Snježana Babić

Exploring the Validity of an Instrument to Measure the Perceived Quality in Use of Web 2.0 Applications with Educational Potential

The aim of the work presented in this paper was to examine to what extent the subjective measuring instrument supports the assessment of all relevant facets of the quality in use in the context of Web 2.0 applications. For that purpose, two scenario-based studies were conducted. In both studies users were observed during their interactions with two Web 2.0 applications that are widely used in educational settings. Data analysis has verified the validity of the post-use questionnaire at various levels of the conceptual model. Findings of empirical studies together with implications for researchers and practitioners are presented and discussed.

Inspecting Quality of Games Designed for Learning Programming

Educational games are specific piece of slow technology that enables students to enhance their competences through fun and play. Taking into account their features, games are widely used in diverse educational settings, including programming. This paper discusses findings of the empirical study that was carried out with an objective to examine quality of two educational games meant for learning programming concepts. Participants in the study were students from two Croatian higher education institutions. Subjective data was collected with pre- and post-use online questionnaires whereas objective data was gathered with reports in the form of in-game progress screenshots. The analysis of collected data uncovered: (1) to what extent students with different background knowledge differ in their perception of programming and attitudes towards using games for educational purposes, and (2) which pragmatic and hedonic facets of quality are relevant for the assessment of games designed for learning programming.

Evaluating the quality of games designed for learning programming by students with different educational background: An empirical study

Programming competences have become an important aspect in many different professions. Considering that games give enjoyment to their players and stimulate their curiosity, they represent a convenient tool for gaining programming skills. With an aim to examine the quality of games designed for learning programming from both pragmatic and hedonic perspective, an empirical study was carried out. Study participants were students enrolled in different programmes at two Croatian higher education institutions. Data was collected with subjective measuring instruments. The reported findings uncovered pros and cons of evaluated games meant for leaning programming concepts.

Identifying the relevance of quality dimensions contributing to universal access of social Web applications for collaborative writing on mobile devices: an empirical study

When used in a mobile ecosystem, social Web applications are commonly criticized due to their poor quality. We believe this is accounted for by the inadequacy of current approaches for their evaluation as well as the lack of suitable quality models. With an objective to address the aforementioned issues, this paper introduces a quality model that captures the particularities of social Web applications when used on mobile devices. Drawing on the comprehensive literature review, a finite set of performance variables (items, attributes, and categories) that contribute to the mobile quality of social Web applications was identified and subsequently employed for the purpose of designing a conceptual model in the form of a mobile quality requirements tree. An empirical study was then carried out to assess the reliability and validity of the conceptual model and pertaining measuring instrument. During the study, participants accomplished predefined scenarios of interaction with a representative sample of social Web applications for collaborative writing and evaluated their mobile quality by completing the post-use questionnaire. An analysis of data collected from end users uncovered a relevance of performance variables at different levels of granularity in a mobile quality requirements tree as well as pros and cons of evaluated collaborative editors.

Mobile Quality of Social Web Applications Designed for Collaborative Writing

Social web applications are nowadays commonly employed in all fields of human endeavor. It is therefore of a high importance that they meet requirements of as many quality dimensions as possible. This paper reports findings of an empirical study which was carried out with an aim to examine quality of social web applications when they are used in a mobile environment. Participants in the study were students from two Croatian higher education institutions who carried out predefined scenario of interaction with two social web applications for collaborative writing on their smartphones and afterwards evaluated their perceived quality by completing the post-use questionnaire. The analysis of collected data uncovered the relevance of pragmatic and hedonic facets of mobile quality in the context of evaluating social web applications for collaborative writing.

Identifying Relevance of Security, Privacy, Trust, and Adoption Dimensions Concerning Cloud Computing Applications Employed in Educational Settings

Cloud computing applications are nowadays commonly used in various aspects of human endeavour, and the education is no exception. Although cloud computing applications bring numerous advantages, their adoption could be significantly reduced due to users’ concerns related to security, privacy, and trust. This paper introduces a research framework that captures the essence of security, privacy, trust, and adoption in the context of cloud computing applications when used in educational environment. Drawing on an extensive literature review, a finite set of items was determined and consequently employed for the design of the measuring instrument in the form of a post-use questionnaire. With an aim to examine psychometric features of the measuring instrument, an empirical study was carried out. Participants in the study were students from two higher education institutions who employed cloud-based applications for the purpose of creating, sharing, and organizing educational artefacts. Study findings helped us determine the relevance of security, privacy, trust, and adoption dimensions in the context of cloud computing applications as perceived by users who apply them for educational purposes.

Examining Cloud Computing Applications from the Perspectives of Privacy and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology

Recent advances in the field of e-learning are focused on constructivist teaching methods that encourage student-centered educational process in which teacher plays the role of a facilitator and mediator. The employment of cloud computing applications enables students to, regardless of space and time, collaborate, learn from each other, exchange ideas and different digital resources, and build knowledge within set educational goals. One of the key prerequisites for successful integration of novel technologies in higher education processes is their adoption by students. This paper examines an interplay among UTAUT model constituents and following facets of privacy: concerns, risks, and control. The validity and reliability of the proposed research framework and associated hypotheses were examined by means of the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. Implications for both researchers and practitioners are presented and discussed.

Modelling the Perceived Pragmatic and Hedonic Quality of Intelligent Personal Assistants

This paper represents one of the first attempts to define a quality model capturing the peculiarities of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs). Driven by the results of current studies, we took a better look at the features of IPAs and identified pragmatic and hedonic dimensions that reflect the quality of such applications as perceived by the end users. As a follow up, we experimentally assessed the relevance of the determined quality dimensions. Taking into account the number and strength of differences in pairwise comparisons that was found between evaluated IPAs, the proposed set of attributes was classified into five different groups. Findings reported in the paper can be used by researchers as a foundation for future advances in the field as well as by practitioners as a framework for evaluating existing and developing new intelligent personal assistants (IPAs).

The Antecedents of Intelligent Personal Assistants Adoption

Intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are software agents designed to provide the aid to the users in conducting daily routines such as answering phone calls, taking notes, shopping, making appointments, findings places and answers, web browsing, and alike. They are therefore commonly applied in all aspects of human endeavor. End-user acceptance is an important determinant of the success of each piece of software, and IPAs are no exception. Considering that literature lacks studies on IPAs acceptance, this paper introduces a nomological network of factors that determine users’ satisfaction and behavioral intention related to IPAs. After completing the scenario based activities by means of Google Assistant as representative sample of IPAs, students from two higher education institutions were asked to fill out a post-use questionnaire. The aim of this paper is to examine the psychometric characteristics of the research framework which reflects the interplay among eight relevant aspects of several theories and models related to the adoption and user acceptance of new technologies and inovations. The psychometric features of the model were explored by means of the partial least squares (PLS) approach to structural equation modeling (SEM). Reported findings have important implications for practitioners engaged in the development of IPAs as well as for researchers dealing with similar studies in the field.

Applying Process Mining Techniques to Learning Management Systems for Educational Process Model Discovery and Analysis

Based on the event logs gathered from the learning management system in use at the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, this study attempts to discover frequent behavioural patterns in event logs. The process mining tool Fluxicon Disco was used to create, clean and prepare the event log. The discovered process model represents the starting point for the assessment of the usage behaviour of the Moodle LMS. A procedure was developed in R (R-project) to analyse the process model by using various R based packages for business process analysis (bupaR, edeaR, processmapR). By applying process discovery, a subset technique of process mining, a process model is obtained, describing the usage behaviour based on real facts and evidence. This obtained educational process model can be used to tailor the Moodle LMS to the specific needs of the individual courses. Customized workflows for specific courses can be modelled based on the results of the analysis, improving the usability of the learning management system. The significance and importance of this study is achieved by applying process discovery as a rather new approach to improve the Moodle LMS usability with evidence and actual workflows, rather than to assess the learning management system usage by other techniques, e.g. based on users’ perceptions.