Radhika Santhanam

Using Self-Regulatory Learning to Enhance E-Learning-Based Information Technology Training

Technology-mediated learning methods are widely used by organizations and educational institutions to deliver information technology training. One form of technology-mediated learning, e-learning, in which the platform is the tutor, is quickly becoming the cost-effective solution of choice for many corporations. Unfortunately, the learning outcomes have been very disappointing. E-learning training makes an implicit assumption that learners can apply a high level of self-directed learning to assimilate the training content. In contrast, based on perspectives from social cognitive theory, we propose that instructional strategies need to persuade learners to follow self-regulated learning strategies. We test our ideas with participants who were trained through e-learning to design a website. Our findings indicate that participants who were induced to follow self-regulated learning strategies scored significantly higher on learning outcomes than those who were not persuaded to do so. We discuss our findings, and suggest that the interaction among information technology features, instructional strategies, and psychological learning processes offers a fruitful avenue for future information systems training research.

An empirical investigation of ODSS impact on individuals and organizations

Organizational Decision Support Systems ODSS are large decision aiding systems, which provide organization-wide support for business processes. An ODSS shares some characteristics with other management support systems, but it has distinctly different objectives, scope and components. Its goal to support both the individual and organizational level decision processes may require unique development and management approaches. Several case studies have been conducted to address this issue. However, no systematic investigation has been conducted to determine factors that influence the successful development and use of ODSS. We designed this study to investigate ODSS impact both at the individual and organizational level based on several ODSS currently in use. Our findings indicate that in order to have a successful ODSS, management must pay attention to individual user needs and also have several organizational level coordinating mechanisms in place. User participation, support of management, and DSS system characteristics were found to be important determinants of ODSS success. Several factors at the organizational level, such as the use of steering committees and the extent of institutionalization of the system, were found to be correlated to ODSS success. The implications of these results for the management of ODSS and other organization-wide systems are discussed. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Social Network Structure on Enterprise Systems Success: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis

The implementation of enterprise systems has yielded mixed and unpredictable outcomes in organizations. Although the focus of prior research has been on training and individual self-efficacy as important enablers, we examine the roles that the social network structures of employees, and the organizational units where they work, play in influencing the postimplementation success. Data were gathered across several units within a large organization: immediately after the implementation, six months after the implementation, and one year after the implementation. Social network analysis was used to understand the effects of network structures, and hierarchical linear modeling was used to capture the multilevel effects at unit and individual levels. At the unit level of analysis, we found that centralized structures inhibit implementation success. At the individual level of analysis, employees with high in-degree and betweenness centrality reported high task impact and information quality. We also found a cross-level effect such that central employees in centralized units reported implementation success. This suggests that individual-level success can occur even within a unit structure that is detrimental to unit-level success. Our research has significant implications for the implementation of enterprise systems in large organizations.

Factors that contribute to management support system success: An analysis of field studies

This study is conducted to summarize and consolidate core success antecedents of management support system (MSS) implementations that have been identified in empirical studies. This study quantitatively analyzes correlations of success antecedents to success measures and ranks them in order of importance by using the formulas advocated in prior research. Results indicate there is no one dominant success antecedent across all success measures and sub-types of MSS. Rather, the importance of a success antecedent depends on the type of success measure and the type of system. Therefore, the implication is that when organizations implement systems, they must prioritize the outcome that they want to focus on and pay attention to the corresponding success antecedent. The findings also provide information and guidelines for the selection of factors to be investigated in future research on MSS implementation.

Could the use of a knowledge-based system lead to implicit learning?

The primary objective of a knowledge-based system (KBS) is to use stored knowledge to provide support for decision-making activities. Empirical studies identify improvements in decision processes and outcomes with the use of such knowledge-based systems. This research suggests that though a KBS is primarily developed to help users in their decision-making activities, as an unintentional consequence, it may induce them to implicitly learn more about a problem. Implicit learning occurs when a person learns unconsciously or unintentionally, without being explicitly instructed or tutored. To test these ideas, a laboratory-based experiment was conducted with a KBS that could provide support for data modeling activities. Results indicated support for implicit learning because subjects who interacted with the KBS exhibited better knowledge on data modeling concepts than those who did not interact with the KBS. Two versions of the KBS were tested, one with a restrictive interface and the other with a guidance interface, and both versions of the interface supported implicit learning. Implications for future research on the design and development of KBSs are proposed.

Emergency management information systems: Could decision makers be supported in choosing display formats?

Recent information technologies make it possible to include sophisticated three-dimensional display formats in emergency management information systems (EMIS), decision-support systems that facilitate decision making in crisis situations. However, if decision makers are to improve their decisional performance, they must correctly identify appropriate situations for using these formats. We conduct two experiments and find that, as prior research has suggested, decision makers do not choose the most appropriate display format, but their performance improves when given prospective decisional guidance. We discuss implications of these findings for EMIS design, for the training of emergency management professionals, and for future research on display formats and decisional guidance.

The use of a knowledge-based system in conceptual data modeling

Based on a study of the data modeling process of novice designers, and the errors they commit, a knowledge-based system (KBS) was designed and developed. It was found that the performance of novice designers was significantly better when they utilized the KBS instead of a system with no knowledge base. Two versions of the KBS--one with a guidance interface that advised the designer on appropriate design choices and another with a restrictive interface that restricted the design choices available to the designer--were developed. The restrictive interface was rated as being significantly easier to use than the guidance interface.

Research Report. Learning From Goal-Directed Error Recovery Strategy

Research on training has traditionally viewed errors made by trainees as detrimental to learning. A great deal of effort has been devoted to finding effective ways of preventing errors from occurring during training. Recently, some researchers have adopted a different perspective: that errors may provide a learning opportunity for trainees. What has been investigated less is the specific mechanism through which errors can foster learning. The objective of our research was to investigate and possibly reconcile these differing viewpoints by examining the error recovery process. We found that, in some situations, errors enhance learning when the trainee adopts an error recovery process that emphasizes the goal structure of the task. We suggest several ways of coaching trainees in training sessions to adopt such error recovery strategies.

Will it be Disclosure or Fabrication of Personal Information?: An Examination of Persuasion Strategies on Prospective Employees

Individuals are increasingly reluctant to disclose personal data and sometimes even intentionally fabricate information to avoid the risk of having it compromised. In such situations, , organizations face an acute dilemma: they must obtain accurate job applicant information in order to make good hiring decisions, but potential employees may be reluctant to provide accurate information because they fear it could be used for other purposes. Building on theoretical foundations from social cognition and persuasion theory, we propose that, depending on levels of privacy concerns, organizations could use appropriate strategies to persuade job applicants to provide accurate information. We conducted a laboratory experiment to examine the effects of two different persuasion strategies on prospective employees’ willingness to disclose information, measured as their intentions to disclose or falsify information. Our results show support for our suggestion. As part of this study, we propose the term information sensitivity to identify the types of personal information that potential employees are most reluctant to disclose.

The Effects of Communication Modality on Outcomes of Collaborative Tasks

Collaborative learning involves students working in small groups to complete tasks related to class instruction. Collaborative learning techniques are widely used in business schools. There is research evidence to suggest that collaborative learning leads to positive outcomes. Specifically, the interaction that occurs among students in completing the group task provides both educational and social benefits. The easy availability of communication technology has changed the modality of interaction among students. This change has been furthered by an increase in the number of students who work full-time and also enroll in business schools. Such students tend to interact more using communication technologies, such as electronic mail and not necessarily face-to-face. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of these changes in communication modalities on the outcomes of group work. The results indicate that while students have a preference for using traditional face-to-face interaction, there seems to be no significant correlation between communication modality and measures of group outcomes.