bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Ethnographic Study of Is Investment Appraisal
Authors: Howcroft Debra , McDonald Robert
Published: February 2011

Both academics and practitioners have invested considerably in the information systems evaluation arena, yet rewards remain elusive. The aim of this article is to provide rich insights into some particular political and social aspects of evaluation processes. An ethnographic study of a large international financial institution is used to compare the experience of observed practice with the rhetoric of company policy, and also to contrast these observations with the process of IS evaluation as portrayed within the literature. Our study shows that despite increasing acknowledgement within the IS evaluation literature of the limitations and flaws of the positivist approach, typified by quantitative, ‘objective’ assessments, this shift in focus towards understanding social and organisational issues has had little impact on organisational practice. In addition, our observations within the research site reveal that the veneer of rationality offered by formalised evaluation processes merely obscures issues of power and politics that are enmeshed within these processes.
Reframing Information System Design as Learning Across Communities of Practice
Authors: Gallagher Kevin , Mason Robert M.
Published: February 2011

This article frames the requirements definition phase of systems design as a problem of knowledge transfer and learning between two communities of practice: IS designers and system users. The theoretical basis for the proposed approach is Wenger’s (1998) framework for social learning, which involves three dimensions: alignment, imagination, and engagement. The article treats the requirements definition task in systems design as a set of activities involving mutual learning and knowledge transfer between two communities of practice (CoP) along these three dimensions. In taking this approach, the article maps the results of past research on the systems design process onto this CoP framework and illustrates that the proposed framework encompasses the same activities used by traditional methods of requirements definition. However, this approach focuses attention on the learning that must take place between the two CoPs and thereby helps resolve some of the inherent shortcomings of prior efforts and approaches. The framework provides both a more encompassing conceptual lens for research on improving the requirements definition task and practical guidance for managers who are charged with a systems design project.
Measuring the Human Element in Complex Technologies
Authors: McNamara Niamh , Kirakowski Jurek
Published: February 2011

Measuring satisfaction can provide developers with valuable insight into the usability of a product as perceived by the user. Although such measures are typically included in usability evaluations, it is clear that the concept itself is under-developed. The literature reveals a lack of cumulative, systematic research and consequently the field is in “disarray” (Hornbæk, 2006). Clearly, the area needs a strong theoretical foundation on which to base research. This paper reviews the literature on user satisfaction and proposes a conceptualisation and definition of the concept that will aid researchers in the development of valid measures.
Finish Occupational Safety Card System
Authors: Vayrnen Seppo , Hoikkala Satu , Ketola Lasse , Latva-Ranta Jukka
Published: February 2011

Companies increasingly operate as parts of regional or international networks. This trend in business has resulted in work sites where several employers’ staffs operate simultaneously. To improve mutual occupational safety at shared industrial work sites, a nation-wide procedure called occupational safety card (OSC) training has been developed in Finland. All interested groups have been actively involved in the development of this model. This article describes the process throughout which the OSC model was developed. Research and development (R & D) at a university and within industry started 10 years ago, and was based on both practical and experiential needs and literature. This document presents the first analysis of how the frequency of accidents at work varied during the years of implementation at the work sites of the early adopters of the OSC. This article also contains an evaluation of the effects of OSC implementation on the safety management system.
Trusting the Internet
Authors: Wogalter Michael S. , Mayhorn Christopher B.
Published: February 2011

Positive beliefs about the validity and reliability of website information are important for users and the success of a site. Users may use these beliefs in making judgments about the veracity of the informational content that they encounter on the Internet. This research examined several components associated with Web sites that could affect credibility beliefs about Web site information: domain suffixes (e.g., .com, .edu), quality seals, and organizations/domain names. Two studies were carried out involving a total of 433 participants. One had 247 participants (171 undergraduates and 76 non-student adults) and the other had 186 participants (89 undergraduates and 97 non-students). Results indicated that participants who reported spending greater time on the Internet showed significantly higher trust ratings on several components than those who reported spending less time on the Internet. Participants had difficulty discriminating between actual and fictitious quality seals and organization/domain names, with several fictitious ones judged as or more trustworthy than actual ones.
Human Factors in Organizational Design and Management of Industrial Plants
Authors: Kleiner Brian M. , Hendrick Hal W.
Published: February 2011

Twenty-five years ago a group of ergonomics scientists predicted the future of the profession and the needed professional response to the anticipated conditions. One of the major conclusions was that organizational design and management factors would be increasingly important. Industry is one domain in which this need has materialized. This article reviews the fundamental concepts having to do with organizational design and management in ergonomics. Specifically, models and methods related to structure and process are described for the analysis and design of complex work systems. Finally, case studies are briefly presented to help validate and illustrate the perspective and methods recommended.
Relationship Between Information Privacy Concerns and Computer Self-Efficacy
Authors: White Garry L. , Shah Jaymeen R. , Cook James R. , Mendez Francis
Published: February 2011

Individuals have two types of focus involving privacy and technology: a person’s concerns with organizational practices towards the privacy of personal information (management focus), and the person’s self-efficacy of computers (technology focus). People view management of personal information and information technology as unrelated issues. The authors hypothesize that there is no relationship between a person’s concerns for information privacy (management focus) and his/her self-efficacy towards computers (technology focus). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between computer self-efficacy, and concerns for personal information privacy.
Cross-Cultural Differences in Perceptions of E-Learning Usability
Authors: Zaharias Panagiotis
Published: February 2011

E-learning is gaining momentum in corporate settings as an alternative and supplementary solution to learning and performance problems. Users of e-learning applications and courses differ across regional, linguistic, and country boundaries and user requirements are strongly influenced by their local cultural perspective. Thus e-learning design needs to be sensitive to cultural parameters. Yet, there are very few empirical studies that investigate e-learning design and usability issues from a cultural perspective. This study: (a) discusses the cultural considerations in human computer interaction and information systems research and the specificities of usability in e-learning context, (b) focuses on the usability evaluation of e-learning courses within an international e-learning pilot initiative. Employees from four user organizations representing four countries in South Eastern Europe participated as users of the e-learning courses and evaluated their usability.
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production
Authors: Cavanagh Thomas B.
Published: February 2011

When Walter Benjamin wrote his famous essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, he shone a light on the cultural changes inherent in technology’s ability to infinitely reproduce and distribute art. One of the important consequences of this development was the democratization of art’s availability, allowing the general population to experience artwork that they would otherwise be unable to access. Now technology has advanced to a point where not only is art’s reproduction available to anyone who wants it, its very production is now accessible to almost everyone, even if the prospective artist is utterly devoid of training, expertise, or even talent. With software-based artistic assistance and low-threshold electronic distribution mechanisms, we have achieved the promise of Benjamin’s blurred distinction between artist and audience. As a result, the process by which art is produced has now been democratized, resulting in legitimate questions regarding quality, taste, and the legitimacy of authorship in a human-technological artistic collaboration.
Developing and Validating a Measure of Web Personalization Strategy
Authors: Fan Haiyan , Deng Liqiong
Published: February 2011

An important theoretical undertaking in personalization research is to identify the structure of the multidimensional construct of personalization and to operationalize them in measurable terms. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate measurement scales for personalization by identifying four distinctive personalization archetypes and hypothesizing their respective relationships with different cognitive and affective outcomes. This effort was successful in several respects. New scales for measuring personalization strategies were developed based on the definitions of personalization archetypes (architectural, instrumental, social and commercial), which were in turn derived from an extensive review of multidisciplinary studies. A lab experiment with 229 student subjects was conducted to explore the structure of the personalization construct and to validate the instrument using four Web site stimuli representing four types of personalization strategies. The new measures were found to have strong psychometric properties and exhibit significant linkages with respective cognitive and affective outcomes as theoretically postulated.
Location-Based Mobile Storytelling
Authors: Stein Jennifer , Ruston Scott , Fisher Scott S.
Published: February 2011

This article describes an investigation in location-based mobile storytelling entitled Tracking Agama. Using a combination of SMS messaging, voice calls, and web log entries, Tracking Agama leads its participants on a narrative-based exploration of Los Angeles, in pursuit of a fabled urban researcher, “Agama.” Participants use a bit of detective work to discover the keywords allowing access to Agama’s voice-activated and phone-accessible audio diary entries; send and receive SMS messages from Agama and his assistant; and receive calls from the virtual characters.
Organizational Communication
Authors: Olaniran Bolanle A.
Published: February 2011

Significant research has focused on e-mail, face-to-face (FTF), and other asynchronous mediated communication as the communication media of choice within organizations. Modern organizations, however, have other unconventional tools at their disposal. While the economy of scale has made videoconferencing an affordable medium of choice because it precludes travel and is accessible on demand, the suitability of the videoconferencing for organizational meetings is scarce in the literature. As such, this paper explores and presents an account of videoconferencing use in a governmental organization and address implications for meetings and general communication process.
User-Driven Innovation as Mutual but Asymmetrical Learning
Authors: Kanstrup Anne Marie , Christiansen Ellen
Published: February 2011

In this article we position user-driven innovation vis-a-vis participatory design and Scandinavian systems In this article we position user-driven innovation vis-a-vis participatory design and Scandinavian systems design by identifying the defining characteristics of user-drive as the relationship between power over interaction, and learning in interaction. A case of design of feedback on electricity consumption for private households based on user-driven innovation serves to exemplify core principles of user involvement and user engagement. By referring to a phenomenological understanding of what it means to be in an innovative state of mind, we explain how letting users take the innovative lead has contributed a positive outcome, and how our approach to user-driven innovation can be regarded as a way to combine classic Scandinavian values of democracy with new economy calls for innovation in systems design. The article stresses the importance of designers taking a genuine interest in learning from users while also giving users the opportunity to learn about design.
Moderating Effect of Team Distributedness on Organizational Dimensions for Innovation Project Success
Authors: Bourgault Mario , Drouin Nathalie , Sicotte Hélène , Daoudi Jaouad
Published: February 2011

This article addresses the issue of geographically distributed work teams that carry out new product development projects. These are task-oriented, goal-driven, temporary teams that use ICTs. This exploratory study measures the moderating affect of team distributedness on the relationships between organizational and workforce management best practices and two measures of project success (efficacy and effectiveness). Data were obtained from real teams working in Canadian companies in diverse high-tech industries. The results show a moderating effect of team distributedness, which is interesting in that the distributedness factor is examined from a different perspective, that is, as a moderating rather than an explanatory dimension.
The Role of the Organizational Structure in the IT Appropriation
Authors: Oiry Ewan , Ologeanu-Taddeï Roxana , Bondarouk Tanya
Published: February 2011

The concept of appropriation is frequently used in IT implementation research. Rooted in the analysis of the diffusion of innovation, this concept is usually linked with characteristics of an organization’s structure, size, and sector. Since the 1980s, appropriation has been actively studied by IT researchers, who linked it with technological attributions and characteristics of users. In this paper, the authors observed the application of the appropriation concept developed from the extreme of giving full credit to technology, and the other extreme of fully crediting end-users. The authors argue that to capture a full range of benefits from technology and human interaction, researchers cannot ignore organizational structure. By presenting three case studies, this paper shows that it is necessary to reintroduce this “side” to have a complete analysis of appropriation.
An Office on the Go
Authors: Edenius Mats , Rämö Hans
Published: February 2011

In this paper, the authors examine how senior managers, as professional workers, in a leading ICT company use smartphones, according to new configurations of time and space. Of special interest is how smartphones act as comforting handheld consoles without being rooted in physical location. Three non-physical places, as spatial nodes, are presented: pause in the temporal current, place as a function of the intensity of communication, and place in terms of becoming rooted by felt value. The authors argue that highlighting non-physical places as structures emanating from the use of smartphones is an important variable to account for when studying how professionals use smartphones, both in instrumental and non-instrumental terms.
Virtual Social Networks
Authors: Sangwan Sunanda , Guan Chong , Siguaw Judy A.
Published: February 2011

Multi-user virtual communities have become an accepted fundamental component of communication whereby community members share information and knowledge for mutual learning or problem solving.Virtual communities in a multi-user virtual environment (MUVE) have evolved into active social networks, formulating an alternative social existence and this phenomenon warrants further investigations. In these virtual social networks (VSNs), member participation is essential for their success. Therefore, developing knowledge on how to manage and sustain participation of members in VSNs fills a gap in our academic understanding of the dynamics underpinning the processes of virtual community development. This article aims to address these issues by extending the theory of sense of community into a virtual context (SOVC) and by integrating it with other communication theory of U&G.
The Current State and Future Potential of Virtual Worlds
Authors: Artz John M.
Published: February 2011

Virtual worlds, while not a new phenomenon, have come to the foreground of information technology in the past few years largely due to the growth of Second Life, a three dimensional, global virtual world that has captured the imagination of millions. This article provides some background on this virtual world phenomenon providing both a history and a classification of virtual world technology. It then focuses on Second Life discussing the application, technology, and social implications. Included in the discussion are some current initiatives such as the open source client and server projects and the implications of those initiatives. Finally, we provide some speculation on the future potential of virtual world technology as an extrapolation of the current trajectory.
Motif Analysis and the Periodic Structural Changes in an Organizational Email-Based Social Network
Authors: Juszczyszyn Krzysztof , Musial Katarzyna
Published: February 2011

Network motifs are small subgraphs that reflect local network topology and were shown to be useful for creating profiles that reveal several properties of the network. In this work the motif analysis of the e-mail network of the Wroclaw University of Technology, consisting of over 4000 nodes was conducted. Temporal changes in the network structure during the period of 20 months were analysed and the correlations between global structural parameters of the network and motif distribution were found. These results are to be used in the development of methods dedicated for fast estimating of the properties of complex internet-based social networks.
Internet Diffusion and Social Inequalities in Greater China Region via Six Key Socioeconomic Indicators
Authors: He Shaoyi
Published: February 2011

This article investigates social inequalities associated with the Internet diffusion in various territories in the Greater China region, focusing on the six key socioeconomic indicators that reflect different aspects of social inequalities: gender, age, marriage, education, income, and occupation. First, the statistics of the Internet diffusion in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao are compared and contrasted to find out 1) the territorial differences among the major social inequalities caused by the Internet diffusion, and 2) the territories that have the highest or lowest social inequalities in the Greater China region. Then, a correlation is found among the key socioeconomic indicators in various territories in the Greater China region. Also, patterns of social inequalities associated with socioeconomic indicators were found in different territories in the Greater China region. Finally, based on the findings of this study, future research directions are outlined in the conclusion.
Politeness as a Social Software Requirement
Authors: Whitworth Brian
Published: February 2011

If politeness makes society a nicer place to be, by lubricating the interaction of its human parts, then the same is important for online society. As the Internet becomes more social, software can mediate social interactions, serve as a social agent or act as a personal assistant, but to succeed in these roles it must learn a new skill - politeness. This article proposes politeness as the distinguishing mark of a new generation of community software based on the benefits of social synergy rather than technical efficiency. Conversely, selfish software is currently a widespread problem as politeness is a software design “blind spot”. An informational definition of politeness as the giving of choice suggests social software should be: 1. Respectful, 2. Transparent, 3. Helpful, and 4. Personal and 5. Responsive. For the Internet to realize its social as well as technical potential, software must be not only useful and usable but also polite.
An Abstract Framework for Modeling Argumentation in Virtual Communities
Authors: Groza Tudor , Handschuh Siegfried , Breslin John G. , Decker Stefan
Published: February 2011

Classic argumentative discussions can be found in a variety of domains from traditional scientific publishing to today’s modern social software. An interactive argumentative discussion usually consists of an initial proposition stated by a single creator, followed by supporting propositions or counter-propositions from other contributors, usually part of the same virtual community. Thus, the actual argumentation semantics is hidden in the content created by the contributors. Although there are approaches that try to deal with this challenge, most of them focus on a particular domain, limiting the scope of the argumentation to that domain only. In this article, the authors describe an abstract model for argumentation which captures the semantics independently of the domain. Following a modularized approach, the authors also take into account additional important aspects of the argumentation, like the provenance information or its evolution (the temporal side). Consequently, they present a possible usage of the framework in the context of virtual communities.
Trust Modeling in a Virtual Organization Using Social Network Metrics
Authors: Kolaczek Grzegorz
Published: February 2011

One of the most important factors in human interaction and communication is trust. Each organization performing its quotidian tasks use intentionally or involuntary established trust relations to estimate the probability of achieving the expected results or the level of confidentiality. As in societies that evolved from real world relationship (e.g. school, office, sport activity, etc.) also in virtual communities (e.g. chat rooms, Web boards, mailing lists, etc.) trust is one of the most fundamental type of binding among the group members. In this article the trust relation establishment and evolution in virtual communities has been investigated. The presented model uses some typical parameters like node degree and centrality coefficient related to social network description and analysis.
Explaining Job Searching Through Social Networking Sites
Authors: Suki Norazah Mohd , Ramayah T. , Ming Michelle Kow Pei
Published: February 2011

This paper examines job searching among employed job seekers through the social networking sites. One hundred ninety survey questionnaires were distributed to employed job seekers who have used online social networking sites via the snowball sampling approach. The collected data were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique via the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS 16) computer program. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are positively and significantly related to the behavioural intention to use online social networking sites as a job search tool, whereas perceived ease of use is not positively and significantly related. The study implies that the developers of online social networking sites must provide additional useful functionalities or tools to help users with their job searches. These sites must also assure that they do not disclose individuals’ private and confidential information without the consent. The paper provides insight for employed jobseekers by using online social networking sites as a job search tool.
Low-Cost Virtual Laboratory Workbench for Electronic Engineering
Authors: Achumba Ifeyinwa E. , Azzi Djamel , Stocker James
Published: February 2011

The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory experiences by students, which is especially true in developing countries. Virtual laboratories can be used to complement the traditional laboratory to enhance students’ laboratory experience. In extreme cases of lack of resources, the virtual lab can be used as an alternative laboratory . Although some research on the implementation of virtual laboratories has occurred, more efforts are required because of the diverse experiential needs and requirements of the engineering curriculum. This paper presents a low-cost, web-based virtual laboratory workbench for use as part of undergraduate electronic engineering courses. Some distinguishing features of the virtual workbench are that students can undertake curriculum-based laboratory activities in a realistic manner; it integrates a Bayesian Network-based assessment structure for the assessment of students’ performance; and it affords the instructor flexibility in designing laboratory exercises.
Challenges Facing the Semantic Web and Social Software as Communication Technology Agents in E-Learning Environments
Authors: Olaniran Bolanle A.
Published: February 2011

The semantic web describes the process whereby information content is made available for machine consumption. With increased reliance on information communication technologies, the semantic web promises effective and efficient information acquisition and dissemination of products and services in the global economy, in particular, e-learning. Despite the semantic web’s promises, certain challenges face the realization of these goals. In this paper, the author addresses key challenges, including technological and socio-cultural issues, in addition to discussing specific implications relating to the direction of the semantic web.
Promoting Teacher Professional Development through Online Task-Based Instruction
Authors: Solares-Altamirano María Elena
Published: February 2011

The importance of teachers in the success of Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT) is unquestionable. However, designing a teacher course on TBLT raises many questions concerning ‘what’ and ‘how’ it can be implemented. Can teachers’ professional development be promoted through Task-Based Instruction (TBI)? This paper explores this question by examining the design and implementation of an online course for teacher development on TBLT at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. This paper proposes a task definition for teacher education and develops a framework for TBI in online teacher education. The tasks, suggested framework for professional development, and potential of online education resulting from the interaction tools used in this course also provide insights into the development of online TBI for teacher education.
Toward a Personal Learning Environment Framework
Authors: Chatti Mohamed Amine , Agustiawan Mohammad Ridwan , Jarke Matthias , Specht Marcus
Published: February 2011

Over the past decade, it has been argued that technology-enhanced learning (TEL) could respond to the needs of the new knowledge society and transform learning. However, despite isolated achievements, TEL has not succeeded in revolutionizing education and learning processes. Most current TEL initiatives still take a centralized technology-push approach in which learning content is pushed to a predefined group of learners in closed environments. A fundamental shift toward a more open and learner-pull model for learning is needed. Recently, the Personal Learning Environment (PLE) concept has emerged to open new doors for more effective learning and overcome many of the limitations of traditional TEL models. In this paper, the authors present theoretical, design, implementation, and evaluation details of PLEF, a framework for mashup personal learning environments. The primary aim of PLEF is to help learners create custom learning mashups using a wide variety of digital media and data.
Interactivity in Web-Based Learning
Authors: Bodomo Adams
Published: February 2011

This article discusses one of the main features of ICT—interactivity. Drawing from many years of Web-based course design and delivery at the University of Hong Kong, it is argued that enhanced interactivity is the single most important reason why teachers should practice Web-based teaching. The notion of conversational learning community (CLC) as a kind of constructivist learning environment is introduced. It is shown that instructional interactivity, defined as active communication in a conversational learning community between instructor(s), learners, course materials, and links to remote experts and resources, is a central aspect of the learning situation. A practical implementation of the CLC model is presented through describing the interactive features of a Web-based course using WebCT. It is concluded that Web-based teaching actually enhances interactivity both within and beyond the classroom setting.
Opportunities for Open Source eLearning
Authors: Dewever Fanuel
Published: February 2011

eLearning is often conceived as a single product. In reality, however, the market offering is very heterogeneous with a large product variety. Think of Learning Management Systems, Virtual Classrooms, Authorware, Test and Assessment Tools, Simulators, and many more. Each of these eLearning applications is available from multiple vendors and middlemen. Next to more than 250 providers of commercial Learning Management Systems, more than 40 Open Source LMS offerings can be identified. In this article, I discuss if open source applications for eLearning offer an alternative to commercial offerings today, specifically in the context of education. The lessons drawn here also apply to other (public) organizations and applications.
Facilitating Students with Special Needs in Mainstream Schools
Authors: Khek Claire , Lim John , Zhong Yingqin
Published: February 2011

Assistive Learning Technologies (ALT) have increasingly become pertinent in developing the technology literacy in education for supporting physically-disadvantaged learners in realizing their potential in the teaching-learning process. This paper reports on a multiple-case study that sought to explore the underlying mechanisms (i.e., the how and why issues) relating to the role of ALT in helping students with special needs to circumvent their disabilities and integrating them into the mainstream schools. It is found that the use of ALT enables the subjects to access the electronic learning environment, as well as improve their time management. The end result is that these students can perform their everyday (learning) tasks on par with their peers in school. The study has also unveiled moderating factors influencing the usage of ALT; examples are the ease of use of ALT, and the subjects’ desire to enhance their academic and social competency.
Evaluation of Computer Adaptive Testing Systems
Authors: Economides Anastasios A. , Roupas Chrysostomos
Published: February 2011

Many educational organizations are trying to reduce the cost of the exams, the workload and delay of scoring, and the human errors. Also, they try to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the testing. Recently, most examination organizations use computer adaptive testing (CAT) as the method for large scale testing. This article investigates the current state of CAT systems and identifies their strengths and weaknesses. It evaluates 10 CAT systems using an evaluation framework of 15 domains categorized into three dimensions: educational, technical, and economical. The results show that the majority of the CAT systems give priority to security, reliability, and maintainability. However, they do not offer to the examinee any advanced support and functionalities. Also, the feedback to the examinee is limited and the presentation of the items is poor. Recommendations are made in order to enhance the overall quality of a CAT system. For example, alternative multimedia items should be available so that the examinee would choose a preferred media type. Feedback could be improved by providing more information to the examinee or providing information anytime the examinee wished.
Managing Distance Education for Success
Authors: Martz Jr. Wm. Benjamin , Shepherd Morgan
Published: February 2011

By 2006, the distance education industry is predicted to be well beyond $33.6 billion (Merit Education, 2003). As with most markets, one of the keys to taking advantage of this growing market is customer satisfaction. Therefore, the greater the student satisfaction in a distance pro-gram, the more likely that program will be successful. This article identifies five key components of satisfaction for distance education programs. First, a viable list of potential indicators for student satisfaction is developed from the previous research that compares traditional education environments to distance education environments. A questionnaire was developed using these variables and administered to 341 distance students. The results revealed five constructs for student satisfaction in a distance education program (Martz & Reddy, 2005). Using these factors as guidance, this paper extends those findings to provide some operational and administrative implications.
Multimedia Authoring for Communities of Teachers
Authors: Guerraz Agnès , Roisin Cécile , Mikác Jan , Deltour Romain
Published: February 2011

One way of providing technological support for communities of teachers is to help participants to produce, structure and share information. As this information becomes more and more multimedia in nature, the challenge is to build multimedia authoring and publishing tools that meet requirements of the community. In this paper, we analyze these requirements and propose a multimedia authoring model and a generic platform on which specific community-oriented authoring tools can be realized. The main idea is to provide template-based authoring tools while keeping rich composition capabilities and smooth adaptability. It is based on a componentoriented approach integrating homogeneously logical, time and spatial structures. Templates are defined as constraints on these structures.
Augmenting Collaboration with Personalization Services
Authors: Evangelou Christina E. , Tzagarakis Manolis , Karousos Nikos , Gkotsis George , Nousia Dora
Published: February 2011

Collaboration is considered as an essential element for effective learning since it enables learners to better develop their points of view and refine their knowledge. Our aim being to facilitate communities of practice members as learners, we argue that collaboration tools should provide personalization features and functionalities in order to fit the specific individual and community learning requirements. More specifically, we propose a framework of services supporting personalization that being embedded in collaboration tools, can act as catalysts for individual and community learning. The proposed set of services has derived after the careful consideration of a generic learner profile, developed to formalize human actors in settings where learning takes place.
An Agent-Based Framework for Personalized E-Learning Services
Authors: Esmahi Larbi
Published: February 2011

This article provides an overview of personalized e-learning services and related technology and presents a multi-agent system for delivering adaptive e-learning. We discussed the main issues related to personalization in e-learning: technology advancement and the shift in perception of the learning process, one-sizefits- all vs. personalized services, and the adaptation process. The article provides also an overview of most known implemented systems for adaptive e-learning, as well as detailed description of the architecture and components of the proposed multi-agent framework. Finally, the article concludes with some comments about the dimensions to consider for implementing personalization.
A Virtual World Environment for Group Work
Authors: Brown E. , Hobbs M. , Gordon M.
Published: February 2011

This article seeks to show that a virtual world can provide a useful addition in the use of computer-mediated learning tools. We discuss the underlying educational context and link this to the properties of virtual worlds and, in particular, that of Second Life. We report on the progress of a project for developing group work that seeks to link affordances in the environment to learning outcomes and employs a socially situated, constructivist, pedagogical framework. We found that a virtual world environment can enable autonomous, differentiated learning through the use of suitably structured tasks, and postulate that an individual’s depth of engagement with the environment may be linked to the learning style.
A Process-Oriented and Technology-Based Model of Virtual Communities of Practices
Authors: Secundo Giustina , Elia Gianluca , Taurino Cesare
Published: February 2011

This article hypothesizes that virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) are valuable to business schools and universities because they contribute to the emerging paradigms of just-in-time, action-based informal learning. It presents a real case study of a VCoP called Virtual eBMS that was built by applying participative observation (Yin, 1994). In particular, the article provides a process-oriented model of Virtual eBMS that is composed of four main elements: the people participating in the community, the processes and the purpose of the community in terms of the value created for the business school, and the technology enabling the interactions between the community members. Indeed, from a technological point of view, the community is supported by an integrated Web learning and knowledge management platform, described in terms of the main knowledge processes triggered and the correspondent technologies supporting the actions. Finally, the work presents some preliminary results and the value created through the use of Virtual eBMS.
Integrating ICT into Higher Education
Authors: Fillion Gérard , Limayem Moez , Laferrière Thérèse , Mantha Robert
Published: February 2011

For the past two decades, information and communication technologies (ICT) have transformed the ways professors teach and students learn. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of onsite and online students and professors. It was conducted into ICT-supported or technology-rich environments at a Faculty of Administration of a large Canadian university. To conduct the study, a moderator-type theoretical research model was developed, out of which nine hypotheses were formulated. We used a multimethod approach to collect data, that is, a Web survey involving open- and closed-ended questions, as well as a structured interview. The sample was composed of 313 students who completed an electronic survey on a Web site and 16 professors teaching to these students who participated in a structured interview. The quantitative data analysis was performed using a structural equation modeling software, that is, Partial Least Squares (PLS); the qualitative data were analyzed following a thematic structure using QSR NVivo software.
Facilitating E-Learning with Social Software
Authors: Bernsteiner Reinhard , Ostermann Herwig , Staudinger Roland
Published: February 2011

This article explores how social software tools can offer support for innovative learning methods and instructional design in general, and those related to self-organized learning in an academic context in particular. In the first section, the theoretical basis for the integration of wikis, discussion forums, and Weblogs in the context of learning are discussed. The second part presents the results of an empirical survey conducted by the authors and explores the usage of typical social software tools that support learning from a student’s perspective. The article concludes that social software tools have the potential to be a fitting technology in a teaching and learning environment.
Harnessing Computer Games in Education
Authors: Jong Morris S.Y. , Shang Junjie , Lee Fong-Lok , Lee Jimmy H.M.
Published: February 2011

Besides the ability of making learning more interesting, educators and researchers have been exploring other pedagogical potentials of computer games. How to employ games for constructivist learning and teaching has become an attention in the field of education and game design in recent years. This article gives an introduction to game-based learning. On top of discussing games’ intrinsic educational traits from the motivational, cognitive and socio-cultural perspectives, we also review two recent foci of game-based learning. The first one is “education in games” which is an approach for adopting existing commercial games for educational use. The second is “games in education” in which the games are designed specifically with underlying pedagogy for some curricula.
A Rough Set Based Approach to Find Learners' Key Personality Attributes in an E-Learning Environment
Authors: Qinghua Zheng Qinghua , Wu Xiyuan , Li Haifei
Published: February 2011

One of the challenges in personalized e-learning research is how to find the unique learning strategies according to a learner’s personality characteristic. A learner’s personality characteristic may have many attributes, and all of them may not have equal values. Correlation analysis, regression analysis, discriminator function, and educational psychology have been used to find solutions, but these methods have their shortcomings. This article proposes an improved approach based on rough set theory to find the key personality attributes and evaluates the importance of these attributes. The approach has been successfully used in the actual e-learning environment for a major research university in China.
A Learning Platform for the Introduction of Remote Sensing Principles in Higher Education
Authors: Adaktilou Nektaria , Cartalis Costas , Kalkanis George
Published: February 2011

The goal of this study is the presentation of a learning tool for satellite Remote Sensing. The target group of the learning platform is students of Higher Education Institutions in Greece. The purpose of this work is to use technology as a way to create an environment in which students can learn by doing, receiving feedback, continually refining their understanding and building knowledge. The learning environment is interactive and supports collaborative experiences. Evaluation constitutes a key element of the entire work, as a means to investigate, provide evidence and make judgments about the tool’s effectiveness and benefits. A series of features characterizing the learning platform have been considered in order to assess its function and potential usability. The scores achieved showed that the platform’s design and structure were quite satisfactory and indicated its potential use as a good learning tool for the distribution of knowledge in the field of remote sensing.
Framework for Developing and Assessing Business Education Wikis
Authors: Hazari Sunil , Penland Tiffany
Published: February 2011

The use of Web 2.0 tools is becoming widespread in business education and educators are increasingly exploring the use of Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts in their courses. For teaching and learning to be effective in new technology-based environments, there is a need to research and design Web 2.0 learning systems that are effective platforms for incorporating interactive tools to engage students in learning. Although Web 2.0 assignments are usually tailored to meet specific learning objectives of courses and instructions can be made available to students to address the technical nature of the environment, development and assessment of Web 2.0 assignments remains a challenge for most business educators. Using the context of wikis, this article proposes a framework for development and assessment of business education wikis to assist educators who want to explore the use of wikis in their courses.
Cognitive Mapping Decision Support for the Design of Web-Based Learning Environments
Authors: Saadé Raafat George
Published: February 2011

There is much interest in the study of online learning in higher education. Student beliefs towards online learning may influence intentions and ultimately performance. Many studies have flaws in their research design and fall short in providing useful insight for decision making. In this regard, the need for developing practical e-learning implementation framework(s) is crucial. The main objective of this study is to employ the cognitive map technique to causal relationships among belief factors, and investigating various impact chains via simulations. The authors identify optimal e-learning design and implementation, while a partial least squares approach was performed to validate the proposed research model anchored in the Technology Acceptance Model. A survey was carried out and data were collected from 102 respondents. The proposed research model was tested and subsequent cognitive mapping simulations were performed. This study provides designers, instructors and decision makers an approach by which they can identify relevant factors for design, implementation and maintenance.
Gateways to Portals Research
Authors: Tatnall Arthur
Published: February 2011

This article investigates various approaches to portals research, beginning by offering three categories that such research might fall into: research into portal technology, research into portal implementation issues, and research into portal applications. The research approach used may well differ depending on which of these categories is being considered. As the largest number of portal research articles deal with portal applications, the remainder of the article then deals with this topic, and introduces the idea that as a portal must be adopted before it can be used. The article distinguishes between inventions and innovations and argues that there is nothing automatic about adoption of an innovation, and that this can best be investigated through the lens of innovation theory. In particular, the article looks at how innovation translation can be used in this regard and offers several examples of how this can be done.
WebSphere Portal 6.1
Authors: Stober Thomas , Hansmann Uwe
Published: February 2011

IBM’s Portal technology continues to evolve as a powerful infrastructure for integrating the IT landscape, by presenting it as a consolidated view to the user community. The new capabilities of WebSphere Portal 6.1 are the outcome of a world-wide development team, which focused on this release for the past 2 years. During that time major architectural enhancements have been introduced and a significant amount of code was written. In this article the authors will describe how developers and testers have adopted agile principles to collaborate across the globe. In detail, aspects like an iterative approach, test driven development, budget based prioritization and cross-organization teaming will be discussed. The authors will also cover how “tiger teams” interact with customers by making early code drops available and responding to feedback.