Albert L. Harris

Bio: Albert L. Harris is an academic researcher from Appalachian State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Information technology & Educational technology. The author has an hindex of 12, co-authored 34 publications receiving 807 citations.

Web 2.0 and Virtual World Technologies: A Growing Impact on IS Education

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION Whether it is a social networking site like Facebook, a video stream delivered via YouTube, or collaborative discussion and document sharing via Google Apps, more people are using Web 2.0 and virtual world technologies in the classroom to communicate, express ideas, and form relationships centered around topical interests. Virtual Worlds immerse participants even deeper in technological realms rife with interaction. Instead of simply building information, people create entire communities comprised of self-built worlds and avatars centered around common interests, learning, or socialization in order to promote information exchange. With information systems (IS) classrooms quickly filling with the Google/Facebook generation accustomed to being connected to information sources and social networks all the time and in many forms, how can we best use these technologies to transform, supplement, or even supplant current pedagogical practices? Will holding office hours in a chat room make a difference? What about creating collaborative Web content with Wikis? How about demonstrations of complex concepts in a Virtual World so students can experiment endlessly? In this JISE special issue, we will explore these questions and more. 2. TYPES OF WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES Web 2.0 technologies encompass a variety of different meanings that include an increased emphasis on user generated content, data and content sharing, collaborative effort, new ways of interacting with Web-based applications, and the use of the Web as a social platform for generating, repositioning and consuming content. The beginnings of the shared content nature of Web 2.0 appeared in 1980 in Tim Berners-Lee's prototype Web software. However, the content sharing aspects of the Web were lost in the original rollout, and did not reappear until Ward Cunningham wrote the first wiki in 1994-1995. Blogs, another early part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon, were sufficiently developed to gain the name weblogs in 1997 (Franklin & van Harmelen, 2007). The first use of the term Web 2.0 was in 2004 (Graham, 2005; O'Reilly, 2005a; O'Reilly, 2005b) "Web 2.0" refers to a perceived second generation of Web development and design that facilitates communications and secures information sharing, interoperability, and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of Web-based communities, hosted services, and applications; such as social-networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies" (Web 2.0, 2009). The emphasis on user participation--also known as the "Read/Write" Web characterizes most people's definitions of Web 2.0. There are many types of Web 2.0 technologies and new offerings appear almost daily. The followng are some basic categories in which we can classify most Web 2.0 offerings. 2.1 Wikis A "wiki" is a collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone with access to contribute or modify content, using a simplified markup language, and is often used to create collaborative Websites. (Wiki, 2009). One of the best known wikis is Wikipedia. Wikis can be used in education to facilitate knowledge systems powered by students (Raman, Ryan, & Olfman, 2005). 2.2 Blogs A blog (weblog) is a type of Website, usually maintained by an individual with regular commentary entries, event descriptions, or other material such as graphics or video. One example of the use of blogs in education is the use of question blogging, a type of blog that answers questions. Moreover, these questions and discussions can be a collaborative endeavor among instructors and students. Wagner (2003) addressed using blogs in education by publishing learning logs. 2.3 Podcasts A podcast is a digital media file, usually digital audio or video that is freely available for download from the Internet using software that can handle RSS feeds (Podcast, 2009). …

The impact of information richness on information security awareness training effectiveness

Abstract: In recent years, rapid progress in the use of the internet has resulted in huge losses in many organizations due to lax security. As a result, information security awareness is becoming an important issue to anyone using the Internet. To reduce losses, organizations have made information security awareness a top priority. The three main barriers to information security awareness are: (1) general security awareness, (2) employees' computer skills, and (3) organizational budgets. Online learning appears a feasible alternative to providing information security awareness and countering these three barriers. Research has identified three levels of security awareness: perception, comprehension and projection. This paper reports on a laboratory experiment that investigates the impacts of hypermedia, multimedia and hypertext to increase information security awareness among the three awareness levels in an online training environment. The results indicate that: (1) learners who have the better understanding at the perception and comprehension levels can improve understanding at the projection level; (2) learners with text material perform better at the perception level; and (3) learners with multimedia material perform better at the comprehension level and projection level. The results could be used by educators and training designers to create meaningful information security awareness materials.

Learning by Doing: Twenty Successful Active Learning Exercises for Information Systems Courses

Abstract: Aim/Purpose This paper provides a review of previously published work related to active learning in information systems (IS) courses. Background There are a rising number of strategies in higher education that offer promise in regards to getting students’ attention and helping them learn, such as flipped classrooms and offering courses online. These learning strategies are part of the pedagogical technique known as active learning. Active learning is a strategy that became popular in the early 1990s and has proven itself as a valid tool for helping students to be engaged with learning. Methodology This work follows a systematic method for identifying and coding previous research based on an aspect of interest. The authors identified and assessed research through a search of ABI/Inform scholarly journal abstracts and keywords, as well as additional research databases, using the search terms “active learning” and “information systems” from 2000 through June 2016. Contribution This synthesis of active learning exercises provides guidance for information technology faculty looking to implement active learning strategies in their classroom by demonstrating how IS faculty might begin to introduce more active learning techniques in their teaching as well as by presenting a sample teaching agenda for a class that uses a mix of active and passive learning techniques to engage student learning. Findings Twenty successful types of active learning exercises in IS courses are presented. Active Learning in IS 22 Recommendations for Practitioners This paper offers a “how to” resource of successful active learning strategies for IS faculty interested in implementing active learning in the classroom. Recommendation for Researchers This work provides an example of a systematic literature review as a means to assess successful implementations of active learning in IS. Impact on Society An updated definition of active learning is presented as well as a meaningful list of exercises that encourage active learning both inside and outside of the IS classroom. Future Research In relation to future research, this study highlights a number of opportunities for IS faculty in regards to new active learning activities or trends to study further.

Incorporating Ethics and Social Responsibility in IS Education

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION: ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN INFORMATION SYSTEMS The study of ethics is concerned with issues of morality, fairness and natural justice. In very basic terms, it is about "what is right?" and "what is wrong?," though of course the answers to such quandaries are often not obvious or straightforward. These questions can give rise to dilemmas and trade-offs, and are influenced by culturally-embedded behavioral norms. Chaffey and White (2011, p. 572) define business ethics as "moral principles concerning acceptable and unacceptable behavior by corporations and individual business people." Although awareness of the need for business ethics was emerging in the 1960s (Baumhart, 1961), it was not until the following two decades that it became an issue of major concern, mainly driven by public outcry against the absence of appropriate standards in political and corporate life (Vitell and Festervand, 1987). The related area of "social responsibility" is based upon the ideology that individuals and organizations have a moral obligation to behave in a way that, at least, is not detrimental to society at large, i.e. passive responsibility. This responsibility could also be active, meaning that individuals and organizations engage in activities that are beneficial to society. In the era of globalisation, the responsible stewardship and governance of business, government and society impacts the lives of everyone. Students discovering the ease of gathering vast amounts of information and the power of organizing and combining it with information systems (IS) may have no moral basis for interpreting how that information should be used (or conversely, protected). As the old sayings go, "information is power" and "power corrupts." It therefore becomes readily apparent that information systems, if misused, can lead to undesirable consequences. Laws that govern corporate responsibilities may be forgotten or set aside when information so easily crosses international borders. Information systems are now ubiquitous and pervasive, often delivering benefits such as mobile computing and location-based services, but also potentially or actually having detrimental impacts such as invasion of privacy or large-scale data compromise. This presents challenges and dilemmas for ethics and social responsibility within an organization. Equally as important is how these both will play into and be integrated into the IS function within the business environment. Unfortunately, history is rife with examples of organizations acting in morally questionable ways or in their own self-interest to the detriment of society, such as the recent financial scandals at Enron, WorldCom, Goldman Sachs, Anglo Irish Bank, and Societe Generale. Similarly irresponsible actions have occurred in the domain of information technology, such as the Sony BMG rootkit case in the US, the News of the World phone-hacking incident in the UK, and the Satyam scandal in India. On the other hand, organizations have leveraged information systems to act ethically and in socially responsible ways, such as using online communities to activate volunteering networks (e.g. sparked.com), using social media to raise funds for philanthropic causes (e.g. Fox Television's "Idol Gives Back" scheme), and using the Internet as a channel to advocate for international human rights (e.g. BBC World Service Trust). In this introduction to the special issue, we focus on two main themes--how ethics and social responsibility enhances IS education, and how IS educators might go about teaching ethics and social responsibility as part of IS curriculum. We first investigate the advantages of including ethics and social responsibility in IS education. Next, we consider how ethics and social responsibility might be incorporated into the IS curriculum. Building on these two themes, we present a brief introduction to each of the articles in the special issue and describe how each contributes to our knowledge in one or both of these areas. …

Social media engagement behaviour: a uses and gratifications perspective

Abstract: The proliferation of social media platforms and corresponding consumer adoption in recent years has precipitated a paradigm shift, significantly altering the ways customers engage with brands. Organisations recognise the social and network value of engagement within social media, and practitioners are endeavouring to build engagement through their social media content. However, theoretically based academic guidance concerning marketing practice and engagement in new media social networks is limited. This article provides a theoretical model to explicate the role of social media content in facilitating engagement behaviour within a social media context. Based on uses and gratifications theory, it provides a model for how an organisation can stimulate positively valenced engagement behaviour through social media and dissuade negatively valenced engagement behaviour in this forum. A typology of social media engagement behaviour is proposed and a series of hypotheses exploring the relationships between social...

Beyond the Usefulness and Ease of Use : Extending the TAM for a World - Wide - Web Context

Abstract: Ease of use and usefulness are believed to be fundamental in determining the acceptance and use of various, corporate ITs. These beliefs, however, may not explain the user’s behavior toward newly emerging ITs, such as the World-Wide-Web (WWW). In this study, we introduce playfulness as a new factor that reflects the user’s intrinsic belief in WWW acceptance. Using it as an intrinsic motivation factor, we extend and empirically validate the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) for the WWW context. # 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP): a review of the literature

Abstract: This article is a review of work published in various journals on the topics of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) between January 2000 and May 2006. A total of 313 articles from 79 journals are reviewed. The article intends to serve three goals. First, it will be useful to researchers who are interested in understanding what kinds of questions have been addressed in the area of ERP. Second, the article will be a useful resource for searching for research topics. Third, it will serve as a comprehensive bibliography of the articles published during the period. The literature is analysed under six major themes and nine sub-themes.

Restoring a Sense of Control during Implementation: How User Involvement leads to System Acceptance.

Abstract: User involvement has long been considered a critical component of effective system implementation. However, the perspective has suffered from mixed results of empirical tests and the lack of a theoretical explanation for the relationship (Ives and Olson, 1984; Baroudi, et al., 1986). Our purpose is to present a theoreticallygrounded perspective to account for effects of involving users during implementation, and to provide an initial test of this perspective. We propose that: (1) system implementation represents a threat to users’ perceptions of control over their work and a period of transition during which users must cope with differences between old and new work systems; (2) user involvement is effective because it restores or enhances perceived control. Results of a field experiment designed as a preliminary test of this perspective are discussed.