Hassan M. Selim

Critical success factors for e-learning acceptance: Confirmatory factor models

E-learning, one of the tools emerged from information technology, has been integrated in many university programs. There are several factors that need to be considered while developing or implementing university curriculums that offer e-learning based courses. This paper is intended to specify e-learning critical success factors (CSFs) as perceived by university students. The published e-learning critical success factors were surveyed and grouped into 4 categories namely, instructor, student, information technology, and university support. Each category included several measures. The categorization was tested by surveying 538 university students. The results revealed 8 categories of e-learning CSFs, each included several critical e-learning acceptance and success measures. The level of criticality of each measure was represented by its validity coefficient. Confirmatory factor modeling approach was used to assess the criticality of the measures included in each CSF category.

The Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence Framework

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically test the causal relationships in the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) Education Performance Excellence Criteria.Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 220 respondents from 15 United Arab Emirates (UAE) universities and colleges, results of regression analysis and confirmatory structural equation modeling show that all of the hypothesized causal relationships in the Baldrige model are statistically significant.Findings – A comprehensive “measurement model” grounded in the Baldrige Performance Excellence in Education Criteria for the 33 items of measurement is developed, tested, and found to be valid and reliable. Leadership is identified as a driver for all components in the Baldrige System, including measurement, analysis and knowledge management, strategic planning, faculty and staff focus and process management. All Baldrige components (categories) are significantly linked with organizational outcomes as represented by the two...

Emiratisation: determining the factors that influence the recruitment decisions of employers in the UAE

The Arab Gulfs labour market is being overhauled. The private sector is increasingly being ‘obliged’ to more actively support nationalisation programmes. This study seeks to quantitatively determine the recruitment decisions of the employers. We collated the views of just under 250 UAE-based HRM personnel, in order to identify which factors (social, cultural, economic, regulatory, educational and motivational) are most significant as cited in the relevant literature. Not having the necessary educational qualifications and high reservation wage demands were found to have less of a bearing than does the perceived lack of vocationally orientated motivation and the ambiguities over the differing rights afforded to employees.

Formation of machine groups and part families: a modified SLC method and comparative study

This paper introduces a modified single linkage clustering heuristic (MOD‐SC). The proposed MOD‐SLC objective is to test the application of Baroni‐Urban and Buser (BUB) similarity coefficient to the manufacturing cell formation (MCF) problem instead of Jaccard’s similarity coefficient. The MOD‐SLC has been compared and evaluated against three cluster formation‐based heuristics for MCF. The three heuristics are: the single linkage clustering, enhanced rank order clustering, and direct clustering algorithm. The MCF methods considered in this comparative and evaluative study belong to the cluster formation approach of solving the MCF problem. The comparison and evaluation are performed using four published performance measures. A total of 25 published and ten hypothetical and randomly generated problem data sets are used in the proposed evaluative study. Results analysis is carried out to test and validate the proposed BUB based MOD‐SLC. Finally the pros and cons of each method are stated and discussed.

Manufacturing cell formation problem: a graph partitioning approach

The design of a cellular manufacturing system requires that a machine population be partitioned into machine groups called manufacturing cells. A new graph partitioning heuristic is proposed to solve the manufacturing cell formation problem (MCFP). In the proposed heuristic, The MCFP is represented by a graph whose node set represents the machine cluster and edge set represents the machine‐pair association weights. A graph partitioning approach is used to form the manufacturing cells. This approach offers improved design flexibility by allowing a variety of design parameters to be controlled during cell formation. The effectiveness of the heuristic is demonstrated by comparing it to two MCFP published solution methods using several problems from the literature.

The Effect of Content Representation Design Principles on Users' Intuitive Beliefs and Use of E-Learning Systems.

A model is proposed to assess the effect of different content representation design principles on learners’ intuitive beliefs about using e-learning. We hypothesized that the impact of the representation of course contents is mediated by the design principles of alignment, quantity, clarity, simplicity, and affordance, which influence the learner’s intuitive beliefs about using e-learning systems. The model was empirically validated using data collected from a survey administered to university students. This study demonstrates that these design principles are essential predictors of learners’ intuitive beliefs, which in turn directly influence their decisions about using e-learning systems. The findings provide system designers with quasi-quantitative managerial insights into how to motivate users to continue using e-learning systems.

Content Evaluation Criteria for General Websites: Analysis and Comparison

Presently almost anyone can publish a website. The interest in using the Web as a competitive weapon by individuals, businesses, and governments is increasing as well. Little has addressed the applicability and implementation of several published website evaluation criteria. This work is an attempt to develop a comprehensive set of evaluation criteria for general websites in line with international standards for website design. The proposed evaluation criteria are used to analyze the top 10 websites in UAE in order to measure their compliance with the developed criteria. The proposed criteria can be used as a benchmark of website quality and compliance.

Isolation and distinctiveness in the design of e-learning systems influence user preferences

ABSTRACT When faced with excessive detail in an online environment, typical users have difficulty processing all the elements of representation. This in turn creates cognitive overload, which narrows the users focus to a few select items. In the context of e-learning, we translated this aspect as the learners demand for a system that facilitates the retrieval of learning content – one in which the representation is easy to read and understand. We hypothesized that the representation of content in an e-learning systems design is an important antecedent for learner preferences. The aspects of isolation and distinctiveness were incorporated into the design of e-learning representation as an attempt to promote student cognition. Following its development, the model was empirically validated by conducting a survey of 300 university students. We found that isolation and distinctiveness in the design elements appeared to facilitate the ability of students to read and remember online learning content. This in turn was found to drive user preferences for using e-learning systems. The findings provide designers with managerial insights for enticing learners to continue using e-learning systems.