bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blogging Motivations for Latin American Bloggers
Authors: Bronstein Jenny
Published: October 2011

The author of this chapter investigated the motivations that drive bloggers in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries to write personal blogs. The conceptual framework drew on the uses and gratifications theoretical perspective as a means for exploring such motivation. Different types of motivation for blogging were analyzed. The motivations included self-documentation, improving writing skills, self-expression, information sharing, passing time, and socialization. An online survey was designed, and 90 bloggers from six Latin American countries participated in the study. Results of both quantitative and qualitative analyses indicate that the three most-cited reasons for blogging were the opportunity that blogs provided for participants to freely express their thoughts and feelings, the facility for publishing information in their areas of interest, and the chance to practice their writing skills.
The First Amendment’s Impact on Bloggers
Authors: Azriel Joshua
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines the First Amendment’s challenges to bloggers in the United States and highlights the potential legal consequences for victimizing someone online. While the First Amendment protects an overall right to free speech, there are certain boundaries to this right. Federal Internet-related speech laws, libel, invasion of privacy, copyright, trademark, and others are analyzed within the context of blogging. The author discusses the potential legal consequences to blogging at work or after hours and how personal blogs can negatively impact the work environment. Several Supreme Court cases are discussed to assist bloggers in understanding the scope of contemporary Internet free speech laws. An analysis of U.S. federal laws restricting online speech and an overview of the following areas of speech law are provided: libel, invasion of privacy, protection for confidential sources, copyright, trademark, true threats, and obscenity.
Analyzing Blogs
Authors: Fiordo Richard
Published: October 2011

An operating public blog was selected as a case for a depth study blending mixed perspectives. The aim of the research was to compare the face value of the blog with social dynamics operating beneath the surface of the blog for which the investigator had special knowledge. The perspectives applied in the study converged from the general fields of communication, philosophy, and other social sciences. Specific theories from semantics, argumentation, and rhetoric were emphasized in the discourse analysis. Especially useful to this research was an analysis of preferred, negotiated, and oppositional readings (or interpretations) of discourse in general and blogs in particular. Blog posts were analyzed, interpreted, and assessed—particularly in light of what was not overtly communicated. The findings of this depth analysis were consistent with empirical studies that have found that blogs may not provide the optimal platform for the deliberative sharing of ideas but may serve to draw likeminded bloggers. Insofar as this study addressed an allegedly helping type of public blog, it may have heuristic value for similar instances. To the extent that this study addressed diverse levels of meaning in a particular public blog, it may contribute to understanding levels of meaning in blogs in general.
Social Interaction Technologies and the Future of Blogging
Authors: Dumova Tatyana
Published: October 2011

In an age of user-generated content, multimedia sharing sites, and customized news aggregators, an assortment of Internet-based social interaction technologies transforms the Web and its users. A quintessential embodiment of social interaction technologies, blogs are widely used by people across diverse geographies to locate information, create and share content, initiate conversations, and collaborate and interact with others in various settings. This chapter surveys the global blogosphere landscape for the latest trends and developments in order to evaluate the overall direction that blogging might take in the future. The author posits that network-based peer production and social media convergence are the driving forces behind the current transformation of blogs. The participatory and inclusive nature of social interaction technologies makes blogging a medium of choice for disseminating user-driven content and particularly suitable for bottom-up grassroots initiatives, creativity, and innovation.
Formal Stepwise Development of Scalable and Reliable Multiagent Systems
Authors: Grotsev Denis , Iliasov Alexei , Romanovsky Alexander
Published: October 2011

This chapter considers the coordination aspect of large-scale dynamically-reconfigurable multi-agent systems in which agents cooperate to achieve a common goal. The agents reside on distributed nodes and collectively represent a distributed system capable of executing tasks that cannot be effectively executed by an individual node. The two key requirements to be met when designing such a system are scalability and reliability. Scalability ensures that a large number of agents can participate in computation without overwhelming the system management facilities and thus allows agents to join and leave the system without affecting its performance. Meeting the reliability requirement guarantees that the system has enough redundancy to transparently tolerate a number of node crashes and agent failures, and is therefore free from single points of failures. The Event B formal method is used to validate the design formally and to ensure system scalability and reliability.
Towards Designing FPGA-Based Systems by Refinement in B
Authors: Ostroumov Sergey , Troubitsyna Elena , Laibinis Linas , Kharchenko Vyacheslav
Published: October 2011

In this chapter, we propose a formal approach to designing FPGA-based systems. In particular, we introduce a general pattern for specifying synchronous systems and components as well as their typical interconnections. The proposed methodology for developing FPGA-based systems is based on the notion of refinement in the Event-B formalism. System development by refinement and proof-based verification provide the designers with powerful techniques for managing system complexity and achieving higher degree of system dependability. We aim at enabling a smooth transition from a formal Event-B specification to an implementable VHDL system representation. The proposed approach is illustrated by a case study – a development of an aircraft anti-icing system.
Online Testing of Nondeterministic Systems with the Reactive Planning Tester
Authors: Vain Jüri , Kääramees Marko , Markvardt Maili
Published: October 2011

We describe a model-based construction of an online tester for black-box testing. Contemporary model-based online test generators focusing mainly on computationally cheap but far from optimal planning strategies cover just a fraction of the wide spectrum of test control strategies. Typical examples of those used are simple random choice and anti-ant. Exhaustive planning during online testing of nondeterministic systems looks out of reach because of the low scalability of the methods in regard to the model size. The reactive planning tester (RPT) studied in this chapter is targeted to fill the gap between these two extremes. The key idea of RPT lies in offline static analysis of the IUT (implementation under test) model to prepare the data and constraints for efficient online reactive planning. The external behavior of the IUT is modelled as an output observable nondeterministic EFSM (extended finite state machine) with the assumption that all the transition paths are feasible. A test purpose is attributed to the transitions of the IUT model by a set of Boolean variables called traps that are used to measure the progress of the test run. We present a way to construct a tester that at runtime selects a suboptimal test path from trap to trap by finding the shortest path that covers unvisited traps within planning horizon. The principles of reactive planning are implemented in the form of the decision rules of selecting the shortest paths at runtime. Based on an industrial scale case study, namely the city lighting system controller, we demonstrate the practical use of the RPT for systems with high degree of nondeterminism, deep nested control loops, and requiring strictly bounded tester response time. Tuning the planning horizon of the RPT allows a trade-off to be found between close to optimal test length and scalability of tester behavior with computationally feasible expenses.
Modeling Security Goals and Software Vulnerabilities
Authors: Byers David , Shahmehri Nahid
Published: October 2011

We have developed a modeling language that can be used in place of four existing modeling languages: attack trees, vulnerability cause graphs, security activity graphs, and security goal indicator trees. Our language is more precise than earlier languages, which allows models to be used in automated applications such as testing and static analysis. Models in the new language can be transformed to and from earlier languages. We also present a data model that allows users to relate different kinds of models and model elements to each other and to core security knowledge.
Using Model-Driven Risk Analysis in Component-Based Development
Authors: Brændeland Gyrd , Stølen Ketil
Published: October 2011

Modular system development causes challenges for security and safety as upgraded sub-components may interact with the system in unforeseen ways. Due to their lack of modularity, conventional risk analysis methods are poorly suited to address these challenges. We propose to adjust an existing method for model-based risk analysis into a method for component-based risk analysis. We also propose a stepwise integration of the component-based risk analysis method into a component-based development process. By using the same kinds of description techniques to specify functional behaviour and risks, we may achieve upgrading of risk analysis documentation as an integrated part of component composition and refinement.
Measuring the Progress of a System Development
Authors: Olszewska Marta (Plaska) , Waldén Marina
Published: October 2011

For most of the developers and managers, the structure and the behaviour of software systems represented in a graphical manner is more understandable than a formal specification of a system or than plain code. Our previous work combined the intuitiveness of UML with the development rigour brought by formal methods and created progress diagrams. In progress diagrams, the design decisions within a system refinement chain are assisted by the application of patterns and illustrated in a comprehensible and compact manner. In order to rigorously assess and control the design process, we need to thoroughly monitor it. In this chapter we show how the application of generic refinement patterns is reflected in measurements. We establish measures for the evaluation of the design progress of the system, where the progress diagrams are assessed from the size and structural complexity perspective. Our motivation is to support the system developers and managers in making the design decisions that regard the system construction.
Teacher Knowledge for Teaching with Technology
Authors: Niess Margaret L.
Published: October 2011

Technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) is a dynamic lens that describes teacher knowledge required for designing, implementing, and evaluating curriculum and instruction with technology. TPACK strategic thinking incorporates knowing when, where, and how to use domain-specific knowledge and strategies for guiding students’ learning with appropriate digital, information, and communication technologies. This chapter maps historical responses to the question of the knowledge that teachers need for teaching amid the emerging views of and challenges with TPACK. A review of empirical progress serves to illuminate potential insights, values, and challenges for directing future research designed to identify a teacher’s learning trajectory in the development of a more robust and mature TPACK for teaching with current and emerging information and communication technologies.
Successful Implementation of Technology to Teach Science
Authors: Slykhuis David A. , Krall Rebecca McNall
Published: October 2011

In this review of recent literature on the use of technology to teach science content, 143 articles from 8 science education journals were selected and analyzed for the use of technologies in teaching science, pedagogies employed, and successes of the implementations. The resultant data provides a snapshot on how technology is being used in the teaching and learning of science, and the research methods used to explore these issues. Levels of research and levels of success were developed and applied to the article data set to characterize the types of research and technology implementations described in the literature. Articles that showed high levels of successful implementation of technology along with a high level of research were explored and explained in greater detail. The review underscores the research trend toward using technology to illustrate abstract concepts and make objects that are invisible to the naked eye, visible and malleable in computer modeling programs. Implications for successful use of technology to teach science are discussed.
Making the Grade
Authors: Ronau Robert N. , Rakes Christopher R.
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines issues surrounding the design of research in educational technology and teacher knowledge. The National Research Council proposed a set of principles for education research that has not been applied consistently to teacher knowledge and education technology research. Although some studies address reliability of measures, few adequately address validity or threats to validity or the trustworthiness of their designs or findings. Special attention is given to the need for explicit connections between the study purpose and guiding theoretical frameworks and previous research. This volume provides examples of studies addressed these design issues and includes a checklist of questions and additional resources to aid future researchers in developing rigorous, scientific research.
Thailand Citizen Centric e-Government Service
Authors: Tubtimhin Jirapon
Published: October 2011

The current ICT master plan has put more attention on the governance factor since there have been lessons learnt during the first master plan implementation: a lack of properly conducted governance caused most project misconducts and less citizen engagement. Therefore e-governance has been underlined both in terms of front and back-end services. Likewise, challenges toward success for the next phase of e-government are to define clearly the governance elements in both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Most importantly, “citizen centricity” is crucial in all those angles to keep the online activities in high record of citizen community attention. Above all, the e-government development efforts must lead the country toward a smarter and more sustainable condition and environment.
Impact of E-Governance on Businesses
Authors: Hsiao Naiyi , Chu Pin-yu , Lee Chung-pin
Published: October 2011

The success of e-government policies and projects hinges on a robust assessment strategy that provides not only a valuable understanding of the impacts on stakeholders, but also an effective feedback mechanism for mid-course corrections. This study examines the antecedents of the impact assessment of e-governance in the context of an integrated model. The model incorporates a wide variety of important factors from previous research into a single theoretical framework provided by the e-government value chain model and the Information System success model. A government-to-business (G2B) case is utilized to operationalize the model into survey questions. The current chapter presents the results of the G2B survey and summarizes the key findings from the impact assessment of G2B. The knowledge gained from this study will help pave a path for future e-governance initiatives and improve our understanding of the key factors affecting the success of e-governance.
Using Internet Survey to Evaluate the Effects of E-Government
Authors: Huang Tong-yi , Lee Chung-Pin , Hsiao Naiyi
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines the case of an online survey regarding the assessment of the tax return filing system in Taiwan. The aim is to illustrate the strengths and limitations of utilizing on-line surveys to evaluate the performance of e-government. Based on our findings, we propose suggestions pertaining to increasing the quality of the survey as well as how to collaborate with a government agency while conducting a survey concerning sensitive issues. This is pioneering, and perhaps is the first attempt to address the methodological and administrative issues of an on-line survey in collaboration with the public sector. We invite and encourage future efforts to confront such issues, to advance and enrich methodological discussions, and to make online survey a useful tool for evaluating government performance not only with regard to e-government effects but also on other programs.
Municipal E-Government Services in Emerging Economies
Authors: Bolívar Manuel Pedro Rodríguez , Pérez Maria del Carmen Caba , Hernández Antonio Manuel López
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines and discusses the approach taken by local governments in developing countries to using the Web as a means of providing e-services. In particular, we focus on the capital cities of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries to discover whether their public administrations are using the Internet to transform how they interact with citizens through the delivery of online public sector services, thus advancing a benchmarking process. An empirical study was carried out of e-government services in these cities, focusing on the content of e-services by applying the CapGemini (2009) methodology, which has been widely used in prior research. Our findings confirm the existence of a wide variety of e-services among the cities examined, with many of these local administrations remaining unaware of the possibility of using Internet to facilitate the delivery of public sector services. Therefore, there is great scope for improvement in the field of e-government. Reforms in public administration are needed in order to make government more participative and open. Likewise, setting effective policies to ensure e-inclusion is the key to the future of LAC’s new empowered societies, with a more visible voice and more chances to express their concerns.
Institutions of Information Access and Constraint
Authors: Relly Jeannine E.
Published: October 2011

This chapter examines institutions of information access and the potential for information asymmetry in China and India, both of which have recently adopted access-to-information regulations and legislation, respectively. An examination of these two countries largely is a study of most-different cases. The chapter uses the framework of institutionalism to follow the history of government information policy in both nations and to examine measurements of the political, cultural, and economic environments in which access-to-information legislation is adopted, implemented, enforced, and used by the public.
Transparency in Electronic Governance
Authors: Shiang Jing , Lo Jin , Wang Hui-Ju
Published: October 2011

With widespread use and application of modern information and communication technology (ICT), especially computers and the Internet, the realization of government informational transparency through digital channels has been at the core of contemporary democratic governance. This chapter examines public transparency in Taiwan as seen in its development of electronic government, especially in the construction and use of public websites, which in recent years has received significant approbation in various international evaluations. It has been noted that most of its public agencies have established websites that designate sections for freedom of information (FOI) purposes. Of all the kinds of information seen in the public website sections, “policy white papers, statistics and reports” are the most abundant, are updated most frequently, and are most browsed by site visitors. Governments in Taiwan have also implemented back-office procedures and system applications for FOI purposes through the use of websites. Though only half of the surveyed public agencies provide online FOI request forms, most agencies rely on their agency-head e-mail boxes as main channels for receiving and processing citizen FOI requests. As e-transparency is a critical way of governing and a basis for governing legitimacy, the experiences and developments seen in the Taiwan case can serve as important references for international comparisons and further understanding.
Internet Use and Governance in China
Authors: Yang Kaifeng , Zhang Chengfu , Tang Jun
Published: October 2011

As Internet use increases rapidly in China, its governance implications have been debated among researchers. This chapter provides a brief discussion of the complex relationship between Chinese Internet use and Chinese governance regarding the development of the Internet infrastructure, the level and form of Internet use, the “dark” side of the Internet and its control, and the provision of electronic government services. We argue that Internet use in China has been shaped by China’s governance structure, but at the same time it is changing, albeit slowly, that structure.
Quality and Environmental Management Systems in the Fashion Supply Chain
Authors: Lo Chris K. Y.
Published: October 2011

Consumers and stakeholders have rising concerns over product quality and environmental issues, and therefore, quality and environmental management have become important topics for today’s fashion products manufacturers. This chapter presents some empirical evidence of the adoption of quality management systems (QMS) and environmental management systems (EMS) and their impact on fashion and textiles related firms’ supply chain efficiency. Although both management systems are commonly adopted in the manufacturing industries and becoming a passport to business, their actual impacts specifically on the fashion supply chain have not been explored. By investigating the adoption of ISO 9000 (a quality management system) and ISO 14000 (an environmental management system) in the U.S. fashion and textiles firms, we estimate their impact on manufacturers’ supply chain performance. Based on 284 publicly listed fashion and textiles manufacturing firms in the U.S., we find that fashion and textiles firms operating cycle time had shortened by 15.12 days in a five-year period. In the cross-sectional analysis, the results show that early adopters of ISO 9000 and high-tech textiles related firms obtained more supply chain benefits. We only find mixed results of the impact of ISO 14000 on supply chain performance.
Strategic Partnerships in the U.S. Textile and Apparel Industry
Authors: Divita Lorynn R. , Cassill Nancy L. , Ludwig David A.
Published: October 2011

This chapter provides a comprehensive investigation of strategic partnership social value, economic value, relational distance and fairness. Application of social exchange, transactional cost analysis, and distributive justice theories provides the theoretical basis for this research. Results from qualitative interviews with U.S. textile industry executives, a national quantitative questionnaire and case study research with a successful company that engages in strategic partnerships provide a multi-faceted understanding of strategic partnerships. While social and economic value were reported to occur in strategic partnerships, the relationship between social value and fairness was the only relationship found to be statistically significant (r = .68, P <.001). Implications for industry and future research possibilities are discussed.
Strategic Sourcing and Supplier Selection
Authors: Su Jin , Gargeya Vidyaranya B.
Published: October 2011

Increasingly, supply chain integration and supply chain management are receiving a great deal of attention from researchers and practitioners alike. Supply chain management has been viewed as a viable initiative to enhance sustainable competitive advantage under increased national and international competition. The use of survey-based empirical research has been perceived as a desirable way in supply chain management research, because the use of empirical data helps support the understanding of supply chain management practices within industries. Strategic sourcing and supplier selection play vital role in managing the supply chain due to their contributions to the success of the company. This chapter surveys the current state-of-the art of the survey-based empirical research on strategic sourcing and supplier selection. The findings based on an in-depth analysis of thirty-eight articles are discussed, which will help both the academicians and the practitioners in textile/apparel/fashion industries to understand more about the latest development and trends in survey-based empirical research on strategic sourcing and supplier selection. An agenda for future research is also presented.
Matching Manufacturing and Retailing Models in Fashion
Authors: Guercini Simone
Published: October 2011

The aim of this chapter is to examine the interdependencies that have been established with reference to the manufacturer-retailer interaction in textile and apparel (TA). Retailers’ strategies seek to reduce the risk of losses from unsold stock, mark-down policies, and stock-outs. These strategies call for manufacturing suppliers to adopt new practices for fulfilling orders flexibility, rapidly, and efficiently. The practices of “lean retailing” imply new manufacturers’ strategies, mainly in term of “lean manufacturing.” We examine the implications of these processes on the evolution of the relationships between industry and distribution. The chapter addresses the repercussions of the development of lean methods on the development of other formulas having a significant impact on the relationships between industry and distribution, specifically in TA. We then discuss further developments that may be proposed in TA and its channel relationships by shifting from a perspective of supply to one of demand.
Consumer Perceptions of Online Apparel Customization
Authors: Cho Hira
Published: October 2011

This study was conducted to identify a variety of consumer perceptions of apparel customization in the context of e-retailing. Consumer surveys were performed by email invitations through a marketing firm. The survey participants visited apparel customization websites, which were developed for this study, to customize a pair of jeans before answering open-ended questions. The respondents were 213 female college students in the U.S. Their statements were analyzed and categorized into eight dimensions representing the benefits (usefulness, convenience, and fun/enjoyment) and costs (risk, limitation, self-assurance, time consumption, and unappealing) of online apparel customization. Two discussion topics were drawn from the findings: why people are willing or unwilling to customize apparel online. Insights are generated and future research directions are discussed.
RFID Technology in the Fashion Supply Chain
Authors: Azevedo Susana Garrido , Carvalho Helena
Published: October 2011

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a new technology that has received considerable attention from academics and practitioners due to its large scope of application, advantages and potentialities. This chapter aims to highlight the potentialities associated with RFID in fast moving Fashion Supply Chain Management (FSCM). The research emphasizes the technological contribution to the Fashion Supply Chain (FSC) such as speed up logistics activities, increased quality, reduced prices, and more responsive improvements for customer satisfaction. The chapter reviews the RFID technology, presents the benefits, disadvantages, and barriers associated with it. To explore the deployment of the RFID technology in the Fashion Supply Chain (FSC), a case study investigation of companies in different FSCM nodes was carried out. A cross-case analysis it is also presented to achieve a deeper understanding about this technology in a fast moving FSCM context.
Fashioning a Socially Responsible Garment Supply Chain
Authors: Perry Patsy , Towers Neil
Published: October 2011

The high street fashion industry is a dynamic, challenging global industry and one of few sectors under simultaneous pressure for short lead times and low costs. However, the increasing use of complex global supply chains in order to meet the challenges of the new competitive environment has also increased focus on issues of worker exploitation in globally dispersed production networks. Although there is evidence of a rising consumer demand for low cost, fashionable clothing sourced through ethical supply chains, the nature of the high street fashion industry is not conducive to the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Qualitative research was undertaken to understand the interplay of obstacles and drivers of CSR implementation in Sri Lankan export garment manufacturers.
Adopting ICT in the Mompreneurs Business
Authors: Costin Yvonne
Published: October 2011

It is advocated that the role of technology is instrumental in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of where, when and how business transactions are undertaken to meet stakeholder requirements in a competitive manner. However, research by the Small Business Forum (2006) suggest the use and application of ICT in small firms overall is poor where entrepreneurs do not capitalise sufficiently on the benefits of ICT. To succeed and grow, mompreneurs’ businesses should be using ICT as a backbone for the business in an integrated manner. The objective of this chapter is to examine the adoption and application of ICT in the mompreneurs business and challenges encountered in its effective use. A specific emphasis is placed on the issue of ICT and its use by the mompreneur in undertaking business transactions and as a means of facilitating small firm growth.
Women in IT Careers
Authors: Yakura Elaine K. , Soe Louise , Guthrie Ruth
Published: October 2011

Research on the declining numbers of women in the Information Technology (IT) workforce focuses on ‘filling the pipeline’ by attracting women into IT disciplines at colleges and universities. This research looks at the other end of the pipeline, examining both barriers and support structures that have helped women persist in their IT careers. The chapter draws from extended interviews with 38 women who have been successful in planning their careers and navigating a male-dominated industry. It focuses on what women cited as barriers and as areas of support, in response to open-ended questions about their careers and career paths. The interviewees, drawn from nine industry sectors, represented a wide breadth and depth of experience. Half were at the professional level, and half at the managerial or executive level in organizations that varied from single-person consulting firms to large institutions.
An Indo-British Comparison
Authors: Dhar-Bhattacharjee Sunrita , Takruri-Rizk Haifa
Published: October 2011

Gender segregation in science, engineering, construction, technology (SECT) is a common persistent feature, both in India and U.K. Even though culturally the two countries differ in various ways, under-representation of women in SECT is widespread and a cause for general apprehension and in recent years this has attracted centre stage in the study of gender, work and family. In this chapter we discuss our research findings of a comparative study undertaken between India and Britain in the ICT sector. With twenty seven interviews with ICT professionals in the two countries, we discuss their views on ICT education, recruitment and employment practices, work-life balance, changing gender relations, opportunities for progression and retention in the two countries taking into consideration women’s role in power and politics in the both countries; how ‘public’ and ‘private’ patriarchy shapes women’s position in the labour market, with an essential backdrop of ‘patrifocality’ in the Indian context.
Gender and E-Marketing
Authors: Özdemir Erkan
Published: October 2011

The increasingly widespread use of the Internet and the increasing participation of females in business have been significant changes leading to society today. As females have begun to have a more important role in business life, in addition to their crucial role within the family in the decision-making process of making purchases, they have had more financial independence. Additionally, the gap in Internet use in favor of males has also begun to narrow. This makes it necessary for e-marketers that carry out some or all of their transactions online to be fully aware of the effects of gender differences in online purchasing behaviors. This chapter consists of a literature review on the subject of Internet usage and online purchasing behaviors with a focus on gender-based differences. Accordingly, the aim of this chapter is to explore gender-based differences in Internet usage and online purchasing behavior and to suggest some e-marketing strategies for e-marketers. Additionally, this chapter provides a foundation on which to build future studies.
Educational Research in Virtual Learning Environments
Authors: Kucharski Marcus Vinicius Santos , Torres Patricia Lupion
Published: October 2011

The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT), brings new challenges: how can educational research be made in non-presential, asynchronous settings? How can we scientifically approach student bodies formed by people who rarely even share the same hometown and only meet online in virtual learning environments (VLE)? How can we “observe” such groups’ interpersonal, pedagogical relations and their impact on learning? In countries like Brazil, where DE programs have grown vertiginously in few years, many researchers have made significant efforts to answer these questions coherently, efforts that demanded that some principles of traditional educational research be rethought with the help of local and international researches. Interesting methodological approaches to DE groups have resulted from these efforts, and we present and discuss one that has been constantly growing: the virtual ethnographic.
Thin Screen
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: October 2011

Human depth perception involves complex visual and brain functions. Depth perception in desktop virtual reality has become more important given the uses of such spaces for learning, training, collaboration, simulations, showcasing work, and conducting research on human behaviors. This chapter involves a meta-analysis of the extant research on human depth perception in virtual worlds. It posits some early design concepts for both the creation and evolution of such spaces but also their deployment for educational purposes.
Virtual Museums
Authors: Ho Caroline M L
Published: October 2011

This chapter provides a broad survey of virtual museums and their developments in a range of contexts from various parts of the world. The focus is on exploring virtual museum platforms and features designed for different purposes and practices, and the prospect of the potential in such virtual environments to meet specific needs in varied contexts. Attention is given particularly to the growing work in Asia, namely, China, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore, which is fast developing, given the rapid technological advancements in the field. Of specific interest are the underlying principles and theoretical perspectives driving studies mediated through digital technologies in various museum settings. Technologically-mediated platforms examined range from Web-based comprising basic text to more complex interactive features, mobile, 3D immersive virtual reality to augmented reality environments with different levels of interactivity and engagement. The pedagogical implications of virtual museum contexts are considered with potential research directions recommended in the growing field of new learning environments in the 21st century.
Second Life and World of Warcraft
Authors: Chaka Chaka
Published: October 2011

This chapter explores the potential both Second Life (SL) and World of Warcraft (WoW) as instances of a virtual world (VW) and a massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG), respectively, have for leveraging presence learning. The latter encapsulates, in this chapter, presence pedagogy, tele-presence, co-presence, social presence, and cognitive presence as mediated by both SL and WoW. In this context, this chapter contends that both SL and WoW help harness presence learning. Against this background, the chapter first provides a brief overview of SL, WoW, and presence learning. Second, it presents and discusses seven case studies demonstrating how both SL and WoW help harness presence learning. Third and last, the chapter outlines future trends for presence learning in respect of both SL and WoW.
The Next Frontier in Public Education
Authors: Cambre Belinda M.
Published: October 2011

Publicly funded alternatives to traditional public schools have taken place in the form of charter schools and, most recently, cyber charter schools. Cyber charter schools are fully online K-12 public schools and they “look” like traditional schools since students learn traditional subjects and are still subject to the same public accountability measures as their traditional brick and mortar counterparts. This chapter examines cyber charter schools in practice and summarizes the most controversial issues surrounding this form of school choice. Issues such as the legality of cyber charters under state charter laws; the allocation of per pupil funding; the use of for-profit companies in school management; ensuring access to cyber charters; and fulfilling state mandates top the list of salient issues with respect to cyber charter schools.
Isn’t It Real?
Authors: Kaburuan Emil R. , Chen Chien-Hsu , Jeng Tay-Sheng
Published: October 2011

The growing numbers of online religion practice has increased significantly. This growing number is not only based on the website pattern, but also in the 3D online virtual environment. Over the last three years the practice of online churchgoing in the 3D virtual environment has grown rapidly through the arrival of a number of large, well-financed projects supported by well-known real-world Christian groups. This phenomenon has been allowing users not only just participate but also experiencing the online virtual environment. What are the users’ experiences in the virtual church? How does this experience relate to users’ spiritual life? These issues will be discussed in this chapter, starting with origin of online church. This is followed by the description of the one year study result based on participant observation and interview with the participants. The ability of Second Life as user generated virtual environment to act as medium of ritual practice and kinds of experience fostered will be interesting in the future development of the online church. The empirical based study may contribute greatly to a more nuanced and balanced understanding.
Quality Assurance for Online Programs
Authors: Yang Yi , Bonk Curtis J.
Published: October 2011

Roles of administrators are often overlooked when discussing the quality of online education. Administrators have long asserted the pivotal influence on school policies, faculty members’ morale, and learning atmosphere. This chapter examines the challenges administrators face in ensuring the quality and viability of online programs. In the chapter, we suggest that the responsibilities of an effective higher education administrator encompass roles as strategic planner and manager, effective motivator, aggressive promoter, and strong supporter of others. We also put forth recommendations for administrators that might help them improve the quality and success of online programs.
A Web-Based Training Experience in Turkey
Authors: Ozden M. Yasar , Gedik Nuray , Kocaman-Karoglu Aslihan
Published: October 2011

This study describes a Web-based, in-service training program designed by Middle East Technical University in collaboration with the National Police in Turkey. The aims of this program were to diminish the cost of in-service training for chief superintendents and 3rd rank commissioners from around the country and to bridge the geographical distance between the trainees and trainers. In two years of training, 2,072 chief superintendents and 270 3rd rank commissioners attended the Web-based, in-service training program. In this chapter, we describe the resulting experiences and lessons learned from a technical, pedagogical, and managerial perspective. Recommendations are offered for similar projects and collaborations among university and governmental institutions.
Breaking Away
Authors: Stoerger Sharon
Published: October 2011

Technology is changing at a rapid pace, and information is becoming a more prominent feature in society. Advocates of educational technology contend that virtual worlds will revolutionize education. Many of these arguments in support of educational uses of technology emphasize the fact that virtual worlds have the potential to foster a more student-centered learning environment. This research involved the analysis of synchronous text chat and observational data collected from Second Life® (SL) continuing education courses at three different course levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced. To support or refute these findings, unstructured interviews were conducted with SL course instructors and students. In general, the SL instructors relied heavily upon teacher-centered methods. However, the results of this study suggest that the use of student-centered approaches in virtual world – ones that draw from constructivist epistemologies – have the potential to create a more effective learning situation for the students.
Online Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Community
Authors: Fong Michelle W.L.
Published: October 2011

This chapter presents a case study in which Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and mobile telephone technologies were used to liberate Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) from the constraints of location and time, and to promote inclusive practices under a blended learning environment in a particular university subject. It was found that the use of mobile devices by the students was conservative because of technological limitations and affordability issues associated with mobile technology. Although mobile technology is still not powerful or practical enough for WIL, the use of CMC technology has provided rich collaborative online WIL for students, and there are still grounds for optimism that mobile technology will become a powerful cognitive tool in the future for enhancing student learning outcomes. This case study also affirms that such technologies will only become effective educational tools if there is a stable focus on pedagogy within the curriculum and if the needs and technology skills of users are taken into consideration when integrating the technologies into the curriculum.
Virtual Worlds as a Learner Centered Environments for Spatial Reasoning
Authors: Park Hyungsung
Published: October 2011

According to generalized usage of computer technology in modern society, computer usage in learning activities is increasing. Textual and audiovisual learning materials have been developing step by step into more structured material. The ability to clearly understand visual data is an important function of higher achievement in the learning process. Thus, understanding of visual data related to spatial ability through computer-mediated interaction stimulates human spatial ability. The purpose of this chapter is to show the practical usage of virtual worlds for learner-centered educational environments that provide room to improve the learner’s higher-order thinking, such as spatial reasoning, via learning by doing. The focus here is on introducing a new concept about the role of the virtual worlds learning environment.
Collaborative Learning
Authors: Zhan Hong
Published: October 2011

This chapter describes a study of collaborative learning in undergraduate online courses. Three classes containing a different degree of collaboration (no-collaboration, low-collaboration, and high-collaboration) were comparatively investigated by observing scores in online tests, paper assignments, and online discussion. The study found that classes with collaborative activities achieved higher scores in learning. Based on this result and the perspectives obtained from interviews with the instructor and students on collaborative learning, this chapter suggests that in online learning environments, collaborative learning tasks must be optimized; meanwhile, flexibility in online learning must be fully considered.
Instructor Feedback, Learner Satisfaction, and Online Learning
Authors: Liu Yuliang
Published: October 2011

Instructor feedback, learner satisfaction, and online learning are currently significant topics in online instruction. According to Blignaut and Trollip (2003), there are six response types for the instructors to provide formative feedback in online courses. These include: administrative, affective, other, corrective, informative, and Socratic. The first three types involve no academic content, while the last three types are related to academic content in the online course. Each type serves a unique purpose for online instruction and learning. This article integrates, summarizes, compares, and contrasts the author’s two recent studies. The first study involved 42 graduate students in the Summer semester of 2008. The second study involved 48 graduate students in the Fall semester of 2008. In both studies, the instructor used these six response types to provide formative feedback to improve learner satisfaction and online learning in an online graduate class at a Midwestern university in the United States. Results indicated that all six response types are required to ensure maximum online learner satisfaction and effective online learning. The results have implications for teacher education and other online courses.
The Pedagogical Considerations in the Design of Virtual Worlds for Organization Learning
Authors: Chou C. C. , Hart Rama Kaye
Published: October 2011

An increasing number of organizations have established presences in Second Life or virtual worlds for organizational learning. The types of activities range from staff training, annual meetings, to leadership development and commercial transactions. This chapter reviews relevant literature on how virtual worlds, especially Second Life, are utilized for organizational learning. The discussions include leveraging the affordances of virtual worlds for learning, integrating design principles of 3D immersive learning, and examining examples of actual workplace learning in virtual worlds. Specific emphasis will be placed on the translation of applicable learning theories into the pedagogical design of virtual worlds. Furthermore, the chapter examines student perspectives of an actual course on immersive learning that took place in Second Life. Student perspectives are summarized in six strands: challenging and informative learning, engagement, activity structures, transformation, collaborative and democratic participation, and new opportunities. The six themes are important factors for designers of 3D learning environments to ensure quality immersive learning experiences.