UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTEGRATION ARCHITECTURE AND ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE: THE CANONICAL MODEL AS A GOVERNANCE RESOURCE - A CASE STUDY IN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY

The Total Architecture concept is increasingly present at a time when organizations are consolidating plans for the implementation of SOA. The assumption that the integration of heterogeneous systems must be planned is undeniable. Enterprise Architecture has been advocated as a first new step towards systems integration. The nature of its attributes - namely the holistic vision of the organization as the Information System itself and its orientation towards the business process - seems to fit well with the characteristics of EAI. This article summarizes the research performed in an organization implementing SOA. It sought not only to validate the existence of a relationship between Enterprise Architecture and Integration Architecture as expressed in literature, but also to understand its nature more deeply. The result demonstrated the importance of the Canonical Model as a Governance artifact in the regulation of the relationship between the two architectures. The Canonical Model seems to serve in addition as a tool for knowledge sharing between the actors involved in the problem of alignment between business and information systems. A conceptual model is proposed in order to express the logical flow and patterns identified in the relationship. Key Words: Enterprise Architecture, Integration Architecture, Canonical Model, Governanc

Strategic corporate communication in the digital age

Businesses are increasingly using corporate communication technologies to interact with prospective customers. Therefore, this study explores the corporate executives’ readiness to use interactive media for engagement with online users. The methodology relied on valid and reliable measures to explore the participants’ pace of technological innovation, perceived usefulness, ease of use and social influences, as these factors can have an effect on their engagement with interactive technologies. The findings supported the scales’ content validity as the structural equations modeling approach has reported a satisfactory fit for this study’s research model. The results indicated that the pace of technological innovation, perceived usefulness, ease of use of online technologies as well as social influences were significant antecedents for the marketing executives’ engagement with online users through digital media. This contribution implies that corporate communications executives ought to continuously monitor conversations in social media and review sites, and to respond to their online followers in a timely manner. In conclusion, it identifies its limitations and suggests possible research avenues to academia.peer-reviewe

Digitally literate: framework for the development of digital literacy

The development of information and communication technology is placing the need for the acquisition of digital skills at the same level of the acquisition of conventional reading and calculus competences. The importance of being digitally literate increases as society becomes progressively more digital. This paper explores the concept of digital literacy and it intends to develop a framework for the development and dissemination of digital literacy as well as to propose a survey that will throughout time provide an assessment of individuals' digital skills. It begins by examining the various definitions of digital literacies and proceeds then to a discussion of what is being done to promote them and what can be done to improve their dissemination. The framework this paper proposes is composed of three core elements: access to technology, education and culture. The survey it recommends is an European Union-wide instrument of digital literacy measurement

Does 'MP3' audio feedback enhance students' learning skills?: An international case study

Feedback in higher education, via either traditional or technology approaches, is essential to promote students' skills and knowledge. This study aims to assess students’ responses to the lecturer’s ‘MP3’ audio feedback in four postgraduate units in Australia and Portugal. Two methods are used to provide feedback to the students: traditional and audio ‘MP3’ feedback. The former tracks via a Microsoft word application system, giving academics the chance to include comments regarding what went wrong, and how things might be improved in terms of the topic, structure, layout, style, referencing, grammar and syntax, and proofreading requirements embedded within the assessment. The ‘MP3’ approach, on the other hand, recodes the feedback message using the free software ‘Audacity’. This ‘MP3’ contains a personalized message highlighting the good and bad points, and provides suggestions for improving the final submission. This study provides empirical evidence based on three sources: informal and formal student feedback, and an online survey. The 184 students who participated in the study appeared to be pleased and quite satisfied with the ‘MP3’ audio assessment feedback approach as their learning outcomes and their writing, research, listening, and technology skills were enhanced

Guest Editors’ Introduction-Special Issue on Digital Society and E-Technologies

It is evident that E-Technology (i.e. The Internet, social media… etc.) play a significant role in maintaining and supporting our digital society in various sectors from business, education, health and government and others. E-Technologies are now available worldwide for numerous numbers of universal users to increase collaboration, communication, interaction, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving in developing and developed countries. It is anticipated, and there is evidence gathering that E-technologies use will increase work performance, productivity, innovation, workers’ satisfaction, reduce cost and maintenance. On the other hand, adopting e-technologies will bring various negative aspects in relation to security, privacy, legal aspects and users’ frustration, as majorities of these e-technologies are still neglecting important aspects, i.e. Human Computer Interaction and usability. It is anticipated that these aspects will assist to improve the system functionality, which can be used efficiently, effectively and satisfactorily by universal users, including people with disability

The Use of Gamification to Increase Engagement and Other Intrinsic Factors with Work Integrated Learning Participants During New Hire Onboarding: An Organisational Case Study

Gamification is a developing approach to increase factors such as engagement, collaboration and motivation amongst learners. With the growing popularity of gamified learning experiences and shifting workplace demographics, the current study aims to shed light on the use of gamification by work integrated learning (WIL) participants within an organisational context. Previous studies have highlighted mixed levels of success when applying gamification techniques to educational settings and have often neglected the development of a conceptual framework to aid successful implementation of this. The current study will critically examine the use of gamification within new hire onboarding and utilise self-determination theory in the design of a gamified mobile application to facilitate this. Findings will add to the body of knowledge and extend practical understanding of the specific gamification features to promote effective outcomes in terms of user engagement and increased motivation in the new hire context

Arquivo e repertório na performance de Rolando Boldrin

Este artículo analiza la práctica performativa del actor y contador de historias Rolando Boldrin y su relación con la práctica archivística, a partir del acompañamiento de una grabación del programa televisivo "Sr. Brasil" de la TV Cultura, en perspectiva con la observación de hechos relacionados la formación de ese actor y la metodología utilizada por el investigador.Este artigo analisa a prática performática do ator e contador de causos Rolando Boldrin e sua relação com a prática arquival, a partir do acompanhamento de uma gravação do programa de televisão Sr. Brasil da TV Cultura, colocando em perspectiva a observação de fatos relacionados à formação desse ator decano. O texto também sugere a influência da utilização de métodos da cartografia na observação da performance de Boldrin e na produção de dados realizada pelo autor.This article analyzes the performative practice of the actor and storyteller Rolando Boldrin and his relationship with the archival practice, from the accompaniment of a recording from the television show Sr. Brasil in TV Cultura channel, putting in perspective the observation of facts related to the formation of this actor. The text also suggests the influence of the use of cartographic methods in the observation of the Boldrin’s performance and in the production of data performed by the author.Este artículo analiza la práctica performativa del actor y contador de historias Rolando Boldrin y su relación con la práctica archivística a partir del acompañamiento de una grabación del programa televisivo Sr. Brasil, de la TV Cultura, en perspectiva con la observación de hechos relacionados a la formación de ese actor. El texto también sugiere la influencia de la utilización de métodos de la cartografía en la observación del desempeño de Boldrin y en la producción de datos realizada por el autor

The students’ readiness to engage with mobile learning apps

Purpose: A relevant literature review suggests that today’s children are increasingly immersing themselves in ubiquitous technologies, including interactive media and digital games. Therefore, this research investigates the primary school students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations toward learning via gameplay through their mobile devices, at home, and at school. Design: This study was carried out among primary school students in a small European state. It used valid and reliable measures, that comprised the technology acceptance model’s key constructs. However, the empirical investigation also explored the students’ perceived enjoyment and social influences, as plausible antecedents for their behavioral intention to engage with the educational applications (apps). Findings: The findings reported that there were strong correlations between the students’ perceived usefulness of the mobile technologies and their behavioral intention to use them for their learning. The results also indicated that there was no significant relationship between the perceived ease of use and the children’s enjoyment in engaging with the educational apps that were used at school. Originality: To the best of our knowledge, there is no other study in academia that has explored the children’s technology acceptance, normative pressures and their intrinsic motivations to use mobile learning technologies in the context of primary education. Therefore, this contribution opens future research directions, as this study can be replicated in other contexts.peer-reviewe