Tom Nyvang

The Role of Social Networking Services in eParticipation

A serious problem in eParticipation projects is citizen engagement --- citizens do not necessarily become more willing to participate simply because net-services are provided for them. Most forms of eParticipation in democratic contexts are, however, dependent on citizen engagement, interaction and social networking because democratic systems favour the interests of larger groups of citizens --- the more voices behind a political proposition, the greater its chances of success. In this context of challenges the study of social networking on the internet and social network theory offers valuable insights into the practices and theories of citizen engagement. Social network theory focuses on the chains of relationships that social actors communicate and act within. Some social networking services on the internet attract large numbers of users, and apparently sustain a great deal of interaction, content-generation and the development of loosely-coupled communities. They provide the forum for much discussion and interaction. In this respect social networking could contribute to solve some of the problems of engaging their users that eParticipation services often struggle with. This paper investigates the potential of Social Networking Services for the eParticipation area by defining social networking services, introducing the driving forces behind their advance, and discusses the potential use of social networking software in the eParticipation context.

Implementation of an Infrastructure for Networked Learning

What are the conditions under which institutional actors decide upon Information and Communication Technology strategies for networked learning purposes? The question is discussed within the frame of a case study of the decision process during a shift from one learning platform to another in an education at Aalborg University. The aim is to explicate and understand the multiplicity of issues involved and to point the possible ways of handling such decision processes. On the one hand, the analysis shows that the predominant reasons for deciding to change are dissatisfaction with the existing system which is slow due to (too) many levels, lack of esthetic design, lack of coherence in practices and, generally, lack of relevant content. On the other hand, the predominant arguments for choosing the new system are more related to issues of operation, support, and management. We argue that the issues of dissatisfaction with the existing system will not automatically be solved by implementing a new one; that many of the problems with the existing system are related to the way it is used; and that the role of the system is vaguely defined in the organization.

Introducing the Collaborative E-Learning Design Method (CoED)

Our aim in this chapter is to present the rationale and theoretical underpinnings of a particular method for learning design called CoED1 (Collaborative E-learning Design). The method was originally developed by Nyvang and Georgsen (2007) as part of the Learn@Work project, and has since been further developed in other projects we have engaged in as a research collective

The Relationship between Task Characteristics, BI Quality and Task Compatibility: An Explorative Study

The purpose of this article is to investigate the relationship between task characteristics, business intelligence (BI) quality, and task compatibility. It is essential to investigate this relationship, as BI often builds up data from the organizations existing information systems, and thus, is a supplement. In addition, there is a gap within existing research about task characteristics and BI. We conducted a survey of three companies, where 104 BI end users answered the questionnaire. Our findings reveal that BI users who experience high information quality solve difficult tasks, have a specified job, and their task solution is independent of others experiencing higher task compatibility. The main contribution of the survey is a better understanding of how tasks and BI fit together. In conclusion, the model could be tested in different industries and with different information systems.