andrew , Power David , Slaymaker Mark , Russell Douglas , Katzarova Mila
Published: February 2011

In this article we report upon our experiences of developing Web-services based infrastruc-tures within two e-health projects. The first—a small demonstrator project funded by the UK’s National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI)—is concerned with facilitating the aggregation of different types of data (specifically, MRI scans and histopathology slides) to aid the treatment of colorectal cancer; the second—a rather larger project funded by the UK’s Medical Research Council (MRC)—is concerned with the development of a virtual research environment to support neuro-imaging research. In both cases, the underlying infrastructures are being developed by a team that is based in Oxford; it is the experiences of this team that we report upon in this article. We also report upon how we have considered the future potential for our systems interoperating with other systems which are deployed within the UK’s National Health Service (NHS).
An Information Technology Architecture for Drug Effectiveness Reporting and Post-Marketing Surveillance
Authors: Gupta Amar , Woosley Ray , Crk Igor , Sarnikar Surendra
Published: February 2011

Adverse drug events impose a large cost on the society in terms of lives and health care costs. In this article, we propose an information technology architecture for enabling the monitoring of adverse drug events in an outpatient setting as a part of the post marketing surveillance program. The proposed system architecture enables the development of a Web-based drug effectiveness reporting and monitoring system that builds on previous studies demonstrating the feasibility of a system in which community pharmacists identify and report adverse drug events. We define the key technical requirements of such a monitoring and reporting system, identify the critical factors that influence the successful implementation and use of the system, and propose information technology solutions that satisfy these requirements.
Documents and Topic Maps
Authors: Laforest Frederique , Verdier Christine
Published: February 2011

Medical records have been used for a long time with different forms, aims, and usages. This heterogeneity is the result of different professions, ways of working, and needs. It is but prejudicial to querying and sharing data and documents. Moreover, we consider that the system must be as close as possible to a more classical, noncomputerized way of working, such as paper-based medical record, and should thus manage documents. Medical records are often loosely or semistructured documents, impeding easy retrieval. In our approach, a medical record is considered as a set of documents and a set of data. In this article, we propose a software system useful for extracting data from loosely-structured documents coming from different sources and for querying them in a hybrid way. Querying can be done in a navigation space which represents extracted data or entire documents. Two main parts are described: the extraction of data in loosely-structured documents and the navigation in a unified view of documents and data.
Implementation of a Referent Tracking System
Authors: Manzorr Shahid , Ceusters Werner , Rudnicki Ron
Published: February 2011

Traditional database resources and semantic Web technology face problems when there is a need to keep track of individuals in reality as these individuals undergo changes of various sorts. We describe an application which implements the referent tracking paradigm in which each real world entity has its own unique ID. The application is designed to be able to store relationships between tracked instances and also to be extendable to very high orders of magnitude (in principle to accept numbers of entries in the billions). Our approach is based on ontologies grounded in realism, but it can be extended also to information that is captured using the terminologies or concept-based ontologies used in traditional knowledge representation systems. The repository uses resource description framework (RDF) as representation format, and it can thus be queried with query languages such as SPARQL, SeRQL, and RQL, thereby providing support for reasoning over multiple ontologies.
Information Technology (IT) and the Healthcare Industry
Authors: Helms Marilyn M. , Moore Rita , Ahmadi Mohammad
Published: February 2011

The healthcare industry is under pressure to improve patient safety, operate more efficiently, reduce medical errors, and provide secure access to timely information while controlling costs, protecting patient privacy, and complying with legal guidelines. Analysts, practitioners, patients and others have concerns for the industry. Using the popular strategic analysis tool of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis (SWOT), facing the healthcare industry and its adoption of information technologies (IT) are presented. Internal strengths supporting further industry investment in IT include improved patient safety, greater operational efficiency, and current investments in IT infrastructure. Internal weaknesses, however, include a lack of information system integration, user resistance to new technologies and processes, and slow adoption of IT. External opportunities including increased use of the Internet, a favorable national environment, and a growing call for industry standards are pressured by threats of legal compliance, loss of patient trust, and high cost of IT.
Open Source Software
Authors: Parry David , Parry Emma , Dorji Phurb , Stone Peter
Published: February 2011

The global burden of disease falls most heavily on people in developing countries. Few resources for healthcare, geographical and infrastructure issues, lack of trained staff, language and cultural diversity and political instability all affect the ability of health providers to support effective and efficient healthcare. Health information systems are a key aspect of improving healthcare, but existing systems are often expensive and unsuitable. Open source software appears to be a promising avenue for quickly and cheaply introducing health information systems that are appropriate for developing nations. This article describes some aspects of open source e-health software that are particularly relevant to developing nations, issues and problems that may arise and suggests some future areas for research and action. Suggestions for critical success factors are included. Much of the discussion will be related to a case study of a training and e-health project, currently running in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan.
Content-Based Image Retrieval in Medicine
Authors: Long L. Rodney , Antani Sameer , Deserno Thomas M. , Thoma George R.
Published: February 2011

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) technology has been proposed to benefit not only the management of increasingly large image collections, but also to aid clinical care, biomedical research, and education. Based on a literature review, we conclude that there is widespread enthusiasm for CBIR in the engineering research community, but the application of this technology to solve practical medical problems is a goal yet to be realized. Furthermore, we highlight “gaps” between desired CBIR system functionality and what has been achieved to date, present for illustration a comparative analysis of four state-of-the-art CBIR implementations using the gap approach, and suggest that high-priority gaps to be overcome lie in CBIR interfaces and functionality that better serve the clinical and biomedical research communities.
How to Cope with the Performance Gap in Content-Based Image Retrieval Systems
Authors: Traina Agma J.M. , Traina Jr. Caetano , Ciferri Cristina D.A. , Ribeiro Marcela X. , Azevedo-Marques Paulo M.
Published: February 2011

This paper discusses the main aspects regarding the performance gap in Content-based Image Retrieval (CBIR) systems, which is an important issue regarding their acceptability. We also detail the main problems that lead to the performance gap: the use of many features to represent images, the lack of appropriate indexing structures for images and features, deficient query plans employed to execute similarity queries, and sometimes the poor quality of results obtained by the CBIR system. We present guidelines to overcome these problems by employing feature selection techniques to beat the "dimensionality curse", by using proper access methods to support fast and effective indexing and retrieval of images, by stressing the importance of using query optimization approaches and by including the user during the tuning of the CBIR system through relevance feedback techniques.
Evaluating Online Learning Applications
Authors: Liu Leping
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of the design-quality of current online K-12 learning applications on student learning via three learning-related variables (student enjoyment, motivation, and anxiety level when using those online applications). Nine hundred online K-12 applications (WebQuests, online drills, games, tests, and other applications) were evaluated in terms of four design factors (quality of information, design of information, quality of technology use, and design of technology use) in relation to the three learning-related variables. Three prediction models were generated and tested in this study. An intermediate effect was found between the design of online application and student learning, which may provide some insights for teachers when they integrate online applications into teaching and learning. The target audience of this paper may be school teachers, designers, or professionals who use online applications for education purposes.
Management of Telecommunications Services
Authors: Choi Young B. , Teer Faye P. , Teer Harold B.
Published: February 2011

Telecommunications companies are facing a challenge in satisfying changing customer demands related to telecommunications services. Historically, the industry challenge was managing the changing technology; today, the industry also must focus on the management of telecommunications services. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide an argument for the importance of the management of telecommunications services as a vital new course area at the university level and (2) to describe one possible model for a new undergraduate course, Management of Telecommunications Services. The paper is targeted to university faculty and administration and corporate representatives responsible for technology education. The ultimate goal of the course is to align the university curriculum with the needs of the telecommunications industry and provide industry with entry-level Information Technology (IT) employees who have an understanding of the fundamentals of the management of telecommunications services.
Internet Usage Among University Lecturers in Southern Nigeria
Authors: Aduwa-Ogiegbaen Sam E.O. , Uwameiye Raymond
Published: February 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of faculty affiliation and teaching experience on the use of the Internet by faculty members in six first generation universities in Southern Nigeria. A total of 476 faculty members from nine faculties across the six universities participated in the study. The data for the study was collected by means of a questionnaire survey and this was deemed appropriate as it allowed the views of all the participants to be sought on a Likert-type scale options. The results of this study provide a number of insights: (a) the faculties of engineering, science and arts in that order were the foremost users of the Internet for instructional purposes; (b) the faculties of Education and Agriculture were the least experienced in the use of the Internet; (c) faculty members with less than five years teaching experience use the Internet more than the older faculty members. Recommendation was made that universities in Nigeria should invest more in ICT facilities.
Using the Addie Model for Teaching Online
Authors: Shelton Kaye , Saltsman George
Published: February 2011

This paper assembles best ideas and practices from successful online instructors and recent literature. Suggestions include strategies for online class design, syllabus development, and online class facilitation, which provide successful tips for both new and experienced online instructors. This article incorporates additional ideas, tips, and tricks gathered since the paper was originally published in the October 2004 issue of the International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning as Tips and Tricks for Teaching Online: How to Teach Like a Pro!
Learning Experiences in Developing Electronic Portfolios
Authors: Wang Shuyan , Turner Sandra
Published: February 2011

This case study investigates the learning experiences and learning processes that occur during students’ development of culminating electronic portfolios for a Master of Education in Computer Education and Technology. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, participant observations, and document analyses from seven M.Ed. students before, during, and after developing electronic portfolios. Findings indicate that creating electronic portfolios supports students’ mastery of technology-related knowledge and promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Developing electronic portfolios created active, independent, and motivated learners. Students reported that they “learned by doing,” as they viewed samples, collaborated with peers, and reflected on final products.
Using Business Plans to Anchor MBA-Level E-Commerce Courses
Authors: Huang C. Derrick
Published: February 2011

The diversity and currency of subjects covered in e-commerce courses at the MBA-level present a challenge to educators. In this paper, we analyze and recapitulate our experience in using the business plan to anchor the e-commerce course to address those challenges. Business plan requirements can link the various subjects together, afford students with a real-life experience learning process, and, with proper curriculum design and course delivery, give students an opportunity to be “reflective practitioners.” Results showed that students’ learning and interests for the e-commerce subjects were high with the business plan requirement.
Project Management in Student Information Technology Projects
Authors: Rojas Maria Delia , McGill Tanya , Depickere Arnold
Published: February 2011

Universities teach project management to information technology (IT) students. The project management principles that students previously have learned often are put into practice in a project course that is intended to give final-year students the experience of applying their knowledge to real or simulated projects. This article reports on research that investigated the use and usefulness of project management in student IT projects. The results show that there was a wide range in the application of project management practices, with students being more likely to produce the initial documentation associated with some of the project management knowledge areas than to make use of it throughout the project to monitor the project’s progress. The results also showed that the number of project management guidelines applied in student projects was not linked to IT project success. However, there was a strong relationship between project management plan quality and obtaining a good software product.
Trainers' and Trainees' Assessment of the Implementation of ICT Program for Secretaries at the Staff Training Centers in Southwestern Nigeria
Authors: Uwameiye Raymond , Bolaji Janet Adegbenro
Published: February 2011

This study was designed to assess the extent of implementation of an ICT (ICT) program for secretaries at the staff training centers in southwestern Nigeria. Based on the available literature, a 29-item questionnaire using a four-point scale was developed and used in this study. The population of this study was made up of all ICT teachers and all secretaries in training at the Staff Training Centers in southwestern Nigeria. The findings of this study revealed that there is urgent need to recruit more competent ICT teachers to teach in the Government Staff Training Centers in southwestern Nigeria and for supply of adequate and modern equipments for the training of secretaries in ICT.
Understanding Innovative Professional Development for Educators Through the Analysis of Intersubjectivity in Online Collaborative Dialogues
Authors: Hui Diane , Russell Donna L.
Published: February 2011

Effectiveness of professional development is affected by the quality of social interaction. This study examines how online collaborative dialogues might influence teachers’ decisions in their classrooms—sometimes hurting when not appropriated well. This theoretical article extends principal sociocultural approaches to a cognitive concept called intersubjectivity through illustrations of empirical data. Part of a larger innovative professional development involving four classroom locations across Missouri, synchronous chatroom dialogues comprising teachers and researchers, and pre- and post-unit interviews underwent qualitative discourse and focused microanalyses. We argue that teachers purposefully used their dynamic intersubjective spaces and strategies in the management of meaning-making negotiations within an online interactive environment. The findings reveal two novel variable forms of intersubjectivity: (a) temporary suspension, and (b) resistance and disagreement. These findings inform teacher educators and practitioners of online learning about the cognitive and sociocultural processes and tension of learning within advanced interactive learning environments.
The Impact of Distance Learning on Graduation Rates for Information Systems Students
Authors: Conners Susan E. , Mick Michael
Published: February 2011

The study examines a 10-year history of undergraduate students majoring in information systems at a Midwestern public university. The results are useful to faculty and administrators interested in evaluating the role of distance learning with respect to graduation rates. The research investigates whether students that have taken various amounts of distance learning courses persist to graduation. In addition, the analysis looks at the role of gender in those students who graduated. The findings clearly indicate that students taking distance learning courses persist to graduation and that there is a relationship between gender and the amount of distance learning courses taken to persist to graduation.
Investigating the Antecedents of Continuance Intention of Course Management Systems Use among Estonian Undergraduates
Authors: Ifinedo Princely
Published: February 2011

This study examines the factors influencing Estonian college student retention in course management systems (CMS). The study employed a sample of 72 students with experience in CMS tools, that is WebCT. The participants came from four local higher education institutions. A hypothetical, structural model highlighting the impact of relevant antecedents such as, ease of finding, computer anxiety, self-efficacy, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use were developed. Twelve hypotheses were generated from the model and tested using a structural equation modeling technique, partial least squares (PLS). The predictive power of the model was adequate and the study found support for seven of 12 hypotheses. Regarding the impact of the antecedents on continuance intention in the use of technology, the results offer the following insights: when computer anxiety is low, students are able to use the system without much difficulty, and are likely to continue to use it in the future. Similarly, students intent to continue the use WebCT is enhanced when they are able to navigate the system with ease. The implications of the results are discussed.
I.Q.-I Question
Authors: Braidic Silvia
Published: February 2011

Teaching is a complex activity that involves careful preparation, delivery, and reflection. As an educator, it is essential to create a sense of community in which students feel significant and are truly engaged as learners. A central focus of the educator is to maximize the capacity of each learner. How does this happen in an online learning environment? This article addresses the needs of learners for a learning community that promotes effective discussion; specifically, the practice of questioning that lies at the heart of classroom practice. Just as in a face-to-face classroom, questioning occurs in a variety of ways for online learners. The article shares ideas for using the I.Q.—I Question strategy in an online environment.
Using PowerPoint to Encourage Active Learning
Authors: Boyas Elise A.
Published: February 2011

Educators have recognized that curricula must become more focused on developing student skills and less focused on memorization of rules. Increasing demands on student time make it necessary for students to access learning support tools on demand. Successful curricula give students opportunities for active learning and opportunities to be self-regulated learners. Teaching students how to be active, self-regulated learners prepares them for careers which will require them to be lifelong learners. The creative use of technology throughout the curriculum can help educators bring active learning experiences to their students. This article describes the development of an interactive PowerPoint module for use in an introductory accounting course in a business school. This use of PowerPoint provides students with immediate, appropriate feedback with explanatory details. This tool is designed to be used outside of the classroom at the student’s own pace and can be used in disciplines other than accounting.
Formative Assessment in Distance Learning Education with Cognitive and Metacognitive Measurements
Authors: Pinheiro Pimentel Edson , Omar Nizam
Published: February 2011

Traditional forms of assessment used in face-to-face and distance learning education are insufficient to ascertain the learning progress of student and therefore do not provide enough information to detect student learning gaps and improve learning. Another point is that traditional assessment ways rarely involve the student in monitoring his or her own learning through his metacognitive abilities. This article presents a model for formative assessment in distance learning education based on cognitive and metacognitive measurements that will make possible the identification of student learning gaps. Moreover, it presents the architecture of a computational environment for student knowledge mapping that will allow identifying more specifically the learning gaps in order to supply the educational system with qualitative information.