ms Managing Mechanisms for Collaborative New-Product Development in the Ceramic Tile Design Chain By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-07-08T12:30:02+02:00 This paper focuses on improving the management of New-Product Development (NPD) processes within the particular context of a cluster of enterprises that cooperate through a network of intra- and inter-firm relations. Ceramic tile design chains have certain singularities that condition the NPD process, such as the lack of a strong hierarchy, fashion pressure or the existence of different origins for NPD projects. We have studied these particular circumstances in order to tailor Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) tools and some other management mechanisms to fit suitable sectoral reference models. Special emphasis will be placed on PLM templates for structuring and standardizing projects, and also on the roles involved in the process. Full Article
ms Web 2.0: Applications and Mechanisms By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-07-08T12:31:50+02:00 Full Article
ms Bio-Inspired Mechanisms for Coordinating Multiple Instances of a Service Feature in Dynamic Software Product Lines By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-05-06T16:03:21+02:00 One of the challenges in Dynamic Software Product Line (DSPL) is how to support the coordination of multiple instances of a service feature. In particular, there is a need for a decentralized decision-making capability that will be able to seamlessly integrate new instances of a service feature without an omniscient central controller. Because of the need for decentralization, we are investigating principles from self-organization in biological organisms. As an initial proof of concept, we have applied three bio-inspired techniques to a simple smart home scenario: quorum sensing based service activation, a firefly algorithm for synchronization, and a gossiping (epidemic) protocol for information dissemination. In this paper, we first explain why we selected those techniques using a set of motivating scenarios of a smart home and then describe our experiences in adopting them. Full Article
ms An Aspect-Oriented Framework for Weaving Domain-Specific Concerns into Component-Based Systems By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-05-06T16:03:36+02:00 Software components are used in various application domains, and many component models and frameworks have been proposed to fulfill domain-specific requirements. The general trend followed by these approaches is to provide ad-hoc models and tools for capturing these requirements and for implementing their support within dedicated runtime platforms, limited to features of the targeted domain. The challenge is then to propose more flexible solutions, where components reuse is domain agnostic. In this article, we present a framework supporting compositional construction and development of applications that must meet various extra-functional/domain-specific requirements. The key points of our contribution are: i) We target development of component-oriented applications where extra-functional requirements are expressed as annotations on the units of composition in the application architecture. ii) These annotations are implemented as open and extensible component-based containers, achieving full separation of functional and extra-functional concerns. iii) Finally, the full machinery is implemented using the Aspect-Oriented Programming paradigm. We validate our approach with two case studies: the first is related to real-time and embedded applications, while the Full Article
ms Nondeterministic Query Algorithms By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-07-04T16:04:43+02:00 Query algorithms are used to compute Boolean functions. The definition of the function is known, but input is hidden in a black box. The aim is to compute the function value using as few queries to the black box as possible. As in other computational models, different kinds of query algorithms are possible: deterministic, probabilistic, as well as nondeterministic. In this paper, we present a new alternative definition of nondeterministic query algorithms and study algorithm complexity in this model. We demonstrate the power of our model with an example of computing the Fano plane Boolean function. We show that for this function the difference between deterministic and nondeterministic query complexity is 7N versus O(3N). Full Article
ms Algorithms for the Evaluation of Ontologies for Extended Error Taxonomy and their Application on Large Ontologies By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-07-20T10:20:31+02:00 Ontology evaluation is an integral and important part of the ontology development process. Errors in ontologies could be catastrophic for the information system based on those ontologies. As per our experiments, the existing ontology evaluation systems were unable to detect many errors (like, circulatory error in class and property hierarchy, common class and property in disjoint decomposition, redundancy of sub class and sub property, redundancy of disjoint relation and disjoint knowledge omission) as defined in the error taxonomy. We have formulated efficient algorithms for the evaluation of these and other errors as per the extended error taxonomy. These algorithms are implemented (named as OntEval) and the implementations are used to evaluate well-known ontologies including Gene Ontology (GO), WordNet Ontology and OntoSem. The ontologies are indexed using a variant of already proposed scheme Ontrel. A number of errors and warnings in these ontologies have been discovered using the OntEval. We have also reported the performance of our implementation, OntEval. Full Article
ms ORPMS: An Ontology-based Real-time Project Monitoring System in the Cloud By www.jucs.org Published On :: 2011-07-20T10:35:18+02:00 Project monitoring plays a crucial role in project management, which is a part of every stage of a project's life-cycle. Nevertheless, along with the increasing ratio of outsourcing in many companies' strategic plans, project monitoring has been challenged by geographically dispersed project teams and culturally diverse team members. Furthermore, because of the lack of a uniform standard, data exchange between various project monitoring software becomes an impossible mission. These factors together lead to the issue of ambiguity in project monitoring processes. Ontology is a form of knowledge representation with the purpose of disambiguation. Consequently, in this paper, we propose the framework of an ontology-based real-time project monitoring system (ORPSM), in order to, by means of ontologies, solve the ambiguity issue in project monitoring processes caused by multiple factors. The framework incorporates a series of ontologies for knowledge capture, storage, sharing and term disambiguation in project monitoring processes, and a series of metrics for assisting management of project organizations to better monitor projects. We propose to configure the ORPMS framework in a cloud environment, aiming at providing the project monitoring service to geographically distributed and dynamic project members with great flexibility, scalability and security. A case study is conducted on a prototype of the ORPMS in order to evaluate the framework. Full Article
ms La police arrête des dizaines de personnes à Amsterdam après l'interdiction de manifestations By fr.euronews.com Published On :: Sun, 10 Nov 2024 21:20:39 +0100 La police arrête des dizaines de personnes à Amsterdam après l'interdiction de manifestations Full Article
ms An efficient edge swap mechanism for enhancement of robustness in scale-free networks in healthcare systems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-07-05T23:20:50-05:00 This paper presents a sequential edge swap (SQES) mechanism to design a robust network for a healthcare system utilising energy and communication range of nodes. Two operations: sequential degree difference operation (SQDDO) and sequential angle sum operation (SQASO) are performed to enhance the robustness of network. With equivalent degrees of nodes from the network's centre to its periphery, these operations build a robust network structure. Disaster attacks that have a substantial impact on the network are carried out using the network information. To identify a link between the malicious and disaster attacks, the Pearson coefficient is employed. SQES creates a robust network structure as a single objective optimisation solution by changing the connections of nodes based on the positive correlation of these attacks. SQES beats the current methods, according to simulation results. When compared to hill-climbing algorithm, simulated annealing, and ROSE, respectively, the robustness of SQES is improved by roughly 26%, 19% and 12%. Full Article
ms "Gladiator II" : comment Hollywood se jette dans l'arène politique avec ses péplums - franceinfo By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 05:00:52 GMT "Gladiator II" : comment Hollywood se jette dans l'arène politique avec ses péplums franceinfo« Gladiator », le film qui ressuscite les morts et détruit le cinéma Le Monde"Gladiator II" : "Ridley Scott respecte surtout les codes bien établis du gladiateur hollywoodien", estime un spécialiste franceinfo« Gladiator II » : bis repetita, triste cirque Le PointGladiator 2, Une part manquante, Le royaume… les films à voir ou à éviter cette semaine La Provence Full Article
ms MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-2201FR, PC portable gamer multimédia performant 15" IPS 144Hz sous GeForce RTX 4060 Core i7-H et SSD 1 To - LaptopSpirit By news.google.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 12:19:57 GMT MSI Katana 15 B13VFK-2201FR, PC portable gamer multimédia performant 15" IPS 144Hz sous GeForce RTX 4060 Core i7-H et SSD 1 To LaptopSpiritCe PC portable gamer avec une RTX 4070 est en promotion de 500 € jeuxvideo.comMSI Thin 15 B12UCX-2412FR, Ultrabook polyvalent 15" évolutif fin et léger sous Intel Core i5-H avec GeForce RTX 2050 pour jouer à des jeux modestes LaptopSpiritMSI GeForce RTX 4060 : la carte graphique est à son prix le plus bas jamais atteint sur ce site Le ParisienÀ moins de 700 euros ce dimanche, cela serait dommage de ne pas se jeter sur ce PC gamer Ouest-France Full Article
ms What is walking pneumonia? As cases rise in Canada, the symptoms to look out for - The Globe and Mail By news.google.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:32:37 GMT What is walking pneumonia? As cases rise in Canada, the symptoms to look out for The Globe and MailWalking pneumonia on the rise in Kingston, but treatable The Kingston Whig-StandardWhat parents need to know about walking pneumonia in kids FingerLakes1.comPediatric pneumonia is surging in Central Ohio MSNWalking Pneumonia is spiking right now. How do you know you have it? CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR Full Article
ms Online harms and Caroline’s Law – what’s the direction for the law reform? By script-ed.org Published On :: Mon, 13 Apr 2020 13:02:37 +0000 by Dr Kim Barker (University of Stirling) & Dr Olga Jurasz (Open University) The UK Government has recently published an Online Harms White Paper: initial consultation response. It is the cornerstone of the Government’s ongoing reform package which aims to Full Article Blog
ms Totems migratoires By www.koztoujours.fr Published On :: Wed, 09 Oct 2024 16:15:45 +0000 La politique est souvent guidée par des marqueurs idéologiques qui manquent de nuances. L'immigration illustre cette polarisation : la gauche prône une générosité aveugle, la droite une sévérité rigide. Le meurtre de Philippine de Carlan relance ce débat. La gestion de l'immigration doit équilibrer humanité et acceptabilité, mais sans sacrifier vérité ni lucidité. Full Article Société Immigration top
ms International Journal of Vehicle Information and Communication Systems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: Full Article
ms SVC-MST BWQLB multicast over software-defined networking By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-07-01T23:20:50-05:00 This paper presents a Scalable Video Coding (SVC) system over multicast Software-Defined Networking (SDN), which focuses on, transmission management for the sender-receiver model. Our approach reduces bandwidth usage by allowing the receiver to select various video resolutions in a multicast group, which helps avoid a video freezing issue during bandwidth congestion. Moreover, the SVC Multiple Sessions Transmission Bandwidth thresholds Quantised Level Balance (SVC-MST BWQLB) routes different layers of the SVC stream using distinct paths and reduces storage space and bandwidth congestion problems in different video resolutions. The experimental results show that the proposed model provides better display quality than the traditional Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing technique. Furthermore, it reduced transmission delays by up to 66.64% for grouped resolutions compared to SVC-Single Session Transmission (SVC-SST). Additionally, the modified Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) header and the sorting buffer for SVC-MST are proposed to deal with the defragmentation problem. Full Article
ms Injury prediction analysis of college basketball players based on FMS scores By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-10-07T23:20:50-05:00 It is inevitable for basketball players to have physical injury in sports. Reducing basketball injury is one of the main aims of the study of basketball. In view of this, this paper proposes a monocular vision and FMS injury prediction model for basketball players. Aiming at the limitations of traditional FMS testing methods, this study introduces intelligent machine learning methods. In this study, random forest algorithm was introduced into OpenPose network to improve model node occlusion, missed detection or false detection. In addition, to reduce the computational load of the network, the original OpenPose network was replaced by a lightweight OpenPose network. The experimental results show that the average processing time of the proposed model is about 90 ms, and the output video frame rate is 10 frames per second, which can meet the real-time requirements. This study analysed the students participating in the basketball league of the College of Sports Science of Nantong University, and the results confirmed the accuracy of the injury prediction of college basketball players based on FMS scores. It is hoped that this study can provide some reference for the research of injury prevention of basketball players. Full Article
ms International Journal of Agile Systems and Management By www.inderscience.com Published On :: Full Article
ms Integrating big data collaboration models: advancements in health security and infectious disease early warning systems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-07-02T23:20:50-05:00 In order to further improve the public health assurance system and the infectious diseases early warning system to give play to their positive roles and enhance their collaborative capacity, this paper, based on the big and thick data analytics technology, designs a 'rolling-type' data synergy model. This model covers districts and counties, municipalities, provinces, and the country. It forms a data blockchain for the public health assurance system and enables high sharing of data from existing system platforms such as the infectious diseases early warning system, the hospital medical record management system, the public health data management system, and the health big and thick data management system. Additionally, it realises prevention, control and early warning by utilising data mining and synergy technologies, and ideally solves problems of traditional public health assurance system platforms such as excessive pressure on the 'central node', poor data tamper-proofing capacity, low transmission efficiency of big and thick data, bad timeliness of emergency response, and so on. The realisation of this technology can greatly improve the application and analytics of big and thick data and further enhance the public health assurance capacity. Full Article
ms Fostering innovative work behaviour in Indian IT firms: the mediating influence of employee psychological capital in the context of transformational leadership By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-10-07T23:20:50-05:00 This empirical study investigates the mediating role of two components of psychological capital (PsyCap), namely self-efficacy and optimism, in the context of the relationship between transformational leadership (TL), work engagement (WE), and innovative work behaviour (IWB). The study was conducted among IT professionals with a minimum of three years of experience employed in Chennai, India. Data collection was executed using a Google Form, and both measurement and structural models were examined using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 23.0. The findings of this study reveal several significant relationships. Firstly, transformational leadership (TL) demonstrates a robust positive association with work engagement (WE). Furthermore, work engagement (WE) positively correlates substantially with innovative work behaviour (IWB). Notably, the study underscores that two crucial components of psychological capital, specifically self-efficacy and optimism, mediate the relationship between transformational leadership (TL) and work engagement (WE). These findings carry valuable implications for IT company managers. Recognising that transformational leadership positively influences both work engagement and employees' innovative work behaviour highlights the pivotal role of leaders in fostering a productive and innovative work environment within IT organisations. Full Article
ms International Journal of Business Information Systems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: Full Article
ms From Requirements to Code: Issues and Learning in IS Students’ Systems Development Projects By Published On :: Full Article
ms Algorithm Visualization System for Teaching Spatial Data Algorithms By Published On :: Full Article
ms Designing a Network and Systems Computing Curriculum: The Stakeholders and the Issues By Published On :: Full Article
ms Making Information Systems less Scrugged: Reflecting on the Processes of Change in Teaching and Learning By Published On :: Full Article
ms Pattern of Plagiarism in Novice Students’ Generated Programs: An Experimental Approach By Published On :: Full Article
ms A Meta-ethnographic Synthesis of Support Services in Distance Learning Programs By Published On :: Full Article
ms Re-purposing Google Maps Visualisation for Teaching Logistics Systems By Published On :: Full Article
ms A Critical Analysis of Active Learning and an Alternative Pedagogical Framework for Introductory Information Systems Courses By Published On :: Full Article
ms Using the Work System Method with Freshman Information Systems Students By Published On :: Full Article
ms ICT Teachers’ Professional Growth Viewed in terms of Perceptions about Teaching and Competencies By Published On :: Full Article
ms Using Technology in Gifted and Talented Education Classrooms: The Teachers’ Perspective By Published On :: 2015-04-28 Technology skills are assumed to be a necessity for college and career success, but technology is constantly evolving. Thus, development of students’ technology skills is an on-going and persistent issue. Standards from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills and the International Society for Technology in Education encourage educators to teach skills that help students adapt to changing working environments. These skills resemble the National Association for Gifted Children’s program and teacher preparation standards. Descriptive research about what is already occurring in classrooms has been done, but the information is frequently limited to a list of activities. A qualitative multi-case phenomenological study of six Alabama teachers of the gifted examined how they use and shape technology experiences with students, and promote student learning of 21st century skills. The teachers were chosen for the case study due to their reputation as teachers skilled in using technology with students. Lesson plans, interviews, and observations were used to discover themes between the teachers. Findings from the research indicate that educational technology use with students is shaped by factors such as teacher attitudes and expertise, available equipment and support, pedagogical decisions related to working with technology, and the particular student group participating in the technology use. Full Article
ms Secure E-Examination Systems Compared: Case Studies from Two Countries By Published On :: 2017-04-12 Aim/Purpose: Electronic examinations have some inherent problems. Students have expressed negative opinions about electronic examinations (e-examinations) due to a fear of, or unfamiliarity with, the technology of assessment, and a lack of knowledge about the methods of e-examinations. Background: Electronic examinations are now a viable alternative method of assessing student learning. They provide freedom of choice, in terms of the location of the examination, and can provide immediate feedback; students and institutions can be assured of the integrity of knowledge testing. This in turn motivates students to strive for deeper learning and better results, in a higher quality and more rigorous educational process. Methodology : This paper compares an e-examination system at FUT Minna Nigeria with one in Australia, at the University of Tasmania, using case study analysis. The functions supported, or inhibited, by each of the two e-examination systems, with different approaches to question types, cohort size, technology used, and security features, are compared. Contribution: The researchers’ aim is to assist stakeholders (including lecturers, invigilators, candidates, computer instructors, and server operators) to identify ways of improving the process. The relative convenience for students, administrators, and lecturer/assessors and the reliability and security of the two systems are considered. Challenges in conducting e-examinations in both countries are revealed by juxtaposing the systems. The authors propose ways of developing more effective e-examination systems. Findings: The comparison of the two institutions in Nigeria and Australia shows e-examinations have been implemented for the purpose of selecting students for university courses, and for their assessment once enrolled. In Nigeria, there is widespread systemic adoption for university entrance merit selection. In Australia this has been limited to one subject in one state, rather than being adopted nationally. Within undergraduate courses, the Nigerian scenario is quite extensive; in Australia this adoption has been slower, but has penetrated a wide variety of disciplines. Recommendations for Practitioners: Assessment integrity and equipment reliability were common issues across the two case studies, although the delivery of e-examinations is different in each country. As with any procedural process, a particular solution is only as good as its weakest attribute. Technical differences highlight the link between e-examination system approaches and pedagogical implications. It is clear that social, cultural, and environmental factors affect the success of e-examinations. For example, an interrupted electrical power supply and limited technical know-how are two of the challenges affecting the conduct of e-examinations in Nigeria. In Tasmania, the challenge with the “bring your own device” (BYOD) is to make the system operate on an increasing variety of user equipment, including tablets. Recommendation for Researchers: The comparisons between the two universities indicate there will be a productive convergence of the approaches in future. One key proposal, which arose from the analysis of the existing e-examination systems in Nigeria and Australia, is to design a form of “live” operating system that is deployable over the Internet. This method would use public key cryptography for lecturers to encrypt their questions online. Impact on Society : If institutions are to transition to e-examinations, one way of facilitating this move is by using computers to imitate other assessment techniques. However, higher order thinking is usually demonstrated through open-ended or creative tasks. In this respect the Australian system shows promise by providing the same full operating system and software application suite to all candidates, thereby supporting assessment of such creative higher order thinking. The two cases illustrate the potential tension between “online” or networked reticulation of questions and answers, as opposed to “offline” methods. Future Research: A future design proposition is a web-based strategy for a virtual machine, which is launched into candidates’ computers at the start of each e-examination. The new system is a form of BYOD externally booted e-examination (as in Australia) that is deployable over the Internet with encryption and decryption features using public key cryptography (Nigeria). This will allow lecturers to encrypt their questions and post them online while the questions are decrypted by the administrator or students are given the key. The system will support both objective and open-ended questions (possibly essays and creative design tasks). The authors believe this can re-define e-examinations as the “gold standard” of assessment. Full Article
ms Learning by Doing: Twenty Successful Active Learning Exercises for Information Systems Courses By Published On :: 2017-01-19 Aim/Purpose: This paper provides a review of previously published work related to active learning in information systems (IS) courses. Background: There are a rising number of strategies in higher education that offer promise in regards to getting students’ attention and helping them learn, such as flipped classrooms and offering courses online. These learning strategies are part of the pedagogical technique known as active learning. Active learning is a strategy that became popular in the early 1990s and has proven itself as a valid tool for helping students to be engaged with learning. Methodology: This work follows a systematic method for identifying and coding previous research based on an aspect of interest. The authors identified and assessed research through a search of ABI/Inform scholarly journal abstracts and keywords, as well as additional research databases, using the search terms “active learning” and “information systems” from 2000 through June 2016. Contribution: This synthesis of active learning exercises provides guidance for information technology faculty looking to implement active learning strategies in their classroom by demonstrating how IS faculty might begin to introduce more active learning techniques in their teaching as well as by presenting a sample teaching agenda for a class that uses a mix of active and passive learning techniques to engage student learning. Findings: Twenty successful types of active learning exercises in IS courses are presented. Recommendations for Practitioners : This paper offers a “how to” resource of successful active learning strategies for IS faculty interested in implementing active learning in the classroom. Recommendation for Researchers: This work provides an example of a systematic literature review as a means to assess successful implementations of active learning in IS. Impact on Society: An updated definition of active learning is presented as well as a meaningful list of exercises that encourage active learning both inside and outside of the IS classroom. Future Research: In relation to future research, this study highlights a number of opportunities for IS faculty in regards to new active learning activities or trends to study further. Full Article
ms An Investigation of the Use of the ‘Flipped Classroom’ Pedagogy in Secondary English Language Classrooms By Published On :: 2017-01-09 Aim/Purpose : To examine the use of a flipped classroom in the English Language subject in secondary classrooms in Hong Kong. Background: The research questions addressed were: (1) What are teachers’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (2) How can teachers transfer their flipped classroom experiences to teaching other classes/subjects? (3) What are students’ perceptions towards the flipped classroom pedagogy? (4) How can students transfer their flipped classroom experiences to studying other subjects? (5) Will students have significant gain in the knowledge of the lesson topic trialled in this study? Methodology: A total of 57 students from two Secondary 2 classes in a Band 3 secondary school together with two teachers teaching these two classes were involved in this study. Both quantitative and quantitative data analyses were conducted. Contribution: Regarding whether the flipped classroom pedagogy can help students gain significantly in their knowledge of a lesson topic, only one class of students gained statistically significantly in the subject knowledge but not for another class. Findings: Students in general were positive about the flipped classroom. On the other hand, although the teachers considered that the flipped classroom pedagogy was creative, they thought it may only be useful for teaching English grammar. Recommendations for Practitioners: Teachers thought that flipping a classroom may only be useful for more motivated students, and the extra workload of finding or making suitable pre-lesson online videos is the main concern for teachers. Recommendations for Researchers: Both quantitative and qualitative analyses should be conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a flipped classroom on students’ language learning. Impact on Society : Teachers and students can transfer their flipped classroom experiences in English Language to teaching and studying other subjects. Future Research: More classes should be involved and a longer period of time should be spent on trial teaching in which a flipped classroom can be implemented in different lesson topics, not only teaching grammar. Teachers also need to determine if students can use the target language item in a task. Full Article
ms Advantages and Disadvantages of an Innovative Tablet Technology Learning Activity: A Ten Year Case Study in Small Tertiary Mathematics Classrooms By Published On :: 2019-01-17 Aim/Purpose: To identify positive and negative aspects for learning of interactive tablet technology learning activities that promote student engagement and learning. Background: Engaging students in mathematics classes is an on-going challenge for teachers. In 2008 we were offered the opportunity to run interactive activities with a class set of tablet PCs that had just been released on to the market. Since then, we have run these interactive activities continuously with mathematics classes for computing students, albeit with two changes in hardware. Methodology: In the interactive activities, students submit full worked solutions to various problem types (classified as table, text, open or multi-choice) which can then be displayed to the class anonymously, discussed and annotated by the teacher. We surveyed student and staff perceptions and monitored academic performance. Contribution: We have over 10 years of results, observations, and experience from 2008, when tablet technologies were new and expensive, to the current time, when modern tablets with styli are now affordable. Findings: There was a significant increase in higher grades although pass rates did not increase significantly. Over the ten year period of the study, perceptions of students and staff about how this technology impacted on student learning were consistently positive. The majority of students found all problem types useful for learning even those they rated “too hard” or “too easy”. Benefits included increased feedback, peer learning and engagement. Recommendations for Practitioners: We recommend using tablet learning activities to engage students and teachers and to contribute to learning. Impact on Society: This study shows how using tablet technologies for interactive classroom activities can enable and enhance known pedagogies of feedback, peer instruction, and student engagement for mathematics classes. Future Research: We recommend extending this study to include larger classes, and other technical subjects that use symbols and diagrams. In addition, we suggest considering control groups. Full Article
ms Introductory Information Systems Course Redesign: Better Preparing Business Students By Published On :: 2018-05-29 Aim/Purpose: The dynamic nature of the information systems (IS) field presents educators with the perpetual challenge of keeping course offerings current and relevant. This paper describes the process at a College of Business (COB) to redesign the introductory IS course to better prepare students for advanced business classes and equip them with interdisciplinary knowledge and skills demanded in today’s workplace. Background: The course was previously in the Computer Science (CSC) Department, itself within the COB. However, an administrative restructuring resulted in the CSC department’s removal from the COB and left the core course in limbo. Methodology: This paper presents a case study using focus groups with students, faculty, and advisory council members to assess the value of the traditional introductory course. A survey was distributed to students after implementation of the newly developed course to assess the reception of the course. Contribution: This paper provides an outline of the decision-making process leading to the course redesign of the introductory IS course, including the context and the process of a new course development. Practical suggestions for implementing and teaching an introductory IS course in a business school are given. Findings: Focus group assessment revealed that stakeholders rated the existing introductory IS course of minimal value as students progressed through the COB program, and even less upon entering the workforce. The findings indicated a complete overhaul of the course was required. Recommendations for Practitioners: The subject of technology sometimes requires more than a simple update to the curriculum. When signs point to the need for a complete overhaul, this paper gives practical guidance supplemented with relevant literature for other academicians to follow. Recommendation for Researchers: Students are faced with increasing pressure to be proficient with the latest technology, in both the classroom where educators are trying to prepare them for the modern workplace, as well as the organization which faces an even greater pressure to leverage the latest technology. The newly designed introductory IS course provides students, and eventually organizations, a better measure of this proficiency. Future Research: Future research on the efficacy of this new course design should include longitudinal data to determine the impact on graduates, and eventually the assessment of those graduates’ performance in the workplace. Full Article
ms Design and Delivery of an Online Information Systems Management Course for MBA Programs By Published On :: 2020-07-06 Aim/Purpose: In this paper, we present our experience in design and delivery of a graduate Information Systems Management (ISM) course in an online MBA program. Also presented are a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students’ perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Background: This graduate ISM course needs to not only cover a broad range of dynamic technology and business topics, but also strike a balance between the width and depth of the content. Effective course design and delivery are critical to improved teaching and learning, especially when the course is delivered online. Methodology: We provided a comprehensive review of the related literature to develop guidelines for the design and delivery of our ISM course; we collected survey data to evaluate the students’ backgrounds and their perceptions of the course; we used data analysis and content analysis methods to assess the course evaluation results. Contribution: A review of the related literature indicates that IS researchers and educators have not adequately studied online graduate education. Given the importance of the graduate ISM course in most MBA programs, and the lack of attention from the IS community, it is critical to address this gap in the research. We believe we have done so with this paper. Findings: The paper’s major findings are embedded in a detailed examination of the design and delivery of the online course, survey results of students’ perceptions and backgrounds, course evaluation results, best practices and lessons learned, and potential changes and future actions. Recommendations for Practitioners: Even though our experience may not be fully applicable to other institutions, we hope our IS colleagues can learn from the design and delivery of this online course, as well as our best practices and lessons learned to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education, in general. Furthermore, we provide instructors with an actionable framework onto which they can map their current course offering, and compare their current pedagogical offering to literature driven best practices for ISM courses, in particular. Recommendation for Researchers: It is our hope that the design and delivery of this online course, and our best practices and lessons learned can inspire our IS colleagues to search for innovative ways to improve the teaching and learning effectiveness in IS online graduate education. In addition, we distill a literature driven framework for ISM courses design and delivery that can help researchers frame their pedagogical research questions. Impact on Society: The online course in this study prepares students for more efficiently and effectively delivering IT systems in organizations. Many MBA students work for non-profits and other socially-focused organizations and are able to use the skills learned in the course for the betterment of society. Future Research: We will continue to monitor the impact of the changes on student learning effectiveness and attempt to identify additional innovative ways to improve the design and delivery of this online ISM course. Full Article
ms Incorporating Kinesthetic Learning into University Classrooms: An Example from Management Information Systems By Published On :: 2020-03-27 Aim/Purpose: Students tend to learn best when an array of learning styles is used by instructors. The purpose of this paper is to add, to introduce, and to apply the concepts of kinesthetic learning and learning structures to university and STEM education. Background: The study applies the concept of kinesthetic learning and a learning structure called Think-Pair-Share to an experiential exercise about Moore’s Law in an introductory MIS classroom. The paper details the exercise and each of its components. Methodology: Students in two classes were asked to complete a short survey about their conceptual understanding of the course material before and after the experiential exercise. Contribution: The paper details the benefits of kinesthetic learning and learning structures and discusses how to apply these concepts through an experiential exercise used in an introductory MIS course. Findings: Results indicate that the kinesthetic learning activity had a positive impact on student learning outcomes. Recommendations for Practitioners: University educators can use this example to structure several other learning activities that apply kinesthetic learning principles. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can use this paper to study more about how to incorporate kinesthetic learning into education, and about teaching technology concepts to undergraduate students through kinesthetic learning. Impact on Society: The results of this study may be extremely beneficial for the university and STEM community and overall academic business community. Future Research: Researchers should consider longitudinal studies and other ways to incorporate kinesthetic learning activities into education. Full Article
ms Towards Understanding Information Systems Students’ Experience of Learning Introductory Programming: A Phenomenographic Approach By Published On :: 2021-07-12 Aim/Purpose: This study seeks to understand the various ways information systems (IS) students experience introductory programming to inform IS educators on effective pedagogical approaches to teaching programming. Background: Many students who choose to major in information systems (IS), enter university with little or no experience of learning programming. Few studies have dealt with students’ learning to program in the business faculty, who do not necessarily have the computer science goal of programming. It has been shown that undergraduate IS students struggle with programming. Methodology: The qualitative approach was used in this study to determine students’ notions of learning to program and to determine their cognitive processes while learning to program in higher education. A cohort of 47 students, who were majoring in Information Systems within the Bachelor of Commerce degree programme were part of the study. Reflective journals were used to allow students to record their experiences and to study in-depth their insights and experiences of learning to program during the course. Using phenomenographic methods, categories of description that uniquely characterises the various ways IS students experience learning to program were determined. Contribution: This paper provides educators with empirical evidence on IS students’ experiences of learning to program, which play a crucial role in informing IS educators on how they can lend support and modify their pedagogical approach to teach programming to students who do not necessarily need to have the computer science goal of programming. This study contributes additional evidence that suggests more categories of description for IS students within a business degree. It provides valuable pedagogical insights for IS educators, thus contributing to the body of knowledge Findings: The findings of this study reveal six ways in which IS students’ experience the phenomenon, learning to program. These ways, referred to categories of description, formed an outcome space. Recommendations for Practitioners: Use the experiences of students identified in this study to determine approach to teaching and tasks or assessments assigned Recommendation for Researchers: Using phenomenographic methods researchers in IS or IT may determine pedagogical content knowledge in teaching specific aspects of IT or IS. Impact on Society: More business students would be able to program and improve their logical thinking and coding skills. Future Research: Implement the recommendations for practice and evaluate the students’ performance. Full Article
ms COVID-19 Pandemic and the Use of Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) Platforms: Lessons From a Nigerian University By Published On :: 2023-07-27 Aim/Purpose: This study examines the use of the Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) platform by undergraduates of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, during the COVID-19 pandemic using the constructs of the UTAUT2 model. Five constructs of the UTAUT2 model were adopted to investigate the use of the ERT platform by undergraduates of the university. Background: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak disrupted academic activities in educational institutions, leading to an unprecedented school closure globally. In response to the pandemic, higher educational institutions adopted different initiatives aimed at ensuring the uninterrupted flow of their teaching and learning activities. However, there is little research on the use of ERT platforms by undergraduates in Nigerian universities. Methodology: The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The multi-stage random sampling technique was used to select 334 undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, while a questionnaire was used to collect data from 271 students. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, and regression analysis. Contribution: The study contributes to understanding ERT use in the educational institutions of Nigeria – Africa’s most populous country. Furthermore, the study adds to the existing body of knowledge on how the UTAUT2 Model could explain the use of information technologies in different settings. Findings: Findings revealed that there was a positive significant relationship between habit, hedonic motivation, price value, and social influence on the use of ERT platforms by undergraduates. Hedonic motivation strongly predicted the use of ERT platforms by most undergraduates. Recommendations for Practitioners: As a provisional intervention in times of emergencies, the user interface, navigation, customization, and other aesthetic features of ERT platforms should be more appealing and enjoyable to ensure their optimum utilization by students. Recommendation for Researchers: More qualitative research is required on users’ satisfaction, concerns, and support systems for ERT platforms in educational institutions. Future studies could consider the use of ERT by students in different countries and contexts such as students participating in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and the English for Speakers of other languages (ESOL) programs. Impact on Society: As society faces increased uncertainties of the next global pandemic, this article reiterates the crucial roles of information technology in enriching teaching and learning activities in educational institutions. Future Research: Future research should focus on how different technology theories and models could explain the use of ERT platforms at different educational institutions in other geographical settings and contexts. Full Article
ms Android malware analysis using multiple machine learning algorithms By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-10-07T23:20:50-05:00 Currently, Android is a booming technology that has occupied the major parts of the market share. However, as Android is an open-source operating system there are possibilities of attacks on the users, there are various types of attacks but one of the most common attacks found was malware. Malware with machine learning (ML) techniques has proven as an impressive result and a useful method for malware detection. Here in this paper, we have focused on the analysis of malware attacks by collecting the dataset for the various types of malware and we trained the model with multiple ML and deep learning (DL) algorithms. We have gathered all the previous knowledge related to malware with its limitations. The machine learning algorithms were having various accuracy levels and the maximum accuracy observed is 99.68%. It also shows which type of algorithm is preferred depending on the dataset. The knowledge from this paper may also guide and act as a reference for future research related to malware detection. We intend to make use of Static Android Activity to analyse malware to mitigate security risks. Full Article
ms International Journal of Information Systems and Change Management By www.inderscience.com Published On :: Full Article
ms Misunderstandings about social problems and social value in solving social problems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-06-24T23:20:50-05:00 Though there have been many approaches to dealing with social problems in recent years, the concepts of social value have yet to be discussed thoroughly. Upon examining these concepts in existing studies and testing them with two case studies, the article shows that there is the possibility that a group's shared wants may not be widely recognised as a social problem, and targeting these unserved populations is a precondition for solving social issues. It is essential to identify hidden social problems by understanding what is still left, the number of people sharing the same want, the severity of the unmet want, and the possible resources for solution generation. Social value in its narrower definition means meeting the satisfaction of the group sharing the same want, while in its broader definition, it means meeting the satisfaction of wider society. Finding workable solutions involves not only the group of people sharing the same want but also others who do not have the same want but who do recognise the importance of acknowledging the want of the subgroup. Full Article
ms International Journal of Business and Systems Research By www.inderscience.com Published On :: Full Article
ms Agricultural informatics: emphasising potentiality and proposed model on innovative and emerging Doctor of Education in Agricultural Informatics program for smart agricultural systems By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-10-29T23:20:50-05:00 International universities are changing with their style of operation, mode of teaching and learning operations. This change is noticeable rapidly in India and also in international contexts due to healthy and innovative methods, educational strategies, and nomenclature throughout the world. Technologies are changing rapidly, including ICT. Different subjects are developed in the fields of IT and computing with the interaction or applications to other fields, viz. health informatics, bio informatics, agriculture informatics, and so on. Agricultural informatics is an interdisciplinary subject dedicated to combining information technology and information science utilisation in agricultural sciences. The digital agriculture is powered by agriculture informatics practice. For teaching, research and development of any subject educational methods is considered as important and various educational programs are there in this regard viz. Bachelor of Education, Master of Education, PhD in Education, etc. Degrees are also available to deal with the subjects and agricultural informatics should not be an exception of this. In this context, Doctor of Education (EdD or DEd) is an emerging degree having features of skill sets, courses and research work. This paper proposed on EdD program with agricultural informatics specialisation for improving healthy agriculture system. Here, a proposed model core curriculum is also presented. Full Article
ms LDSAE: LeNet deep stacked autoencoder for secure systems to mitigate the errors of jamming attacks in cognitive radio networks By www.inderscience.com Published On :: 2024-10-15T23:20:50-05:00 A hybrid network system for mitigating errors due to jamming attacks in cognitive radio networks (CRNs) is named LeNet deep stacked autoencoder (LDSAE) and is developed. In this exploration, the sensing stage and decision-making are considered. The sensing unit is composed of four steps. First, the detected signal is forwarded to filtering progression. Here, BPF is utilised to filter the detected signal. The filtered signal is squared in the second phase. Third, signal samples are combined and jamming attacks occur by including false energy levels. Last, the attack is maliciously affecting the FC decision in the fourth step. On the other hand, FC initiated the decision-making and also recognised jamming attacks that affect the link amidst PU and SN in decision-making stage and it is accomplished by employing LDSAE-based trust model where the proposed module differentiates the malicious and selfish users. The analytic measures of LDSAE gained 79.40%, 79.90%, and 78.40%. Full Article
ms Logical Soft Systems Methodology for Education Programme Development By Published On :: Full Article