Sara Pifano

Critical Success Factors for Web 2.0 --- A Reference Framework

The new generation of web-based communities, Web. 2.0, represents an innovation in terms of users interaction as it becomes increasingly dependent of it. It empowers users to create and manage content, placing them at the core of its success. This paper will propose a Web 2.0 Critical Success Factors (CSFs) theoretical framework. With the widespread popularity of these applications it becomes important to analyze the source of their success and unveil why some are more successful than others. More importantly, it may help Web 2.0 start-ups to understand what features they need to develop to make their applications succeed in an already very populated network.

Recommender Systems for Human Resources Task Assignment

In Portugal, the organisations responsible for the internal control of the State’s financial administration need to progressively optimise their human resources in order to maximise their effectiveness. Part of this important responsibility relates to competence management and the assignment of their most suitable human resources to the tasks that insure their mission accomplishment. Such endeavour can benefit from a central concept of the Computer Supported Collaborative Work (CSCW) field: the application of computer technology to support group work. This paper outlines a recommender system, the 2HRT that aims to facilitate a more proficient human resources’ task assignment, helping the human resources department to respond more efficiently to the demands for personnel of other departments. This research uses a Delphi study, with semistructured interviews to collect the views of inspection agents in Portugal. The proposed recommender system incorporates the collaborative filtering and content-based recommendation techniques and the case-based reasoning approach.

WEB 2.0 technologies supporting students and scholars in higher education

As computers, notebooks and mobile phones update Facebooks statuses, search and contribute to different themes for Wikipedia and tweet the latest news, a generation and a unique manner of communication are born from this new terminology and philosophy of open and flexible access, shared knowledge, user-generated content and media richness. As many trends, Web 2.0 started by being an exclusivity of certain type of users and then a snowball-like effect made it one of the most popular techno-social phenomena of the 21st century. Word of mouth, user recommendation and the technology itself turned an innovation into a routine. Soon it was disseminated through the different sectors of society, reaching business, health and also education. This paper will examine the benefits that both students and scholars experience in using Web 2.0 in the higher education context.

E-Learning 3.0 Framework Adoption: Experts’ Views

The pervasiveness of the Semantic Web in educational contexts is acquiring a growing importance also at the level of e-Learning. The improvements it promises to introduce in online education are causing interest and curiosity in terms of its implementation and practical repercussions for learning. Since it is in its early stages it becomes important to explore the conditions that will favor its adoption. In order to delineate its prosperous deployment, this paper presents the outline of a Critical Success Factors framework. The purpose of this paper is to collect the point of view of e-Learning experts with regards to this framework. The experts were presented with the framework via semi-structured interviews and they were asked to review its core elements. The results of the data collection provide a substantial validation of the framework and reiterate its relevance in delimiting the proliferation of e-Learning 3.0.

Digital Literacy in Higher Education

The promotion of digital literacy is a priority for most information societies, as they become highly dependent on digital resources. As one of the core requirements of the workplace, digital literacy is increasingly being incorporated in higher education curricula. This paper aims to depict the level of digital literacy of higher education students, based on their own perceptions. The multiplicity of existing definitions for digital literacy constitutes a difficulty in its assessment. Hence, this paper begins by proposing a threefold definition of digital literacy: access to technology, operational competences and conceptual skills. This definition was deconstructed into sets of specific skills that were the subject of an online questionnaire that Portuguese higher education students were asked to complete. The analysis of the students’ self-evaluation in terms of their digital literacy, offered an important insight into their specific strengths and weaknesses when it comes to Information and Communication Technology.

VALIDATION OF AN E-LEARNING 3.0 CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FRAMEWORK: A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Aim/Purpose As e-Learning 3.0 evolves from a theoretical construct into an actual solution for online learning, it becomes crucial to accompany this progress by scrutinis-ing the elements that are at the origin of its success. Background This paper outlines a framework of e-Learning 3.0s critical success factors and its empirical validation. Methodology The framework is the result of an extensive literature review and its empirical substantiation derives from semi-structured interviews with e-Learning experts. Contribution The viewpoints of the experts enable the confirmation and the refinement of the original framework and serve as a foundation for the prospective implemen-tation of e-Learning 3.0. Findings The analysis of the interviews demonstrates that e-Learning 3.0 remains in its early stages with a reticent dissemination. Nonetheless, the interviewees invoked factors related to technology, content and stakeholders as being critical for the success of this new phase of e-Learning. Recommendations for Practitioners Practitioners can use the framework as a guide for promoting and implementing effective e-Learning 3.0 initiatives. Recommendation for Researchers As a new phenomenon with uncharted potential, e-Learning 3.0 should be placed at the centre of educational research. Impact on Society The understanding of what drives the success of e-Learning 3.0 is fundamental for its implementation and for the progress of online education in this new stage of its evolution. Future Research Future research ventures can include the design of quantitative and self-administered data collection instruments that can provide further insight into the elements of the framework.

Higher Education Students’ Perceptions of Positive and Negative Effects of Social Networking in Portugal

The aim of this study was to examine students’ perceptions of social networking in Portugal. One hundred and thirty (N = 130) students were surveyed online. Factorial analyses have been performed with results showing that social networking were had positive impacts in terms of being a tool for study or work independently and support personal or professional network, a Teamwork building instrument; contributing to being a “Green” user, and gaining updated information and knowledge. On the negative side, social networks impede to traditional information source, are an inhibitor to be more sociable and in-person contact and leads to sedentary lifestyle, trigger anxiety and losing interest, are an inhibitor on developing literacy skills, reducing further thinking capability and unable to focus on one matter for longer time, raise increasing privacy, security and intellectual property concerns, and lastly, are an inhibitor to accomplish higher priority as scheduled.