A study of biometric authentication adoption in the credit union industry

Society has become more dependent on technology for identification purposes because the intimacy of a simple face to face acknowledgment of a person\u27s identity has become a thing of the past. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that influence the intent to adopt biometric authentication in organizations using the theory of adoption and diffusion of innovations. Using external pressure, readiness and perceived benefits, the research model measures the level of contribution that these factors make to the adoption of biometric authentication in the credit union financial services. Within the three main factors, the sub-factors that contribute to the model are competitive pressure, consumer pressure, regulatory pressure, innovativeness, top management support, consumer readiness, financial resources, and perceived benefits. Based on the sub-factors, the results indicate that the intent to adopt is driven by competitiveness and finances and not by the perceived benefits within the credit union industry

A model for measuring student persistence through collaborative learning

Institutions of higher education are being called upon to provide a more robust pathway to a college degree and improve upon the advanced workforce for the needs of the 21st century. As 21st century skills call for an employee to successfully work collaboratively in groups, an increase in technology adoption, globalization and increased competition are among the factors that make collaboration one of the most important skills that employers insist that individuals obtain today. An active learning environment through collaborative learning techniques has been encouraged in higher education as a means of improving student engagement (Freeman, Eddy, McDonough, Smith, Okoroafor, Jordt, & Wenderoth, 2014; Slavich & Zimbardo, 2012; Prince, 2004), but there is a gap in the literature when it comes to connecting the two research areas of collaborative learning and student intention to persist. Continued research is warranted to further understand the factors that may contribute to improving the situation of attrition, and to suggest ways that institutions can enhance engagement and ultimately improve student success. The purpose of this study is to create a model that will measure the factors that significantly influence a student\u27s persistence in a computer supported collaborative learning environment. Based on prior theoretical research, the model is developed to analyze how collaborative learning is mediated by campus connectedness and a sense of community, and subsequently how it impacts student persistence utilizing affective organizational commitment and turnover intention measures. A survey instrument was developed based on the factors of the research model, and was tailored to the terminology used for communities and academia. To test the model, a cohort of students across multiple institutions was invited to participate in a virtual learning community, and a total of 103 students participated. To test the entire model, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used. In testing the design of the overall model utilizing structural equation modeling, the relationship between all factors but one were found to be statistically significant. In further analysis, the model design was also able to discern between two separate groups, adding to its versatility. Implications for research in this area include an expansion of student attrition research through turnover intention, scalability with the addition of more constructs, and ultimately a new model that contributes to future research that is not limited to a higher education domain

Collaboration, Connectedness, and Community: An examination of the factors Influencing Student Persistence in Virtual Communities

Institutions of higher education are being called upon to provide a more robust pathway to a college degree and improve upon the advanced workforce for the needs of the 21st century. While active collaborative learning environments have been encouraged in higher education to improve student engagement, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to connecting the two research areas of collaborative learning and student intention to persist. This research fills this gap by creating and conducting research to examine a model that measures the factors that significantly influence a student\u27s persistence in a virtual collaborative learning environment. The model examines how collaborative learning, campus connectedness, sense of community, organizational commitment, and turnover intention influence student persistence. The model was tested using a sample of students who participated in a virtual learning community (VLC) and the results suggest that all but one of the factors were found to significantly influence student persistence, with the final factor dependent on the number of hours of system usage. We discuss the implications of the research and the model for team-based theory and organizational practice in education and teamwork

Customer Acceptance of Biometric Technology

Information intensive industries, such as the hospitality industry, are attempting to turn back the customer service clock by creating more personalized experiences for their guests. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have enabled organizations to record and gain insight into the relationship it has with each one of its clients. The act of face and name recognition continues to remain an essential ingredient in creating positive customer service experiences. A biometric recognition system could assist hotel employees by providing an on-demand history of customers’ behaviors and preferences. A prototype was developed to simulate a hotel facial recognition system with a fingerprint identification application. The experiment also included a survey instrument to measure the likelihood of customer acceptance of biometric technology. This study concluded that user intention to adopt depended on the attractiveness of the innovation and new product attributes

Peer Evaluation of Team Member Effectiveness as a Formative Educational Intervention

Peer evaluation of team member effectiveness is often used to complement cooperative learning in the classroom, by holding students accountable for their team contributions. Drawing on the tenants of self-determination theory, this study investigated the impacts of formative peer evaluation in university level team-based design projects. The hypothesis was that the introduction of formative peer evaluation cycles would result in a more student-centered learning climate, increased competence, reduced doubt, and improved student learning. Two semesters were compared in this quasi-experimental study where results of peer evaluation became modifiers to students’ grades in the final project. In only one of the semesters, peer evaluation was also used multiple times formatively to provide students with feedback and encourage changes in behavior without impacting grades. When formative peer evaluation was implemented, students earned higher grades on the final project and in the course and perceived a more student-centered learning environment, more competence, and less doubt about the course

Interdisciplinary Pedagogy, Integrated Curriculum, and Professional Development

The challenges involved in facing and solving the most pressing global problems of the 21st century will involve collaboration and critical engagement from multiple disciplines. Interdisciplinary education and the critical skills it can teach—innovation, team-based collaboration, and effective communication, among many others—are crucial to preparing current students for their futures as professional problem-solvers. We introduce an integrated pedagogical approach between three introductory courses at Purdue University: Design Thinking in Technology (Tech 120), English Composition (English 106), and Fundamentals of Speech Communication (Com 114). Instructors and administrators in all three of these programs are working together to reinforce the valuable and important connections between STEM and Humanities work. Along with an overview of the development and implementation of this integration, we present a summary of findings from our ongoing assessment of the program. The integration has the most beneficial effects on students’ sense of community, which in turn significantly impacts their performance on team projects. When STEM and Humanities instructors and faculty share goals and spend time innovating together, the potential benefits to students and to the future of engineering education overall are clear

A study of biometric authentication adoption in the credit union industry

Society has become more dependent on technology for identification purposes because the intimacy of a simple face to face acknowledgment of a person's identity has become a thing of the past. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors that influence the intent to adopt biometric authentication in organizations using the theory of adoption and diffusion of innovations. Using external pressure, readiness and perceived benefits, the research model measures the level of contribution that these factors make to the adoption of biometric authentication in the credit union financial services. Within the three main factors, the sub-factors that contribute to the model are competitive pressure, consumer pressure, regulatory pressure, innovativeness, top management support, consumer readiness, financial resources, and perceived benefits. Based on the sub-factors, the results indicate that the intent to adopt is driven by competitiveness and finances and not by the perceived benefits within the credit union industry.</p

A model for measuring student persistence through collaborative learning

Institutions of higher education are being called upon to provide a more robust pathway to a college degree and improve upon the advanced workforce for the needs of the 21st century. As 21st century skills call for an employee to successfully work collaboratively in groups, an increase in technology adoption, globalization and increased competition are among the factors that make collaboration one of the most important skills that employers insist that individuals obtain today. An active learning environment through collaborative learning techniques has been encouraged in higher education as a means of improving student engagement (Freeman, Eddy, McDonough, Smith, Okoroafor, Jordt, & Wenderoth, 2014; Slavich & Zimbardo, 2012; Prince, 2004), but there is a gap in the literature when it comes to connecting the two research areas of collaborative learning and student intention to persist. Continued research is warranted to further understand the factors that may contribute to improving the situation of attrition, and to suggest ways that institutions can enhance engagement and ultimately improve student success. The purpose of this study is to create a model that will measure the factors that significantly influence a student's persistence in a computer supported collaborative learning environment. Based on prior theoretical research, the model is developed to analyze how collaborative learning is mediated by campus connectedness and a sense of community, and subsequently how it impacts student persistence utilizing affective organizational commitment and turnover intention measures. A survey instrument was developed based on the factors of the research model, and was tailored to the terminology used for communities and academia. To test the model, a cohort of students across multiple institutions was invited to participate in a virtual learning community, and a total of 103 students participated. To test the entire model, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used. In testing the design of the overall model utilizing structural equation modeling, the relationship between all factors but one were found to be statistically significant. In further analysis, the model design was also able to discern between two separate groups, adding to its versatility. Implications for research in this area include an expansion of student attrition research through turnover intention, scalability with the addition of more constructs, and ultimately a new model that contributes to future research that is not limited to a higher education domain.</p

Collaboration, Connectedness, and Community: An examination of the factors Influencing Student Persistence in Virtual Communities

Institutions of higher education are being called upon to provide a more robust pathway to a college degree and improve upon the advanced workforce for the needs of the 21st century. While active collaborative learning environments have been encouraged in higher education to improve student engagement, there is a gap in the literature when it comes to connecting the two research areas of collaborative learning and student intention to persist. This research fills this gap by creating and conducting research to examine a model that measures the factors that significantly influence a student's persistence in a virtual collaborative learning environment. The model examines how collaborative learning, campus connectedness, sense of community, organizational commitment, and turnover intention influence student persistence. The model was tested using a sample of students who participated in a virtual learning community (VLC) and the results suggest that all but one of the factors were found to significantly influence student persistence, with the final factor dependent on the number of hours of system usage. We discuss the implications of the research and the model for team-based theory and organizational practice in education and teamwork.This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Computers in Human Behavior 57 (2016): 452–464, doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.046. </p