bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can E-Portfolio Improve Students’ Readiness to Find an IT Career?
Authors: Tubaishat Abdallah
Published: October 2017

An E-Portfolio Assessment Management System (EAMS) can be an innovative tool that provides students with flexible opportunities to demonstrate the acquisition of skills and abilities in an outcome-based institution. The system has been developed and used for the past ten years to create, reflect, revise, and structure students’ work. It is a repository management system that facilitates collecting, sharing, and presenting artifacts of student learning outcomes via a digital medium. Therefore, it provides students with flexible opportunities to demonstrate the acquisition of skills and abilities to demonstrate growth of achieving learning outcomes. The rationale of the EAMS is to allow students to demonstrate competences and reflect upon experiences to improve their learning and career readiness; hence, they are accountable for their learning. The system was built around two defined set of learning outcomes: institutionally agreed upon set of learning outcomes, and learning objectives that are related to major requirements.
The purpose of this study is to analyze students’ perceptions and attitudes when using an e-portfolio to support their employment opportunities. The participants were 217 students in the College of Technological Innovation. The students reported that the developing of e-portfolios was extremely helpful. The results showed that students have positive opinions about using e-portfolios as a beneficial tool to support their readiness for employment; they believe an e-portfolio increases their confidence to find a job in the IT field because it can allow them to showcase artifacts that demonstrate competencies and reflect upon experiences, and they can provide their supervisors during their industrial training with an e-resume that includes views of their actual work of what they have learned and are able to do when they complete their degree. Employers then can review e-portfolios to select prospective employees work readiness skills; hence, graduates are more likely to obtain a job in their workplaces. In conclusion, students do like the idea of e-portfolios when it is presented to them as a career showcase rather than a process for documenting learning. A career center can use e-portfolios as a tool to help students find a job. Furthermore, our analysis and evaluation uncovered learning issues involved in moving from the traditional approach of learning toward an integrated learning system that can be used after graduation.
The Usefulness Metrics of The Most Popular eReader Used by Higher Education Students
Authors: Puspita Sari Dwi , Lanham Elicia , Pan Lei
Published: October 2017

In the digital technology era, mobile devices have an important rule to deploy a copy of data and information through the network. An electronic reader (eReader) allows readers to read written materials in an electronic manner that is available in many models. The objective of this study is to evaluate the usage of eReader by higher education students. We firstly identified the most frequently used eReader by surveying higher education students. The survey results showed that Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle, and Samsung Tablet are the most popular eReader devices used by higher education students. We presented these results, and then we analyzed the surveyed results in detail in order to develop an evaluation metric of the eReader in a mobile platform that clearly allows the selection of the most suitable eReader for higher education students. The main contribution of this paper is the development of a set of criteria that can be used by students in the selection of an eReader that matches their specific needs and requirements.
Core Curricula in Higher Education Doctoral Programs: Becoming an Discipline
Authors: Card Karen , R Chambers Crystal , Freeman Jr. Sydney
Published: October 2017

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the status of the core curriculum in higher education doctoral programs from the perspective of program directors. We used online survey analytic techniques to query program directors about their EdD and PhD programs in higher education, credit hours, and curricular content. Our study confirms previous work finding that there is common agreement in the subject matter areas of organization, leadership, administration, and history. What our work adds is that there is a growing consensus among higher education doctoral programs about the position of higher education law and finance in the curricular core. In addition, we find there is a growing interest in public policy and community colleges over time, with a majority of EdD programs including instruction in these areas. Nevertheless, majoritarian agreement does not meet at a level wherein consensus can be inferred, especially within PhD programs where requirements are more varied across programs. In addition, while there is an increasing trend in the inclusion of multiculturalism in higher education doctoral programming, multiculturalism is not currently part of higher education’s core. We conclude with research and practice implications for doctoral programs in higher education as a field of study.
Learning by Doing: How to Develop a Cross-Platform Web App
Authors: Q. Huynh Minh , Ghimire Prashant
Published: October 2017

As mobile devices become prevalent, there is always a need for apps.  How hard is it to develop an app especially a cross-platform app? The paper shares an experience in a project involved the development of a student services web app that can be run on cross-platform mobile devices.  The paper first describes the background of the project, the clients, and the proposed solution.  Then, it focuses on the step-by-step development processes and provides the illustration of written codes and techniques used.  The goal is for readers to gain an understanding on how to develop a mobile-friendly web app.  The paper concludes with teaching implications and offers thoughts for further development.
An Analysis of Digital Inclusion Projects: Three Crucial Factors and Four Key Components
Authors: Smith Chris
Published: October 2017

This paper provides an in-depth analysis into two case studies aimed at addressing the digital divide in two developing countries. A detailed description is provided for each case study along with an analysis of how successful the two projects were at addressing the digital divide in Siyabuswa, South Africa and Ennis, Ireland. The two case studies were both community-based ICT projects in rural areas of their respective countries. However, citizens in Siyabuswa had to continuously work hard to obtain new resources for a central hub which serviced the entire community, while citizens in Ennis were awarded a grant with an abundance of ICT technology including an Internet connection in every home. A conceptual framework for analyzing the success of digital inclusion projects was developed through a comprehensive literature review. This paper will identify the three factors (value, sustainability, and scalability) and four key components (digital equity, excellence, opportunity, and empowerment) that make up the framework, analyze each of the two case studies based on the framework, and explore future implications for addressing gaps in ICT access through the implementation of digital inclusion projects.
Leading Change: Faculty Development through Structured Collaboration
Authors: Painter Suzanne , M Clark Christopher
Published: October 2017

There are relentless calls for innovation in higher education programs in response to media and policy-makers attention to such concerns as instructional quality, relevance to employment, costs, and time-to-degree. At the same time, the individual course remains the primary unit of instruction and there is little evidence of faculty development strategies to assist with changing core instructional practices. We faced that dilemma when we led an innovative doctoral program in educational leadership. Soon after beginning, we implemented a regular meeting of all faculty members teaching and advising in the program to address upcoming events and review student progress. Our retrospective analysis indicates that these meetings evolved as a practical and sustainable framework for faculty development in support of deep change for instructional practices. Here we describe the challenge of faculty development for change and draw lessons learned from our four years of leadership centered on experiential learning and community sense-making. We hope that program leaders who aspire to promote faculty development in conjunction with graduate program implementation will find these lessons useful.
The Potential for Facebook Application in Undergraduate Learning: A Study of Jordanian Students
Authors: Alarabiat Ayman , Al-Mohammad Samer
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this paper was to explore the current and potential use of Facebook for learning purposes by Jordanian university students. The paper attempted to compare such use with other uses of Facebook. Further, the paper investigated Jordanian university students’ attitudes towards using Facebook as a formal academic tool, through the use of course-specific Facebook groups. To that end, quantitative data were collected from a sample of 451 students from three Jordanian public universities. Findings indicated that the vast majority of Jordanian students had Facebook accounts, which echoes its popularity amongst Jordanian youth compared to other types of online social networking sites. While both “social activities” and “entertainment” were the primary motivators for Jordanian students to create and use Facebook accounts, a growing number of them were using Facebook for academic purposes too. Further, Jordanian students had a positive attitude toward the use of “Facebook groups” as an educational tool for specific courses, and under specific conditions. Based on its findings, the paper provides suggestions for Jordanian higher institutions to invest in the application of Facebook as a formal academic tool.
Implications of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for School-Home Communication
Authors: Heath Don , Maghrabi Rozan , K. Carr Nora
Published: October 2017

Research demonstrates the positive impact of parental involvement on students, families and schools. Studies also indicate a close connection between effective school-home communication and increased parental involvement and engagement in learning. Effective selection and use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) invites more effective school-home communication, increasing parental involvement and improving student outcomes. However, ICT adoption rates are heterogeneous, influenced by cultural, socioeconomic and other factors. Also, gaps may exist between parent/school communication preferences. Our multi-case study investigates principals and parents from three different public elementary schools (suburban/high wealth; urban/low wealth; urban magnet/mixed income) to understand the impact of misalignment in ICT adoption and use on school-home communication. We find misperceptions by parents and principals regarding their ICT adoption beliefs and actual use. Our results also indicate alignment between parent and principal ICT preferences and expectations improves parent satisfaction with the principal and the school, while misalignment has the opposite effect.
Software Quality and Security in Teachers' and Students' Codes When Learning a New Programming Language
Authors: Boutnaru Shlomi , Hershkovitz Arnon
Published: October 2017

In recent years, schools (as well as universities) have added cyber security to their computer science curricula. This topic is still new for most of the current teachers, who would normally have a standard computer science background. Therefore the teachers are trained and then teaching their students what they have just learned. In order to explore differences in both populations’ learning, we compared measures of software quality and security between high-school teachers and students. We collected 109 source files, written in Python by 18 teachers and 31 students, and engineered 32 features, based on common standards for software quality (PEP 8) and security (derived from CERT Secure Coding Standards). We use a multi-view, data-driven approach, by (a) using hierarchical clustering to bottom-up partition the population into groups based on their code-related features and (b) building a decision tree model that predicts whether a student or a teacher wrote a given code (resulting with a LOOCV kappa of 0.751). Overall, our findings suggest that the teachers’ codes have a better quality than the students’ – with a sub-group of the teachers, mostly males, demonstrate better coding than their peers and the students – and that the students’ codes are slightly better secured than the teachers’ codes (although both populations show very low security levels). The findings imply that teachers might benefit from their prior knowledge and experience, but also emphasize the lack of continuous involvement of some of the teachers with code-writing. Therefore, findings shed light on computer science teachers as lifelong learners. Findings also highlight the difference between quality and security in today’s programming paradigms. Implications for these findings are discussed.
Business Professional Doctoral Programs: Student Motivations, Educational Process, and Graduate Career Outcomes
Authors: J. Grabowski Louis , Miller Jeanette
Published: October 2017

The emerging body of research on business professional doctoral programs has focused primarily on the programs’ composition and management, offering limited insight into students’ motivations and the impact the degree has on graduates and their careers. However, understanding these student motivations and career impacts is valuable for several reasons. In addition to helping future candidates assess various programs and the business professional doctoral degree itself, it can help enrolled students maximize their academic experience and help administrators improve these programs so that they better meet students’ personal and professional expectations. To bridge this research gap, this study pursued a mixed-methods approach to glean insights into why people pursue professional doctorates in business, the ultimate personal and professional outcomes of students, and the educational process producing those outcomes. The study revealed that most students entered these programs with a desire for personal or professional transformation, including the possibility of entering academia or a new industry. Moreover, the vast majority of program graduates believed they had experienced such a transformation, often in both professional and personal ways. Further, while important to personal growth, alumni perceived that certain program elements—such as the student networks they created and non-research related coursework—had little to no effect upon their career and viewed their research and the research process as far more important to their professional development. Based upon these findings, the researchers propose a comprehensive process model to explain the personal and professional factors and outcomes for graduates of business professional doctoral programs. They also suggest practical steps that students and administrators can take to improve the business professional doctoral educational experience.
Implementing and Evaluating a Blended Learning Format in the Communication Internship Course
Authors: M Smith Christina
Published: October 2017

The use of blended learning is well suited for classes that involve a high level of experiential inquiry such as internship courses. These courses allow students to combine applied, face-to-face fieldwork activities with a reflective academic component delivered online. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe the pedagogical design and implementation of a pilot blended learning format internship course. After implementation, the pilot class was assessed. Results of the survey and focus group revealed high levels of student satisfaction in the areas of course structure, faculty-student interaction, and application of theory to the “real-world” experience undertaken by students during the internship. Lower levels of satisfaction with the course’s academic rigor and a sense of community were also reported. Notably, students with experience in blended learning expressed lower levels of overall satisfaction, but reported higher levels of satisfaction with the course’s rigor and sense of community. The paper concludes by offering implications for instructors seeking to implement blended learning approaches.
Perceived Organizational ERP Benefits for SMEs: Middle Eastern Perspective
Authors: Almahamid Soud , Awsi Omer
Published: October 2017

This study aims to examine the impact of organizational environment (top management support, company-wide support, business process reengineering, effective project management, and organizational culture) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) vendor environment (ERP vendor support) on ERP perceived benefits. In order to achieve the study’s aim, a questionnaire was developed based on the extant literature to collect relevant data from the research informants. The population for this research consisted of all users of Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains (a typical type of enterprise system), which is frequently used in Jordanian companies in Amman City. A random sample of 30% of the research population was selected. The results revealed that business process reengineering, effective project management, company-wide support, and organizational culture have a positive correlation with ERP perceived benefits, whereas top management support does not. In addition, there is a significant positive correlation between vendor support and ERP perceived benefits. Academic and practical recommendations are provided.
Examining the Relationship between the Research Training Environment, Course Experiences, and Graduate Students’ Research Self-Efficacy Beliefs
Authors: Chesnut Steven , Oginga Siwatu Kamau , Young Haeni , Tong Yi
Published: October 2017

This study examined the relationship between graduate students’ research training environment, course experience, and research self-efficacy beliefs. The findings of the descriptive and regression analyses suggest that graduate students’ (n = 161) general research, quantitative, and qualitative research self-efficacy beliefs varied and that these beliefs were related to different aspects of the research training environment and course experiences, including their own personal research experiences. While course experience variables were significant predictors of quantitative and qualitative research self-efficacy, they were not predictive of general research methods self-efficacy. Also, while mentorship was a significant predictor of general research methods self-efficacy, it was not a significant predictor of quantitative and qualitative research self-efficacy. The implications of this study for research and graduate education are discussed.
Teachers as Designers of Technology-Enhanced Outdoor Inquiry
Authors: Sarah Levy Keren , Kali Yael , Tal Tali
Published: October 2017

Implementing inquiry in the outdoors introduces many challenges for teachers, some of which can be dealt with using mobile technologies. For productive use of these technologies, teachers should be provided with the opportunity to develop relevant knowledge and practices. In a professional development (PD) program in this design-based research, 24 teachers were involved in adaptation of a learning environment supporting inquiry in the outdoors that included the use of mobile technologies. They first experienced the learning environment as learners, then adapted it for their own use, and finally, enacted the adapted environment with peers. We examined the scope and character of teacher involvement in adaptation, and the consequent professional growth, by analyzing observations, questionnaires, interviews and the adapted learning-environments. Findings indicate that all teachers demonstrated change processes, including changes in knowledge and practice, but the coherence of the learning environments decreased when substantial adaptations were made. Some teachers demonstrated professional growth, as reflected by their implementation of ideas learned in the PD program in their daily practice, long after the PD program had ended. This study demonstrates how the Teachers as Designers approach can support teacher learning and illustrates productive use of scaffolds for teacher growth and professional development.
Adoption of Online Network Tools by Minority Students: The Case of Students of Ethiopian Origin in Israel
Authors: Amzalag Meital , Elias Nelly , Kali Yael
Published: October 2017

Students of Ethiopian origin belong to one of the weakest sectors in the Jewish population of Israel. During their studies they have to deal with social alienation, cultural gaps, economic hardships, and racial stereotypes which reduce their chances to successfully complete their academic degree. In this respect, the present research asks whether online social media could provide those youngsters with tools and resources for their better social integration and adaptation to the academic life. For this purpose, the study was conducted in one of Israel’s largest academic colleges while adopting a design-based research approach, which advanced gradually on a continuum between ‘ambient’ and ‘designed’ technology-enhanced learning communities. The interventions applied for this study aimed at examining how they may encourage students of Ethiopian origin to expand their activities in the online social learning groups. The findings indicate that the main pattern of students of Ethiopian origin online participation was peripheral and limited to viewing only. Nevertheless, the level of their online activity has been improved after a series of two interventions, which also led to a slight improvement in indicators of their social integration and in a change in their usage of online learning groups from social to academic uses.
Teaching Ethics in Higher Education Using the Values – Issues – Action (VIA) Model
Authors: R Chambers Crystal , Ransom Hellen
Published: October 2017

Ethics content within higher education graduate programs can help higher education students as emerging leaders become more thoughtful about the decision making process. The purpose of the present manuscript is to explore one vehicle through which current and future higher education leaders can actively contemplate their values and how their values influence their actions when faced with an ethical challenge. The Values – Issue – Action (VIA) Model for Ethical Decision Making is a tool for both classroom use and professional reflection through which one can reflect on their values (V) and how those values shape how they perceive issues (I), and in turn shape their actions (A). Implications for teaching, learning, and practice are discussed.
A Conceptual Model for the Creation of a Process-Oriented Knowledge Map (POK-Map) and Implementation in an Electric Power Distribution Company
Authors: Teimourpour Babak , Eslami Vahid , Mohammadi Maghsoud , Padidarfard Milad
Published: October 2017

Helping a company organize and capture the knowledge used by its employees and business processes is a daunting task. In this work we examine several proposed methodologies and synthesize them into a new methodology that we demonstrate through a case study of an electric power distribution company. This is a practical research study. First, the research approach for creating the knowledge map is process-oriented and the processes are considered as the main elements of the model. This research was done in four stages: literature review, model editing, model validation and case study. The Delphi method was used for the research model validation. Some of the important outputs of this research were mapping knowledge flows, determining the level of knowledge assets, expert-area knowledge map, preparing knowledge meta-model, and updating the knowledge map according to the company’s processes. Besides identifying, auditing and visualizing tacit and explicit knowledge, this knowledge mapping enables us to analyze the knowledge areas’ situation and subsequently help us to improve the processes and overall performance. So, a process map does knowledge mapping in a clear and accurate frame. Once the knowledge is used in processes, it creates value.
Introducing the Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education (JSPTE)
Authors: Freeman Jr. Sydney
Published: October 2017

Introduction to the Journal for the Study of Postsecondary and Tertiary Education (JPSTE). Pages 1-71 comprise the inaugural series of papers.
A Heuristic for Developing Object Interaction Diagrams
Authors: Song Il-Yeol
Published: October 2017

The UML (Unified Modeling Language) has been widely accepted as a standard language for object-oriented analysis and design. Among the UML diagrams, one of the most difficult and time-consuming diagrams to develop is the object interaction diagram (OID), which is rendered as either a sequence diagram or a collaboration diagram. Our experience shows that developers have significant trouble in understanding and developing OIDs. In this paper, we present an effective heuristic for developing interaction diagrams and illustrate the technique with a case study. We found that students effectively developed OIDs using this heuristic method.
Navigation assistance in Virtual Worlds
Authors: van Dijk Betsy , op den Akker Rieks , Nijholt Anton , Zwiers Job
Published: October 2017

In this paper we report about ongoing research on navigation assistance in virtual environments. Our aim is to contribute to the development of forms of navigation assistance that enable non-professional visitors of a virtual environment to find their way without previous training. The environment used in this research is a virtual theatre that models a real world music theatre. This virtual theatre can be used for exploration as well as for transactions and goal-directed search for information. We first present some design principles for navigation assistance in virtual environments and some design criteria for assistance by personal agents. Subsequently we describe how these principles and criteria have been implemented in our experimental virtual theatre environment. Finally we give an overview of future research plans.
On Principles of Course Evaluation in Distance Learning Environment
Authors: Owoc Mieczyslaw , A. Maciaszek Leszek , Hauke Krzysztof
Published: October 2017

Distance learning improves access to education and - in most cases - advances the quality of education delivery. Its key attributes are: openness, interactiveness and using multimedia teaching materials allowing: learning by anybody, at any place and anywhere. In order to assure high quality of learning, the offered courses should satisfy audience expectations and should convey knowledge in modern ways. To analysing teaching effectiveness we have evaluated a number of distance education courses. The paper describes evaluation aspects of distance learning environment and proposes the following criteria useful for this task: knowledge completeness, consistency and adequacy. Apart from knowledge passing, we have to deliver courses in an attractive form. We propose guidelines useful for evaluation of courses prepared in the LearningSpace (Lotus Notes application) environment s. The quality of education can be greatly improved by following these guidelines Two of the courses designed for MBA studies: "Business Plan Preparation” and " Management Decision Support Systems" illustrate the usability of the course evaluation method.
Information Management Aspect of Innovative Processes
Authors: Mulej Matjaz , Zenko Zdenka
Published: October 2017

The so-called information society is one attribute of the modern innovative society. Due to complicatedness and complexity of the modern reality, it requires holistic, if. systematic thinking. On the other hand, systems thinking requires a rather holistic information at its basis. On such suppositions, authors discuss relation between information, innovation, and systems thinking, ad their implication for the information aspects of dealing with business and its management.
A Tool to Support the Use of Part-Complete Solutions in the Learning of Programming
Authors: Garner Stuart
Published: October 2017

The purpose of this paper is to present a new software tool that has been developed, the purpose of which is to help novices learn programming. The tool supports what is know as the “completion” method of learning to program. It begins by discussing the difficulties that students face when learning to program and the use of part-complete solutions as a teaching and learning method. CORT has been developed to support this use of part-complete solutions and its features are outlined. When used by a student, a part-complete solution to a given programming problem is displayed in one window and possible lines of code that can be used to complete the solution are displayed within another window. The lines can easily be moved between the windows in order to complete the solution, the solution then being transferred to the target programming environment for testing purposes. Preliminary feedback from students indicates that CORT is easy to use and perceived to be helping them in their learning of programming. Three different methods of using CORT have been identified and these will be the subject of future research.
Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Confluence of Information Science and Cognitive Science
Authors: Patel Ashok , NA Kinshuk , Russell David , Oppermann R.
Published: October 2017

The advent of Internet as a global communication medium has brought a new focus on an area of research in designing Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) that has not been adequately considered so far. In the main, this has been due to the localised nature of most academic environments limiting the sources of information and an implicit assumption that information and knowledge are synonymous. These factors have led to overemphasis on learner modelling in the traditional ITS research, which seeks to enhance the interaction between the ITS as the provider and the learner as the consumer of knowledge, ignoring the crucial role played by the teacher in enhancing the learning in a given context. The limitations of the traditional approach become more visible when educational information is sought to be transmitted across long distances and the need for adaptation to local contexts becomes apparent. This paper argues that the human teacher, as the manager of learning, plays a vital role within the joint cognitive system consisting of the teacher, ITS, learner and learning peers. This role needs to be recognised by ITS designers by through a teacher model. It also suggests that ITS may perhaps best embody the emerging framework of Informing Science.
The ERP eLearning Model for the Delivery of ERP( SAP R/3) Curriculum into the Asian Region
Authors: Hawking Paul , McCarthy Brendan
Published: October 2017

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems offer a software-based system that handles an enterprise’s total information system needs in an integrated fashion. Such systems have seen a phenomenal growth in the last decade in the US, Europe and Australian markets. With the recent upturn in South-East Asian economies, an increase in demand for ERP systems is expected and opportunities clearly exist for provision of high-quality ERP education programs in this region. This paper describes the issues and barriers associated with integrating ERP systems into university curricula. It outlines the experiences of Victoria University in offering ERP education through a strategic alliance with SAP. The University is extending its offshore programs by incorporating ERP education to take advantage of the current increase in demand of ERP employment opportunities in the South-East Asian The proposed ERP eLearning Model incorporates four different technologies for the delivery of ERP education into the Asian region via the internet. Each technological solution is discussed and advantages identified.
Links between Information Professionals and Researchers
Authors: Delherbe Nicole , Regolini Amanda
Published: October 2017

Cemagref is a French public research institute in agricultural and environmental engineering. The first task of the 10 documentation departments of Cemagref is to provide solutions to the our engineers' information needs. The purpose of this communication is to describe various components of our information system, designed : to meet scientists' information needs, to provide a documentary survey, to develop a documentation section consulted through the Intranet network, to highlight the quality of Cemagrefs scientific results. The development of these various services results from close and continuous communication between information professionals and researchers.
Toward a Systemic Notion of Information: Practical Consequences
Authors: Callaos Nagib , Callaos Belkis
Published: October 2017

Our main purpose in this paper is to start a process of a systemic definition of the notion of information and to provide some initial practical consequences of it. We will try to do that providing: 1) a conceptual definition, following Ackoff's (1962) description and method of such a kind of definition, and 2) following Peirce's (1931-5,1958) conception of "meaning", where the practical consequences should be included. To our knowledge, no attempt has been done up to the present neither to find a Peircean meaning to the notion of information, nor to start a process of describing a systemic notion of information. Consequently, we will try to integrate the different definitions made on information. But to integrate we should first differentiate what is to be integrated. Thus, we will typify information conceptions in subjective and objective, providing brief description and analysis of each type, integrating them in the context of a systemic notion of information, and drawing the respective pragmatic consequences, as required by Peirce, for any meaning description, and by a pragmatic- teleological systemic epistemology (Churchmann, 1971)
CORBA-based Runtime Environments for Standardized Distributed Learning Architectures
Authors: Anido Rifon Luis , Llamas Nistal Martin , J. Fernandez Iglesias Manuel , Caeiro Rodnguez Manuel , M. Santos Gago Juan , Rodríguez Estévez Judith
Published: October 2017

The learning technology standardization process is taking the lead role in the research efforts into computer-based education. Institutions like the IEEE or the US Department of Defense have set up committees to deliver recommendations and specifications on this area to provide interoperability between different educational systems. The first part of this paper shows an up-to-date survey on this field. In the second part we present our contribution to this area: a distributed architecture to develop interoperable educational frameworks over a CORBA domain interface. Our system aims at the standardization the development process of distributed educational environments from reusable software components. We focus our attention on the runtime environment, which is responsible for contents delivering, student tracking and course routing.
Web Technologies and New Paradigms in Cognitive Sciences
Authors: Cartelli Antonio
Published: October 2017

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the difficulties evidenced by the students while approaching some scientific disciplines (the ones the author has been teaching or involved with) and shows various kinds of these problems usually known as preconceptions, misconceptions or mental schemes in students' learning. The work describes then the strategies adopted to help students in overcoming their difficulties by using specific strategies built up with the help of the constructivistic paradigm. It analyzes soon after the experiences made by the author while using Web techniques to support his teaching activity and proposes the model of a special Web site where e-commerce techniques have been adopted. The paper ends with the description of the monitoring process of students' knowledge one can carry out with the above site by using the Data Base it's interfaced with and gives an outline of the possible knowledge paradigms this instrument leads to.
Assessment of Attitudes Toward an Asynchronous Communication Tool Used as a Required Part of the
Authors: Weiss Edward , Koohang Alex
Published: October 2017

Higher education institutions are increasingly embracing the Internet as a tool to support academic courses and/or programs. Little research has been done to assess students' attitudes toward the Web-based instructions and communication tools that supplement academic courses and/or programs. The purpose of this study was to assess students’ attitudes toward the on-line asynchronous communication tool used as a required part of the MBA curriculum at a medium-sized university in the Midwest. The on-line asynchronous communication tool known as the Higher education institutions are increasingly embracing the Internet as a tool to support academic courses and/or programs. Little research has been done to assess students' attitudes toward the Web-based instructions and communication tools that supplement academic courses and/or programs. The purpose of this study was to assess students' attitudes toward the on-line asynchronous communication tool used as a required part of the MBA curriculum at a medium-sized university in the Midwest. The on-line asynchronous communication tool known as the MBA web-support/discussion forum is the nucleus of the interaction between students and faculty, and among students. It simulates the traditional classroom discussion activities among groups and between students and faculty. It also allows posing of course information, syllabi, office hours, and weekly assignments/activities. A Likert-type questionnaire consisting of 20 items was constructed and administered to 74 MBA students. The results of this study showed that respondents did not express high positive attitudes toward the on-line asynchronous communication tool. The discussion is focused on three elements that might be responsible for learners' attitudes toward on-line communication tool used to deliver Web-base courses or programs. These elements are on-line instructional design, building on-line community, and training. Recommendations are made based on the findings of this study.
Improving Student-Tutor Dialogues in E-Learning
Authors: Garner Stuart
Published: October 2017

In flexible, asynchronous e-learning environments, student-tutor interactions are usually by telephone, email or fax. In courses that utilise software in their teaching, many such interactions involve students requesting assistance from a tutor in connection with the use of that software to solve problems. Not only is it difficult for a student to explain a problem which they are having, but it is also difficult to respond to such a query without being able to "walk through" examples by using a white board or via the software which is being used within the course. There are now tools available that can improve such interactions by recording computer screen activity in some manner. Most tools also allow voice-over narratives to be recorded. This paper gives an overview of these tools, discusses how they can be used to provide better student-tutor dialogues and describes our experiences with a summer school course in which Lotus ScreenCam was used for such dialogues.
Information Systems in Virtual Corporations: Issues for ERP Based E-business Systems
Authors: Bobek Samo , Potocan Vojko , Sternad Simona , Spicka Heri
Published: October 2017

Virtual corporations can be viewed as a network of creative people, resources and ideas connected by interorganizational information systems and/or by on-line services. Information systems makes virtual corporations more successful, because the communication and collaboration among dispersed business partners are key to making it happen. Virtual corporations can use different information systems on different technological platforms. In the paper we will discuss the possibilities for informational support of the Cupertino between partners within virtual corporations with focus on enterprise resource planning solutions, which became more and more important.
Beyond Privacy: The Ethics of Customer Information Systems
Authors: Boyce Gordon
Published: October 2017

The rise of an ostensibly customer-centred corporate culture in the 1980s recogised the importance of “knowing the customer”. As a result, customer information systems and associated practices of marketing, customer segmentation, and customer accounting have become significant elements in corporate customer-focus strategies. This paper discusses a range of ethical considerations that flow from the use of customer information systems and critically examines these systems in their organisational and social context. It is well-recognised that customer information systems give rise to concerns of privacy, but this paper raises perhaps more important ethical issues that relate to organisational transformation and significant links to issues of access, equity, alienation, and social exclusion.
Student Attitudes to MIS Content in an MBA: A Comparison Across Countries
Authors: Burgess Stephen , M Chowdhury Golam , Tatnall Arthur
Published: October 2017

Export education forms a major part of the Australian economy. Australian universities are now not only accepting overseas students into Australian campuses; they are setting up overseas-based campuses. This is often through an arrangement with a local educational institution or organisation. Subjects in these institutions are delivered by a combination of Victoria University Australian-based staff and local faculty. One of the primary programs being delivered overseas by many Australian institutions is the Master of Business Administration (MBA). This paper examines the delivery of the core information technology units, Management Information Systems (MIS), by Victoria University in Australia and overseas (in Bangladesh). The structure of the MBA at Victoria University in Australia and overseas is examined and the MIS subject explained. Results of a survey of MBA students’ views of the content of MIS, conducted in Australia (1997-2000) and Bangladesh (2001) are reported. There is little difference in the attitudes of students of both countries in relation to the topics covered in the subject, nor on the breakdown of the subject between ‘hands-on’ applications and more formal instruction. There are some differences in relation to the level of Internet and e-mail usage, with Australian students tending to use these technologies on a greater basis as a proportion of their overall computer usage.
Epistemology of Science, Science Literacy, and the Demarcation Criterion: The Nature of Science (NOS) and Informing Science (IS) in Context
Authors: Castelao-Lawless Teresa
Published: October 2017

The result of misunderstanding science by students is their inability as future citizens to impact science public policies. The solution argued last year included creating courses in science studies serving two purposes: destroy students’ stereotypical certainties about science and help them become “historical realists” in regard to scientific practices. But we also speculated that dismissing the myth of scientific objectivity and teaching the historical and sociological underpinnings of science might lead to turning students into epistemological relativists. We now have a solution to the social-constructivist trap stemming from studies of science. This paper inquires into American contexts such as scientific illiteracy, post-modernism in high schools and colleges, and the media, all of which help produce a generalized inability to demarcate science from pseudoscience. Science studies courses guide students into both making epistemological distinctions and understanding the nature of science. Informing methodologies, course format, and bibliography follow.
Reusable and Usable Environment for the Digital Courseware Domain
Authors: Cloete Elsabe , Kotze Paula
Published: October 2017

This paper considers a functional framework that creates a usable authoring support environment (ASE) for digital course design, and outputs reusable components. Within the context of considering the courseware domain as a domain of interactive software systems, we developed an ASE prototype. The objectives of this prototype include the provision of a usable authoring tool to develop interactive courseware, as well as the creation of domain products that are based on open standards to foster large-scale reuse of these products. In this paper we describe the software architecture of the prototype, based on usability requirements.
Global Information Technology Management
Authors: M. Duggal Sudesh
Published: October 2017

Globalization is the perception of the world as one big market place. The notion of the boundariless world is expected to produce dramatic changes in key markets, major competitors, and Information Technology products. As a result, organizations are encouraged to rise above the national boundaries and change their orientation to global corporations. Further, the increased spending in Global Information Technology, which is anticipated to grow several folds within the next five years, is adding fuel to this shift. Events such as economic integration of Europe, merging of the companies across national borders, stock exchanges, outsourcing of Information Technology services to the third world countries, and the use of World Wide Web are forcing companies to re-evaluate their Global Information Technology management and to develop Global Information Strategy so as to get the most out of their business in the world economy. As the scope of Global Information Technology spans the global market, it is going to present mangers with a host of thorny issues. This paper suggests the key issues to be used as a guide for the Global Information Technology Managers to be successful in this fast changing technology oriented market, and also recommends Global Managers Evaluation Wheel which can be used for the appraisal of managers, subordinates, peer managers, on-site supervisors and clients working in the global Information Technology environment.
Information for Decision Support, Information for Performance Evaluation - But Don’t Mix Your Drinks
Authors: E. Everett James , Kamperman M. , Howard T.
Published: October 2017

When the same information is used to support decisions and to evaluate performance, a falsely optimistic view of performance may result. An example occurs in quality control during ship loading for iron ore export. Ore quality depends upon consistent composition. Ore is sampled periodically during reclamation from stockpiles. The ship loader was moved from between source stockpiles when the sample assays differed from target composition. Each ship loader move incurred costly delays. We found the apparent variations in composition could be largely ascribed to measurement error, and that intended correction during ship loading might even be harming quality. The policy was changed, to load ships from a single stockpile without interruption. Sample assays were used to evaluate performance, not to drive decisions. Data are analyzed from 466 shiploads, spanning the years before and after the change of policy, to compare quality performance, as measured by the exporter and by the customer.