Collaborative Information Systems Requirements Elicitation: Discovering Behavioral Requirements Using Scenarios

Several decades of MIS research have clearly shown the importance and the difficulty of developing complete and accurate information systems requirements. Most agree that involving users is critical to the success of the requirements process. The challenge is in determining how to effectively involve groups of users in that process

Reaction to R.W.Connell's Understanding Men: Gender Sociology and the New International Research on Mascudinities

As a doctoral student in the Sociology progranl at the University of Kansas, I have been privy to several lectures and panel discussions by leading scholars in my field. The 2001 Clark Lecture (Social Thought &Research, 2002, Vol. 24, 1& 2)was no exception to this trend. For the first time in my life, I was able to listen to a presentation given by one of my scholarly heroes, Robert Connell. Based on this lecture given by such a prominent scholar in the field of gender, I now have the distinct privilege-or harrowing curse, depending on how you look at it-ofcomposing a reaction piece based on Connell's lecture, Understanding Men: Gender Sociology and the New Intemational Research on Masculinities

The 'Graying' of an Epidemic: Sexual Scripts, Public Health Influences, and the Organizational Impact on HIV/AIDS Education and Prevention for Older Adults in the Midwest

Older adults' sexual health is becoming an increasingly important component of healthy aging in the wake of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and rising infection rates among this age cohort. However, research reveals that this population is often left out of HIV/AIDS public health policy and prevention education. This project uses qualitative methodology to analyze the possible social factors for this omission. To do this, I performed 31 interviews with key personnel at HIV/AIDS service organizations and state-level policymakers in four states in the Midwest. In addition, I conducted an in-depth organizational analysis of an AIDS service organization in one Midwestern state, undertook a content analysis of key funding and policy documents, and collected U.S. national and regional data on infection rates, risk behaviors, and other contributing factors to the rise of HIV/AIDS risk and infections among the older adult population. From the beginning of the epidemic in 1981, the seemingly disproportionate impact that HIV/AIDS had on specific segments of the population resulted in moral judgment of those who were infected. The association of HIV/AIDS with specific groups seen as being "high risk" resulted in certain segments of the population, such as older adults, being considered as low-risk for contracting the virus despite exhibiting high-risk behaviors. The responsibility of a national public health crisis fell squarely on the shoulders of community-based AIDS service organizations who received little fiscal support. The result was gaps in prevention education to certain segments of the population. The increase of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the older adult population has ignited the need to understand the reasons why older adults have been omitted from HIV/AIDS policy. I examined the social forces that influence HIV/AIDS policy at the national, state, and community level. My findings reveal that HIV/AIDS policy at the national level influences the type of health promotion being done at the state and community levels. AIDS service organizations are held responsible for this national public health care crisis with too little funding. As a result, these organizations are not able to reach every at-risk group, including older adults

A study of the educational and business experiences of the St. Patrick High School graduates, Watertown, Massachusetts.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Boston Universit

Prototyping for Requirements Elicitation and Validation: A Participative Prototype Evaluation Methodology

Prototyping is widely recommended as an excellent mechanism for requirements elicitation and validation. However, few details are available on how prototypes should be used for this purpose, especially in a group environment. The goal of this research is to develop and evaluate a methodology for using prototyping to elicit and validate requirements from large user groups. An initial prototype evaluation methodology was developed, assessed during a pilot case study, and revised to support different evaluation phases and types. The revised participative prototype evaluation methodology provides a specific structure for each prototype evaluation phase with detailed methods and GroupSystems tools defined for each evaluation type. An overview of the face-to-face procedures by evaluation type is included in this paper

Using Groupware in a Classroom Environment

As the use of project teams and work groups continues to grow, employers are beginning to value and to recruit those students who understand how to perform well in groups. This interest creates the logical opportunity to introduce both the concepts and practical applications of groupware (Group Supports Systems (GSS), Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) and Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS)) into business school courses. This introduction provides students with the conceptual understanding, basic skills and fundamental knowledge about working and being productive in teams. This article describes several tips on how to use groupware in a classroom to help meet this demand for team-oriented education

Towards Innovation (Eco)Systems: Enhancing the Public Value of Scientific Research in the Canadian Arctic

Over the past decade, the Canadian Arctic has seen an intensification of scientific research designed to foster innovation (i.e., the process of transforming ideas into new products, services, practices or policies). However, innovation remains generally low. This paper argues that before we can meaningfully promote innovation in the Arctic, there is a need to first identify the complex systems that support or inhibit innovation. Few, if any studies have taken a systems approach to enrich our understanding of how existing networks may or may not support innovation in the Canadian Arctic. A promising, but under-explored approach is to consider innovation ecosystems, defined as the multi-level, multi-modal, multi-nodal and multi-agent system of systems that shape the way that societies generate, exchange, and use knowledge. This paper presents innovation (eco)systems as a potentially valuable systems-based approach for policy actors to enhance innovation linkages in the Arctic. From a policy perspective, there is a need to embrace and promote more networked approaches to co-create public value and to consider the lifespan of any innovation. Potential directions for future research include: mapping the actors involved in Arctic innovation ecosystems (including intermediaries and bridging agents) at multiple scales; the role that formal and informal institutions play in shaping co-innovation; case studies to evaluate innovation processes; and an assessment of the coupled functional-structural aspects that influence innovation outcomes in the Canadian Arctic