Tuncay Bayrak

IT support services for telecommuting workforce

Organizations are in the process of moving to a network-based operating structure. Telecommuting is just a corollary of this push. While new information technologies allow for a highly mobile work force that can work from remote locations across the world, this begs the question how does supporting this new telecommuting workforce differ from supporting employees in a regular office. The purpose of this study is to describe how telecommuting and a telecommuter differ from in situ working and the desk-bound worker and how this difference dictates different approaches to providing various services such as IT support services for telecommuters. Our goal is to provide a framework to assist IT managers in addressing issues of how to support telecommuting employees to maximize their potential benefits.

Network Performance Impacts On Operators In Safety-Critical Systems

Safety-critical wide area networks are comprised of human and technical elements cooperatively performing tasks in a safety-critical setting. In such settings, both human and technical dimensions are critical in performance evaluation. It is the relationships between changes in network performance and their impacts on human operator performance with safety-critical wide area networks that we investigate in this research. The paper begins by examining the theoretical background for this research, and then describes the research model. It was found that decreases in network reliability were associated with expected degradations in operator satisfaction, operator confidence, and increases in operator workload. Likewise, it was found that an increased number of network tasks processed was associated with a decrease in operator accuracy and decreased operator communication. The results of this study suggest that understanding the impact of the network performance on human performance is important in safety-critical settings employing wide-area networks.

Identifying requirements for a disaster‐monitoring system

Purpose – The main objective of this study is to identify and define three sets of factors that might be useful for designing a disaster monitoring and response system.Design/methodology/approach – First, a literature (meta) analysis is presented using academic research. The method was mainly based on a review of the scientific literature. The paper then identifies three sets of factors that may be employed when designing disaster monitoring and response systems.Findings – The paper finds that successful operation of an organization that hosts a disaster monitoring system requires that operators and computers work together.Research limitations/implications – The model itself in this study is not all‐inclusive. An issue that deserves to be looked into is what role other technical, human, and organizational factors play in system performance.Practical implications – The importance of disaster monitoring and response systems increased in recent years because of an increase in the numbers of deaths, the numbe...

Understanding student perceptions of a web-based blended learning environment

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on how web-based training and testing platforms provide opportunities for students to leverage the capabilities of various information and communication technologies to engage in self-directed learning. Design/methodology/approach The impact of an interactive learning environment on improving students’ essential skills was measured using a previously validated structured questionnaire, consisting of five subscales: content, accuracy, format, ease of use, and timeliness. Having analyzed the instrument, the authors decided to modify it to incorporate two more measures of overall reliability and satisfaction to capture students’ overall satisfaction level with the tool. Overall, 24 items are used to measure students’ perceptions of the tool content, accuracy, format, ease of use, timeliness, reliability and satisfaction. A five-point Likert-type scale was used in the questionnaire where 1=strongly disagree and 5=strongly agree. Findings This study suggests that while students’ major, instructor, and course grade are important factors impacting student perception of the learning tool, year (freshman vs sophomore) and gender do not have any impact on the student perception. Course grade shows an interesting trend. Students who received an A and an F as their final grades are the most satisfied groups compared to other grade groups. This finding suggests a further study is needed to explore the impact of the course grade on the students’ satisfaction with the tool. While students liked simulations, grading feature with immediate feedback, electronic textbook and the system overall, they suggested improvements in the grading module, simulations, projects, system compatibility, system reliability, and cost. Originality/value Most studies use a survey to measure student’s satisfaction with a web-based learning platform. This study, however, made an attempt to understand students’ satisfaction with a web-based blended learning platform by analyzing their comments and feedback on the course using a text analytics tool.