Undergraduate Student Attitudes Toward MIS: Instrument Development and Changing Perceptions of the Field Across Gender and Time

The MIS field suffers from two pressing workforce issues, underrepresentation of women and inadequate supply of entry level talent. To examine these issues, this study develops an instrument to measure attitudes toward MIS (Attitude toward success, usefulness, confidence in learning, and effectance motivation) and perceptions of both MIS and MIS professionals. Data from 1102 college students collected over a five-year period were then used to test gender differences within and across time periods. In spite of recent efforts, little progress has been made to improve attitudes and perceptions. However, in contrast to expectations, views appear not so different across gender

Cross Cultural Study of Multimedia Effects on First Impression Bias

The body of knowledge about the relationship between multimedia and first impression bias, which has been mainly accumulated in North America, may not be generalizable in other countries because theories ground on one culture may not necessarily apply in other cultures. To better understand how multimedia can be applied successfully in various cultures for reducing first impression bias, researchers need to compare multimedia effects systematically across different cultures. This paper discusses the importance and necessity of considering the culture dimensions, such as collectivistic cultures versus individualistic cultures, in studying multimedia’s impact on firs impression bias. It arrives at several propositions for future empirical investigations. These propositions delineate the relationships between first impression, media type (text based versus multimedia based), and culture

Are Student Self-Assessments a Valid Proxy for Direct Assessments in Efforts to Improve Information Systems Courses and Programs? An Empirical Study

Accrediting agencies in the United States require business schools to conduct ongoing assessment directed at continuous improvement of their instruction. Because direct assessment efforts are usually more time consuming and resource-intensive than indirect assessment, it would be helpful if indirect assessment could be used as an effective alternative, at least on occasion. The validity of one indirect method, student self-assessment, has been debated in the research literature. This study compares results of direct measures and student self-assessments for learning outcomes in an Information Systems course. We find student self-assessments are valid proxies for direct assessment when used with some types of learning outcomes but not others. We discuss possible reasons for the difference and the implications for assessment in Information System programs

Implementing Direct and Indirect Assessment in the MIS Curriculum

Assessment and continuous improvement have become focus areas for accrediting agencies. The process used to develop assessment plans within a sequence of MIS courses at a major midwestern university is described. The process includes establishing student outcomes, developing assignments that tap into these outcomes, and utilizing both direct and indirect assessment measures. Actionable insights that can be gleaned to improve pedagogy from the use of both direct and indirect measures are described

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Determining Factors that Lead Students to Study Information Systems using an Alumni Focus Group

Given the need to attract more students to major in information technology or information systems, a study was conducted using a focus group of alumni from Miami (Ohio) University’s information systems program. The focus group identified factors that influenced their choice to study information systems, and these factors were then ranked and classified into categories for further analyses. Results reveal that lucrative job opportunities and career advancement is the number one reason that these alumni chose to major in management information systems and that female panelists listed this category as the critical reason for their choice more so than their male peers. The categories can also form a framework for further study of factors influencing students’ decision to study MIS/IS and then choose a career in IT, and can be used by educators to create programs and marketing efforts to attract students at a younger age to study computing

Health-related quality of life following kidney and simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation

Introduction: Kidney and simultaneous pancreas kidney (SPK) transplant recipients are younger and fitter than most other dialysis patients, but are also more vulnerable in areas of social, emotional and physical interaction. Few studies have tracked their post-transplant health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Aim: To assess HRQoL following kidney and SPK transplantation, with comparison to dialysis patients, people with multiple co-morbidities and general population data. Methods: Patients completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF™) 1.3 to assess their pre-transplant HRQoL within 4 weeks of transplantation and 12 months later. Demographic and laboratory data were collected on participating patients and on non-participating patients at both time-points. Results: Of 118 patients who completed the baseline KDQOL-SF™, 75 (57 kidney and 18 SPK) completed the 1 year survey. Compared to baseline, 12 months HRQoL scores improved in all domains except for work status, exceeded those of patients on dialysis and, except for emotional wellbeing and mental health, exceeded the scores of people with multiple co-morbidities. For female transplant recipients, 12 months HRQoL scores were not statistically different from similarly aged women in the general population. Male transplant recipients had similar scores for bodily pain and energy/fatigue, but lower scores in other domains. Compared to kidney-only transplant recipients, SPK recipients achieved higher scores in work and sleep domains. Conclusion: Improvements in most HRQoL domains occur within 1 year of kidney or SPK transplantation, and women achieve similar HRQoL to women in the general population. These data are encouraging for patients contemplating transplant listing