Bostjan Sumak

Review: A meta-analysis of e-learning technology acceptance: The role of user types and e-learning technology types

Existing literature in the field of e-learning technology acceptance reflects a significant number of independent studies that primarily investigate the causal relationships proposed by technology acceptance theory, such as the technology acceptance model (TAM). To synthesize the existing knowledge in the field of e-learning technology acceptance, we have conducted a systematic literature review of 42 independent papers, mostly published in major journals. Furthermore, in order to view the research context by combining and analyzing the quantitative results of the reviewed research studies, a meta-analysis of the causal effect sizes between common TAM-related relationships was conducted. The main findings of this study, which is the first of its kind, are: (1) TAM is the most-used acceptance theory in e-learning acceptance research, and (2) the size of the causal effects between individual TAM-related factors depends on the type of user and the type of e-learning technology. The results of the meta-analysis demonstrated a moderating effect for user-related factors and technology-related factors for several evaluated causal paths. We have gathered proof that the perceived ease of use and the perceived usefulness tend to be the factors that can influence the attitudes of users toward using an e-learning technology in equal measure for different user types and types of e-learning technology settings.

Towards a Framework for Quality XML Schema Evaluation

Assuring quality IT solutions demands assuring quality in all aspects of software development process. For this we need well-formed methods with suitable metrics with which we can verify if a process, software product, software component, software artifact or other part of possible solution meets defined quality characteristics. XML Schemas and corresponding XML documents are becoming the most important software artifacts. Today we can find large number of software metrics which are mostly used for software products. Very little has been done in field of metrics for XML Schema specification, especially metrics for evaluating XML Schemas quality. In this paper we will analyze existing XML metrics and their usage and try to hand out preliminary proposal for XML Schema quality framework.

XML Schema metrics for quality evaluation

In XML Schema development, the quality of XML Schemas is a crucial issue for further steps in the life cycle of an application, closely correlated with the structure of XML Schemas and different building blocks. Current research focuses on measuring complexity of XML Schemas and mainly do not consider other quality aspects. This paper proposes a novel quality measuring approach, based on existing software engineering metrics, additionally defining quality aspect of XML Schemas in the following steps: (1) definition of six schema quality aspects, (2) adoption of 25 directly measurable XML Schema variables, (3) proposition of six composite metrics, applying 25 measured variables and (4) composite metrics validation. An experiment using 250 standard XML Schemas collected from available e-business information systems was conducted. The results illustrate influence of XML Schema characteristics on its quality and evaluate applicability of metrics in the measurement process, a useful tool for software developers while building or adopting XML Schemas.

Towards an e-business acceptance model: Identification of external factors

E-business has become a popular way of conducting business in the last decade or two, when economic and social world evolved through progress in Internet and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). In order to succeed, e-business solutions must meet different requirements of different stakeholders, and e-business solution developers and providers must understand which factors have a crucial impact on end users usage behaviour. The primary objective of this paper is to systematically identify and classify most important factors with a significant direct or indirect impact on end users decision whether he or she would accept and use a certain e-business technology. A practical outcome of this paper is a proposal for an e-business acceptance model, which could be used to better understand reasons, why certain e-business solutions have higher acceptance rate than other.

Patterns for improving mobile user experience

Mobile telephone sales are achieving a constant growth on the global level as well as locally in Slovenia, where stores have a record of approximately fourfold increase of mobile device sales in the last 6 years. Accordingly, the development of mobile applications and services has also escalated, however, not every mobile application received the anticipated acceptance rate. The reason for poor success of mobile applications can be low user experience. The paper focuses on the concept of a mobile user experience definition and enhancement, addressing the questions (1) what is mobile user experience, (2) how to measure the mobile user experience and (3) how to improve the mobile user experience based on mobile design patterns. Results of a case study are included, recording the behavioural characteristics of 27 users using a mobile application for checking receipts, evaluating its ease of use, usefulness and other users needs and requirements.

Design and development of contactless interaction with computers based on the Emotiv EPOC+ device

Devices and methods for interaction with a computer do not change very often. However, with technology advancements, solutions for new ways of human-computer interaction are possible. Especially for physically disabled users, solutions for contactless interaction with a device promise new possibilities for independent computer use and management. In this study a solution for a contactless interaction with a computer was proposed based on a brain-computer interface (BCI) device Emotiv EPOC+. The EPOC+ device is able to detect brain signals, facial expressions or levels of engagement (e.g. frustration, mediation, etc.), eye movement and head position through the built-in gyroscope sensors. The contactless interaction solution proposed in this study was based on (1) mapping facial expressions into user interface commands, (2) head-movement detection for controlling the mouse cursor, and (3) a virtual keyboard, which was developed to enable text input. The proposed solution was tested in a quasi-experimental setting, where non-disabled users had to complete several computer tasks. After completing the tasks, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the proposed solution were assessed. At the end, limitations and future work are discussed.

Investigation of moderator factors in e-business adoption : a quantitative meta-analysis of moderating effects on the drivers of intention and behavior

E-business technology is becoming one of the most important global markets where e-business solutions will have to adapt to new technologies. The main objective in this study was to synthesize existing knowledge in the field of e-business technology acceptance and to understand differences in Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) related causal effect sizes for different e-business contexts. A quantitative meta-analysis of existing empirical research about factors affecting e-business adoption was conducted using 89 published papers that provided empirical data about causal relationships. A moderator analysis was carried out to investigate the moderating effect of four factors: consumer type, device type, continent and respondent type. The results of the study showed a moderating effect for all four proposed factors in almost all TAM-related causal paths. The study also showed that TAM is the most common theory being applied in e-business adoption research.

Integration of RIS and PACS for Efficient Knowledge Management in Healthcare – a Case in Slovenia

Contemporary information and communication technology is accelerating development of new and innovative ways for disseminating and sharing health information and knowledge between different healthcare institutions and users. Lately, several initiatives and technology innovations were introduced in the field of medical informatics. Researchers and practitioners are investing a lot of time and effort in research and development of standards for interoperable healthcare knowledge delivery and efficient healthcare KM. There are several challenges related to the healthcare KM that have to be addressed such as complexity and interoperability of healthcare information systems, impact of medical errors, patients’ data security, etc. In this paper, a case of integration of the RIS/PACS system with existing information systems in health centre Velenje is presented. Additionally, implementation of the teleradiology is presented together with an analysis of its impact on the radiology practice and cost savings.

Measuring XML schema standard quality change through versioning

Quality measurements of XML schemas are difficult to perform objectively, providing all aspects of quality demands. However, an approximate evaluation of XML schemas quality and validation, whether a higher version of an XML schema standard is in fact an improvement, is useful information for XML schema users. The paper addresses who are the users of XML schemas, what aspects of XML schemas are vital to its quality and how to measure those aspects. We present 3 quality aspects in more detail: (1) structure type, (2) re-use possibilities and (3) balance of building blocks. A table of all included variables, that were measured, is provided. Based on results of over 200 XML schemas, quality assessment are given, including data standardization methods. Measurement results of XML schemas versions are compared, providing insight into quality growth (or decline) through versioning.

XML schema domain identification

Using XML data was initially applied in electronic data interchange and e-business, however the application of XML has been moved to several other fields. We nominate those fields of use as XML domains and presume that subsets of their characteristics significantly differ from one another. In this paper, we present the list of identified XML domains with high degree of XML Schema appearances, and for the XML domains, we identify common and distinctive characteristics. Additionally, we propose a function for transforming identified XML domains into known XML Schema patterns.