An Approach to Measuring Extent of Use of Web Functionalities: A Content Analysis of HTML Tags

Commercial activity on the World Wide Web (WWW) portion of the internet continues to grow at an accelerated rate. However, anecdotal evidence suggests there is a high level of variance in the extent of use of Web functionalities. This article examines the validity of this claim by content analyzing Web page HTML tags. These tags are used to capture the following Web functionalities: a) information dissemination, b) interactive communication, c) multi-media support, and d) access to internet tools like FTP, E-Mail, Telnet, etc. Our results (based on a sample of 77 Web sites from four service industries) support the anecdotal observation that there exists a high level of variance in the extent of use of Web functionalities

The Effectiveness of Computer-Based Game Show Formats in Survey Courses: A Quasi-Experiment

The confluence of computers and integrated projection systems in the classroom has opened new avenues for course content delivery in an active learning format. This paper first discusses the concepts of active learning and play in a pedagogical context. Next, the implementation and subjective results of a generic computer-based game show for delivering course content in introductory survey courses is presented. This paper then describes the employed methodology and statistically tests certain aspects of the course related to the effectiveness of this implementation. The results of this quasi-experiment using five sections of an upper-division MIS (Management Information Systems) survey course spanning three academic terms strongly support the research hypotheses that the game show format increases student learning and improves student perceptions of the overall quality of the course. The implications of this research for educators are discussed. The game show application was developed by the authors and is available for download as freeware

Creating a Health Informatics Program: Is It Good For What Ails Us?

The state of information technology in healthcare, which for years has greatly lagged behind other industries, is currently evolving at a rapid pace. Unfortunately, very few educational programs are producing graduates with the technical and clinical skills to meet these needs. To remedy this problem, researchers and faculty at a large southern university developed and implemented a new Health Informatics (HI) bachelor’s degree program. This paper evaluates the program\u27s performance at one year after implementation to determine if the hypotheses that led to its creation are supported. Critical success factors for creating a successful HI program at other institutions are identified and discussed

Mission Impossible? Putting the Patient Back in Patient Care

The primary focus of this teaching case is the patient journey, as facilitated and influenced by an e-system or electronic health record (EHR) system. The goal of this case is to provide the learner with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively incorporate patient-centered e-health (PCEH) principles into existing and planned e-health systems such as EHRs. This case can be used to help students understand a hospital experience from the perspective of a patient and her family. It is loosely based on an experience one of the authors had with an actual patient. This case is intended for use with upper level undergraduate and graduate health informatics, information systems, and nursing students. Students assigned to this case should have a working knowledge of clinical terms and the general workings of a hospital. This teaching case is best suited to an advanced course in a health informatics curriculum. Possible applications of the case include, but are not limited to, describing the patient journey, modeling the process flow, diagramming the data flow, and applying the principles of patient-centered e-health