bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IT in Knowledge Management
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: May 2011

As we trace the evolution of computing technologies in business, we can observe their changing level of organizational impact. The first level of impact was at the point work got done, and transactions (e.g., orders, deposits, reservations) took place. The inflexible, centralized mainframe allowed for little more than massive number crunching, commonly known as electronic data processing. Organizations became data heavy at the bottom, and data management systems were used to keep the data in check. Later, the management information systems were used to aggregate data into useful information reports, often prescheduled, for the control level of the organization: people who were making sure that organizational resources like personnel, money, and physical goods were being deployed efficiently. As information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) started to facilitate data and information overflow, and corporate attention became a scarce resource, the concept of knowledge emerged as a particularly high-value form of information (Grover & Davenport, 2001).
A Knowledge Management Portal System for Construction Projects Using Knowledge Map
Authors: Tseng H. Ping ("Jack") , Lin Yu-Cheng ("Vincent")
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management (KM) has become an important term in the construction industry. Knowledge management involves creating, securing, capturing, coordinating, combining, retrieving, and distributing knowledge. Most know-what, know-how, and experience exists only in the minds of individual participants during the construction phase of construction projects. The knowledge can be reused and shared among the involved engineers and experts to improve the construction process and reduce the time and cost of solving problems. Sharing and reusing knowledge depends on acquiring and preserving of both tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge as the property of a corporation. This study addresses application of knowledge management in the construction phase of construction projects and proposes a construction activity-based knowledge management (ABKM) concept and system for general contractors. This chapter proposes a practical methodology to capture and represent construction project knowledge by using knowledge maps. Using knowledge maps, users can get an overview of available and missing knowledge in core project areas and take appropriate management in tacit and explicit knowledge. Also, a Web-based system is developed to assist and present project-related knowledge by providing keyword and map search on the Internet environment. The ABKM system is then applied in a case study of a construction precast building project in Taiwan to verify our proposed methodology and demonstrate the effectiveness of sharing knowledge special in the construction phase. By effectively using information and Web technologies during the construction phase of a project, knowledge can be captured and managed to benefit future projects. The combined results demonstrate that an ABKM-like system can be an effective tool for all experts and engineers participating in construction projects by utilising the knowledge management concept and Web technology.
Building a Dynamic Model of Community Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Walker Geoffrey A.
Published: May 2011

Many case studies have been undertaken about how informal, sponsored, and supported communities of practice operate within private and public sector organizations. To date, however, no examination has been made of how informal communities of practice operate within the third sector, the sector of community, and voluntary organizations. The third sector has a long history of using community space, in various forms, either physical or notional, to engage individuals in discourse and informal learning. The rise of the network society has added value to this process by allowing active individuals to personalize networks through the use of technologies which enhance communication. The third sector is now demonstrating that individuals and groups are seeking to create open access knowledge-sharing spaces which attempt to combine face-to-face networks with computer-mediated communications to support informal learning between community development practitioners. This article examines the role of Sunderland Community Development Network in the creation of informal communities of practice. It pays particular attention to three key areas: 1. Community space: How core, active, peripheral, and transactional community spaces within third sector partnerships create an ebb and flow of informal communities of practice. 2. Personalized networking: How issue-based activity, inside and outside communities, can lead to the rapid appearance and disappearance of informal communities of practice. 3. Knowledge-sharing space: How core members of a third sector organization can create a dynamic model of roles within informal communities of practice capable of impacting upon processes of governance beyond the organization.
The Use of Fuzzy Logic and Expert Reasoning for Knowledge Management and Discovery of Financial Reporting Fraud
Authors: Lenard Mary Jane , Alam Pervaiz
Published: May 2011

This chapter examines the use of fuzzy clustering and expert reasoning for the identification of firms whose financial statements are affected by fraudulent financial reporting. For this purpose, we developed a database consisting of financial and nonfinancial variables that evaluated the risk of fraud. The variables were developed using fuzzy logic, which clusters the information into various risk areas. Expert reasoning, implemented in an Excel spreadsheet model, is then used as a form of knowledge management to access the information and develop the variables continuously over the life of the company. At the conclusion of the chapter, the authors discuss emerging trends and future research opportunities. The combination of fuzzy logic, expert reasoning and a statistical tool is an innovative method to evaluate the risk of fraudulent financial reporting.
Breaking the Knowledge Acquisition Bottleneck Through Conversational Knowledge Management
Authors: Wagner Christian
Published: May 2011

Much of today’s organizational knowledge still exists outside of formal information repositories and often only in people’s heads. While organizations are eager to capture this knowledge, existing acquisition methods are not up to the task. Neither traditional artificial intelligence-based approaches nor more recent, less-structured knowledge management techniques have overcome the knowledge acquisition challenges. This article investigates knowledge acquisition bottlenecks and proposes the use of collaborative, conversational knowledge management to remove them. The article demonstrates the opportunity for more effective knowledge acquisition through the application of the principles of Bazaar style, open-source development. The article introduces wikis as software that enables this type of knowledge acquisition. It empirically analyzes the Wikipedia to produce evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Applications of Agent-Based Technologies in Smart Organizations
Authors: Varga László Zsolt
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces agent technology as a means of creating dynamic software systems for the changing needs of smart organizations. The notion of agency is introduced, and individual and collective agent architectures are described. Agent interaction methods and agent system design techniques are discussed. Application areas of agent technology are overviewed. The chapter argues that the autonomous and proactive nature of agent systems make them suitable as the new information infrastructure for the networked components of dynamically changing smart organizations.
Virtual Communities as Role Models for Organizational Knowledge Management
Authors: Rubenstein-Montano Bonnie
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management serves to create value from an organization’s intangible assets. Many organizations have adopted knowledge management practices in recent years. Some of those organizations have achieved success at knowledge management, but others have not. The focus of this chapter is on those organizations that have not been as successful at knowledge management as they originally planned. This chapter posits that organizations can look to virtual communities as role models for successful knowledge management because many of the features that have been identified in the literature as important for successful knowledge management are present in virtual communities. The very nature of virtual communities — their sense of community, the desire they create to share knowledge, the automatic archiving of knowledge for future use, etc. — are used in this chapter to support the claim that virtual communities can serve as role models for knowledge management in organizations.
Goals and Benefits of Knowledge Management in Healthcare
Authors: Hirakis Odysseas , Karakounos Spyros
Published: May 2011

The aim of this chapter is to explain the role of knowledge management and how it can be successfully applied in the area of healthcare in order to improve health services and to increase patients’ satisfaction. The first part of this chapter is about explaining the theories beyond knowledge management as “what is knowledge” and how it can be transformed and captured across people and organizations. The second part consists of the theory of knowledge management and the benefits of it in the area of healthcare in comparison with the old traditional systems. Knowledge management systems can be used to index and at the same time to spread all that information across people, libraries, and hospitals.
Knowledge Management Governance
Authors: Zyngier Suzanne
Published: May 2011

There are many barriers to the implementation of knowledge management (KM) strategies. These include the lack of time and financial resources allocated to sharing knowledge, a lack of organizational understanding of the philosophy and the benefits of KM, and a lack of skills in KM. However, survey data show that the greatest acknowledged obstacle to the implementation of a KM strategy is the management culture of the organization (Chase, 1997; Zyngier, 2001). These obstacles reveal a problem in the implementation of an organizational KM strategy. The problem lies not in the implementation of a given strategy per se, but in the lack of governance of that strategy.
Competitive Advantage of Knowledge Management
Authors: Cepeda-Carrion Gabriel
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management has been proposed as a fundamental strategic process and the only sustainable competitive advantage for firms (Grant, 1996; Davenport, 1998). A key to understanding the success and failure of knowledge management efforts within organizations is the ability to identify the relevant knowledge to manage and to extract value out of this knowledge. In the last decade past research has focused heavily on defining what knowledge is and on using different typologies (e.g., tacit vs. explicit knowledge, individual vs. collective) to characterize the different types of knowledge available to firms (e.g., Polanyi, 1967; Spender, 1996). In addition, researchers have described the processes through which knowledge is created, developed, retained, and transferred in firms (e.g., Argote, 1999; Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1995), and the role played by leadership (Bryant, 2003; Vera & Crossan, 2004) and decision-making styles (Kalling, 2003) in influencing these processes. Unfortunately, despite the growing interest in knowledge management, little specific has been said about the mechanisms firms use to identify key knowledge areas and to gain competitive advantage out of knowledge management investments. The recognition of the important knowledge resources for a firm is critical, because the effectiveness of knowledge and learning can only be assessed on the basis of its utility in guiding behavior relative to the firm’s relevant domain (Crossan, Lane, & White, 1999; Cepeda, Galán, & Leal, 2004; Zack, 1999). Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is not useful to firms.
Tacit Knowledge Sharing
Authors: Shariq Syed Z. , Vendelo Morten Thanning
Published: May 2011

When people solve complex problems, they bring knowledge and experience to the situation, and as they engage in problem solving they create, use, and share tacit knowledge. Knowing how context emerges and transforms is central if we want to understand how people create, use, and share tacit knowledge. Consequently, this article focuses on the three questions: What is context? How does context emerge and transform? What is the relationship between context and tacit knowledge sharing?
Knowledge in Innovation Processes
Authors: Paukert Marco , Nieder‚e Claudia , Hemmje Matthias
Published: May 2011

The success of industrial and scientific research has always been dependent on new discoveries and innovations, but tighter budgets and increasing global competition push the pace with which innovation must happen nowadays. Bringing new products to the market before competitors do constitutes a crucial competitive advantage for many companies and organizations. Accelerating discovery and innovation is increasingly dependent on the use of advanced information and knowledge technology for building environments that support the innovation process systematically and efficiently (cf. Specht, Beckmann, & Amelingmeyer, 2002; Amidon, 2002). Such environments depend on a number of advanced knowledge management technologies and have to adapt to the wide variety of innovative practices, innovation cultures, organizational context, and application areas where innovation takes place. It is essential that the functionalities of such are aligned with the needs of innovators and their context.
Strategic Experimentation and Knowledge Management
Authors: Narayanan V. K.
Published: May 2011

Historically, the focus of IT infrastructure has been to capture the knowledge of experts in a centralized repository (Davenport & Prusak, 1998; Grover & Davenport, 2001). These centralized databases contained knowledge that was explicit and historical (e.g., competitor pricing, market share), and the IT infrastructure served to facilitate functional decision-making or to automate routine tasks (i.e., in re-engineering). The users of technology approached the repository to obtain data in a narrowly defined domain (Broadbent et al. 1999). Consequently, IT originally played a significant yet ultimately limited role in the strategy creation process. Management information systems (MIS) arguably generated information that was less applicable to strategy creation, as noted in early writings on the linkage between MIS and strategic planning (Holmes, 1985; Lientz & Chen, 1981; Shank et al., 1985).
Culture-Free or Culture-Bound? A Boundary Spanning Perspective on Learning in Knowledge Management Systems
Authors: Mason Robert M.
Published: May 2011

Knowledge management systems (KMSs) have been criticized as having a North American bias. The cultural dimension of KMSs, particularly the relationship of learning and culture in KM projects, are rarely discussed. This paper addresses these concerns in a review of the conceptual foundations for KM and by examining implementations of KM projects. Despite the evolutionary changes in how KM is viewed, KMSs, as they have been designed, implemented, and reported, do not appear to provide for cultural diversity among users. Instead, the reports of KMSs indicate that such systems seek to create and maintain a homogeneous organizational culture, and the adoption of such a shared culture appears to be a prerequisite for success. The paper discusses KMSs as systems that exhibit boundary spanning objects and processes in three different categories, and an analysis of reported projects reveals that boundary spanning across national and ethnic boundaries is rare.
Hybrid Knowledge Networks Supporting the Collaborative Multidisciplinary Research
Authors: Ranguelov Stanislav , Rodriguez Arturo
Published: May 2011

Virtual networks are becoming increasingly important instruments for knowledge and collaboration management. In addition, research, development, and innovation performances are among the most important activities in modern organisations. These two issues deal with complex problems that companies, universities, and other organisations can only face with multidisciplinary, geographically widespread teams. This article describes the setup of a model of a hybrid knowledge network that can group and connect together universities and researchers and enable them to collaborate. The proposed model for the virtual network is based on the conjunction of the personal and organisational aspects of collaboration. Due to this union within the organisational structure, two main levels of collaboration have been envisaged, namely the institutional one and the individual one.
Re-Enacted Affiliative Meanings and "Branding" in Open and Distance Education
Authors: Boyd Gary M. , Zhang Dai
Published: May 2011

Entwistle (1981) found it was possible and useful to categorize students in three categories: surface learners who want to acquire and use specific knowledge and skills, deep learners who seek a deeper coherent understanding of a field, and credential seekers who want a good diploma and will do whatever may be necessary to get it. The surface learners do not need formal distance education degree studies; they can more and more readily find just-in-time just-on-topic e-learning for a modest price. So the main clientele for distance education institutions are and will continue to be both those wanting a really deep meaningful education, and those who need really respectable credentials who also lack convenient affordable access to traditional universities. More and more it is becoming incumbent upon us to cater to the credential seekers and help to socialize them into their chosen fields, if possible converting them into people proud to be deep learners. Such socialization is not possible if all one provides is a cafeteria of online courses.
Ten Scalability Factors in Distance Education
Authors: Laws R. Dwight , Howell Scott L. , Lindsay Nathan K.
Published: May 2011

The institutional decision about how much technology should be used to scale distance education enrollments, reduce costs, maximize profits, and protect course and program quality is both institutional specific and complex. Guri-Rosenblit (1999) noted that “many conventional universities worldwide operate as large-scale universities and are in a continuous search to find the right balance between massification trends, quality education, and the catering to the individual needs of students” (p. 289). This research is an outgrowth of the authors’ own efforts to identify relevant scalability factors and their interrelationship one to another in a traditional university’s distance education program.
Educational Technology Standards
Authors: O’Dea Michael
Published: May 2011

The “holy grail” of e-learning is to enable individualized, flexible, adaptive learning environments that support different learning models or pedagogical approaches to learning to allow any Internet-connected user to undertake an educational program. It is also very highly desirable, from a more practical viewpoint, if this environment can also integrate into the wider MIS/student records system of the teaching institution.
Connecting K-12 Schools in Higher Education
Authors: Dell Laura A.B.
Published: May 2011

Videoconferencing is the latest distance learning technology to hit K-12 (elementary and secondary) education. Distance learning in all of its forms—including correspondence courses, Internet, e-mail, radio, phone/fax, instructional television, videotape, and videoconferencing—is helping elementary and high schools across the country bring new, relevant, and expert content into classrooms. Students and teachers are able to work and learn with those who they can only connect with through technology. Distance learning allows students to participate in classes located at a far away school, connect to expert college or government researchers, and converse with others who live in a different culture than their own. High stakes government testing and increased teacher accountability are pushing elementary, middle, and high school teachers to engage students by finding new resources and using innovative techniques in the classroom.
A Comparative Analysis of Computer-Suported Learning Models and Guidelines
Authors: Inan Fethi Ahmet , Lowther Deborah L.
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a comprehensive analytical review of computer-supported learning (CSL) design models and guidelines according to the level of emphasis regarding key elements and dimensions of effective teaching and learning within an online environment. The key elements encompass learning activities, learning environment, and/or assessment of student learning. Ultimately our purpose was to identify components that experts considered as critical to achieving effective CSL environments in order to use this information as a framework to design, develop, and implement CSL. The results indicate that the trend in CSL design and development models and guidelines is to create online environments that support constructivist learning that is student-centered, presents resources in varied formats, supports discussions and/or collaborative and/or problem-based learning as well as independent student research and use of resources.
Fast Prototyping as a Communication Catalyst for E-Learing Design
Authors: Botturi Luca , Cantoni Lorenzo , Lepori Benedetto , Tardini Stefano
Published: May 2011

This chapter proposes a renewed perspective on a known project management model, fast prototyping, which was adapted for the specific issues of e-learning development. Based on extensive experience with large e-learning projects, we argue that this model has a positive impact on e-learning project team communication, and that it provides a good basis for effective management of the design and development process, with specific stress on human-factor management. The chapter stems from the experience gained at the eLab (e-learning laboratory—www.elearninglab.org), a lab run jointly by the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI—University of Lugano) and the Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI—University of Applied Sciences of Southern Switzerland) in Switzerland. It contains three case studies of different applications of the fast prototyping model and has a strongly practical focus.
Innovative Approach to Teaching Database Design through WWW
Authors: Jedrzejowicz Joanna
Published: May 2011

The objective of this chapter is to describe the Postcourse project, which is an e-course on database design. It can be reached via the World Wide Web and allows authorized students to create and work with their own databases placed on the university server. The system has been created from scratch, as no authoring package offered tools to interact with databases, which is the innovative feature of the project. The evaluation performed after the system had been used for two years proved that it is a valuable material for self-paced work.
MASCARET
Authors: Buche Cédric , Querrec Ronan , De Loor Pierre , Chevaillier Pierre
Published: May 2011

This study concerns virtual environments for training in operational conditions. The principal developed idea is that these environments are heterogeneous and open multi-agent systems. The MASCARET model is proposed to organize the interactions between agents and to provide them reactive, cognitive and social abilities to simulate the physical and social environment. The physical environment represents, in a realistic way, the phenomena that learners and teachers have to take into account. The social environment is simulated by agents executing collaborative and adaptive tasks. These agents realize, in team, procedures that they have to adapt to the environment. The users participate to the training environment through their avatar. In this article, we explain how we integrated, in MASCARET, models necessary to the creation of Intelligent Tutoring System. We notably incorporate pedagogical strategies and pedagogical actions. We present pedagogical agents. To validate our model, the SÉCURÉVI application for fire fighters’ training is developed.
Frameworks for CMS Design and Evalution
Authors: Britto Marwin
Published: May 2011

In recent years, institutions of higher education have been migrating to the Web for instruction in record numbers. While Web-based course management systems (CMS) offer many exciting possibilities for instructors and students, their efficacy in terms of teaching and learning has not been thoroughly evaluated. This chapter explores the inherent capabilities and limitations of five models of conceptual frameworks for the design of CMS. The chapter concludes with a discussion of CMS evaluation instruments, advice for instructors transitioning to CMS, and a call for more research in this growing area.
Applying Contextual Design to Educational Software Development
Authors: Notess Mark
Published: May 2011

Contextual Design is a methodology for developing information systems from a rich understanding of customer work practice. This chapter considers how Contextual Design can be applied to educational software development and how Contextual Design might interact with Instructional Systems Design (ISD). Following a brief overview of ISD, I describe Contextual Design and provide a detailed case study of its application to educational software development — to the design of an online tool for music listening and analysis in undergraduate and graduate music education. I conclude with some reflections on the relevance of Contextual Design to instructional designers.
TEXT-COL
Authors: Broberg Anders
Published: May 2011

Traditionally, much of the efforts to develop computer-based tools has been concentrated on developing production or authoring tools, such as word processors, drawing programs, and so on, and not so many consumption or reading tools have been developed except Web browsers and different kinds of media players. Authoring plays an important role in the learning process, and good tools are needed, but reading—especially active reading—and exploring are is at least as important. Traditionally, computer-mediated texts have little support for an active way of reading. This means that reading computer-mediated texts, as on the WWW, tends to be a very passive form of reading. The development of Text-Col addresses this problem. Text-Col is a tool designed to support readers in deep processing of texts by letting the readers change appearance of the text based on different strategies for categorizing words. Text-Col is a reading tool and exploring tool aimed to make the reading process more active.
A Component-Oriented Approach for Mixed Reality Applications
Authors: Haller Michael
Published: May 2011

This chapter introduces a component-oriented approach for developing mixed reality (MR) applications. After a short definition of mixed reality, we present two possible solutions for a component-oriented framework. Both solutions have been implemented in two different MR projects (SAVE and AMIRE). The first project, SAVE, is a safety training system for virtual environments, whereas the goal of the AMIRE project is to develop different authoring tools for mixed reality applications. A component-oriented solution allows developers to implement better designed MR applications, and it fosters the reusability of existing MR software solutions (often called MR gems). Finally, it supports the implementation of adequate visual authoring tools that help end users to develop their own MR applications with no programming skills.
Interactive Multimedia Technologies for Distance Education in Developing Countries
Authors: Rahman Hakikur
Published: May 2011

With the extended application of information technologies (IT), the conventional education system has crossed physical boundaries to reach the un-reached through a virtual education system. In the distant mode of education, students get the opportunity for education through self-learning methods with the use of technology-mediated techniques. Accumulating a few other available technologies, efforts are being made to promote distance education in the remotest regions of developing countries through institutional collaborations and adaptive use of collaborative learning systems (Rahman, 2000a).
Role Adjustment for Learners in an Online Community of Inquiry
Authors: Cleveland-Innes Martha , Garrison Randy , Kinsel Ellen
Published: May 2011

This study outlines the process of adjustment learners experience when first participating in an online environment. Findings from a pilot study of adjustment to online learning environments validate differences found in three presences in an online community of inquiry. Using pre- and post-questionnaires, students enrolled in entry-level courses in two graduate degree programs at Athabasca University, Canada, describe their adjustment to online learning. Responses were analyzed in relation to the elements of cognitive, social, and teaching presence, defined by Garrison, Anderson, and Archer (2000) as core dimensions of student role requirements in an online community of inquiry. In each of these presences, five areas of adjustment characterize the move toward competence in online learning: interaction, self-identity, instructor role, course design, and technology. Student comments provide understanding of the experience of first time online learners, including the challenges, interventions, and resolutions that present themselves as unique incidents. Recommendations for the support and facilitation of adjustment are made.
Knowledge Representation in Intelligent Educational Systems
Authors: Hatzilygeroudis Ioannis , Prentzas Jim
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we deal with knowledge representation in Intelligent Educational Systems (IESs). We make an effort to define requirements for Knowledge Representation (KR) in an IES. The requirements concern all stages of an IES’s life cycle (construction, operation, and maintenance), all types of users (experts, engineers, learners) and all its modules (domain knowledge, user model, pedagogical model). We also briefly present various KR schemes, focusing on neurules, a kind of hybrid rules integrating symbolic rules and nuerocomputing. We then compare all of them as far as the specified KR requirements are concerned. It appears that various hybrid approaches to knowledge representation can satisfy the requirements in a greater degree than that of single representations. Another finding is that there is not a hybrid scheme that can satisfythe requirements of all the modules of an IES. So, multiple representations or a multi-paradigm representation environment could provide a solution to requirements satisfaction.
Enriching and International Program Graduate Offering
Authors: Wright Vivian H. , Beedle Jon , Stanford Ronnie
Published: May 2011

Portions of an international master’s program were designed for a blended, online delivery in one pilot course. This approach allowed students in Central and South America to interact with the professor and other students prior to instructor arrival on-site and after instructor departure. Student reactions to this blended approach were positive. Students indicated an increase in skills and knowledge using Web-based materials, and an increase in interaction with their peers and instructor.
Education and Organization
Authors: Rivoltella Pier Cesare
Published: May 2011

The goal of this chapter is to define the problems a school can have when it implements technology in education. This phenomenon is explained according to theory of organization, and especially Norman’s perspective. Norman’s theory stated, in fact, that organizations passed from fordist and tayloristic structures to the service management paradigm; finally, nowadays, they build values together with consumers. We try to show how this transition is also present in schools’ implementation of ICT. In doing this we criticize the deterministic solution (which says that implementing technology changes everything and produces innovation) and adopt a systemic vision with the characteristics of presumption, community, and value constellation.
The Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Globalized E-Learning
Authors: Edmundson Andrea L.
Published: May 2011

This exploratory study examined the effects of cross-cultural learning dimensions on e-learning outcomes for employees in functionally equivalent jobs in Western and Eastern cultures. Participants from the United States and India completed a Level 1 e-learning course designed in the United States. In addition, randomly selected completers then reported their interactions with the e-learning course in a survey. Learners from the two cultures achieved equitable learning outcomes, suggesting that characteristics of Level 1 e-learning courses mediate the effects of culture. In addition, while cross-cultural dimensions did appear to affect learners’ preferences for and perceptions of e-learning, both Eastern and Western participants were willing to try new approaches to learning that did not align with their cultural profiles. Based on these results, the cultural adaptation process (CAP) model is presented as a preliminary guideline for adapting e-learning courses for other cultures. Accelerated dissemination of Level 1 courses could increase technological literacy . Education and technological innovation are strongly associated with advanced socio-economic development.
Distance Education from Religions of the World
Authors: Rogers P. Clint , Howell Scott L.
Published: May 2011

nternationally, religious institutions are developing distance learning for a variety of reasons and purposes. The religious applications of distance learning comprise three main areas: extending the reach of theological education (primarily for the training of clergy), expanding opportunities for higher education from religious-sponsored universities and colleges, and facilitating other lifelong learning opportunities for members of the laity. Although Amos noted in 1999 that “little has been written and published on distance education in North American theological education” (p. 126), that is still the case today. Despite an expanding usage of distance learning by religious institutions, there has been little published on any of these international efforts. Accordingly, this article is a synthesis of original research, the authors having contacted leaders and academics from international institutions affiliated with major world religions to discover more about their various applications of distance learning.
Motivation to E-Learn Within Organizational Settings
Authors: Rentroia-Bonito M. A. , Jorge J. , Ghaoui Claude
Published: May 2011

E-learning is expected to support organizations and individuals so they can become more adaptable and competitive. However, in order for organizations to realize the full potential of this technology, they should create and sustain the right context to foster learning in articulation with business objectives. This requires active participation and engagement of workers. This work explores a variable called motivation-to-e-learn, a key component of this process. Our goal is to identify what motivation-related variables are critical for users’ engagements in the process. To this end, we explored the importance of a set of motivation-to-e-learn variables for a group of participants at our university. From this activity, an exploratory four-factor structure emerged that explains 67% of motivation to e-learn variance. We discuss our results, together with their implications for designing technology-supported learning experiences, lessons learned, and future work. Our contribution is a step toward integrating business processes, learners, and e-learning systems into an effective and harmonious whole.
The Management of Virtual Classes in School District Digital Intranets
Authors: Stevens Ken
Published: May 2011

As rural communities and schools decline in size educational policy makers often question their viability. In the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador and in New Zealand, new educational structures based on digital networking, using the Internet, have been developed for the delivery of education to rural schools. Within these electronic educational structures senior students in rural high schools have been provided with extended curriculum choice through a combination of on-site and online instruction. This has led to three challenges: the administration of electronically inter-connected rural schools, the integration of physical and virtual classes, and the need to find pedagogy that is appropriate for e-teaching and e-learning. The new educational structures in rural Newfoundland and New Zealand have extended traditional classrooms in terms of time, space, organisation and capacity.
Using Web-Based Technologies in a Graduate Class to Develop an Entrepreneurship Knowledge Portal
Authors: Jones Nory B. , Golann Brett , Vollmers Gloria
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this article is to share the experiences and lessons learned from an experimental graduate class using Web-based technologies that resulted in the development of a statewide entrepreneurship knowledge portal. Given the demands for Web-based systems and technologies to facilitate entrepreneurship, this class experience could be used as a model to help other states build or improve upon their entrepreneurial Web-based systems. The research was driven by the results of a comprehensive Kauffman Foundation study of Maine entrepreneurs’ needs. This article also explores issues and challenges associated with teaching a complex course using complex Web-based technologies, distance delivery techniques, and working with entrepreneurs to meet their needs.
Distance Learning as Commercializing Higher Education
Authors: Berg Gary A.
Published: May 2011

Since computer-based learning can involve partnerships with for-profit organizations, be viewed as a route to increased revenue, and potentially be used to reduce labor expenses, it is naturally tied to what is often described as the commercialization of higher education, or what Slaughter and Leslie (1997) term “academic capitalism.”
ARS Evoltion
Authors: Horowitz Harold M.
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes my 25-year journey and experience with audience response systems (ARS), starting with my first realization of the potential of ARS while teaching at a University as an adjunct professor. A synopsis of the initial ARS experiment conducted in the mid-1980s at IBM’s Management Development Center serves as a baseline. The conclusions from this study justified the use of keypads in the classroom at IBM, and after publication, set the stage for the growth of the ARS industry. The ARS activities pursued after retiring from IBM in 1988 are described, including the advances that my companies made in software, graphics, and keypad technology, which we incorporated into our products. Finally, the chapter offers 10 recommendations for higher quality questions developed by ARS users. I conclude that these recommendations are critical prerequisites to the continued growth of the ARS industry in academia.
Gender Differences in Education and Training in the IT Workforce
Authors: Carayon P.
Published: May 2011

Historically, women have had lower levels of educational attainment (Freeman, 2004; NCES, 1999), which in turn could negatively affect their opportunities in the labor market. However, in the past decade, this has changed dramatically. In general, more women have completed college, and more women have received bachelor’s and master’s degrees than men. Only in the highest level of education (PhD), men hold more degrees than women (NCES, 1999, 2002). In a recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Freeman (2004) presents an overview of the latest developments with regard to gender differences in educational attainment. Historically, females have tended to account for the majority of bachelor’s degrees in fields that often lead to lower paying occupations, such as education and health professions, while males have typically predominated in higher paying fields, such as computer science and engineering. While some of these disparities persist, many changes have occurred since the 1970s. Certain fields in which men received the majority of degrees in the 1970s, such as social sciences, history, psychology, biological sciences/life sciences, and business management and administrative services, attained relative gender parity or were disproportionately female by 2001. While other fields, such as computer and information sciences, physical sciences and science technologies, and engineering, continue to have a larger proportion of males, the percentages of females majoring in those fields is increasing (Freeman, 2004). Between 1970 and 2001, the percentages of master’s, doctoral and first-professional degrees earned by females increased substantially in many fields. However, advanced degrees conferred still tend to follow traditional patterns, with women accounting for the majority of master’s and doctor’s degree recipients in education and health, and men accounting for the majority of recipients in computer and information sciences and engineering. Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with certain labor market outcomes, such as higher labor force participation rates, higher rates of employment, and higher earnings (Freeman, 2004). A study by Igbaria, Parasuraman and Greenhaus (1997) looked at gender differences in the information technology (IT) work force with regard to education and experience, career history and attainments and career orientation. The results showed significant differences in educational attainment. A larger percentage of female IT employees in the study ended their formal education after attaining a bachelor’s degree.
The Emerging Use of E-Learning Environments in K-12 Education
Authors: O’Mahony Christopher
Published: May 2011

Virtual learning environments (VLEs) and managed learning environments (MLEs) are emerging as popular and useful tools in a variety of educational contexts. Since the late 1990s a number of ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions have been produced. These have generally been targeted at the tertiary education sector. In the early years of the new millennium, we have seen increased interest in VLEs/MLEs in the primary and secondary education sectors. In this chapter, a brief overview of e-learning in the secondary and tertiary education sectors over the period from 1994 to 2004 is provided, leading to the more recent emergence of VLEs and MLEs. Three models of e-learning are explored. Examples of solutions from around the world are considered in light of these definitions. Through the case of one school’s journey towards an e-learning strategy, we look at the decisions and dilemmas facing schools and school authorities in developing their own VLE/MLE solutions.
A SEEP (Security Enhanced Electronic Payment) Protocol Design Using 3BC, ECC (F), and HECC Algorithm
Authors: Lee Byung Kwan , Yang Seung Hae , Lee Tai-Chi
Published: May 2011

Unlike SET (Secure Electronic Transaction) protocol, this paper proposes a SEEP (Security Enhanced Electronic Payment) protocol, which uses ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem with F2m not Fp) (Koblitz, 1987; Harper, Menezes, & Vanstone, 1993; Miller, 1986), SHA (Secure Hash Algorithm), and 3BC (Block Byte Bit Cipher) instead of RSA and DES. To improve the strength of encryption and the speed of processing, the public key and the private key of ECC and HECC (Hyper Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem) are used in 3BC (Cho & Lee, 2002; Cho, Shin, Lee, & Lee, 2002) algorithm, which generates session keys for the data encryption. In particular, when ECC and HECC are combined with 3BC, the strength of security is improved significantly. As the process of the digital envelope used in the existing SET protocol is removed by the 3BC algorithm in this paper, the processing time is reduced substantially. In addition, the use of multiple signatures has some advantages, such as reducing the size of transmission data as an intermediate payment agent and avoiding the danger of eavesdropping of private keys.
A Methodology to Develop Secure Systems Using Patterns
Authors: Fernandez E. B. , Larrondo-Petrie M. M.
Published: May 2011

We are developing a methodology to build secure software for complex applications and its related support. This methodology considers the whole software lifecycle, uses security patterns, and is applied at all the architectural levels of the system. A main idea is that security principles should be applied at every stage and that each stage can be tested for compliance with security principles. Patterns help apply security principles. This chapter presents the current status of our work.
Text Mining, Names and Security
Authors: Thompson Paul
Published: May 2011

A Process Query System, a new approach to representing and querying multiple hypotheses, is proposed for cross-document co-reference and linking based on existing entity extraction, co-reference and database name-matching technologies. A crucial component of linking entities across documents is the ability to recognize when different name strings are potential references to the same entity. Given the extraordinary range of variation international names can take when rendered in the Roman alphabet, this is a daunting task. The extension of name variant matching to free text will add important text mining functionality for intelligence and security informatics’ toolkits.
Building an Online Security System with Web Services
Authors: Wu Richard Yi Ren , Subramanium Mahesh
Published: May 2011

This chapter presents a case study where Web services are used to build a user-centric online security system. It explores complex technical challenges encountered with the use of the Web services and online security technologies. Furthermore, the authors hope that their practical experiences and findings will shed some lights on how the online security system should and can be built in the approach of being user-centric instead of vendor-centric and on the implications of embracing Web services to conventional software engineering processes.
Digital Certificates and Public-Key Infrastructures
Authors: Berbecaru Diana , Derenale Corrado , Lioy Antonio
Published: May 2011

The technical solutions and organizational procedures used to manage certificates are collectively named Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). The overall goal of a PKI is to provide support for usage of public-key certificates within – and also outside – its constituency. To this aim, several functions are needed, such as user registration, key generation, certificate revocation and many others. It is the aim of this paper to describe issues related to digital certificates and PKIs, both from the technical and management viewpoint.
Merkle Tree Authentication in UDDI Registries
Authors: Bertino Elisa , Carminati Barbara , Ferrari Elena
Published: May 2011

UDDI registries are today the standard way of publishing information on Web services. They can be thought of as a structured repository of information that can be queried by clients to find the Web services that better fit their needs. Even if, at the beginning, UDDI has been mainly conceived as a public registry without specific facilities for security, today security issues are becoming more and more crucial, due to the fact that data published in UDDI registries may be highly strategic and sensitive. In this paper, we focus on authenticity issues by proposing a method based on Merkle Hash Trees, which does not require the party managing the UDDI to be trusted with authenticity. In the paper, besides giving all the details of the proposed solution, we show its benefit with standard digital signature techniques.