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Aim/Purpose In this study, we aim to understand factors that can influence technology- supported learning, specifically in the blended environment. To do that, a research model is developed by incorporating factors from three perspectives, including self-related factors, technology and systems factors, and the instructional design factor. Background Technology-supported learning has changed the way of instruction dramatically in higher education, from e-learning to the more recent blended learning. Because of the increased popularity and wide adoption of blended learning, it would be of importance for educators and researchers to know and understand factors that could lead to student success in the blended environment. Methodology The survey method was used in this study. The study site is a freshman-level, introduction to computer information systems class, at a major public university located in the United States, which adopts the blended learning instructional method. In total, 699 students completed the survey. Contribution This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating potential, influential factors on blended learning success from multiple perspectives. In addition, a research model is developed and tested in order to systematically investigate and understand the impacts of those factors on student success in such a learning environment. Findings Some interesting results have been identified. One is that students' computer self-efficacy doesn't play any significant role in influencing their perceptions of either the learning climate, task-technology fit, or the level of flexibility associated with blended learning. However, their own motivation to learn could significantly influence the first two of them. Another important result we find is that all four technology and systems related factors, including information quality, system quality, service quality, and media richness, have significant impacts on students' perceptions of learning climate, task-technology fit, and blended learning flexibility. We also find that the instructional design factor can significantly influence blended learning success. Recommendations for Practitioners The significant impacts of factors examined in this study on student success in blended learning could shape the design and adoption of technology-supported learning in educational institutions. Recommendations for Researchers This study offers a research model that researchers could adopt to evaluate student success in blended learning or technology-supported education in general. Impact on Society The higher education industry needs to gain a better understanding of how potential factors could influence student success in blended learning (or technology-supported learning in general) in order to ensure the success of the use of modern information technology and systems to assist students' learning. Future Research Future research can further examine and validate the research model proposed in this study on other class settings and with different types of study bodies. In addition, future research may identify other types of important factors and further extend the proposed research model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently colleges and universities are facing a number of problems, including ill designed curricula that do not address demands from the job market. There is also tremendous pressure from society on academic institutions to provide an education that results in guaranteed employment, especially given the soaring price of higher education. Currently, a number of academic institutions are facing the problem of grade inflation, which has resulted in the grade point average (GPA) model losing its value (Mansfield, 2001). Therefore, academic educational institutions are looking for alternative ways to provide an education that attracts students in a highly competitive world. Several US academic institutions have adopted the outcome based educational model to move away from the GPA driven model. Furthermore, accreditations organizations (such as North Central Association of Colleges and Schools) are requiring academic institutions to present a method to assess students' learning outcomes, particularly in the general education courses. The purpose of this study is to report on lessons learned from the early stages of implementing an e-portfolio assessment system using an outcome-based information technology curriculum. As a college requirement, students need to develop an e-portfolio to showcase significant work and demonstrate progress toward achieving college learning outcomes. The student e-portfolio includes a variety of digital artifacts such as projects, term papers, or case studies. The e-portfolio assessment system was developed to facilitate the assessment of student work. This system includes a repository of student work, faculty assessment criteria, and course specific learning outcomes, and allows faculty to post comments on student work. Students can then review their work and decide whether to include it in their e-portfolios. The College developed an alignment model to map all learning outcomes into courses of the curriculum. In this model, significant assignments are embedded in IT courses and are used to measure the achievement level of a particular outcome(s). In their final year, senior students present the latest version of their e-portfolios to a faculty panel and explain their choice of each piece of evidence and how it links to one or more college learning outcomes. It is anticipated that with time, student e-portfolios will become an important source of information for the College to evaluate the effectiveness of learning outcomes across the curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2001 a meeting of interested parties from fifteen four-year IT programs from the US along with representatives from IEEE, ACM, and ABET (CITC-1) began work on the formalization of Information Technology as an accredited academic discipline. The effort has evolved into SIGITE, the ACM SIG for Information Technology Education. During this period three main efforts have proceeded in parallel: 1) Definition of accreditation standards for IT programs, 2) Creation of a model curriculum for four-year IT programs, and 3) Description of the characteristics that distinguish IT programs from the sister disciplines in computing. During the deliberations of the SIGITE Curriculum Committee, several topics emerged that were considered essential, but that did not seem to belong in a single specific knowledge area or unit. One of the most significant of these "pervasive themes" is Information Assurance and Security (IAS). A consensus emerged that these themes must be addressed during the entire learning experience and that students and instructors need to be constantly aware of how these themes are woven through the fabric of the curriculum. In this paper we present an introduction to SIGITE and the context of the work of the Curriculum Committee on IT2005, the IT curriculum volume described in the Overview Draft document of the Joint Task Force for Computing Curriculum 2005. We then describe the IAS component of the IT2005 document and how some IT programs are incorporating IAS as a "pervasive theme" that is woven through the curriculum. We conclude with some observations about the experience and some suggestions for those attempting to integrate information assurance and security into an existing program. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The last twenty years has seen the development of demand for a new type of computing professional, which has resulted in the emergence of the academic discipline of Information Technology (IT). Numerous colleges and universities across the country and abroad have responded by developing programs without the advantage of an existing model for guidance. Efforts to define a model curriculum for IT began at the first Conference on Information Technology curriculum (CITC-1) in December 2001, which included representatives from 15 IT programs at four-year universities across the United States. Membership in SIGITE (Special Interest Group Information Technology Education) has grown to over 400 representing many of the four-year IT programs in the United States and abroad and some of the two-year IT programs in the United States. Continued development of the curriculum and subsequent funding by the Education Board of ACM enabled the completion of a first draft of the model curriculum for IT establishing program outcomes and a body of knowledge defining the discipline. This paper presents an overview of the process followed and the results achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing adequate computing lab support for Management Information Systems (MIS) and Computer Science (CS) programs is a perennial challenge for most academic institutions in the US and abroad. Factors, such as lack of physical space, budgetary constraints, conflicting needs of different courses, and rapid obsolescence of computing technology, precipitate this challenge. While introductory computing courses can be adequately supported through general labs, advanced computing courses typically require dedicated labs. Normally, however, even a dedicated lab must simultaneously support multiple courses with diverse support requirements. Consequently, in designing dedicated computing labs, versatility and flexibility of the lab must be the prime consideration. Drawing on the insights gained from developing a dedicated lab, the authors present a model for developing a versatile, flexible lab to support computer network courses. The proposed model entails a modular design approach which offers ease of management, configuration and upgrading of the lab by decoupling the lab functions into layers. The layered design divides the lab into four management layers: (1) wiring layer, (2) networking layer, (3) server systems layer, and (4) support procedures layer. Each layer offers a versatile and configurable design and serves as a foundation for the next higher layer. Wiring layer minimizes the wire configuration efforts and enhances wiring flexibility by utilizing patch panels at the computer desks and the racks housing networking devices, and sufficient underground wiring between desks and racks. The underground wiring allows for network, telephone and serial cable connections as needed. Network layer builds LANs, subnets and internets with minimal configuration effort through a careful arrangement of network hubs, switches, routers, and firewalls. The network layer distinguishes between permanent networks needed in the lab, called pre-configured networks, and the networks that are assembled and disassembled by the students, called configurable networks. The network address allocation schemes for different types of network experiments are also discussed. Server systems layer covers two categories of servers: pre-configured servers and configurable servers. Pre-configured servers, such as DNS and file servers, are production servers that support network experiments. Configurable servers are hardware platforms that can be configured as needed according to experimental needs. The last layer, procedural layer, provides policies, guidelines and operational procedures that are needed for proper utilization of the lab space and the equipment. The paper also illustrates the application of the proposed model through the design and configuration of the computing lab for network courses underlying this case study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Studies in gender have offered many reasons for the differing attitudes and skill levels that male and female undergraduate students possess when it comes to learning technology skills. Male and female students have differing learning styles influenced by such experiential factors as biology, historical inequalities, inconsistent political rights, and problems of sociological constructions. Studies such as Clegg and Trayhurn's (2000) in the United Kingdom (UK), Crews and Butterfield's (2003) in the United States, the European Union's (EU) the Women in Technology North West's surveys (2004), and the World Bank's research (2005) demonstrate that the gender gap is a reality when it comes to technology training, in most institutions and countries, both developed and developing. The gender gap persists despite many efforts to curb the effects of institutional and social inequality. However, the gender gap is different in each context and must be contextualized in each situation; in fact, the gender gap as a term conflates several different arguments and may indeed contribute to misstudunderstandings of the issue. In May 2003, the Technology Edge Research Project completed a major study of undergraduate liberal arts students and their attitudes concerning the technology skills that they have gained during university. This report builds upon the findings of the Technology Edge Research Project's preliminary needs assessment; this research was documented in a previous article in the Journal of Information and Technology Education (JITE) entitled, "Providing a Technology Edge for Liberal Arts Students" (Butler, Chao, & Ryan, 2003). Elaborating on our findings as they specifically related to gender issues, this paper addresses the following research questions: 1) Is there a gender gap between final year male and female undergraduate students when it comes to information technology (IT) skills? 2) What are the differences in attitudes and self-reported skill levels of final year male and female undergraduate students, in both the arts and non-arts? What is the relationship between these attitudes and measured aptitudes? 3) How can educators address these differences, when they develop and deploy materials designed to improve IT skills? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On September 11th, 2001 the United States experienced the largest terrorist attack in its history. This event caused many government agencies to review their security practices and procedures. It also has raised awareness of other avenues that terrorists might pursue to achieve their goals, including cyber terrorism. Cyber terrorism can be described as politically motivated attacks in cyberspace. These attacks are intended to cause grave harm, such as loss of life or severe economic damage. Often the term "weapons of mass disruption" is used in describing these potential computer-based threats. The threat of these attacks intensified the need for more computer professionals to have computer security expertise. It also pointed to the need for students studying computer related fields to be exposed to topics in computer security, particularly the threat posed by cyber terrorism. We examined a random sample of sixteen textbooks in the field of computer security to determine the coverage dedicated to cyber terrorism. Textbooks typically provide resources for faculty to teach students various topics in a course -- in this case resources to help students understand the potential threats, techniques, and targets of cyber terrorists. The results show that computer security textbooks do not give cyber terrorism the depth of cover-age warranted by its significance for the IT industry. Therefore, faculty need to find their own references and resources to address cyber terrorism adequately in their class. This paper concludes by providing numerous web sites and trade books that can be used to help faculty provide more information to their students on cyber terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares two model curricula - one from India and one from the USA. These two countries have played a starring role in the development of information technology. Moreover, model curricula are useful tools for comparison of how different countries perceive and perpetuate ideas surrounding IT. Firstly, it was found that the Indian curriculum is far more instrumental than the American curriculum. Emphasis was placed on business applications of technology, laying bare the desire to turn graduates into engineers. Chemistry, Physics, and Electronics were well represented in the Indian curriculum but not at all in the American curriculum, possibly reflecting an Indian preference for this type of "hard" epistemology. This indicates that American and Indian curriculum designers perceive IT somewhat differently, and this may have significant implications for the way technology is developed in these two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim/Purpose: Currently, Information Systems (IS) departments in business schools are moving towards integrating learning to program or code in their undergraduate core courses. Many factors affecting IS student success in learning to program have been identified, but there is still a dearth of knowledge about student perceptions on their own competence. The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that may affect the success of IS students in learning to program. Background: Students' perceptions about the value and difficulties to learn programming can affect their skills acquisition. IS educators need to understand the student perception related to difficulties of learning to program in order to offer more effective support during their teaching process and interactions with students. To address this need, this study examines two critical elements to improve teaching IS programming courses: (a) Programming Self-Efficacy--students' beliefs on their own programming competence, combined with (b) levels of programming skills which IS students initially thought to learn for their future profession. Methodology: This study uses quantitative data drawn from undergraduate students in a Computer Information Systems classes at Colorado State University in U.S.A. and supported by qualitative data. Contribution: Quantitative data measures the correlation between students' programming self-efficacy, their perceived value of programming, their own practice time, and the frequency of teaching assistant (TA) consultations. The qualitative data was utilized to understand students' thoughts of the programming skills they need in their future profession that may influence their programming selfefficacy during the learning process. The importance of this study lies in the potential that the findings of this study are critical to investigate the most influential factors that are likely to be a vehicle through which educators can either improve self-efficacy of their students and/or understand it more fully. Furthermore, these findings may influence pedagogical practices for teaching programming languages in higher education contexts more successfully. For instance, applying a contextual learning approach may assist in identifying the most effective approach to teach programming courses, and in turn, will lead to increased learning outcomes as encountered and narrated by IS students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presentation software is an important tool for both student and professorial communicators. PowerPoint has been the standard since it was introduced in 1990. However, new "improved" software platforms are emerging. Prezi is one of these, claiming to remedy the linear thinking that underlies PowerPoint by creating one canvas and permitting the presenter to zoom in and out as each element is introduced. Users can move back and forth to display the separate elements and reflect how they fit into a larger context. As these new tools are introduced, there may be different responses to them depending on the cultural background of the user. In order to understand one such interplay, Prezi was introduced to students in a class in Norway and in the same way to a class in the U.S. The mixed method study compared the introduction of this new software tool to two undergraduate classes in Spring 2012. The two professors used the same introduction to the tool. The output was the final project presentation for the class done using the Prezi tool. Students evaluated each other's presentations on 10 attributes and answered two open-ended questions about the presentations. They also completed an 8-question self-evaluation of their or their team's presentation. The instructor/researchers also used the same questions to evaluate her class. An additional 13 questions were added to the instructor instrument. Each instructor/researcher also viewed videos of the presentations from the other class and evaluated these presentations using the same set of questions. Results showed that both sets of students used the new tool well despite minimal direct instruction. Most made their presentations less linear than they would have been in PowerPoint. They generally used the Prezi technique of grouping elements and constructing a pathway between groups. Most inserted multimedia such as photos, videos, and links. Some especially appreciated the Prezi feature of more than one user being able to work on a presentation at the same time. Peers liked each other's presentations and found them engaging. However, open-ended comments were more directed to actual content than use of Prezi. In student feedback the answer to the first attribute, being engaging, appeared to create a halo for most of the other attributes. In evaluating their peers' presentations, the U.S. students were significantly more positive than the Norwegian ones, reinforcing the belief that the American culture is well above the global norm in optimism. Norwegians were lengthier in their open-ended feedback to their peers and focused more on content and style than the Americans. In self-evaluations, Americans had more to say than Norwegians. They stressed the creative aspect of Prezi whereas Norwegians highlighted presentations being tidy and calm. Males were higher raters on average than females. The researchers were less positive than the students, reflecting stricter standards than students. Researcher recommendations for teaching Prezi are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online learning continues to expand at educational institutions around the globe. Educators must better understand how interaction with online course content impacts student engagement and learning. Advances in technology amplify the imperative to gain further insights into how delivery of course materials can enhance and support the learning process. This study investigates student patterns of access to instructional resources provided in an asynchronous online digital literacy course offered at a regional university in the United States. Frequency counts and access rates collected from a learning management system were used to assess patterns of student retrieval of course materials in four categories: core materials, direct support, indirect support and ancillary materials. Results were consistent with student survey responses and indicate that students selectively access course content based upon the degree to which they perceive it will positively influence performance and outcomes on assignments and assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to explore the effect of varied static visual instructions on students' online learning. One experimental study was conducted to fulfill the purpose. Sixty undergraduate students majoring in educational-related areas from an American public university participated in the study. The results of the study show that the effect of two static visual instructions (concept map and static image) in facilitating different types of knowledge acquisition in an online environment is the same. During lower-order thinking process, only static visual instruction (static image) is superior to text-based instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The under representation of women and minorities in undergraduate computer science and information systems programs is a pervasive and persistent problem in the United States. Needed is a better understanding of the background and psychosocial factors that attract, or repel, minority students from computing disciplines. An examination of these factors is the focus of this multimethodological study that has been conducted over three phases with three separate populations. During phase 1, a survey was administered to students, who were non computer science or information systems majors, enrolled in computer applications courses at both a public and a private Historically Black Universities located in Maryland. The purpose was to examine whether a correlation existed between institutional type and access, education, counseling, and exposure to computing and/or information systems. Analysis of the data found that the participating students came to college with little information about computer science (CS) and information systems (IS) as fields of study. However, a significant disparity was found when institutional type was considered. According to the findings the students attending the private minority-serving institution reported greater access to technology, skill levels, and computing studies prior to entering college. In the second phase of the study, a satisfaction survey was administered, to students majoring in computer science at the public Historically Black University. The purpose was to examine the pre-college preparedness of minority students and whether differences would exist between the responses of the male and female participants. The respondents reported that they did not come to college with the adequate programming skills and/or prior training to succeed as a CS major, with females found to be less prepared than males. In the third phase of the study, a focus group was held with CS students in order to consider changes that would increase the enrollment and retention of underrepresented students. The participants suggested that the addition of bridge programs, increased scholarship opportunities, and greater academic support would increase the enrollment, success, and retention of underrepresented students in CS and IS majors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The unprecedented growth, development and implementation of information technology (IT) driven by e-commerce and other technological advances have resulted in an increased demand of technology skilled workers (Reichgelt, Zhang, & Price, 2002; United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2005). In response to degree-dependent employment requirements, academic institutions have fallen prey to the laws of supply and demand. The increased interest in obtaining IT-related positions has prompted students to enroll in IT-related degree programs. The government has supported universities interested in developing such programs by providing grants to build schools and colleges of information sciences and technology (IST). Furthermore, as IST programs grow by leaps and bounds, universities and accreditation organizations have been working to develop guidelines by which to monitor and maintain academic standards. This study identifies national standards for IST baccalaureate programs in the United States. A survey containing 138 IST standard criteria grouped in 15 categories was sent to 50 individuals affiliated with five IST-related accrediting bodies in the United States: the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (2006); the American Library Association (ALA) (2003); American Society for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) (2002); the Business Accreditation Committee (BAC) (2002); and the Computer Sciences Accreditation Board (CSAB) (2001), who served as a panel of experts in the area of IST to identify a theoretical framework for IST degree programs. The results of the survey revealed that all respondents agreed with the IST program standards outlined in this study. The IST standards categories outlined in this study may be utilized by any academic organization interested in developing, implementing, evaluating, or improving their IST degree program. Future studies could be conducted to identify degree requirements for virtual or online IST degree programs, graduate degree programs, and/or continuing education IST programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the ACM guidelines for curricula at educational institutions, the recommendations for Information Security Assurance (ISA) education do not specify the topics, courses, or sequence of courses. As a consequence, there are numerous ISA education models and curricula in existence at educational institutions around the world. Organizations employing ISA professionals generally base their assessment of an individual's skill level based on academic qualifications or certifications. While academic qualifications support broad knowledge and skills in general, professional certifications may be effective in a limited area of operations. Academic programs exposing the students to theoretical concepts and problem solving experience are critical for preparing graduates for jobs in the information security. The critical importance of information security curriculum at universities is stressed. Therefore, it is appropriate to evaluate the quality of academic information security programs and suggest changes or improvements in the curricula to ensure that undergraduates and graduates have gained the required skills after completing their studies. Despite a variety of ISA curricula and diverse educational models, universities often fail to provide their graduates with skills demanded by employers. There is a big discrepancy between the levels of skills expected by employers and those the graduates have after completing their studies. In U.S., many educational institutions defined the educational model and curricula based on standards and guidelines promoted by government or other organizations, resulting in numerous ISA education models and curricula. However, the focus is on practical, low level skills which are identified in various standards. Issues related to Information Security curricula include content, didactic methodology, and degrees in Information Security. In addition, ABET accreditation criteria of 2005-2006 for US computing programs (computer engineering, computer science, information systems) still do not include criteria for evaluating information security education. Information security education in other countries is briefly compared with the ISA educational programs in the U.S. We identified that there is greater variation and flexibility in the ISA academic programs with universities located outside the U.S. Many universities offer sound curricula to focus on specific skills required for information security systems developers and information security managers. In nearly all countries, the ISA related research is sponsored by universities and "National Laboratories" that can be viewed as counterparts of NIST and NSF. We briefly discuss changes to approaches, topics, resources, and courses. We discuss the implementation of an effective ISA curriculum based on the curriculum content, methodology, currency, and research. It is necessary to recognize that the curriculum content of an ISA program is multidisciplinary, with inter-related topics coming from computer science, computer engineering, mathematics, management, information systems, business, political science, psychology, sociology, and law. Specific topics should be included about securing critical infrastructure that covers all sectors (agriculture, food, water, public health, emergency services, government, defense, information and telecommunications, energy, transportation, banking and finance, chemical industries and hazardous materials, postal and shipping, monuments and icons). As organizations build knowledge from a strategic, managerial, and operational perspective, universities and training organizations should teach skills that are mapping to these areas. Scholarly research should explore new technologies and new approaches to obtain more effective and long-term solutions.… [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]