Managing evolution and change in web-based teaching and learning environments

The state of the art in information technology and educational technologies is evolving constantly. Courses taught are subject to constant change from organisational and subject-specific reasons. Evolution and change affect educators and developers of computer-based teaching and learning environments alike – both often being unprepared to respond effectively. A large number of educational systems are designed and developed without change and evolution in mind. We will present our approach to the design and maintenance of these systems in rapidly evolving environments and illustrate the consequences of evolution and change for these systems and for the educators and developers responsible for their implementation and deployment. We discuss various factors of change, illustrated by a Web-based virtual course, with the objective of raising an awareness of this issue of evolution and change in computer-supported teaching and learning environments. This discussion leads towards the establishment of a development and management framework for teaching and learning systems

Microprocessor user support at Langley Research Center

The use of microprocessors pose significant problems including: (1) a long learning process for proficient use of microprocessors; (2) the requirement for extensive support in both hardware and software; and (3) the need for coordination and sharing of the creative effort to avoid unnecessary duplication. To address these problems, Langley Research Center has established a microprocessor users committee to provide an advisory interface for management and users, and is training microprocessor users. A newsletter is published to disseminate information among microprocessor users. Both cross software on the central computer complex and microprocessor development systems are used to support the design of microprocessor based systems. Each of these activities is reviewed with special emphasis given to the microprocessor support available from the central computer complex. The effectiveness of the approach being taken at Langley is assessed and specific hardware and software development efforts that are targeted toward enhancing the existing microprocessing support are discussed

Critical complementarism and information systems: A total systems approach to computer-based information systems strategy and development

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis is about intervening in organisations to improve both operational and strategic computer-based information systems. It addresses a particular situation, in which human activity is seen to be a key factor in the success of the system. A stance is taken regarding current approaches to such development, supported by historical analysis of both the theory and practice of such approaches: in particular, the failure of traditional information systems development methodologies to address these situations is seen to question their validity. A review of existing theory and practice shows that computer-based information systems development appears to be dominated by functionalist, reductionist, engineering methods, marginally challenged by soft, interpretivist approaches. Analysis of the computer-based information systems development domain shows this to be an impoverished view, and indicates that an approach based on social systems is likely to be more representative of the problem situations faced. As a result, computer-based information systems development is taken beyond the 'hard-soft' debate, into a search for theoretical underpinning and practical approaches informed from social theory. However, whilst the theory is readily available, the application of that theory to computer-based information systems development is seen to be problematic. Potential improvement is achieved by the development of an interventionist framework which is based on a branch of social systems theory, that of critical social theory, and which draws heavily on work already undertaken in the domain of management science under the headings of critical systems thinking and total systems intervention. This framework is applied to two case studies and a major, longitudinal action research based investigation. The findings strongly support computer-based information systems development based on social, and especially critical social, theories. These findings are critiqued within the study, and from this emerge clear conclusions, and recommendations for future development

The role of primitive part modelling within an integrative simulation environment

The component-based modeling approach to the simulation of HVAC systems has been in used for many years. The approach not only supports plant simulation but also allows the integration of the building and plant domains. Frequently, however, the plant models do not match exactly the types being used in a given project and where they do, may not be able to provide the required information. To address such limitations research has been undertaken into alternative approaches. The aim of such research is to provide a modeling approach that is widely applicable and offers efficient code management and data sharing. Primitive Part (PP) modeling is one such effort, which employs generic, process-based elements to attain modeling flexibility. Recent efforts have been on the development of data structure and graphics that facilitates PP auto-connection via computer interface. This paper describes the approach using an example application and its suggested role within an integrative simulation environment

Management of Information Security: Challenges and Research Directions

Over the past decade management of information systems security has emerged to be a challenging task. Given the increased dependence of businesses on computer-based systems and networks, vulnerabilities of systems abound. Clearly, exclusive reliance on either the technical or the managerial controls is inadequate. Rather, a multifaceted approach is needed. In this paper, based on a panel presented at the 2007 Americas Conference on Information Systems held in Keystone, Colorado, we provide examples of failures in information security, identify challenges for the management of information systems security, and make a case that these challenges require new theory development via examining reference disciplines. We identify these disciplines, recognize applicable research methodologies, and discuss desirable properties of applicable theories

The P3 platform: an approach and software system for developing diagrammatic model-based methods in design research

Many issues in design and design management have been explored by building models which capture the relationships between different aspects of the problem at hand. These models require computer support to construct and analyse. However, appropriate modelling tools can be time-consuming to develop in a research environment. Reflecting upon five design research projects, this paper proposes that such projects can be facilitated by recognising the iterative and tightly-coupled nature of research and tool development, and by attempting to minimise the effort of solution prototyping within this process. Our approach is enabled by a software platform which can be rapidly configured to implement many conceivable modelling approaches. This configurability is complemented by an emerging library of modelling and analysis approaches tailored to explore design process systems. The platform-based approach enables any mix of modelling concepts to be easily created. We propose it could thus help researchers to explore a wide range of questions without being constrained to existing conventions for modelling – or for model integration

Co-evolution of Information Systems in Fast-Growing Small Firms

The paper examines the co-evolution of different dimensions of information systems for a sample of fast-growing small firms. The investigation uses primary source longitudinal empirical evidence. The data are taken from a large database on the lifecycle experience of one-hundred-and-fifty new business starts over a four-year period. They were collected by face to face interviews with owner-managers of small entrepreneurial firms. Interviews were conducted using an administered questionnaire that covered the agenda of markets, finance, costs, business strategy, the development of a management information system, human capital, organisation and technical change. This work uses primarily the data on management information systems. The basic approach used is to compare the attributes of the fastest and slowest paced firms, as identified by their growth rates. We then examine the evolution of these firms' management information systems. The measures used to identify changes in systems include: capital investment techniques, such as return on investment, residual income, net present value, internal rate of return and payback period; methods for managing costs, like just-in-time management, activity-based costing, quantitative risk analysis, value analysis, strategic pricing and transfer pricing; and using computer applications for storing information, project appraisal, financial modelling, forecasting and sensitivity analysis. 'Time lines' are graphed to show the points at which various features of information systems are introduced (e.g. data storage, forecasting, sensitivity analysis), and derived techniques (e.g. ROI, ABC) implemented. Firms are dichotomised into highgrowth and low-growth groups. Comparisons are made within firms and across firms in terms of the co-evolution of different aspects of their accounting information systems

An ontology framework for developing platform-independent knowledge-based engineering systems in the aerospace industry

This paper presents the development of a novel knowledge-based engineering (KBE) framework for implementing platform-independent knowledge-enabled product design systems within the aerospace industry. The aim of the KBE framework is to strengthen the structure, reuse and portability of knowledge consumed within KBE systems in view of supporting the cost-effective and long-term preservation of knowledge within such systems. The proposed KBE framework uses an ontology-based approach for semantic knowledge management and adopts a model-driven architecture style from the software engineering discipline. Its phases are mainly (1) Capture knowledge required for KBE system; (2) Ontology model construct of KBE system; (3) Platform-independent model (PIM) technology selection and implementation and (4) Integration of PIM KBE knowledge with computer-aided design system. A rigorous methodology is employed which is comprised of five qualitative phases namely, requirement analysis for the KBE framework, identifying software and ontological engineering elements, integration of both elements, proof of concept prototype demonstrator and finally experts validation. A case study investigating four primitive three-dimensional geometry shapes is used to quantify the applicability of the KBE framework in the aerospace industry. Additionally, experts within the aerospace and software engineering sector validated the strengths/benefits and limitations of the KBE framework. The major benefits of the developed approach are in the reduction of man-hours required for developing KBE systems within the aerospace industry and the maintainability and abstraction of the knowledge required for developing KBE systems. This approach strengthens knowledge reuse and eliminates platform-specific approaches to developing KBE systems ensuring the preservation of KBE knowledge for the long term

Journey towards agility: Three decades of research on agile information systems development

After more than 15 years since the Agile Manifesto and extensive research on agile information systems developmentfor nearly three decades, a comprehensive body of knowledge is available and is constantly growing.Agile information systems developmentis considered an effective way for managing information systems developmentprojects in environments characterized by rapidly changing requirements. This study aims to shed light on the existing knowledge on agile information systems developmentby applying a structured literature review and computer aided analysis consisting of distinct text mining techniques. We analyzed a sample of 775papers and provide results from articles among the Senior Scholars’ Basket, selected information systems conferences,and selected journalsfrom management and computer science. Based on our approach, we are able to (1) evaluate key articles and journals, (2) analyze the development of agile information systems developmentresearch in the last three decades and, most importantly, (3) identify research foci of the past as well asgaps in our knowledge on agile information systems development for further research

Power system fault prediction using artificial neural networks

The medium term goal of the research reported in this paper was the development of a major in-house suite of strategic computer aided network simulation and decision support tools to improve the management of power systems. This paper describes a preliminary research investigation to access the feasibility of using an Artificial Intelligence (AI) method to predict and detect faults at an early stage in power systems. To achieve this goal, an AI based detector has been developed to monitor and predict faults at an early stage on particular sections of power systems. The detector only requires external measurements taken from the input and output nodes of the power system. The AI detection system is capable of rapidly predicting a malfunction within the system . Simulation will normally take place using equivalent circuit representation. Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) are used to construct a hierarchical feed-forward structure which is the most important component in the fault detector. Simulation of a transmission line (2-port circuit ) has already been carried out and preliminary results using this system are promising. This approach provided satisfactory results with accuracy of 95% or higher