Cheryl L. Aasheim

Does telecommuting improve productivity

Seeking solid evidence of demonstrable productivity gains.

Scanning world wide web documents with the vector space model

The vector space model used in Information Retrieval is combined with discriminant analysis to provide an automated WWW environment scanning system to detect signals of interest to an organization. The vector space model converts text-based information to numerical vectors that are then used in discriminant analysis. We illustrate the methodology using news articles pertaining to a predefined randomly selected set of stocks to test whether they provide predictive signals on whether the stocks return will increase or decrease relative to the market in the target period following the report or whether the stocks trading volume will increase or decrease.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements for IT Graduates

This study examines the knowledge and skills required of entry-level IT workers as perceived by nearly 600 IT managers and workers from across the United States. In keeping with previous studies, the findings suggest that personal and interpersonal skills are the top rated skills with technical skills following closely behind. Organizational knowledge, particularly knowledge of primary business functions, is important, but less important for entry-level works than technical skills. The findings also suggest that possessing relevant work experience is more important for graduates seeking entry-level positions than a having a high GPA. Implications of the findings for curriculum design, student advisement and job placement are discussed.

Information Technology in the Practice of Law Enforcement

In February 2001, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department began the rollout of a “mobile†information system that will eventually enable all information relating to incident reports, arrests, and investigations to be collected, distributed, and managed in a paperless, wireless environment. The system, dubbed Knowledge-Based Community Oriented Policing System (KBCOPS), began as a “grass roots†project within the police department to reduce paperwork, increase data accuracy, share knowledge and information, and promote a problem solving analytical framework. The system has been under development for seven years, from concept to implementation. The strategies and approaches used to develop this system, the technologies employed, and, most importantly, the challenges faced in merging wireless, wired, database, and applications technologies while satisfying the user requirements of the police department are detailed in this report.

Measuring the Impact of Global Information Technology Applications

The objective of this study is to develop a means of assessing the impact of global information technology applications. Building on the prior work of Pal via (1997), Sethi and King (1994) and Mahmood and Soon (1991) a multi-factor global IT impact measurement model is developed. This model exhibits a high degree of reliability and validity. From a theoretical perspective, this study develops a measurement model that can be used to evaluate the impact of IT in a global environment. From a practitioners point of view, the study provides a better understanding of the factors that should be considered when assessing the impact of global IT applications.

Academic Success Factors: An IT Student Perspective.

The detailed results for the two surveys are presented and discussed. Recommendations are made for institutions and faculty based on the results obtained.

An IT program assessment process

This paper describes the assessment process designed and implemented for an undergraduate program in IT that was recently accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., under the general criteria for computing. It places special emphasis on programmatic-level assessment. The assessment process combines direct assessment methods of actual student learning and indirect assessment methods which measure how various stakeholders perceive the program and its students. It includes an explanation of how direct assessment measures at the course-level can be used to evaluate course and program-level outcomes. Indirect assessments include a series of survey instruments to capture perceptions of graduating students, graduates, and employers. Examples are provided.

Implementing the IT fundamentals knowledge area

The recently promulgated IT model curriculum contains IT fundamentals as one of its knowledge areas. It is intended to give students a broad understanding of (1) the IT profession and the skills that students must develop to become successful IT professionals and (2) the academic discipline of IT and its relationship to other disciplines. As currently defined, the IT fundamentals knowledge area requires 33 lecture hours to complete.The model curriculum recommends that the material relevant to the IT fundamentals knowledge area be offered early in the curriculum, for example in an introduction to IT course; however, many institutions will have to include additional material in an introductory IT course. For example, the Introduction of IT course at Georgia Southern University is used to introduce students to the available second disciplines (an important part of the Georgia Southern IT curriculum aimed at providing students with in-depth knowledge of an IT application domain), some productivity tools, and SQL.For many programs there may be too much material in an introductory IT course. This paper describes how Georgia Southern University resolved this dilemma.

Skill Requirements in Big Data: A Content Analysis of Job Advertisements

ABSTRACT The technology behind big data, although still in its nascent stages, is inspiring many companies to hire data scientists and explore the potential of big data to support strategic initiatives, including developing new products and services. To better understand the skills and knowledge that are highly valued by industry for jobs within big data, this study reports on an analysis of 1216 job advertisements that contained “big data” in the job title. Our results are presented within a conceptual framework of big data skills categories and confirm the multi-faceted nature of big data job skills. Our research also found that many big data job advertisements emphasize developing analytical information systems and that soft skills remain highly valued, in addition to the value placed on emerging hard technological skills.

Examining Factors that Influence Intent to Adopt Data Science

ABSTRACT Data science is a relatively new and emerging field with strong job growth projections. In this work, we develop a new theoretical model based on the theory of planned behavior and the IS Success Model in order to understand public perceptions about data science. Specifically, we aim to determine the potential impact and if the public views data science as beneficial to organizations and society and whether this in turn leads to an intent to use data science. In order to answer the aforementioned questions, we develop a definition of data science derived from current, state-of-the-art literature. Next, we test our theoretical model via a survey instrument that adapts relevant constructs from academic literature. Results indicate support for our model and subsequent hypotheses which show that information quality and system quality impact social norms and behavioral control which in turn influences perceived benefits of data science which influences the intent to use data science. Our model can be employed to advance the adoption of data science as a tool for business and data driven decision-making as well as position academia to train future generations of data scientists.