bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hierarchies
Authors: Pourabbas Elaheh , Rafanelli Maurizio
Published: May 2011

In this chapter we will focus on the rules of aggregation hierarchies in analysis dimensions of a cube. We give an overview of the related works on the basic concepts of the different types of aggregation hierarchies. We then discuss the hierarchies from two different points of view: mapping between domain values and hierarchical structures. In relation to them, we introduce the characterization of some OLAP operators on hierarchies and give a set of operators that concern the change in the hierarchy structure. Finally, we propose an enlargement of the operator set concerning hierarchies.
Time in Multidimensional Databases
Authors: Mendelzon Alberto O. , Vaisman Alejandro A.
Published: May 2011

In spite of the obvious importance of time in data warehousing and OLAP, current commercial systems do not support tracking the history of a data warehouse, either at the schema or instance level. In this chapter we address this issue, introducing the Temporal Multidimensional Model and a query language, denoted TOLAP, allowing expressing temporal OLAP queries at a high level of abstraction. Further, we show that previous work in temporal databases needs to be extended in order to handle evolution and versioning in OLAP. Finally, we present an implementation, along with preliminary experimental results.
Cooperation with Geographic Databases
Authors: Pourabbas Elaheh
Published: May 2011

The purpose of this chapter is to create cooperation between geographic databases (GDBs) and multidimensional databases (MDDBs), which are considered as the most promising and efficient information technologies for supporting decision making. We focus on the common key elements between geographic and multidimensional data which allow effective support in data cooperating. These elements are basically time and space, which are present implicitly or explicitly in MDDB and are modeled on the dimensions, Time and Location. Thus, because GDBs are primarily concerned with geographic data, we will focus on space as a bridge element for cooperating MDDBs and GDBs. We propose an approach that extends the geographic data structure through special attributes, called binding attributes, in order to describe all phenomena represented by MDDBs. This extension will make it possible to answer more specific “OLAP-based” queries within GDBs without modifying the physical organization of data in both environments.
Characteristics of IDCM Systems
Authors: Asprey Len , Middleton Michael
Published: May 2011

The last chapter reviewed the challenges of managing documents in business and government enterprises, where there is, as yet, no attempt to integrate different document and Web content systems. The IDCM planning model introduced in Chapter 1 proposes an integrative solution architecture to tackle an environment in which enterprises wish to manage different document systems and content distribution together. Here, we wish to elaborate on this model. The IDCM model proposes a management framework and defines key subsystems relevant for organizations wishing to plan and implement an IDCM solution. Before we commence our discussion on the management framework in Part 2, we discuss the nature and characteristics of the subsystems relevant to IDCM solutions. Consequently, this chapter describes the characteristics of the various subsystems available to help businesses plan integrative strategies for document and Web content management. It reviews the overall functionality offered by these subsystems and their applicability to the IDCM model. Later, in Part 3, we explore some of this functionality in more detail, and how it might be applied to managing documents and Web content.
Functional Requirements - Digital Office Documents
Authors: Asprey Len , Middleton Michael
Published: May 2011

This chapter is the first in a series that reviews the requirements analysis and definition for IDCM functional requirements. We noted in Chapter 10 that functional statements are an integral part of the development of system requirements specifications for IDCM systems, as distinct from the user requirements that we covered in Chapter 11. In this chapter, we focus on the functional requirements analysis of digital documents within the office environment of business and government enterprises. We consider requirements that are applicable to most types of these documents. Some characteristics that are specific to email, digital drawings, imaging, workflow, and Web content, are discussed in separate chapters. We also provide a series of functionality checklists that practitioners should find useful when defining the functional requirements for IDCM. Our objectives are to explain the attributes and how these may be expressed in requirements analysis for: • Document authoring; • User profiles; • Document volumes; • Document capture; • Metadata utilization; • Storage handling; • Version control; • Renditions; • Compound documents; • Association through hyperlinks; • Full-text indexing and retrieval; • Document viewing; • Printing; • Security and audit; and • Scheduling for archives or disposal.
Functional Requirements - Document Imaging and Recognition Technologies
Authors: Asprey Len , Middleton Michael
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we review the requirements for document imaging systems that enable the scanning and conversion of physical documents to image format. We also review the functionality offered by recognition technologies (such as barcode and character recognition tools). Our objectives are to do the following: • Discuss the requirement to identify existing document imaging systems when considering IDCM solutions. • Provide a framework for determining requirements for imaging and scanning in workgroup and production applications. • Review the application of recognition technologies for facilitating data capture during scanning. The project planning, feasibility study, and user requirements strategies that we discussed in Chapters 6, 8, and 11 apply to this context.
Functional Requirements - Engineering and Technical Drawings
Authors: Asprey Len , Middleton Michael
Published: May 2011

In Chapter 3, we discussed a range of subsystem options for managing engineering and technical drawings. The most suitable system solution is the one that meets the business requirements. This chapter extends the discussion on engineering and technical drawing management systems that we had in Chapter 3. Our objective now is to examine the functional requirements for a system to help enterprises to better manage engineering and technical drawings.
Nonfunctional and Domain Requirements
Authors: Asprey Len , Middleton Michael
Published: May 2011

In this chapter, we will examine requirements determination and analysis that may be useful for defining the nonfunctional and domain requirements for an IDCM solution, including system sizing, architecture, and performance requirements. We also include a discussion on domain requirements, such as those for information technology and system administration. Our objectives are to do the following: • Document the requirements for system sizing and mass storage. • Consider the types of requirements analysis that enterprises apply to help suppliers of IDCM solutions offer an architecture solution that may meet enterprise requirements. • Define system performance requirements with known caveats and assumptions. • Define the requirements for the IDCM system to integrate with enterprise desktop, server, and network operating environments. • Define the requirements for the system development environment. • Document the system administration requirements for the system.
Globalization, Culture and E-Business
Authors: Corbitt Brian J.
Published: May 2011

This chapter is concerned with the way globalization, culture and e-business are interacting in the world economic environment to produce globalized trade and expansion of e-business not only across nations, but between organizations and across organizations internationally. This chapter is also concerned with the nature of globalization and gaining an understanding of what globalization means in various cultures. It will produce an understanding of why globalization is important in understanding e-business, how it impacts on e-business and how it has supported and promoted the changing nature of trade across the world. This chapter will also address why understanding culture is important in the e-business realm. Electronic business cannot be isolated from the cultures in that it works. While there is a tendency towards a world view, or globalized view, of the nature of e-business, the managerial factors and human interaction within e-business are imbued with cultural practices that challenge any sense of uniformity or heterogeneity. We will also be concerned with how e-business development is related to the expansion of globalization thinking and of the way that we are changing our worldview as a whole.
Implementing IT Policy and the Bedevilment of Post-Colonialism - A Case Study in Tanzania
Authors: Kabalimu Joseph , Corbitt Brian , Thanasanakit Theerasak
Published: May 2011

This chapter is concerned with how Tanzania has been socially and economically affected by post-colonialism at a policy level as well as at an ordinary (public) level during the IT policy development process in the country. An IT policy according to Corbitt (1999:309) “is a reflection of the society in which it is formed and is socially constructed within the ideologies which frame that society.” Corbitt (1999:312) goes on to describe the implementation phase of the policy: Policy is implemented in an environment influenced by ideologies which spawn values and beliefs, some of which are known, recognized and obvious to the actors involved, whilst other influences are not recognized, nor obvious. This chapter examines the post-colonial influence, which comprises both directly and indirectly, observed implications within the IT policy development process in Tanzania. The discussion focuses on challenges which face decision and policy-makers in the country. The chapter also proposes an IT policy model which might be developed or designed using a different approach from the traditional policy-making model.
An Evolutionary Misclassification Cost Minimization Approach for Medical Diagnosis
Authors: Pendharkar Parag C. , Nanda Sudhir , Rodger James A. , Bhaskar Rahul
Published: May 2011

This chapter illustrates how a misclassification cost matrix can be incorporated into an evolutionary classification system for medical diagnosis. Most classification systems for medical diagnosis have attempted to minimize the misclassifications (or maximize correctly classified cases). The minimizing misclassification approach assumes that Type I and Type II error costs for misclassification are equal. There is evidence that these costs are not equal and incorporating costs into classification systems can lead to superior outcomes. We use principles of evolution to develop and test a genetic algorithm (GA) based approach that incorporates the asymmetric Type I and Type II error costs. Using simulated and real-life medical data, we show that the proposed approach, incorporating Type I and Type II misclassification costs, results in lower misclassification costs than LDA and GA approaches that do not incorporate these costs.
New Information Technologies and Other Pertinent Issues Impacting the Strategic Dimension of CRM for Business Excellence
Authors: Kuppuraju Sudhakar , Subramanian Girish
Published: May 2011

Recent interest in relationship management and relationship marketing has led many firms to consider how to improve customer retention rates. The scope of the current chapter will be limited to an exploratory study of the technologies and relevant issues in the development and deployment of customer relationship management (CRM) applications for businesses, specifically those that would pertain towards impacting the strategic dimension of business and enable them to excel in delivering optimal solutions to customers. Future areas of research in CRM will be identified based on the literature review and observed trends in the subject matter. Based on available technologies, current issues in CRM and other pertinent issues, a conclusion will be drawn reflecting the authors’ opinion.
Leading-Edge Information Technologies and American Local Governments
Authors: Norris Donald F.
Published: May 2011

In this study, I examine the adoption, penetration and impacts of the adoption of leading-edge information technologies in American local governments. I also discuss future trends with respect to these technologies. Data for this study come from three nationwide surveys of information technology in local governments and a series of case studies in US cities about the adoption of leading-edge information technologies. My principal findings are that American local governments have adopted a range of these technologies and can be expected to do so in coming years. This is especially true of the adoption of electronic government. Local government characteristics associated with adoption include principally local government size as measured by population. Other characteristics include type and form of government, region of the country, and metropolitan status. Additionally, local governments adopt leading-edge information technologies for both general reasons (e.g., to improve efficiency and effectiveness) and to solve specific problems (e.g., the adoption of automated fingerprint identification systems to solve crimes).
Interactivity and Navigation
Authors: Berg Gary A.
Published: May 2011

I come to the subject of this book from a very different path than most of those thinking about the use of computers in educational environments. My formal education focused originally on literature and film studies, and film production at the University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. I became professionally involved in educational administration through the backdoor of continuing education focused first on the entertainment industry, and then more broadly. It was after this combined experience of studying film and television and working in adult education that I began research in education and earned a doctorate in the field of higher education from Claremont Graduate University, with a special emphasis on distance learning. I hope that the different point of view I have developed from my eclectic background gives me the ability to make something of a unique contribution to this evolving new field. What follows is an attempt to spark a discussion that will lead to answers to the question of what are the most effective techniques for the design of computer learning environments. This is not a how-to book—we are too early in the evolutionary process of the medium to give such specific guidance. Rather, my intention is to offer some theories to elevate the thinking bout computers in education. Because the subject is interdisciplinary, combining science with the humanities, the theoretical discussion draws from abroad range of disciplines: psychology, educational theory, film criticism, and computer science. The book looks at the notion of computer as medium and what such an idea might mean for education. I suggest that the understanding of computers as a medium may be a key to re-envisioning educational technology. Oren (1995) argues that understanding computers as a medium means enlarging human-computer interaction (HCI) research to include issues such as the psychology of media, evolution of genre and form, and the societal implications of media, all of which are discussed here. Computers began to be used in educational environments much later than film, and I would have to agree with others who claim that the use of computers instructionally is still quite unsophisticated.
Concern Solving for IS Development
Authors: Metcalfe Mike
Published: May 2011

Mitroff and Linstone’s (1993) summit work, “The Unbounded Mind,” reiterates the multiple perspectives epistemology that was introduced to IS by Churchman (1971). They explain the advantages of dealing with IS development problems as involving three domains of knowledge–technical, meaning objective; personal, meaning lifestyle and ethics; and organisational, meaning social constructions and politics. They argue these align with Freud’s professional, personal and political layers of anxiety. This chapter focuses on the ‘organisational’ or ‘political’ domain, where the key is being able to deal with conflicting demands from stakeholders. The author recently returned from two years as adviser to the Deputy Premier of South Australia. This epitomises the typical working life of senior executives, who operate almost exclusively at this ‘organisational’ or political domain of analysis. His conclusion from that experience was that ‘problem solving’ in this domain should be relabelled ‘concern solving,’ as it was so much about dealing with stakeholders’ concerns rather than objective problems.
Technology-Push or User-Pull? The Slow Death of the Transfer-of-Technology Approach to Intelligent Support Systems Development
Authors: Lynch Teresa , Gregor Shirley
Published: May 2011

This chapter describes a study of the adoption of intelligent support systems in agriculture. The aim was to investigate the apparent low uptake of these systems and the approaches used in development–whether ‘user-pull’ or ‘technology-push.’ Data was collected for 66 systems, mainly through telephone interviews. An interpretative approach to research was adopted. The nature of user influence in the development process and the nature of the outcomes for the systems were found to be complex and multidimensional constructs. A pattern emerged showing the technology-push approach was associated with low levels of user influence in the development process and comparatively low levels of system impact. This relationship was more evident in systems developed by government organizations.
Prescription to Remedy the IT-Business Relationship
Authors: Cormack Sandra , Cater-Steel Aileen
Published: May 2011

Even though organisations are highly dependent on information technology (IT), many organisations have reported an unhealthy relationship between business and IT professionals. Establishing an effective relationship between these two disparate groups is essential for organisational success in today’s competitive global economy. Despite many attempts to improve the IT-business relationship, tensions still exist. The cultural differences between business and IT have recently been blamed for these tensions. Through the application of relevant organisational behaviour theories, the cultural characteristics of the IT group that effect the IT-business relationship can be identified. Research shows that the IT culture is such that mutual benefits are not derived from the relationship, IT and business groups have a poor attitude towards cooperation, there is a lack of shared knowledge between business and IT, and there is a lack of organisational linkages between business and IT. As a starting point for reconciliation between business and IT, this chapter provides insights into how tensions in the IT-business relationship can be minimised through understanding and managing the IT culture.
Human Factors and the Systems Development Process
Authors: Fisher Julia
Published: May 2011

Internet systems have the potential to reach a huge and unknown audience. How easy a system is to use will usually determine its success or failure and consequently the business and yet the human factors elements of systems are rarely considered. Usability describes the ease with which people can use a system to complete a task. It is often the case however that development teams focus more on the technology and less on the users when designing systems resulting in software that is not useable and therefore does not satisfy users’ need. This chapter presents recent research, which examines one approach to developing a web-based information system and demonstrates how the composition of the development team through the inclusion of people with an understanding of user needs is important to the quality of the final product and ultimately the success of the system.
A Social Perspective on Information Security
Authors: Clarke Steve , Drake Paul
Published: May 2011

Information security has become a largely rule-based domain, substantially focusing on issues of confidentiality. But the standards developed to achieve this, both in the U.S. and in the UK, have not been adopted as widely as had been hoped. By casting information security as a human-centred domain, this chapter, by means of a critique fom a social theoretical perspective, seeks to offer a way forward to a more widely acceptable approach. Social philosophy, social theory, and empirical evidence all suggest a basis in critical social theory as a potential way forward, and an initial framework based on this, is developed within this study. All of this is seen to point toward information security seen as human action, mediated through subjective understanding, and this research is now focusing on the operationalisation of these concepts.
Collaborative Learning On-Demand on the Internet Mbone
Authors: Fortino Giancarlo , Nigro Libero
Published: May 2011

The ubiquity of the Internet potentially allows delivering a variety of electronic learning contents to a wide audience. This work proposes a new online learning paradigm, namely, collaborative learning on-demand (CLoD), and its supporting technology. The CLoD paradigm enables a group of workmates to on-demand request and watch the playback of an archived multimedia session for the purpose of collaborating and cooperatively constructing knowledge. CLoD is featured by cooperative playback systems, which are networked infrastructures providing collaborative media on-demand services. The chapter also details our MBone-based cooperative playback system, ViCROC, and presents an investigation of its usability.
Design Cycle Usability Evaluations of an Intercultural Virtual Simulation Game for Collaborative Learning
Authors: Raybourn Elaine M.
Published: May 2011

The present chapter describes the design cycle employed to create a computer-mediated social-process simulation called the DomeCityMOO. Participants created cultural identities that reflected the power imbalances in society and noted how their power and cultural identity were negotiated though their communication with others. Usability evaluation methodologies employed include design ethnography, contextual inquiry, task analyses, prototyping, and quantitative evaluation. The results indicate that the intercultural problem-solving simulation (DomeCityMOO) designed for a multiuser virtual learning environment may make it easier for educators and learners to explore the essence of cultural identity awareness and intercultural relations skills expressed through one’s communication. To date, intercultural real-time simulations are only designed for face-to-face. The DomeCityMOO is the first computer-mediated intercultural, multiuser, real-time simulation designed specifically to address issues of power and identity. The design principles employed in the DomeCityMOO challenge the popular belief that aspects of tacit culture and intercultural awareness can only be taught successfully face-to-face.
Introduction
Authors: Hanson Ardis , Levin Bruce Lubotsky , Heron Susan
Published: May 2011

Change has become a way of life for most organizations in the 21st century. In order to withstand profound change, an organisation must be flexible and incorporate the ability to adapt and respond to its external environment and its many stakeholders (Kanter, Stein, & Tick, 1992). At the same time, in an era of increasing fiscal constraints, new technologies, and an explosion of information, informatics plays an increasingly important and prominent role in society, in knowledge exchange, in communication, and in commerce between organizations. Accordingly, the most remarkable opportunities and challenges have emerged within academic libraries with regard to the incorporation of technology into daily functioning. Academic libraries only achieve real change when every person, from staff to administrator, is willing to examine functions, strategies, goals, and processes and to participate in free discussions of the critical issues. This chapter examines such a landmark shift in an organization’s operation and culture with the creation of a “virtual library” at an urban university. It will review the planning, development, and implementation process of the virtual library. It will also examine the barriers and successes within the organizational role of a multi-campus, autonomous university library system. The chapter will conclude with a discussion of future issues and opportunities for the role of technology in organizations and organizational change.
Marketing the Virtual Library
Authors: Grohs Kim , Reed Caroline , Allen Nancy
Published: May 2011

During the last decade, there have been significant changes in higher education, particularly in the emergence of distance education and the 24/7-access mantra (24 hours a day, seven days a week). This, in turn, has had a continuing impact upon efforts to reconceptualize what an academic library is and what it does. Not surprisingly, academic libraries face a number of critical issues, including increased costs of resources, expansion of traditional services, increased competition from other information vendors, and the impact of new technologies. Although these issues appear as threats, they are opportunities for libraries to design their own future (Denham, 1995). In the near future, academic libraries will remain a vital resource for faculty, students, and staff. While it is easy for academic libraries to become complacent about their status within a university since there is no competition on campus, successful marketing programs can enhance visibility, create understanding about the value of the library, and shape public perception of the scope of its resources and services (Gómez, 2001). This chapter will briefly look at marketing issues in academic libraries, how those issues were dealt with in marketing the Virtual Library, and where marketing for academic libraries may be going in the future as the physical and virtual worlds shift, meld, and merge.
Library Statistics and Outcomes Assessment
Authors: Bland Rose L. , Howard Allison M.
Published: May 2011

The objective of collecting library statistics is “to assess the quality and effectiveness of services [and resources] provided by the library” (Poll, 2001, p.307). A review of the literature shows that measurement of electronic resources is a concern, that standards are necessary, and collaboration with publishers is required. As libraries spend more of their valuable resources to provide access to the electronic environment, they need to turn their attention to the effective measurement of electronic resources. In order to do this, libraries must determine relevant statistics (including those that can be collected internally by the library), request vendors to provide standardized statistics, and finally, evaluate the data in the context of their unique setting to enable sound decision-making. Libraries also need to utilize user surveys in addition to local and content-provider statistics, to get a clearer picture of their user’s needs and satisfaction with library services and resources. Although the task is daunting, obtaining reliable statistics in the electronic environment is needed and continues to be another challenging area in academic libraries. This chapter will examine the various issues involved in gathering usage statistics for library electronic resources, including questions relating to why libraries collect statistics, what needs to be collected, and how data are collected. The chapter will also address the challenges encountered in collecting data, the perspective of content-providers, and the issues involved in data presentation. Finally, there will be a short review of several key initiatives on statistics for electronic collections.
Re-Engineering Library Education
Authors: Gregory Vicki L.
Published: May 2011

The revolutionary changes in the educational curriculum for schools of library and information science being evinced by the exponential expansion of computer-based technologies require a reexamination of the skills and expertise needed to be acquired by the next wave of academic librarians. This is critical in order that they may continue to be able to provide information services and resources to the academic communities within which those librarians will practice their profession. In addition, it is important to meet emerging educational needs in terms of various multiculturalism and diversity issues that are arising today as well as a thorough understanding of research theory and practice. Implicit in these examinations is a need to review the way library school faculty will be teaching, using newer technologies including Web-delivery of courses, and how faculty should exhibit the skills needed in order to be able to deliver courses using the new technology-centered methods. Finally, this chapter will emphasize the importance of continuing education for future academic librarians and current professionals.
Understanding Section 508 and Its Implications for Distance Education
Authors: Hricko Mary
Published: May 2011

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act mandates that federal agencies must ensure the provision of accessible electronic and information technology. Although this legislation has not formally been applied to higher education, it will inevitably have an impact on all academic institutions, particularly in the area of distance education. This analysis examines how the legislation applies to distance education technologies and technical requirements and provisions of the law. An overview of Section 508 standards and its application is distance education is discussed.
Inclusion in an Electronic Classroom
Authors: Luke Robert , Harrison Laurie
Published: May 2011

Providing educational opportunities within online environments, while beneficial, also has the potential to exclude a significant portion of the population.  Those who are learning and physically disabled may be prevented from accessing online learning environments due to problems in the design of the technology, as well as with the pedagogy directing the use of this technology. Inclusion in an Electronic Classroom was funded by the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) and examined accessibility within various courseware platforms in order to better assess both the technological and pedagogical issues associated with the general educational shift toward providing learning opportunities within online learning networks.2 This paper presents a summary of the results of this study alongside recommendations for ensuring equitable access within online, courseware-enabled, networked learning.  The study data are placed within a framework that examines the technical and pedagogical ramifications of accessibility issues and online learning environments, specifically, courseware environments currently used in today’s online educational market. The findings are compared with the associated guidelines and checkpoints in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and provide a useful framework for consideration of the current challenges and the opportunities at hand for courseware authoring tool developers.3
Introduction
Authors: Sheehan Mark , Jafari Ali
Published: May 2011

This is a book about Internet portals in higher education. It grew out of the editors’ sense that the application of portal technologies to college and university needs is a much broader topic than can be addressed in a brief article or conference presentation. Portals present unique strategic challenges in the academic environment. Their conceptualization and design requires the input of campus constituents who seldom interact and whose interests are often opposite. The implementation of a portal requires a coordination of applications and databases controlled by different campus units at a level that may never before have been attempted at the institution. Building a portal is as much about constructing intra-campus bridges as it is about user interfaces and content. Richard Katz (2000) sums it up concisely: “A portal strategy is difficult and perilous because many on campus are weary and suspicious of another new enterprise-wide information technology initiative, and because portals, by definition require across-the-institution agreements on approach and design that are hard to achieve in loosely coupled organizations like academic institutions.”
Building a Virtual Campus
Authors: Ast Stephen , Gerfen Cassandra
Published: May 2011

For the higher education world, comprising three million faculty and administrators, 15 million students and 60 million alumni (Budzynski & Zabora, 2000), a Web presence is essential. But the means by which institutions “go online” can differ dramatically, including the implementation of brochure websites, development of online registration systems, offering Web-based course supplements and distance learning courses, putting administrative functions online, and giving students Web access to extracurricular resources and other networked information. When delivered together, these functions represent a comprehensive platform, while alone they create a fragmented Web presence. In this chapter, we will explore the trends leading up to the need for an institution-wide solution; how the eCollege CampusPortalSM can connect a campus’ administrative, academic and community aspects together through a seamless, single point of contact; the development process and technology that makes this possible; and the building of a virtual campus at Montana State University-Billings.
Online Survey Results
Authors: Sheehan Mark
Published: May 2011

In summer 2001, the editors of this book conducted an online survey to gather opinions about what a portal is perceived to be in the context of higher education. Survey participants are listed in the Acknowledgments section of this book. The survey results were presented in a poster session at the EDUCAUSE 2001 conference and are summarized in Table 1 of the Introduction to this book. This appendix presents a more detailed analysis of the survey, including several items that were not included in the summary in the Introduction. The survey was made up of 18 statements to which respondents were asked to react, and six questions that respondents were asked to answer. Analysis of the survey results must be tempered by the fact that survey respondents were self-selecting. Most presumably had some interest in portals, and therefore likely had some familiarity with them. While survey respondents were in no sense hand-picked, they were at the same time not entirely randomly selected.
Involving Employees in Design
Authors: Mumford Enid
Published: May 2011

This chapter moves away from a concentration on the “what” to do and focuses on the “how” to do it. An important strategic decision at the start of any change project is how it is to be managed. The options here range from letting the technical suppliers assume a management role. This is often done with software venders when the purchasers have a poor understanding of the new technology, but it can be a high-risk strategy. Another option is to let specialist groups or management take responsibility for bringing in the new system. This can often result in a system that works well for management but less well for other groups. The approach I recommend is the democratic one of giving a large degree of responsibility for the organizational design and implementation of the new system to the future users. The case studies which come next will show how this can be done.
Designing an Expert System
Authors: Mumford Enid
Published: May 2011

This chapter and case study address two important design problems. The first is the challenge presented by the task of developing systems that affect a major part of company activities—either by covering a widely dispersed function or a number of different functions. The second is the role of the group facilitator or project manager in relation to large systems design.
Certain about Uncertainty
Authors: Shields Stella F. , Gil-Egui Gisela , Stewart Concetta M.
Published: May 2011

Many students face the prospect of working in teams with apprehension. This feeling is further magnified when most or all of the sensory cues are removed in the virtual environment. We argue that by adopting specific structural and situational strategies, instructors can substantially reduce the levels of uncertainty that usually surround the idea of virtual teamwork in students’ minds. Such strategies are drawn from an exploration of the notion of trust as a key element for the successful performance of teams, as well as on a discussion of the concepts of swift trust, community of practice, and control as guiding principles for the establishment of practices that help build mutual reliance among virtual team members in an online classroom. We conclude with some suggestions that can be implemented at the micro level of the course and the macro level of the institution hosting distance and online learning experiences.
Evaluating a Distance Education Program
Authors: Schifter Catherine , Monolescu Dominique
Published: May 2011

In higher education, distance learning initiatives are very linked to the overall institution’s educational mission. For such an initiative to succeed, a carefully designed distance education evaluation plan is necessary. This chapter describes key distance education program evaluation variables, using the Temple University’s OnLine Learning Program as an example. In addition to describing the purpose of conducting a distance program evaluation and illustrating evaluation methods, the results from surveys and focus groups regarding students’ satisfaction with their distance learning experiences are shared. We consider that a good distance education program evaluation plan should also impact the institution’s general education policies and procedures.
Online Teaching, Copyrights, and the Need for Concerted Solutions
Authors: Gil-Egui Gisela
Published: May 2011

Most higher education institutions with online learning programs in the U.S. face similar challenges when it comes to establishing intellectual property (IP) policies that balance adequate stimulus for authors and appropriate investment return for the organization supporting their creative production. However, no university has yet been able to come up with a “golden standard” in this regard. While, by the time of writing this, Temple University was still in the process of discussing elements of a new IP policy for online contents, its preliminary experience on the matter reveals the benefits of proactive attempts at achieving consensus among all stakeholders, as opposed to adopting reactive or remedial stances.
Usability of Websites Contributing to Trust in E-Commerce
Authors: Oorni Kai , Kaleva Saana , Hirvasniemi Soile , Kortelainen Terttu
Published: May 2011

Lack of security and trust is considered the biggest barrier to the increase of business-to-consumer e-commerce. In this chapter the authors aim at gaining insights of how online vendor design and usability relate to people’s opinions of the trustworthiness of shopping online. Additionally, common concerns regarding trust and security are explored both theoretically, based on existing literature, and empirically in a pilot study. The results showed that the most common concern among the respondents is online payment. The respondents valued detailed information of the products, of the processing and delivery of orders. Also the familiarity of products and vendors and easy-to-use online stores were appreciated. In e-business, quality design and good usability of vendors’ websites can be seen as a means to diminish the customer’s potentially risky situation. From the customer’s viewpoint, in turn, these can be taken as the indicators of quality and the vendor’s competence which reduce uncertainty and predict trust in e-commerce environment.
Women in Information Technology
Authors: Woszczynski Amy , Myers Martha , Beise Catherine
Published: May 2011

IT managers must recruit and retain a skilled and diverse workforce in order to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s increasingly globalized enterprises. The pipeline for women in IT starts small and shrinks as women are disaffected from the profession at all levels of school and career. This chapter surveys the literature concerning the dearth of women and categorizes this literature along dimensions of methodology, variables, and groups studied. Numerous suggestions and guidelines for improving women’s representation have been offered. Recurring themes include lack of self-confidence, lack of pre-college preparation, the need for mentors and role models, the importance of community groups, and the need to value both family and work priorities. Few studies have empirically tested these recommendations, and much work remains to be done in order to understand and address the real issues. Solutions to recruiting and retaining women may serve other under-represented groups as well, making IT classrooms and IT workplaces more congenial and ultimately more productive environments for everyone.
Public Involvement in Public Administration in the Information Age
Authors: Thomas John Clayton
Published: May 2011

Public managers in Western democracies have felt growing pressures in recent decades to involve citizens more in the work of public administration, perhaps transforming what was once viewed as a largely solitary technical enterprise into a community production. On the heels of this “participation revolution” has come the “information revolution,” wherein a variety of new information and telecommunications technologies, including computers and modem linkages, Internet connections, electronic mail, and fax transmissions, is transforming society, economy and government. Although there has been much discussion of the likely effects of each of these revolutions, relatively little attention has been paid until recently to the interaction of the two revolutions, especially to how the information revolution may impact public involvement. The purpose of this chapter is to speculate on that impact. After first explaining the specifics of the two revolutions, the chapter will speculate on the possible effects of technology on public involvement in public administration, both for public involvement in general and for various specific techniques of involvement. A concluding section will consider the chapter’s action implications for scholars, policymakers and public administrators.
Public Information for a Democratic Society
Authors: Slaton Christa Daryl , Arthur Jeremy L.
Published: May 2011

The question of “how wide to open the window” to hear citizen feedback and let them influence local politics is highly topical. The authors provide an informative introduction to the prerequisites for collaboration between citizens and public administration. They claim that the re-engineering focus on citizen participation remains too rooted in old paradigmatic thinking. In order to truly engage citizens, one needs to break out of the confines of 18th century thought and explore how participatory democratic theory can provide the foundation for 21st century political design and alter our concepts of democratic governance. The authors focus on two different projects that have demonstrated how administrators and other government officials can engage citizens in agenda-setting, addressing complex policy issues, and facilitating implementation of policies. These models position citizens as “owners” of government, not as “clients” or even partners in making and implementing policies through choices. One method, called Televote, is a form of scientific polling that elicits informed and considered opinions from randomly selected respondents. The other method, a version of face-to-face meetings, was employed in Uniontown, Alabama to engage citizens on an ongoing basis to establish citizen agendas, develop policies, and implement programs. Finally, the authors reflect how electronic town meetings can be used to help build community and reinvigorate democracy.
Metropolitan Governance and Telecommunications Policy
Authors: Richman Roger
Published: May 2011

This chapter explores some implications of the emerging telecommunications networks for urban areas and concludes that new networks will do more to support metropolitan governance than to reinforce localism within traditional city and suburban municipal boundaries. Employing U.S. telecommunications policy as its setting, the chapter proposes creation of metropolitan nongovernmental organizations for urban regions to undertake telecommunications policy roles that currently are unaddressed. The proposed Metropolitan Telecommunications Organization (MTO) would represent urbanized areas interests in guiding the build-out of the new public network; in designing the metropolitan telecommunications system, in providing network security, in insuring open access and universal service, and in undertaking other important system governance roles that currently are not being addressed by local governments. In the U.S., MTOs would be an advocate for the values of community in society, including promoting digital democracy, community access centers, metropolitan telecommunications tax equity, and support for community institutions.
Digital Storytelling
Authors: Tharp Kevin W. , Hills Liz
Published: May 2011

This chapter considers the significance of digital storytelling as a force for community cultural development in global and regional contexts and as a means of transforming regions. The primary focus is on practice, which will prove useful to both the community informatics practitioner and ethnographic or participative action researchers. This is achieved by contrasting the traditional ‘top down’ approach to media and cultural production with the rise of community-based digital storytelling. The authors argue that community-based digital storytelling must take seriously the realities of the digital divide, and must consider the social, political, economic and cultural contexts of communities and their specific ‘relationship’ to digital technologies to ensure that communities have both access to, and the literacy and skills to engage with, the digital medium. The authors consider specific examples that illustrate this approach and conclude by reiterating that access to digital technologies should be combined with community-based training programs, community based-goals and initiatives, and a commitment to principles of regional and global social justice.
Social Organization through the Internet
Authors: Finquelievich Susana
Published: May 2011

How can the Internet help organize a country’s population who wishes to change their political system? The crisis that crashed the Argentine financial system in December 2001 did not just generate a powerful social explosion; it also created a new citizens information outburst. The night of December 19, 2001, when thousands of indignant citizens went to the streets clattering their pots and pans to protest against the Etat de Siege was the first of many massive citizens’ public manifestations. In a few days, these demonstrations were organized through the Internet. Gradually, different neighborhood assemblies contacted each other through e-mail or their Web sites. Two weeks later, they had 3,000 people involved in inter-neighborhood Sunday meetings for debates and proposals. In September 2002, a national-wide meeting of neighborhood assemblies took place in Buenos Aires. Both leaders and members of these movements agreed on one thing: this massive organization could not have been implemented without the Internet. This chapter analyses this innovative ICT-supported massive citizens’ movement. Are they socially revolutionary, or socially conservative? Are ICTs a means, or a goal in themselves? Are ICTs — supported social movements a way to e-democracy? How can global citizen networks support these movements? These and other issues are developed as a contribution for an international debate.