Big Data - An Interdisciplinary Opportunity for Information Systems Research

“Big data” describes technologies that promise to fulfill a fundamental tenet of research in information systems, which is to provide the right information to the right receiver in the right volume and quality at the right time. For information systems research as an application-oriented research discipline, opportunities, and risks arise from using big data. Risks arise primarily from the considerable number of resources used for the explanation and design of fads. Opportunities arise because these resources lead to substantial knowledge gains, which support scientific progress within the discipline and are of relevance to practice as well. From the authors’ perspective, information systems research is ideally positioned to support big data critically and use the knowledge gained to explain and design innovative information systems in business and administration – regardless of whether big data is in reality a disruptive technology or a cursory fad. The continuing development and adoption of big data will ultimately provide clarity on whether big data is a fad or if it represents substantial progress in information systems research. Three theses also show how future technological developments can be used to advance the discipline of information systems. Technological progress should be used for a cumulative supplement of existing models, tools, and methods. By contrast, scientific revolutions are independent of technological progress

Engineering at San Jose State University, Winter 2014

https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/engr_news/1012/thumbnail.jp

Afghan EFL Lecturers’ Assessment Practices in the Classroom

The current study is conducted with the aim to explore the practices and perceptions of Afghan EFL lecturers toward assessment. A second aim of the study is to explore the challenges the lecturers encounter in the implementation of formative assessments in their classes. To serve these basic objectives, a qualitative case study method design was employed with three English language lectures as the participants. Semi-structured interviews were used as the main instrument to collect data. The findings of the study indicated that all three lecturers maintained positive perceptions toward formative assessment and favored it over summative assessment. However, the study also discovered that the lecturers practice summative assessments more than formative assessments in their classrooms. This, as indicated by the lecturers, was due to the fact that their choices of employing certain assessment practices were dictated in terms of certain challenges such as university rules and policies, large classes, and time constraints. Lastly, some suggestions are made that may prove useful to effectively apply formative assessment in Afghan EFL context

Research and Education in Computational Science and Engineering

Over the past two decades the field of computational science and engineering (CSE) has penetrated both basic and applied research in academia, industry, and laboratories to advance discovery, optimize systems, support decision-makers, and educate the scientific and engineering workforce. Informed by centuries of theory and experiment, CSE performs computational experiments to answer questions that neither theory nor experiment alone is equipped to answer. CSE provides scientists and engineers of all persuasions with algorithmic inventions and software systems that transcend disciplines and scales. Carried on a wave of digital technology, CSE brings the power of parallelism to bear on troves of data. Mathematics-based advanced computing has become a prevalent means of discovery and innovation in essentially all areas of science, engineering, technology, and society; and the CSE community is at the core of this transformation. However, a combination of disruptive developments---including the architectural complexity of extreme-scale computing, the data revolution that engulfs the planet, and the specialization required to follow the applications to new frontiers---is redefining the scope and reach of the CSE endeavor. This report describes the rapid expansion of CSE and the challenges to sustaining its bold advances. The report also presents strategies and directions for CSE research and education for the next decade.Comment: Major revision, to appear in SIAM Revie

Student-Centered Learning: Dozier-Libbey Medical High School

This case study is one of four written by SCOPE about student-centered practices in schools. The case studies address the following questions:1. What are the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student engagement, achievement of knowledge and skills, and attainment (high school graduation, college admission, and college continuation and success), in particular for underserved students?2. What specific practices, approaches, and contextual factors result in these outcomes?The cases focus on the structures, practices, and conditions in the four schools that enable students to experience positive outcomes and consider the ways in which these factors are interrelated and work to reinforce each other