Timothy Shea

Online Communities of Practice: A Catalyst for Faculty Development

This article addresses the concept of “communities of practice” and how it has come of age for the professional development of professors as teachers. Thanks to current technological options, faculty developers can enhance the opportunity for the entire faculty to learn through the use of online communities. Designing a faculty development portal using community of practice concepts can be an effective means to jump-start, facilitate, develop, and sustain faculty involvement in academic communities.

Using Online Video to Support Student Learning and Engagement

Online videos are used increasingly in higher education teaching as part of the explosion of Web 2.0 tools that are now available. YouTube is one popular example of a video-sharing resource that both faculty and students can use effectively, both inside and outside of the classroom, to engage students in their learning, energize classroom discussion, and meet course learning goals. The authors, integrating current literature with their own classroom experiences, describe different types of assignments for which online video can be effectively used.

Internet-Based Distance Education--The Administrator's Perspective

Abstract In this study, the authors sought to investigate the status of distance education (DE) at 68 higher education institutions. Through a survey of DE program directors, the authors gathered information on size, target audience, media used, evaluation methods, student characteristics, student and faculty perceptions, and administrative support. Results reveal that the programs were still primarily asynchronous in their course delivery and needed more staffing and technical support and that program coordinators were experimenting with alternative forms of evaluation.

Knowledge Sharing Barriers and Effectiveness at a Higher Education Institution

In most of todays academic circles, faculty knowledge is rarely shared with colleagues in the same institution in any meaningful or systematic way. This investigation sought answers to two questions regarding the facultys perceived knowledge sharing KS barriers and the influence that KS barriers may have on KS effectiveness. A data set was collected from seventy-six faculty members. The analysis revealed four key KS barriers, as bounded individual capacity is the most perceived barrier to KS, followed by inadequate organizational capability, fear of knowledge revelation, and knowledge nature. Fear of knowledge revelation was found to be the most influential barrier on KS effectiveness, as it influences three of the four KS effectiveness measures, namely awareness of research activities in ones department, sharing of research knowledge with others in the institution, and satisfaction with sharing research knowledge with others in the institution. These findings contribute to the growing empirical KS research and provide an appropriate foundation for decision making and policy formulation aiming at fostering KS effectiveness in academe.

Mapping the global digital divide

The global digital divide as a concept is intuitively understood by most academicians, politicians and public policy makers. However, to date little empirical work exists to explain differences in per country access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). The research that does exist places heavy influence on the impact of country wealth, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, on the diffusion of ICTs. While GDP per capita certainly influences the diffusion of ICTs within a country, it is not the sole determinant of a countrys location versus other countries vis-a-vis the global digital divide. To investigate and map the global digital divide, as it currently exists, the authors utilise model-based cluster analysis to determine cohorts of countries based on three variables: personal computers per 100 population, internet users per 100 population and internet bandwidth per person. The results indicate that the global digital divide consists of four tiers. And although all of the developed countries are included in the first tier, some surprising results are obtained. Implications of the results are discussed and directions for future research are provided.

Putting the world in the world wide web: the globalisation of the internet

Without question, the first decade of the internet as a mass communications platform belonged to the USA. US universities, businesses and users dominated the online landscape to the point that English became the language of choice of the world wide web. However, as internet technology and access diffuses to more countries, will US dominance of the internet continue? The authors argue that one tipping point has already occurred the majority of users on the internet today are non-native English speakers. The next tipping point, not too far away, is when non-native English speakers conduct the majority of e-commerce. The paper discusses internet usage trends, including language, diffusion models and the challenges facing businesses figuring out when and how to effectively compete in the trillion dollar e-commerce marketplace. This paper concludes with research opportunities.

Managing Global Virtual Teams across Classrooms, Students and Faculty.

Virtual teams are becoming commonplace in business today so our business school students should have experience in effectively working in virtual teams. Based on a month-long virtual team project conducted by the authors between classes in South Africa and the United States, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of using global virtual teams as part of a business school curriculum. The authors describe the use of a virtual team life cycle to assess the month long project to identify key elements to retain and to change for the next time the virtual project is implemented.

Underlying Motivations for Establishing E-Commerce Business and Their Relationship to E-Commerce Success

ABSTRACT This paper examines the reasons companies begin to use e-Commerce and whether these e-Commerce initiatives have been successful. Two hundred and three Internet business executives were surveyed. A factor analysis indicated that there are two major underlying dimensions—short-term productivity gains and long-term company competitiveness—that motivate the establishment of e-Commerce. Additionally, the results indicate that companies are quite satisfied with their e-Commerce initiatives and that the majority of the companies have achieved their projected ROI.

Applied e-commerce metrics for small- to medium-sized enterprises

E-commerce enables marketers by providing them with access to broader markets, enhanced communications and a 24/7 global market place. The benefits to Small- to Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) who establish e-commerce capabilities have received much attention in the literature. Similarly, the need to develop and utilise performance metrics is well documented. What is missing is a practical guide to calculating performance metrics with which to measure e-commerce marketing efforts. To operate without marketing metrics, or measurement tools, invites failure. Simple, actionable, e-commerce metrics are presented for adoption by SMEs who seek to track and improve their internet marketing efforts. The use of these basic metrics easily implemented by using a standard spreadsheet package should provide marketers with enough information to monitor and control their e-commerce marketing implementations.

Organizational Advancements Through Enterprise Information Systems: Emerging Applications and Developments

This collection, entitled Organizational Advancements through Enterprise Information Systems: Emerging Applications and Developments, provides a comprehensive assessment of the latest developments in the EIS revolution. Individual chapters, which focus on Enterprise Resource Planning ERP adoption, the integration of enterprise systems, personalized ERP, and the Semantic Web, offer ideas and solutions for the future of the global enterprise.