Search

Search Results

• 21. [Article] Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults

  People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults Author: Raymaker, Dora Madeline Year: 2015 People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites are necessary but not sufficient without the direct engagement of end users in identifying access needs. Yet little is known about methods for effective engagement, and there are no systematically derived Web accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. Here I explore a hybrid approach to direct engagement using critical systems thinking (CST) and community based participatory research (CBPR) during the co-development of a healthcare-focused web site by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). I explore these ideas on three levels: theory, practice, and critical self-reflection. On the theory level, I examine the common philosophical and historical roots of CST and CBPR, ways in which they intersect and complement, and propose the hybrid approach exemplified by AASPIRE. On the practice level, I explore our web site development process and evaluate the accessibility, usability, and acceptability of the web site for autistic end users; from that work, comes a set of recommendations for working with people with disabilities in technology development and a set of accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. On the critical self-reflection level, I inquire into my own experiences as an insider-researcher during the web site development. I then synthesize the levels to evaluate whether or not taking a hybrid CST/CBPR approach to web development was effective, as indicated by the team's ability to function as an emancipatory learning organization (an indicator of effective systems thinking on an organizational level), and the overall usability and accessibility of the web site. The result of the synthesis suggests a hybrid CST/CBPR approach was effective. Implications of this work include innovations in CST methods for operationalizing its commitment to human emancipation, potential for drawing a more ideologically-aligned systems thinking literature into the domain of CBPR, a means for individuals wishing to create a more power-balanced learning organization, innovations around including people with disabilities in research and technology development, more accessible web sites for people on the autism spectrum, and a potential small shift of dominant discourse around autism, disability, and the value of insider-researchers over time. Title: Intersections of Critical Systems Thinking and Community Based Participatory Research in Developing a Web Site for Autistic Adults Author: Raymaker, Dora Madeline Year: 2015 People with disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum, comprise the world's largest minority and experience significant inequities in Internet use. Existing standards for accessible web sites are necessary but not sufficient without the direct engagement of end users in identifying access needs. Yet little is known about methods for effective engagement, and there are no systematically derived Web accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. Here I explore a hybrid approach to direct engagement using critical systems thinking (CST) and community based participatory research (CBPR) during the co-development of a healthcare-focused web site by the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE). I explore these ideas on three levels: theory, practice, and critical self-reflection. On the theory level, I examine the common philosophical and historical roots of CST and CBPR, ways in which they intersect and complement, and propose the hybrid approach exemplified by AASPIRE. On the practice level, I explore our web site development process and evaluate the accessibility, usability, and acceptability of the web site for autistic end users; from that work, comes a set of recommendations for working with people with disabilities in technology development and a set of accessibility guidelines for autistic end users. On the critical self-reflection level, I inquire into my own experiences as an insider-researcher during the web site development. I then synthesize the levels to evaluate whether or not taking a hybrid CST/CBPR approach to web development was effective, as indicated by the team's ability to function as an emancipatory learning organization (an indicator of effective systems thinking on an organizational level), and the overall usability and accessibility of the web site. The result of the synthesis suggests a hybrid CST/CBPR approach was effective. Implications of this work include innovations in CST methods for operationalizing its commitment to human emancipation, potential for drawing a more ideologically-aligned systems thinking literature into the domain of CBPR, a means for individuals wishing to create a more power-balanced learning organization, innovations around including people with disabilities in research and technology development, more accessible web sites for people on the autism spectrum, and a potential small shift of dominant discourse around autism, disability, and the value of insider-researchers over time. Close

• 22. [Article] Research Guide Technologies

  Research guides (also known as subject guides, course guides, or pathfinders) provide targeted information on a particular topic to support student or faculty research in that area. Similar instructional ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Research Guide Technologies Author: Farkas, Meredith G Year: 2012 Research guides (also known as subject guides, course guides, or pathfinders) provide targeted information on a particular topic to support student or faculty research in that area. Similar instructional tools have been around since before the birth of the web, but are now almost exclusively provided by libraries online as part of the library’s web presence. Research guide software enables librarians without web design skills to quickly and easily create and update web content. The technologies for creating research guides run the gamut from proprietary and open source software specifically designed for creating guides to open source and third-party-hosted applications that can be repurposed to create guides. Tips and Trends, written by Instructional Technologies Committee members, introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technology which can be applied in the library instruction setting. Title: Research Guide Technologies Author: Farkas, Meredith G Year: 2012 Research guides (also known as subject guides, course guides, or pathfinders) provide targeted information on a particular topic to support student or faculty research in that area. Similar instructional tools have been around since before the birth of the web, but are now almost exclusively provided by libraries online as part of the library’s web presence. Research guide software enables librarians without web design skills to quickly and easily create and update web content. The technologies for creating research guides run the gamut from proprietary and open source software specifically designed for creating guides to open source and third-party-hosted applications that can be repurposed to create guides. Tips and Trends, written by Instructional Technologies Committee members, introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technology which can be applied in the library instruction setting. Close

• 23. [Article] Oregon Department of Administrative Services Customer and Employee Survey Results

  In order to obtain input from DAS customers and employees, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), in partnership with the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Portland State University, and ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Oregon Department of Administrative Services Customer and Employee Survey Results Author: Nishishiba, Masami, Kraner, Mariah Ann, Zil, Charlene, Kurtz, Dennis Year: 2010 In order to obtain input from DAS customers and employees, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), in partnership with the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Portland State University, and Pivotal Resources Inc, conducted two surveys: one for customers and one for DAS employees. The purpose of the survey was to provide information to the HB 5002 External Working Group, and to inform and guide the change initiative at DAS. The web-based customer survey was sent to State of Oregon employees electronically. Approximately 15,000 state employees and board members received the e-mail inviting them to participate in the customer survey. 1,656 people completed the customer survey. The web-based employee survey was sent to DAS employees electronically (approximately 850 people). Computer stations were set up for the approximately 100 employees who did not have regular access to a computer terminal. A total of 439 people completed the employee survey. Survey data was collected from March 15, 2010 to March 29, 2010. Title: Oregon Department of Administrative Services Customer and Employee Survey Results Author: Nishishiba, Masami, Kraner, Mariah Ann, Zil, Charlene, Kurtz, Dennis Year: 2010 In order to obtain input from DAS customers and employees, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), in partnership with the Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Portland State University, and Pivotal Resources Inc, conducted two surveys: one for customers and one for DAS employees. The purpose of the survey was to provide information to the HB 5002 External Working Group, and to inform and guide the change initiative at DAS. The web-based customer survey was sent to State of Oregon employees electronically. Approximately 15,000 state employees and board members received the e-mail inviting them to participate in the customer survey. 1,656 people completed the customer survey. The web-based employee survey was sent to DAS employees electronically (approximately 850 people). Computer stations were set up for the approximately 100 employees who did not have regular access to a computer terminal. A total of 439 people completed the employee survey. Survey data was collected from March 15, 2010 to March 29, 2010. Close

• 24. [Article] Web Traffic and Campus Trends: A Multi-Institution Analysis

  Ordinarily, it is difficult to generalize operational research conducted at one library to the environment of another. Different survey instruments, user populations, and sampling techniques make direct ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Web Traffic and Campus Trends: A Multi-Institution Analysis Author: Jablonski, Jon, Paynter, Robin, Zeigen, Laura Year: 2010 Ordinarily, it is difficult to generalize operational research conducted at one library to the environment of another. Different survey instruments, user populations, and sampling techniques make direct comparisons difficult. Despite these clear differences, libraries continue to use this literature to plan new services. There is a clear need to establish a baseline for comparison. The use of web server log statistical reports and other web analytics may offer this baseline. Such reports are now available to most libraries, and offer a rich, and consistent, look at library user behavior. This data tells a rich story about library use, and offers a valid point of comparison between institutions. The Orbis-Cascade Alliance Research Interest Group presents these initial results as our first collaborative effort. We argue that differences between institutional environments that have long been assumed are now clearly visible in simple metrics such as most viewed pages, point-of-entry, and peak hours. These points of comparison are analyzed for four types of Alliance libraries: a public and a private four year residential campus, a community college, and an urban commuter university. The analysis offers empirical evidence of the commonalities and differences between these member libraries. Title: Web Traffic and Campus Trends: A Multi-Institution Analysis Author: Jablonski, Jon, Paynter, Robin, Zeigen, Laura Year: 2010 Ordinarily, it is difficult to generalize operational research conducted at one library to the environment of another. Different survey instruments, user populations, and sampling techniques make direct comparisons difficult. Despite these clear differences, libraries continue to use this literature to plan new services. There is a clear need to establish a baseline for comparison. The use of web server log statistical reports and other web analytics may offer this baseline. Such reports are now available to most libraries, and offer a rich, and consistent, look at library user behavior. This data tells a rich story about library use, and offers a valid point of comparison between institutions. The Orbis-Cascade Alliance Research Interest Group presents these initial results as our first collaborative effort. We argue that differences between institutional environments that have long been assumed are now clearly visible in simple metrics such as most viewed pages, point-of-entry, and peak hours. These points of comparison are analyzed for four types of Alliance libraries: a public and a private four year residential campus, a community college, and an urban commuter university. The analysis offers empirical evidence of the commonalities and differences between these member libraries. Close

• 25. [Article] Social Networking Phenomenon – Facebook’s challenges in the Changing World

  Facebook strongly influences its users to make personal information public over the last few years. The idea behind such a practice is that marketers and developers can reach-out to the users by means ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Social Networking Phenomenon – Facebook’s challenges in the Changing World Author: Durairajan, Saranya, Ibarra, Maria, Nguyen, Tin, Perrenoud, Christophe, Tsai, Sheng-Te Year: 2011 Facebook strongly influences its users to make personal information public over the last few years. The idea behind such a practice is that marketers and developers can reach-out to the users by means of better and targeted products/services. But some users, privacy groups and politicians have protested this strong influence with lawsuits and official investigations Our project examines how the current technology behind Facebook affects the users' privacy and studies its impacts. The introduction covers the rise of Web 2.0, brief histories of web evolution and web technology, and the birth of Facebook. We then analyze Facebook’s technology shift and its users’ behavior. We also analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Facebook by means of a SWOT analysis. Title: Social Networking Phenomenon – Facebook’s challenges in the Changing World Author: Durairajan, Saranya, Ibarra, Maria, Nguyen, Tin, Perrenoud, Christophe, Tsai, Sheng-Te Year: 2011 Facebook strongly influences its users to make personal information public over the last few years. The idea behind such a practice is that marketers and developers can reach-out to the users by means of better and targeted products/services. But some users, privacy groups and politicians have protested this strong influence with lawsuits and official investigations Our project examines how the current technology behind Facebook affects the users' privacy and studies its impacts. The introduction covers the rise of Web 2.0, brief histories of web evolution and web technology, and the birth of Facebook. We then analyze Facebook’s technology shift and its users’ behavior. We also analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Facebook by means of a SWOT analysis. Close

• 26. [Article] Pointing users toward citation searching: using Google Scholar and Web of Science

  Since April 2005, 10 studies have been published that directly compare the citation features of Google Scholar to those of Web of Science. In an effort to better understand the advantages and disadvantages ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Pointing users toward citation searching: using Google Scholar and Web of Science Author: Schroeder, Robert Year: 2007 Since April 2005, 10 studies have been published that directly compare the citation features of Google Scholar to those of Web of Science. In an effort to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of these tools, the author undertook an investigation of this research. Although the parameters of the studies varied greatly with respect to the disciplines, dates, and sample sizes, analysis of these preliminary studies can help us gain an initial—albeit sketchy—impression of the relative strength and weakness of each service. The results of this effort are reported here as an informal meta-analysis, followed by some recommendations for utilizing these tools across a range of needs. Title: Pointing users toward citation searching: using Google Scholar and Web of Science Author: Schroeder, Robert Year: 2007 Since April 2005, 10 studies have been published that directly compare the citation features of Google Scholar to those of Web of Science. In an effort to better understand the advantages and disadvantages of these tools, the author undertook an investigation of this research. Although the parameters of the studies varied greatly with respect to the disciplines, dates, and sample sizes, analysis of these preliminary studies can help us gain an initial—albeit sketchy—impression of the relative strength and weakness of each service. The results of this effort are reported here as an informal meta-analysis, followed by some recommendations for utilizing these tools across a range of needs. Close

• 27. [Article] InfoFilter: Supporting Quality of Service for Fresh Information Delivery

  With the explosive growth of the Internet and World Wide Web comes a dramatic increase in the number of users that compete for the shared resources of distributed system environments. Most implementations ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: InfoFilter: Supporting Quality of Service for Fresh Information Delivery Author: Liu, Ling, Pu, Calton, Schwan, Karsten, Walpole, Jonathan Year: 2000 With the explosive growth of the Internet and World Wide Web comes a dramatic increase in the number of users that compete for the shared resources of distributed system environments. Most implementations of application servers and distributed search software do not distinguish among requests to different web pages. This has the implication that the behavior of application servers is quite unpredictable. Applications that require timely delivery of fresh information consequently suffer the most in such competitive environments. This paper presents a model of quality of service (QoS) and the design of a QoS-enabled information delivery system that implements such a QoS modeL The goal of this development is two-fold. On one hand, we want to enable users or applications to specify the desired quality of service requ.irements for their requests so that application-aware QoS adaptation is supported throughout the Web query and search processing. On the other hand, we want to enable an application server to customize how it shou.ld respond to external requests by setting priorities among query requests and allocating server resources using adaptive QoS control mechanisms. We introduce the Infopipe approach as the systems support architecture and underlying technology for building a QoS-enabled distributed system for fresh information delivery. Title: InfoFilter: Supporting Quality of Service for Fresh Information Delivery Author: Liu, Ling, Pu, Calton, Schwan, Karsten, Walpole, Jonathan Year: 2000 With the explosive growth of the Internet and World Wide Web comes a dramatic increase in the number of users that compete for the shared resources of distributed system environments. Most implementations of application servers and distributed search software do not distinguish among requests to different web pages. This has the implication that the behavior of application servers is quite unpredictable. Applications that require timely delivery of fresh information consequently suffer the most in such competitive environments. This paper presents a model of quality of service (QoS) and the design of a QoS-enabled information delivery system that implements such a QoS modeL The goal of this development is two-fold. On one hand, we want to enable users or applications to specify the desired quality of service requ.irements for their requests so that application-aware QoS adaptation is supported throughout the Web query and search processing. On the other hand, we want to enable an application server to customize how it shou.ld respond to external requests by setting priorities among query requests and allocating server resources using adaptive QoS control mechanisms. We introduce the Infopipe approach as the systems support architecture and underlying technology for building a QoS-enabled distributed system for fresh information delivery. Close

• 28. [Article] Economic Case Study on Web Application Hosting Alternatives for Small and Medium Businesses

  Small and medium businesses (SMB) in need of IT applications or services to support their business, employees, and customers must make decisions on where and how to source their IT hosting services. Externally ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Economic Case Study on Web Application Hosting Alternatives for Small and Medium Businesses Author: Bynum, Wayne, Mansour, Mohammad, Abdulsater, Abrahim, Alawini, Abdussalam, Soysa, Dinesh Year: 2010 Small and medium businesses (SMB) in need of IT applications or services to support their business, employees, and customers must make decisions on where and how to source their IT hosting services. Externally hosting with a service provider offers the possibility to reduce costs and improve business efficiency but doing so requires the SMB to give up a certain level of control. This paper focuses on describing the hosting capabilities that exist in the market today at a high level as well as the advanced economic analysis that a SMB should perform as part of their decision making strategy. An Excel calculator was created to analyze the associated economic cash flows as part of this project. Title: Economic Case Study on Web Application Hosting Alternatives for Small and Medium Businesses Author: Bynum, Wayne, Mansour, Mohammad, Abdulsater, Abrahim, Alawini, Abdussalam, Soysa, Dinesh Year: 2010 Small and medium businesses (SMB) in need of IT applications or services to support their business, employees, and customers must make decisions on where and how to source their IT hosting services. Externally hosting with a service provider offers the possibility to reduce costs and improve business efficiency but doing so requires the SMB to give up a certain level of control. This paper focuses on describing the hosting capabilities that exist in the market today at a high level as well as the advanced economic analysis that a SMB should perform as part of their decision making strategy. An Excel calculator was created to analyze the associated economic cash flows as part of this project. Close

• 29. [Article] Technology in Practice. Your Reality, Augmented

  The article discusses library applications of global positioning system (GPS) functionality available in mobile telephones. Augmented reality applications and location-aware mobile Web sites are examined ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Technology in Practice. Your Reality, Augmented Author: Farkas, Meredith G. Year: 2010 The article discusses library applications of global positioning system (GPS) functionality available in mobile telephones. Augmented reality applications and location-aware mobile Web sites are examined and their possible connection with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to assist library users are explored. The development of location-based applications to enhance library services is also discussed. Title: Technology in Practice. Your Reality, Augmented Author: Farkas, Meredith G. Year: 2010 The article discusses library applications of global positioning system (GPS) functionality available in mobile telephones. Augmented reality applications and location-aware mobile Web sites are examined and their possible connection with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to assist library users are explored. The development of location-based applications to enhance library services is also discussed. Close

• 30. [Article] Moving Towards Massively Scalable Video-Based Sensor Networks

  Networking and computing technologies are becoming advanced enough to enable a wealth of diverse applications that will drastically change our everyday lives. Some past examples of these developments include ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Moving Towards Massively Scalable Video-Based Sensor Networks Author: Feng, Wu-chi, Walpole, Jonathan, Pu, Calton, Feng, Wu-chang Year: 2001 Networking and computing technologies are becoming advanced enough to enable a wealth of diverse applications that will drastically change our everyday lives. Some past examples of these developments include the World Wide Web and wireless data networking infrastructures. As is quite obvious, the World Wide Web has enabled a fundamental change in the way many people deal with day-to-day tasks. Through the web, one can now make on-line reservations for travel, pay bills through on-line banking services, and view personalized on-line newscasts. More recently, developments in wireless technologies have enabled anywhere, anytime access to information over wireless medium. As wireless technologies such as 3G continue to advance, the ability to support larger bandwidth applications will become possible. Sensor networks are becoming a fairly hot area of research where the main focus is the development of networking technologies that support potentially thousands of sensors placed in a chosen environment [Estrin99]. Thus far, the sensors that have been described in the literature (and in some limited use) typically measure simple things such as humidity, temperature, or pressure. This results in a fairly limited amount of data generated, even over thousands of sensors. Now, if we look ten years into the future when video capture devices will most likely be small and inexpensive (with limited processing capabilities), the ability to create video-based sensor networks will be possible. Video-based sensor networks can be used for a great number of applications that would undoubtedly revolutionize the way we go about our day-to-day lives. Title: Moving Towards Massively Scalable Video-Based Sensor Networks Author: Feng, Wu-chi, Walpole, Jonathan, Pu, Calton, Feng, Wu-chang Year: 2001 Networking and computing technologies are becoming advanced enough to enable a wealth of diverse applications that will drastically change our everyday lives. Some past examples of these developments include the World Wide Web and wireless data networking infrastructures. As is quite obvious, the World Wide Web has enabled a fundamental change in the way many people deal with day-to-day tasks. Through the web, one can now make on-line reservations for travel, pay bills through on-line banking services, and view personalized on-line newscasts. More recently, developments in wireless technologies have enabled anywhere, anytime access to information over wireless medium. As wireless technologies such as 3G continue to advance, the ability to support larger bandwidth applications will become possible. Sensor networks are becoming a fairly hot area of research where the main focus is the development of networking technologies that support potentially thousands of sensors placed in a chosen environment [Estrin99]. Thus far, the sensors that have been described in the literature (and in some limited use) typically measure simple things such as humidity, temperature, or pressure. This results in a fairly limited amount of data generated, even over thousands of sensors. Now, if we look ten years into the future when video capture devices will most likely be small and inexpensive (with limited processing capabilities), the ability to create video-based sensor networks will be possible. Video-based sensor networks can be used for a great number of applications that would undoubtedly revolutionize the way we go about our day-to-day lives. Close