Nikolaus Obwegeser

A Multidimensional Model of Trust in Recommender Systems

As e-commerce providers increasingly utilize recommender systems (RS) to support their customers, trust is emerging as a key factor for the design of such technologies. Although a considerable number of researchers addressed the issue of trust towards RS, there is still no common understanding of how trust relates to the acceptance of RS and what factors influence the perception of trustworthiness in RS. After a discussion on the peculiarities of RS, we build on a literature review of trust in order to analytically distinguish basic concepts of trustworthiness. We propose an integrated model of trustworthiness that accounts for the multiple dimensions and perspectives on trustworthiness in RS. Additionally, we will point out several implications for practice and conclude with suggestions for further research in this area.

Analysis of heuristic validity, efficiency and applicability of the profile distance method for implementation in decision support systems

This article seeks to enhance acceptance of the profile distance method (PDM) in decision support systems. The PDM is a multiple attributive-based decision making as well as a multiple method approach to support complex decision making and uses a heuristic to avoid computationally complex global optimization. We elaborate on the usability of the method and question the heuristic used. We present a bi-section algorithm, which efficiently supports the discovery of transition profiles needed in a user-friendly and practical application of the method. Additionally, we provide empirical evidence showing that the proposed heuristic is efficient and delivers results within 5% of the global optimizer for a wide range of datasets.

The profile distance method: towards more intuitive multiple criteria decision making in information systems

This paper seeks to improve usability and semantics of complex decision support based on multiple criteria and data envelopment analysis using the profile distance method. We recognize the need of decision making practice for more intuitive and understandable decision support in complex and comprehensive settings by proposing three areas for improvement. We suggest a more meaningful indicator of organizational fit, an advanced and dynamic multi-dimensional visualization, and embed support for weight estimation with pairwise comparisons into the method. The methodological advancements are shortly illustrated for an Information System selection problem.

Student Groups as Tutors in Information Systems Education - Students Perspectives on Collaboration and Outcomes.

The study explores the potential of the research-teaching nexus in a peer-tutoring setting. During the Fall semester of 2016, students in an Information Systems course worked collaboratively on domain topics, assigned to them by the teacher and created educational material for their fellow students. Students’ tutoring role was concluding with a class presentation and a discussion session in each course lecture. The study focuses on students’ perspectives in the collaborating groups and the audience and analyzes how learning strategies in self-regulation, peer learning, and help seeking affect students’ experiences during group work. Analysis of student activity revealed four distinct patterns of collaboration. Findings suggest that students that rely more on group members for help were less satisfied by the communication among them. However, students were in general satisfied with their collaboration, being able to adapt the activity to their needs. Similarly, the teacher and the audience (students attending the student-tutoring sessions) evaluated positively students’ performance as teachers.

Improving the Quiz - Student Preparation and Confidence as Feedback Metrics.

The study analyzes the potential of different feedback metrics that could improve learning in quiz-based activities. For five consecutive weeks, a group of 91 sophomore students started their classes on Information Systems with a short multiple-choice quiz. The quiz activity was organized into three phases: (a) provide initial response to the questions, (b) view feedback on class activity and revise initial responses, and (c) discuss correct answers and class performance with the teacher. The feedback included information on the percentage of students that selected each choice, on students’ self-reported levels of preparation, and their, also self-reported, confidence that their initial responses were correct. The students used an online quiz tool that was developed for the study and were randomly distributed into four groups, according to the type of feedback they received (only percentage; percentage & confidence; percentage & preparation; percentage, confidence, & preparation). Result analysis revealed that students were relying first and foremost on the percentage metric, even in cases where a wrong answer had the highest percentage value. However, statistical analysis also revealed a significant main effect for confidence and preparation metrics in questions where the percentage metric was ambiguous (i.e., several choices with high percentages).

Success of Multi Criteria Decision Support Systems: The Relevance of Trust

In recent years the concept of trust has found its way into Information Systems research, especially in the field of technology acceptance. Trust is considered an important driver for the success of technologies. In this context, trust is particularly relevant for Multi Criteria Decision Support Systems (MCDSS), due to the inherent complexity of the methods and the often high impact of the underlying decision. In the course of this paper we present a consolidated view on different dimensions of trust and use a multidimensional model to discuss the specific characteristics and dynamics of trust in MCDSS. Using a quantitative empirical study we were able to confirm our theoretical findings and validate the proposed model empirically. After a discussion of the results we conclude our paper and suggest some areas for further research.

Using the Students’ Levels of Preparation and Confidence as Feedback Information in Quiz-Based Learning Activities

This paper examines ways to enrich the feedback information students receive in closed-type quiz activities that include a revision phase (i.e., students are allowed to change their initial answers after they receive information from their peers, teacher, or system). Typically, in such activities, the information students receive is based on the percentage of students under each possible question choice. The conducted study analyzes the potential of two additional variables, namely the students’ level of preparation and confidence. Both variables are self-reported and, therefore, subjective. During the Fall semester 2016, 91 sophomore students enrolled in an Information Systems course participated in the study for five weeks. The activity was taking place during the first 20 min of each class. Students had to go through three phases and (a) answer a multiple-choice quiz with 8 questions and 4 options for each question, (b) receive feedback based on the whole classroom population, and (c) see the correct answer and discuss them with the teacher in the lecture that follows. The students were randomly grouped into four conditions, based on the feedback they received. The control group only received information on the percentage of students that selected each choice, the Confidence group received feedback on the percentage and the average level of confidence of students that selected each choice, the Preparation group received feedback on the percentage and the average level of preparation of students that selected each choice, and finally the Both group received feedback on the percentage and both the average level of confidence and preparation of students that selected each choice. Result analysis showed that in the most challenging questions (i.e., the ones where students’ answers were diverging) the students in the Confidence, Preparation, and Both groups significantly outperformed the students in the Control group. In addition, both confidence and preparation variables were significantly correlated to students’ performance during the initial phase, suggesting that students were accurate and sincere in describing their preparation and confidence levels. This paper is an extended version of [1], presented at the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education.

Students’ Perceptions on Co-creating Learning Material in Information Systems Education

Following the increased interest in students becoming partners in teaching and learning in higher education settings, this study explores students’ perceptions on a collaborative content generation activity, in which students assume also the role of peer-tutors. Students in an Information Systems course collaborated on domain topics, assigned to them by the teacher, and created learning material for their fellow students. In the peer-tutoring session following the creation of the learning material, students presented the topic in class and discussed it with their peers. Each peer tutoring session was assessed by the students as audience (students attending the student-tutoring sessions). The aim of the study is to explore students’ perspectives on the collaborative content generation assignment. Our focus primarily is to examine how students’ experiences regarding the collaboration were affected by learning strategies in self-regulation, peer learning, and help seeking. Results showed that students were more engaged in the course after participating in the co-creating learning material activity and also, four distinct patterns of collaboration were revealed by analyzing student activity. Even though students were in general satisfied with their collaboration, as they could suit the activity to their needs, those students who relied more on their group for help proved to be less satisfied by the communication among group members. In addition, the teacher and the audience evaluated positively the students’ performance as peer-tutors. This paper is an extended version of [1], presented at the 9th International Conference on Computer Supported Education.

Digital Innovation and the Becoming of an Organizational Identity

Today, companies often face rapid and substantial change of their business environment. To stay competitive, firms are forced to engage in continuous innovation of their products and services. Moreover, the digitization of society and organizations has led to an increase in radical and disruptive innovations across all industries and trades. As a result, companies often find it difficult to develop an organizational identity – a shared understanding of “who are we” and “what makes us different from others”. In this article, we combine extant theory on both digital innovation and identity formation processes to develop a conceptual model of identity formation, highlighting the dynamics between innovation and identity formation. We use our model to discuss symptoms that organizations might experience when engaging in digital innovation, shaping the process of identity development. Finally, we suggest future research topics to investigate the relationship between innovation and identity formation processes.

Chances and Limits of End-User Development: A Conceptual Model

Information systems development has seen many trends and hypes on the way from unstructured, unplanned scripting-like software development, via early methods like the waterfall model, heavy plan-based methods like the RUP to finally arrive at today’s state-of-the-art agile methods like SCRUM. This paper looks at what seems to be a recent trend in (agile) software development: End-User Development (EUD). EUD can be seen both as the logical next step to intensified user integration as proposed in many agile methods as well as a radically new approach to not only interact with but rather empower end-users to (partially) design and create themselves. As in many emerging research areas, EUD lacks clear definitions, concepts and a common understanding of its prospects and limits to both researchers and practitioners. Consequently, this paper aims to address these shortfalls and highlights implications for practice by building a conceptual model of EUD application.