bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
E-Learning in Taiwan's Higher Education
Authors: Zhang Ke , Hung Jui-Long
Published: February 2011

It has been three years since Taiwan started the comprehensive e-learning initiatives in 2002. What is the current status of Taiwan’s e-learning in higher education? What has been shaping and guiding the e-learning practices there? What are the problems in its e-learning policies and implementations? What can policy makers and higher education systems elsewhere learn from Taiwan’s experiences? With critical analyses on related policies and a thorough investigation on e-learning in all of the 147 four-year universities in Taiwan, this study investigated these questions, identified fundamental problems in Taiwan’s e-learning, and generated suggestions to address these problems. With 1.3 billion Chinese speakers worldwide and estimated 30 million people learning Chinese in non-Chinese speaking countries, this paper is of particular value not only for policy makers and the higher education system in Taiwan and elsewhere, but also for e-learning venders and developers who would like to extend e-learning business to the broader Chinese-speaking market.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Programmed Instruction and Collaborative Peer Tutoring in Teaching Java
Authors: Emurian Henry H.
Published: February 2011

Students in two Java programming classes completed an individualized tutoring system that taught a simple applet program. Before and after using the tutor, students completed questionnaires that assessed software self-efficacy and understanding of general programming principles. The questionnaires also were administered following a lecture session on the program that included having the students successfully run the applet in a browser on the Web. For the second class, a collaborative peer tutoring session based on the applet program occurred between completion of the tutor and the lecture session. Students in both classes increased in software self-efficacy and program understanding across the assessment occasions. For students in the second class, correct answers on the final test of understanding were higher than observed in the first class. Collaborative peer tutoring used in combination with a programmed instruction tutoring system may potentiate learning for novitiate students.
The KARPE Model for Differentiating Teaching and Learning with Technology
Authors: Tomei Lawrence A.
Published: February 2011

Since 1996, the K-A-RPE Model has served to differentiate teaching and learning of technology. It is offered here as an archetype for other institutions seeking to develop their own comprehensive technology program. Knowledge, Application, Research, Practice, and Evaluation (K-A-RPE) offer the necessary dichotomy among instructional technology programs for undergraduates, graduates, and doctoral candidates. Similar to other more well-known taxonomies, the K-A-RPE Model is progressive and assumes mastery and competency at previous levels. Readers are exposed to the ISTE technology standards for teachers as well as how particular institutions implement the set of competencies in their individual programs of study. By establishing how technology skills are addressed in higher education, readers will be able to transfer the KARPE Model to new initiatives at all levels of instructional technology education, business, and corporate as well as traditional education. At the outset, it should be made clear that the focus of this study is on the more restricted domain of instructional technology — the use of technology for teaching and learning.
Using Indices of Student Satisfaction to Assess an MIS Program
Authors: Chrysler Earl , Auken Stuart Van
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate a methodology by which management information systems (MIS) alumni evaluations of the content of courses and their satisfaction with an entire MIS program can be used to assess the relevancy of an MIS curriculum. By way of clarification, an MIS program prepares its graduates to be effective in the tasks necessary to design, program, and implement systems that will provide management with timely, accurate, and useful information for decision making. This is in contrast to computer science (CS) programs that prepare their graduates to be knowledgeable in the technical aspects of computer hardware and operating systems software. This study first determines if there were any differences in the evaluations of the content of required MIS courses by alumni based on whether the graduate was using the first year on the job or in one’s current position as a frame of reference. Then a factor analysis is performed, using the scores earned by specific courses, to reduce the content value of specific courses into specific factors, thus simplifying understanding of the type of learning that is taking place. A factor analysis is performed both for course content scores during one’s first year on the job and again in one’s current position. Using a global measure of satisfaction with the entire MIS program, the course content factor scores then are correlated to a student’s satisfaction with the entire MIS program. This regression analysis is performed once again for both one’s first year on the job and in one’s current position. The implications for evaluating the effectiveness of an MIS curriculum are presented and discussed.
Increasing the IT Knowledge of Indiana High Schools
Authors: Mariga Julie R.
Published: February 2011

The purpose of this project is focused on enhancing the information technology knowledge and skills of Indiana high school teachers and their students in the biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, and technology education disciplines. More specifically, this project focuses on information technology knowledge and skills in two areas critical to the Indiana economy: advanced manufacturing and biotechnology. Finally, this project focuses on basic IT knowledge and skills common and prerequisite to both of the specialty areas with a unique emphasis on information security, a specialized area that is becoming increasingly more important.
Game Mods
Authors: Fanning Elizabeth
Published: February 2011

A game mod describes a modification within an existing commercial computer-based game that has been created by a user. By game modding, a user can participate in the creative process by taking the setting of his or her favorite game and customizing it for entertainment purposes or to convey information. For years, commercial computer-based game developers committed considerable resources toward preventing users from hacking into or hijacking their games. Now several computer-based game developers provide editors with their products to encourage users to create content and to allow educators, for instance, to take advantage of the benefits and production quality of commercial computer games in order to create customized instruction. This article focuses on mainstream, accessible games with straightforward modding tools that easily can be integrated into a learning environment.
Agent-Based Architecture of a Distributed Laboratory System
Authors: Lin Hong
Published: February 2011

We present a method for designing the architecture of an agent-based e-educational system. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by its application in the design of a computational grid built to be an environment for lab activities. An integrated lab package was developed to allow students to utilize the grid services and support the learning process. Our architectural design strategy ensures an outstanding feature of the system: It allows lab modules to be added into the system in an incremental fashion while ensuring the correctness of the system. Students are recruited in our research program to develop lab modules and build the grid. Initial use of the lab package indicates that it allows lab activities to be performed more efficiently and it enhances the learning effectiveness.
The Transformation Model
Authors: King Kathleen P.
Published: February 2011

The journey of transformation is a model of professional development developed, grounded in research of 205 educators, and based on a framework of adult learning begun in 1997. Trans-formative learning is a theory that describes the experience and cognitive process by which adults critically evaluate previously unexamined beliefs, values, or assumptions; try new beliefs, values, and assumptions to determine the fit for themselves; and then develop a dramatically new perspective of their worldview (Mezirow, 1978). This article describes how the author developed a mixed quantitative and qualitative tool to more broadly gather and analyze data about this experience. The work focuses on two major groups of traditional adult learners: English as second language learners and adult basic education learners. The journey of transformation represents a refinement of the 10-stage transformative learning theory model, one which is dy-namic and interactive among the stages. The model emphasizes an environment of support for technology learning and encourages a role for practice and experimentation with technology that recognizes the fluid, nonlinear process of such learning.
Developing Staff Training in Virtual High Schools
Authors: Thompson Chris , Berge Zane L.
Published: February 2011

As virtual high schools grow in numbers across America more interest is generated in how to successfully plan and implementing them. Part of planning, implementing, and sustaining suc-cessful virtual schools includes delivering quality professional development that has a positive impact upon students’ achievement. This article focuses on three virtual schools at different stages of maturity in order to describe such a model.
Transitioning from Face-to-Face to Online Instruction
Authors: York Cindy S. , Yang Dazhi , Dark Melissa
Published: February 2011

This article briefly reviews two important goals in online education: interaction and presence. These are important goals in online education because they are linked to learning and motiva-tion to learn. The article provides guidelines and an extended example of how to design an online course in information security in a manner that will enhance interaction and presence. This article’s contribution is to provide guidelines with a corresponding extended and concrete example for those who are tasked with designing and delivering online courses. Although the guidelines and example were targeted to the field of information security, they can be readily adopted by other disciplines.
Are Cross-Gender Conversations in Threaded Discussions Reminiscent of Communicating Across Cultural Boundaries?
Authors: Gefen David , Geri Nitza , Paravastu Narasimha
Published: February 2011

At the core of sociolinguistic theory is the recognition that men and women when engaging in an open conversation communicate differently because of their different respective social objectives in communication. Oral conversations are, according to sociolinguists, akin to cross cultural conversations and hence the tendency toward same-gender conversations. Extrapolating to the realm of threaded discussions in online courses, these gender differences, it is hypothesized, should translate into mild gender segregation in the threaded discussions as well as men showing a greater proclivity to dominate the discussion. Data from 233 students in 27 courses support these hypotheses and allow a significant identification of the gender of the student based on whom they reference in the threaded discussion and the way they reference others. Implications on managing threaded discussions are discussed.
Synchronous Hybrid E-Learning
Authors: Negash Solomon , Wilcox Marlene V. , Emerson Michelle
Published: February 2011

An empirical analysis in the form of a pilot study was conducted to compare a complex information technology course taught in a synchronous hybrid e-learning environment with one taught in a traditional classroom. The aim of the pilot study was to explore whether virtual learning environments (VLEs) are ready for teaching complex courses. Three courses taught during the summer semester of 2006 were used for the study; the results indicate the promise of synchronous hybrid e-learning for complex courses. Self-efficacy and satisfaction were also examined, and no differences were found between students in the two learning environments. Directions for future research were proposed to further evaluate synchronous hybrid e-learning environments.
An Analysis of Student Persistence in Online Education
Authors: Tello Steven F.
Published: February 2011

This study examines the relationship between instructional interaction and student persistence among adult students in online courses. A survey research methodology was used to examine the frequency and the method of instructional interaction in online courses, student attitudes regarding instructional interaction, and the reasons online students provide for persisting in, or withdrawing from, online courses. The results indicate that student perceptions regarding the contribution of asynchronous, discussion forum use combined with frequent use of asynchronous discussion account for 26% of the variance in course persistence rates. Consistent with the literature on adult student dropout, the findings identify additional situational and institutional barriers to persistence among students in online courses. The findings suggest that strategies to facilitate student persistence in online courses should address online instructional techniques, faculty development, technology development, and program development.
Innovative Technologies for Education and Learning
Authors: Hsu Jeffrey
Published: February 2011

A number of new communications technologies have emerged in recent years that have been largely regarded and intended for personal and recreational use. However, these “conversational technologies” and “constructivist learning tools,” coupled with the power and reach of the Internet, have made them viable choices for both educational learning and knowledge-oriented applications. The technologies given attention in this article include instant messaging (IM), Weblogs (blogs), wikis, and podcasts. A discussion of the technologies and uses, underlying educational and cognitive psychology theories, and also applications for education and the management of knowledge, are examined in detail. The implications for education, as well as areas for future research are also explored.
Behavorial, Cognitive, and Humanistic Theories
Authors: Cicciarelli MarySue
Published: February 2011

This article presents fifteen different design theories from the behaviorism, cognitivism, and humanism schools of psychology. Information about the theories is presented as a response to three research questions. Descriptions and online learning empirical evidence of eight of the theories are illustrated first. Then, descriptions of seven additional design theories which have not yet been researched in connection with online learning are offered. Finally, results from a study that investigates how often online instructors utilize nine of the theories is presented. Conclusions are made in connection to the three research questions, and further research studies related to the topic are suggested.
PowerPoint Presentations Increase Achievement and Student Attitudes Towards Technology
Authors: Fedisson Michael , Braidic Silvia
Published: February 2011

Seventh grade students were tested on their knowledge of sentences and nouns in a language arts classroom. The classes consisted of 28 males and 31 females. All students were Caucasian with the exception of two African-American males. Students were predominantly from middle class families. All three classes were grouped heterogeneously. During instruction for two units, classes were taught with the following approaches: (1) using traditional methods of book work and handouts for one unit, and (2) using technological aids such as Microsoft PowerPoint for a second unit. Test results from three classes during both units were compared. The data indicates that when using technological aids as teaching tools, student test grades increased, especially for low-achieving students or for those with learning disabilities. A technology survey was also used to establish each student’s comfort level with technology and their attitudes towards the use of technological aids in the classroom.
A Multi-Disciplinary Strategy for Indentifying Affective Usability Aspects in Educational Geosimulation Systems
Authors: Furtado Elizabeth S. , Furtado Vasco
Published: February 2011

In this article we propose a multi-disciplinary strategy for identifying affective usability design aspects in educational geosimulation systems. It is based on the association of these aspects with an architecture that defines the basic components of a geosimulation system as well as the learning strategies used in this context. Our goal is to provide design strategies that might elicit positive emotional responses from the students in learning experiences. We illustrate how these strategies have been used in a learning system by evaluating the students’ emotional responses evoked during their interaction with the system.
The Holistic Model for Blended Learning
Authors: Stone Alex
Published: February 2011

Pennsylvania is at the forefront of the public cyber charter schooling movement in America. As more and more students elect to transfer from traditional public schools into cyber charter schools–and their districts of origin are forced to forfeit their tuition allocations–a need for a public school alternative to cyber charter schools has emerged. Using current practices in Pennsylvania’s public schools as a backdrop, this article presents a new model for district-level cyber schooling, called the holistic model for blended learning, that public schools in Pennsylvania (and elsewhere) can use to compete with cyber charter schools and meet the growing demand for K-12 online learning.
Web 2.0
Authors: Gooding Julia
Published: February 2011

Web 2.0: A Vehicle for Transforming Education includes practical and accessible overviews of some of the most commonly used and most useful technologies. The article serves as an idea generator, especially for teachers looking for ways to update their courses or to explore new concepts in learning. Technologies once only imagined are now opportunities to be implemented in the classroom. Audio and video conferencing, blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, social bookmarking, and wikispaces are popular means of communicating in today’s society. However, Web technology is developing at such an exponential rate that even the newest of these technologies, like Web 2.0, may one day soon be a footnote in computer history. Once these newer technologies are better understood and appreciated, educators can evolve their teaching strategies to help their students remain competitive in the global society.
Ethical Issues in Information Technology
Authors: Litzky Barrie E. , Oz Effy
Published: February 2011

This research examines the impact of education on the ethical decision-making outcomes of adult learners in the area of information technology (IT). This study sheds light on the research question “Does IT ethics education make a difference?”, and more specifically, “Do ethics courses influence decisions regarding IT ethical issues in adult learners?” In a field study of 78 pre- and post-test surveys, we found that graduate students who took a course in IT ethics made different decisions than those made at the start of the term, for 2 of 6 ethical issues. The ethical issues described in this article are particularly relevant in today’s knowledge economy. Implications for IT ethics education and future research in the area are discussed.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Students' Anonymous Online Postings
Authors: Ng’ambi Dick
Published: February 2011

It is difficult to understand students’ social practices from artifacts of anonymous online postings. The analysis of text genres and discursive types of online postings has potential for enhancing teaching and learning experiences of students. This article focuses on analysis of students’ anonymous online postings using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The article argues that social practices reproduce during online interaction and artifacts embody such reproduction. A study involving more than 300 commerce students at a higher education institution (HEI) using a special purpose anonymous online consultation tool, the Dynamic Frequently Asked Questions (DFAQ), and social practices embodied in the artifacts is analyzed using CDA. The analysis used the three dimensions of CDA—description (text genres), interpretation (discursive type), and explanation (social practice)—and insights into students’ social practices were inferred. The article concludes that CDA of anonymous postings provided insight into social practices of students and, in particular, highlighted the tension between perceptions of inflexibility of traditional teaching practices and student demands for flexible learning. Finally, CDA, as described in this article, could be useful in analyzing e-mail communications, short message service (SMS) interactions, Web blogs, and podcasts.
An Analysis of Irish Primary School Children's Internet Usage and the Associated Safety Implications
Authors: O’Reilly Derek , O’Neill Caroline
Published: February 2011

The Internet is becoming widely available and increasingly important in the modern world. Because of this, it is very important that children start to familiarize themselves with the Internet at a young age. As technology is becoming increasingly part of our daily lives, computers and the Internet have been adopted into schools. The sea of information and learning activities available on the Internet has the potential to greatly help in the development of young minds. However, the question remains: how safe an environment is the Internet for young children? Children might not see any dangers beyond the physical environment where they live. Therefore, the Internet can be an unsafe place for them to venture into. Children can be targeted by a wide number of Internet risks. For these reasons, the problem of how to keep children who are using the Internet safe must be solved. This article identifies the potential risks associated with primary school children using the Internet. This article evaluates the level of understanding of Internet safety that children have. We identify what children use the Internet for and what information they are willing to reveal while online. The findings of this article are based on analysis of a survey carried out on 645 Irish primary school children in February 2007.
Evaluating Educational Technologies
Authors: Calinger Manetta , Howard Bruce C.
Published: February 2011

Our team of researchers reviewed published results from the last 15 years to compile a list of the characteristics of effective educational uses of technology. All the studies considered technical, administrative, and learning features, while more recent investigations emphasized administrative characteristics necessary to support No Child Left Behind reporting. Recommended characteristics have been similar over time with great concern that the technologies integrate into the curriculum and support professional development. The wide range of identified characteristics suggests that there is great hope that educational technology will solve many problems. Additionally, we provide a timeline of relevant historical milestones in the evaluation of educational technologies.
Common Features and Design Principles Found in Exemplary Educational Technologies
Authors: Howard Bruce C.
Published: February 2011

As part of a larger project for the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future™ to benchmark the effectiveness of educational technologies, researchers used multiple data sources to develop a list of exemplars and delineate common design features. The exemplars included promising educational technologies, tools, Web sites, resources, software, and hardware. Each exemplar was placed into one of six categories: knowledge and comprehension tools, interactive technologies and problem-solving tools, product-creation tools, efficiency and productivity tools, communication and collaboration tools, and technology tutors. The features of each exemplar were described, and a set of common design principles for that category was developed.
Miniproject-Based Learning as an Effective Tool for Teaching Computer Networks to Graduate Students
Authors: Sarkar Nurul I. , Petrova Krassie
Published: February 2011

This article reports on the experience of using the technique of miniproject-based learning (MPBL) as a key pedagogical method for teaching advanced computer networks within the context of a Master’s programme. A two-threaded approach was adopted. The MPBL thread within the course allows the students to gain practical experience and a deeper understanding of the key concepts of network protocols and technologies. The lecture thread uses face-to-face teaching, group discussion and class presentations to allow students to develop better communication and presentation skills. The effectiveness of MPBL approach has been evaluated extensively formally by students and by an external moderator, and informally in discussion within the teaching team. The implementation of the MPBL was judged to be successful because of the positive student and an external moderator feedback. Therefore, the authors propose that MPBL is a suitable pedagogical tool for the teaching of advanced computer networks to graduate students.
Computer-Based Simulation in Blended Learning Curriculum for Hazardous Waste Site Worker Health and Safety Training
Authors: West Cheryl , Slatin Craig , Sanborn Wayne , Volicer Beverly
Published: February 2011

Intended for the interest of individuals and organizations who provide adult/worker training and education, we present a discussion of a computer-based simulation training tool used as part of a hazardous waste site worker health and safety training curriculum. Our objective is to present the simulation’s development, implementation, and assessment for learning utility from both trainee and trainer perspectives. The simulation is blended with other curriculum components of training courses and supports small group learning. Assessment included end-of-course trainee questionnaires and trainer focus groups to addressing simulation utility as a user-oriented learning tool. A majority of trainees reported simulation trainings as useful learning tools with numerous advantages that support a participatory, blended learning curriculum, and raise awareness of potential work site risks and hazards. Trainers reported that the simulation advanced training impact. Evaluation results indicate that the simulation successfully supports small group learning activities.
The Dragon in the School's Backyard
Authors: Kidd Terry
Published: February 2011

The introduction of technology into classrooms during the 1980s was heralded by many as the dawn of a new era in American education. Proponents argued that technology had the potential to fundamentally transform the nature of teaching and learn­ing. However, over time, this dream became a nightmarish reality. Likewise, educa­tors concerned about the chronic underachievement of urban learners often fell prey to the allure of technology as a tool for reversing the his­torical influences of poverty, discrimination, inequity, chronic under­achievement, and lack of opportunity. However, twenty-five years after the introduction of the computer into the classroom, many of the expec­tations associated with technology in education remain unrealized. This chapter hopes to discuss some of the issues and trends associated with technology adoption and usage at urban schools.
Do Orientation Materials Help Students Successfully Complete Online Courses?
Authors: Tomei Lawrence , Hagel Holly , Rineer Ashley , Mastandrea Lisa A , Scolon Jennifer
Published: February 2011

OCICU is the Online Consortium of Independent Colleges and Universities and consists of five provider institutions which are located throughout the United States and Ireland. This consortium is the first of its kind to exist in distance education. The researchers wanted to understand the importance of orientation materials to successfully completing an online course taken from another institution. The review of the literature revealed several factors of teaching online that supported the position that pro-active development of orientation materials is essential to the growth and development of online learning and results in additional revenue to participating institutions.
Factors Influencing Students Intention to Take Web-Based Courses in a College Environment
Authors: Nemati Hamid , Thompson Marcia
Published: February 2011

The growing use of a web-based environment for college education is gradually replacing some aspects of the classroom in a University setting, and it is shifting the long accepted paradigm of understanding how students learn and introduces the question of what influences a student’s decision to learn in an online environment. In a web-based course, students gain a level of interaction with the material not possible in the classroom, yet lose other components that are only available in a physical environment. Educators struggle to determine what influences a student to take web-based college courses, and how they best learn in that environment. This study proposes that the student’s learning style, their self-efficacy and self-regulation when it comes to learning, and their expectations regarding online classes, are all factors in their choice to take web-based college courses. To validate this, students currently taking college level courses were surveyed and their responses analyzed.
An Empirical Study to Validate the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) in Explaining the Intention to Use Technology among Educational Users
Authors: Teo Timothy
Published: February 2011

This study examines a sample (N=239) of pre-service teachers’ self-reported intention to use technology. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used as a research framework in which findings contribute to technology acceptance research by demonstrating the suitability of the TAM to explain the intention to use technology among educational users. Using the structural equation modelling for data analysis, a good fit was found for both the measurement and structural models. Overall, the results of this study offer evidence that the TAM is effective in predicting pre-service teachers’ intention to use technology. This paper concludes with a discussion of the limitations and recommendations for further study.
Investigation into Gender Perception toward Computing
Authors: Laosethakul Kittipong , Leingpibul Thaweephan , Coe Thomas
Published: February 2011

A potential explanation for the decline of female participation in computing-related education and careers in the United States is the perception that computing is for males. In this regard, declining participation limits diversity in the IT workforce. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of two psychological factors, computer anxiety and computer self-efficacy, on gender perception toward computing between American male and female students. The authors also investigate whether the same relationship is found in India, where, while computing is dominated by males, female participation is rapidly increasing due to global IT outsourcing.
Emerging Trends and Technologies for Enhancing Engineering Education
Authors: Sidhu Manjit Singh , Kang Lee Chen
Published: February 2011

Improving and enhancing education has been a prime goal for higher learning institutions that seek to provide better learning techniques, technologies, educators, and to generate knowledgeable students to fulfill the needs of industries. A significant area where improvements are required is in the engineering field. In this regard, one approach is to review the delivery and pedagogies used in current education systems. This paper examines the problems faced by staff and students in the field of Mechanical Engineering, which are found in the literature. Finally, the authors explore new technologies that could help enhance and promote the learning process of students experiencing problems.
Faculty Adopters of Podcasting
Authors: Yang Jin
Published: February 2011

Educators have started incorporating iPods for academic purposes and a growing interest exists in using podcasting as an educational tool. However, it remains uncertain whether podcasting will hit the critical mass and become an indispensable teaching tool for the classroom. In this regard, it is critical to evaluate the adoption experience of the faculty and identify the benefits and challenges encountered in the process. This paper derives its theoretical framework from two threads, the original model of the diffusion of innovation and the modified model in the organizational setting, which will help explore the phenomenon of podcast use at universities. This paper examines factors that might have a significant role in the faculty’s experiential use of podcasting.
Rural Schools and Distance Education
Authors: Barter Barbara G.
Published: February 2011

In 2006, the author began research on current issues in rural education in which teachers recounted narratives of teaching. As deficits, they spoke of an inability to retain teachers, too little diversity in student programming, and lack of access to extra-curricular activities. They also noted challenges brought on by education reform that increased the use of distance education and long distance bussing. Positively, teachers mentioned how much they cared about their students and their school. They were proud of how they worked hard to meet student and community needs. This paper discusses teacher experiences with distance education and the use of the technology required for the delivery of such programs. Teachers urged that distance education must hold a dominant place of importance in the delivery of a well-rounded education to children in rural areas but that such a focus also requires a variety of supports to schools.
The Role of People in Enabling a Knowledge-Intensive Customer-Centric Strategy
Authors: Al-Shammari Minwir
Published: February 2011

The transition to knowledge-intensive customer-centric enterprise is important, but never easy. Reorganizing people is likely to face critical structural and cultural change issues related to people. Addressing these issues is essential for the continued success of customer-value-building services and products. In light of today’s competitive business environments and changing power of customers, organizations need to be able to deal with people-based issues in order to secure high quality customer service and long-life and profitable customer relationship. The article presents a recommended solution to deal with people change management in competitive business environments, viz. to ‘reorganize people’ in a customer-centric networked organization. ‘Reorganization of people’ is operationally defined by three sub-interventions: a) reconfiguring structure, b) reshaping culture, and c) rehabilitating people.
Collaborative Learning
Authors: Rahman Hakikur
Published: February 2011

Learning is considered as one of the essential tool to empower a community. Over the past three decades, technology mediated learning has been recognized as an alternate channel strengthening the traditional forms of education. However, the organizational learning at the peripheries and capacity development at the grass roots remain almost unattended, despite recognized global efforts under many bottom-up empowerment sequences. Social components at large within the transitional and developing economies remain outside the enclosure of universal access to information and thus access to knowledge has always been constricted to equitably compete with the global knowledge economy. Despite challenges in designing and implementing collaborative learning techniques and technologies, this article would like to emphasize on introducing collaborative learning at community level and improve the knowledge capacity at the grass roots for their empowerment. The article, further, investigates the relationship of collaborative learning towards improved e-governance.
Enhancing Accessibility to E-Government Processes
Authors: Richter Stefan , Kuhn Norbert , Naumann Stefan
Published: February 2011

Many governmental institutions provide their customers with access to documents by electronic means. It is worthwhile to look at both the chances and the risks which this process implies for disabled citizens. Due to legal constraints governmental authorities are particularly responsible to consider the needs of handicapped persons. Our contribution follows the observation that governmental processes mostly are based on forms. We distinguish several processing scenarios, with the use of paper as means of transport on the one end and complete electronic treatment at the other end. This article focuses on approaches that provide access to governmental processes for people with visual impairments. Additionally, we aim to enable electronic government processes in developing countries where citizens have limited experience in handling IT-based processes. We describe an approach to associate synthesized speech to scanned images of printed documents, thus yielding an audio-visual document representation.
Learning Cultural Heritage Through Information and Communication Technologies
Authors: Pantano Eleonora , Tavernise Assunta
Published: February 2011

This article aims at illustrating how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could be used to exploit and disseminate Cultural Heritage, providing enriching learning experiences for different targets of users, especially young people. In fact, by the immersion in virtual museums or reconstructed worlds, users can build different paths of fruition interacting with 3D objects as in a videogame. In this way, a superimposed and interchangeable view of the real find and its virtual reconstruction for a global vision is allowed. Particularly effective for arising interest and curiosity in the users are mobile devices (i.e. Personal Digital Assistants, pocket PCs, smart-phones) integrated with GIS and GPS, which can provide combined real and virtual information based on users’ location by a Virtual Navigation System. The case study of Calabrian Magna Graecia (Italy) is presented, with particular reference to the projects “VirtualMuseum Net of Magna Graecia” and “NETConnect”.
Leveraging Technology to Promote Assessment for Learning in Higher Education
Authors: DeLuca Christopher , McEwen Laura April
Published: February 2011

Assessment for learning (AFL) is a highly effective strategy for promoting student learning, development and achievement in higher education (Falchikov, 2003; Kirby & Downs, 2007; Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006; Rust, Price, & O’Donovan, 2003; Vermunt, 2005). However, since AFL relies on continuous monitoring of student progress through instructor feedback, peer collaboration, and student self-assessment, enacting AFL within large-group learning formats is challenging. This paper considers how technology can be leveraged to promote AFL in higher education. Drawing on data from students and instructors and recommendations from an external instructional design consultant, this paper documents the process of pairing technology and AFL within a large-group pre-service teacher education course at one Canadian institution. Recommendations for the improvement of the web-based component of the course are highlighted to provide practical suggestions for instructors to evaluate their own web-based platforms and improve their use of technology in support of AFL. The paper concludes with a discussion of areas for continued research related to the effectiveness of this pairing between assessment theory and technology.
Users of ICT at Public Access Centers
Authors: Gomez Ricardo , Camacho Kemly
Published: February 2011

Libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés offer opportunities for wider public access to information and communication technologies (ICT). This paper presents findings of a global exploratory study on the landscape public access venues in 25 countries around the world. The goal of the project was to better understand the users of public access venues and their needs, this being one of several papers that result from the global study. This paper identifies profiles of the users of the different types of venues with respect to age, income, education and gender. While findings are not new, their value lies in the compelling evidence drawn from 25 countries and across different types of public access venues, which has never been done before. Results highlight the importance of strengthening public access venues in non-urban settings and to strengthen programs that reach out to underserved populations. The authors also point to special challenges faced by libraries and telecenters given the immense growth of cybercafés as public access venues in most of the countries studied.
A Novel Strategy for Managing User’s Locations in PCS Networks Based on a Novel Hot Spots Topology
Authors: Saleh Ahmed I.
Published: February 2011

As PCS networks aim to provide “anytime-anywhere” cellular services, they enable Mobile Terminals (MTs) to communicate regardless of their locations. However, in order to guarantee a successful service delivery, MTs’ real time location should be continuously managed by the network. Location management plays the central role in providing ubiquitous network communications services, which includes two fundamental processes, i.e., registration and paging. Registration is concerned with the reporting of the current locations of the MTs, while paging is used to locate the MT. Both processes incur signaling cost, and due to the scarcity of PCS wireless bandwidth and for more scalable mobile services, it is important to reduce that signaling cost. As The blanket paging in current PCS networks wastes a lot of wireless bandwidth, the author focuses on the subject of paging in attempt to reduce the paging signaling cost under delay bounds. This paper challenges the signaling cost problem and successfully establishes a family of probability based paging strategies. The author will introduce a novel topology for the network registration area, which is called the hot spot topology (HST) and based on HST, a novel location management strategy, which is called “Flower Based Strategy” (FBS) is also introduced.
The Adoption and Sustainability of Technology-Enhanced Education in Higher Institutions of Learning in Africa
Authors: Evoh Chijioke J.
Published: February 2011

This chapter explores factors that enhance and constrain the adoption and sustainability of Information and Communication Technologies in Universities and higher institutions of learning in South Africa. This study examines pedagogical, socio-economic and epistemological aspects of the paradigm shift in higher education delivery in Africa. Adopting and sustaining ICTs for educational improvement is a multifaceted process. As a dynamic process, all the vital elements of technology adoption need to be present in order to meet the goals of technology-enhanced higher education in Africa. It further argues that policy guidelines and strategic plans are essential for the successful adoption and sustainability of ICTs in higher education (HE) institutions in Africa. The chapter argues that the success of ICT-mediated higher education is not only technical but also political in nature.
ICT Policy Development Process in Africa
Authors: Chavula Hopestone Kayiska , Chekol Abebe
Published: February 2011

This chapter reviews the information and communication technology (ICT) policy development process in Africa and assesses to what extent African countries have taken on board ICT issues in their overall national development policies and plans. It is argued that African countries lag behind in technological issues hence negatively affecting the overall development of the continent due to their inability to recognize the critical role played by ICTs in overall national development issues. The chapter emphasizes the significance of mainstreaming ICT policies and strategies in the overall development process, so that African countries remain competitive on the global market. This is done by taking into consideration the development and implementation of the National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) policy and plans in different African countries initiated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) after recognizing the little emphasis placed on the significance of ICTs in national development policies by African countries. The chapter assesses also to what extent these NICI policies and plans have impacted on ICT and economic development, and tries to propose the way forward for the continent.
Ethnographic Approach to User-Centred Evaluation of Telecentres
Authors: Dey Bidit Lal , Newman D. R. , Prendergast Renee
Published: February 2011

Telecentres are considered to be an important means for providing disadvantaged communities with access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled services. However, there is a limited understanding of how targeted beneficiaries perceive the roles of these telecentres. Using an ethnographic approach, this paper examines the services offered by two telecentres in Bangladesh. An intervention was initiated that enabled groups of farmers to use mobile phones to access services. Based on farmers’ experiences and opinions the authors develop a framework which explicates the dynamic nature of use and appropriation of ICT services.
The Middle Out Approach
Authors: van der Weide Th. , Flipsen N.
Published: February 2011

The Middle Out approach is a method to introduce ICT education in developing countries. The basic idea is to start at the level of a Polytechnic University that starts with the introduction of an ICT program and an Education program with an underlying educational philosophy of learning-by-building. In the form described in this paper, the students build, maintain, and explore ICT infrastructure both on a personal and material level. Its practical component directly results in market-oriented products; the theoretical component has a constructive and entrepreneurial flavor. This will enhance a short-term return on investment.
Research Review
Authors: Yadav Vanita
Published: February 2011

Getting requirements right is considered the most important and difficult part of the software development process. As organizations and stakeholders become more globally distributed, getting requirements right will pose a greater challenge. Today, organizations are offered a sophisticated array of multimedia meeting systems with video, audio and computer support for remotely specifying requirements. In the context of present day’s global workforce scenario, distributed requirements engineering is now being explored by researchers as well as industry to build an understanding of the dynamics of this highly interactive phase in a globally distributed context. Accordingly, this paper addresses the timely need of reviewing the literature on globally distributed requirements engineering. Findings highlight paucity of literature in this area. Additionally, the paper presents an innovative approach to globally distributed requirements engineering by reviewing the literature on the applicability of agile development approach in a globally distributed setting. Contributing to academic and practitioner literature, the author discusses emerging directions for future research in this area.