Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

An Examination Of Teachers' Integration Of Web 2.0 Technologies In Secondary Classrooms: A Phenomenological Research Study, Barbara Ann Boksz

CCE Theses and Dissertations

An Examination of Teachers' Integration of Web 2.0 Technologies in Secondary Classrooms: A Phenomenological Research Study

By

Barbara A. Boksz

© November 8, 2012

This study examined the process teachers used to change their pedagogy to deliver effective instruction using Web 2.0 tools. A phenomenological approach examined the "lived experiences" of seven secondary teachers through in-depth interviews giving this study an in-depth qualitative analysis of teachers and technology.

The widening digital divide between teachers and students causes a barrier for educators trying to reach their students. Students are raised with pervasive technology, while teachers are using Web 2.0 tools on …

A Comparative Analysis Of Machine Learning Techniques For Foreclosure Prediction, Dexter Randell Brown

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The current decline in the U.S. economy was accompanied by an increase in foreclosure rates starting in 2007. Though the earliest figures for 2009 - 2010 indicate a significant decrease, foreclosure of homes in the U.S. is still at an alarming level (Gutierrez, 2009a). Recent research at the University of Michigan suggested that many foreclosures could have been averted had there been a predictive system that did not only rely on credit scores and loan-to-value ratios (DeGroat, 2009). Furthermore, Grover, Smith & Todd (2008) contend that foreclosure prediction can enhance the efficiency of foreclosure mitigation by facilitating the allocation of …

Constructing A Community Response Grid (Crg): The Dublin, Ohio Case Study, John Freund

CCE Theses and Dissertations

During an emergency, information availability is critical to preserving life and minimizing damages. During the emergency response, however, information may not be available to those who need it. A community response grid (CRG) can help ameliorate this lack of availability by allowing people to document and distribute emergency information to professional emergency responders (PERs). A CRG combines mobile communications services, Internet technologies, e-government applications, and social network concepts with traditional emergency response systems.

The problem that this case study investigated was how to construct a CRG for the City of Dublin, Ohio, Division of Police that works in conjunction with …

Securely Handling Inter-Application Connection Credentials, Gary Lieberman

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The utilization of application-to-application (A2A) credentials within interpretive language scripts and application code has long been a security risk. The quandaries being how to protect and secure the credentials handled in the main body of code and avoid exploitation from rogue programmers, system administrators and other users with

authorized high levels of privilege.

Researchers report that A2A credentials cannot be protected and that there is no way to reduce the risk of the inevitable successful attack and subsequent exploit. Therefore, research efforts to date have primarily been focused on mitigating the impact of the attack rather than finding ways to …

The Interactions Among Information Technology Organizational Learning, Project Learning, And Project Success, Donald Stuart Mckay

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge gained from completed information technology (IT) projects was not often shared with emerging project teams. Learning lessons from other project teams was not pursued because people lack time, do not see value in learning, fear a potentially painful process, and had concerns that sharing knowledge will hurt their career. Leaders could change the situation; however organizational leaders have not seen value in project learning and have not made it a priority. Yet, if a relationship existed among IT project success variables (PSVs) organizational learning factors (OLFs) and project learning practices (PLPs) then IT leaders may take greater interest in …

Understanding The Value Of Enterprise Architecture For Organizations: A Grounded Theory Approach, Edwin Frank Nassiff

CCE Theses and Dissertations

There is a high rate of information system implementation failures attributed to the lack of alignment between business and information technology strategy. Although enterprise architecture (EA) is a means to correct alignment problems and executives highly rate the importance of EA, it is still not used in most organizations today. Current literature only gave anecdotal reasons why EA was not more widely adopted. This study explored the problem of EA underutilization by understanding how organizational executives value EA.

This research used the grounded theory methodology to obtain the EA perspectives of organizational executives responsible for EA. Seventeen executives were selected …

Minimizing Recommended Error Costs Under Noisy Inputs In Rule-Based Expert Systems, Forest D. Thola

CCE Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops methods to minimize recommendation error costs when inputs to a rule-based expert system are prone to errors. The problem often arises in web-based applications where data are inherently noisy or provided by users who perceive some benefit from falsifying inputs. Prior studies proposed methods that attempted to minimize the probability of recommendation error, but did not take into account the relative costs of different types of errors. In situations where these differences are significant, an approach that minimizes the expected misclassification error costs has advantages over extant methods that ignore these costs.

Building on the existing literature, …

An Empirical Assessment Of Factors Contributing To Individuals' Propensity To Commit Software Piracy In The Bahamas, Raymond Cleophas Wells

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have found that software piracy worldwide over the years has significantly contributed to billions of dollars in lost revenue for many software firms. Software developers have found it difficult to create software that is not easily copied, thus, creating a software protection problem. Software piracy remains a global problem despite the significant effort to combat its prevalence.

Over the years, significant research has attempted to determine the factors that contribute to individuals' propensity to commit software piracy. Most of the research on software piracy has been limited to larger societies, with recommendations by researchers to extend similar studies to …

A Comparison Of Users' Personal Information Sharing Awareness, Habits, And Practices In Social Networking Sites And E-Learning Systems, Albert Ball

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Although reports of identity theft continue to be widely published, users continue to post an increasing amount of personal information online, especially within social networking sites (SNS) and e-learning systems (ELS). Research has suggested that many users lack awareness of the threats that risky online personal information sharing poses to their personal information. However, even among users who claim to be aware of security threats to their personal information, actual awareness of these security threats is often found to be lacking. Although attempts to raise users' awareness about the risks of sharing their personal information have become more common, it …

Incorporating Personal Health Records Into The Disease Management Of Rural Heart Failure Patients, Karen Baron

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Personal Health Records (PHRs) allow patients to access and in some cases manage their own health records. Their potential benefits include access to health information, enhanced asynchronous communication between patients and clinicians, and convenience of online appointment scheduling and prescription refills. Potential barriers to PHR use include lack of computer and internet access, poor computer or health literacy, security concerns, and provider disengagement. PHRs may help those living in rural areas and those with chronic conditions such as heart failure, monitor and manage their disease, communicate with their health care team and adhere to clinical recommendations. To provide some much …

A Study Of Targeted Information System Accessibility And Usage By Foreign Domestic Workers In Singapore, Sandra Boesch

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have had a remarkable influence on society. Many argue that the impact of ICTs, either positive or negative, affects all of humanity. Acceptance, usability, and accessibility are key for ICTs to make a positive impact on society. Previous research states that Information Technology (IT) can lead to higher salaries, better communication, and more rapid advancements from emerging to developed nations. Additionally, information technology has demonstrated the potential to improve society's effectiveness and productivity by establishing a means to circulate knowledge, increase knowledge sharing, and provide knowledge accumulation and internalization. Therefore, if information technology can improve …

A Study Of Technological Barriers To Instructor E-Readiness In The Online Learning Environment, Glenda H. E. Gay

CCE Theses and Dissertations

A critical factor of e-learning success is the e-learning readiness of the online user. However, there is a scarcity of studies on online instructors' e-learning readiness (E-Readiness) in an online learning environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there were correlations among online instructor E-Readiness dimensions and factors at the design and delivery stages that affect system outcomes. In this study, the DeLone and McLean model was used as a framework for research to test E-Readiness with the System Design stage (comprising System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality), System Delivery stage (comprising System Use, and User …

Quantifying Performance Costs Of Database Fine-Grained Access Control, David Harold Kumka

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Fine-grained access control is a conceptual approach to addressing database security requirements. In relational database management systems, fine-grained access control refers to access restrictions enforced at the row, column, or cell level. While a number of commercial implementations of database fine-grained access control are available, there are presently no generalized approaches to implementing fine-grained access control for relational database management systems.

Fine-grained access control is potentially a good solution for database professionals and system architects charged with designing database applications that implement granular security or privacy protection features. However, in the oral tradition of the database community, fine-grained access control …

Instructional Strategies And Activities That Inform The Community Of Inquiry (Coi) Framework, Stephan D. Junion

CCE Theses and Dissertations

The Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework is one of the more widely used frameworks supporting online learning effectiveness. While there has been extensive research on the development and validation of the CoI framework and survey, less attention has been devoted toward implementation of a CoI and how practitioners design instructional strategies and activities that support this type of constructivist online learning environment.

The research literature about the CoI along with phenomenological interviews with expert designers guided the creation of three products: the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Instructional Strategies and Activities Guide, Community of Inquiry (CoI) Instructional Strategies and Activities Job …