Dr. Samuel S . Conn | University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Samuel S . Conn

Various Web 2.0 technologies can be used to support pedagogy. Examples include wikis, blogs, and ... more Various Web 2.0 technologies can be used to support pedagogy. Examples include wikis, blogs, and social media including forum discussions. Online class forum discussions involving electronic text can result in robust strings of data containing meta-knowledge, inherent meaning, themes and patterns. Based on instructional design, learning outcomes guide and reflect class generated work product such as assignments, activities, and discussions. As such, class discussions should evolve with alignment to learning outcomes. One measurement of instructional efficacy involves the closeness with which this alignment occurs. In this experimental research the authors report on the design and prototyping of a deterministic model utilizing a tag cloud engine to determine dominant and emerging themes from a text string, namely word data collected from a threaded discussion. Textual data used in this investigation involved two Information Systems online classes where threaded discussions during one...

As the popularity of eLearning continues to grow, more and more academic institutions and corpora... more As the popularity of eLearning continues to grow, more and more academic institutions and corporate training and development departments are developing content and delivery systems for Internet based “online” education, training and development. Oracle lab environments may call for access to specific Oracle applications, products, and tools, and the feasibility of having every user or student locally install a required lab environment is low due to constraints with licensing, technical support, local hardware and software available, and the level of expertise of the end-user. The use of thin-client technology appears to present a solution to this problem. This report reviews the design and implementation of an extensible eLearning Information Systems architecture that allows integration of Oracle 8i and 9i development and administration tools with content delivery systems in online corporate training and development initiatives, and distance education and eLearning programs by deliv...

The Internet and World Wide Web have enabled the delivery of online instruction through content m... more The Internet and World Wide Web have enabled the delivery of online instruction through content management and learning management systems. Many educational institutions and corporate organizations utilize the online environment to successfully extend the reach of their training and education programs. Away from the structure of a classroom, many students are unable to demonstrate sufficient discipline to organize work, and apply the rigor that is needed to successfully learn in an online environment. This report details a successful design initiative to create a learning cycle framework for online instruction of Information Systems courses. The Information Systems Learning Cycle (ISLC) integrates the elements of cognitive and applied instruction via a sequential and iterative pedagogical flow that maps the elements to specific online technologies. Content instruction and lab instruction through a virtual lab environment blend together in a strategic flow that

Information Systems Education Journal, 2011

In this report the authors detail a baseline study involving use of epistemic belief data to enha... more In this report the authors detail a baseline study involving use of epistemic belief data to enhance academic success collected from an undergraduate student population enrolled in an Information Systems undergraduate degree program. Based on an existing line of inquiry, student epistemic belief data were collected and analyzed to determine student perception of knowledge and levels of self-regulation and self-efficacy. Indicators were determined through item analysis and evaluated for use with an existing epistemic belief profile rubric. Working in concert with course developers, strategies for altering approaches in instructional design, pedagogy, and assessment based on student epistemic beliefs were determined. Researchers from institutions of similar composition can benefit from findings of this study. Moreover, strategies for altering a student population‟s trajectory toward improved academic success were an outcome of this study and included application and analysis of: (a) s...

This paper reports on the implementation and management of an Information Systems Practicum used ... more This paper reports on the implementation and management of an Information Systems Practicum used in a graduate Computer Information Technology program. The Information Systems Practicum provides a student with an 8 month learning experience that is academically rigorous, intellectually challenging, and which serves as a culminating experience to the student’s coursework. Specifically designed around an action research methodology, the Information Systems Practicum engages the student as a practitioner and provides real work opportunity congruent with the course of study. Implementation and management strategies, as well as the educational and philosophical foundations of the Practicum, are investigated along with providing conclusions about the program drawn over a 4 year period of time.

The eventuality of the Semantic Web offers multiple attractive features to the enterprise infrast... more The eventuality of the Semantic Web offers multiple attractive features to the enterprise infrastructure in the area of improved Knowledge Management and information retrieval. Current relational database models adequately perform in the transactional processing of operational data, but do little toward the advancement of knowledge foundations for innovation. The movement from an information economy to a knowledge economy mandates that successful organizations must innovate at a faster rate than their competitors. To this end, Information Systems must extend technological infrastructures away from relational transaction systems toward higher order semantic models that can accommodate schemas based on Ontologies. This report details a methodology for mapping relational data systems to a higher order semantic model that can implement an ontology-driven information system. Additionally, this report provides conclusions about the application of ontologydriven information systems to the ...

Systems and software development life cycles are fundamental to systems analysis and design cours... more Systems and software development life cycles are fundamental to systems analysis and design coursework in Information Systems education. There is today a movement away from the traditional, linear development life cycle models toward the newer “Agile” development life cycle models. This paradigm shift affects the way we are approaching how we teach the topic of development life cycle models. For the Information Systems educator it is important to know about the origins, significance, and current efficacy of the Agile development movement, and to understand the paradigm shift occurring in industry today. This is an investigation and research into three principal areas related to the Agile development movement and how it is affecting Information Systems education. The first area is how the movement was organized, facilitated, and sponsored, with a focus on how the seventeen charter members of the movement came together. The members, known as the Agile Alliance, met at the Lodge in Sno...

Universities involved in distance learning face challenges in information and communication techn... more Universities involved in distance learning face challenges in information and communication technology systems and online course development such as limited resources, time constraints, problems and errors associated with ad-hoc development, sustainable and useful eLearning systems, acceptable levels of user satisfaction, and support and maintenance issues. Through a qualitative case study of eLearning systems and online course construction initiatives at a tier 1 research university, the authors examine a strategy to synchronize lifecycle development methodologies. In this study the authors provide a case study of structured development life-cycle methodology for eLearning system development and online course development where each phase of the methodologies are synchronized and work in concert to optimize life-cycle development.

E-learning networks are used by academic institutions such as Regis University to support synchro... more E-learning networks are used by academic institutions such as Regis University to support synchronous and asynchronous delivery of online courses and programs. An e-learning network supports a wide range of applications and services and facilitates access to diverse e-learning implementations including virtual laboratory (V-lab) environments, knowledge repositories, storage area networks (SANs), and content delivery networks (CDNs), as well as metropolitan, regional, and international research and education configurations. As demonstrated in this dissertation, an e-learning network eliminates campus boundaries by providing infrastructure for information flows regionally, nationally, and internationally. A systems development life cycle (SDLC) methodology enables academic institutions to design and develop e-learning networks that meet educational goals and objectives and provide access to current and next-generation research initiatives. The goal of the research was to assess the ca...

Knowledge management (KM) is emerging as an important topic among criminal justice agencies. The ... more Knowledge management (KM) is emerging as an important topic among criminal justice agencies. The growing use of information management systems and the use of mobile technologies to rapidly share large amounts of information among law enforcement agencies now require that law enforcement officers become efficient at managing their intellectual capital. As movement occurs from the information age to the knowledge age, modern law enforcement agencies are frequently using a community policing approach to their law enforcement activities. Community policing is a law enforcement approach to policing where tacit knowledge is often developed and should be captured and preserved. In this paper the authors apply a literature review to KM concepts and investigate how KM can be applied to modern law enforcement organizations. The audience for this investigation is any law enforcement administrator interested in introducing KM concepts in their organization.

Information Systems Education Journal, 2013

Cloud computing represents an architecture and paradigm of computing designed to deliver infrastr... more Cloud computing represents an architecture and paradigm of computing designed to deliver infrastructure, platforms, and software as constructible computing resources on demand to networked users. As campuses are challenged to better accommodate academic needs for applications and computing environments, cloud computing can provide an accommodating solution for mobile, campus laboratory, and distance computing. The need for ubiquitous software deployments, virtual environments, software acceleration, economies of scale, and on-demand services points to cloud computing solutions for expedient network access to a pool of shared resources. In this baseline study, as part of a nascent research track, the researchers examine a proposed design for cloud computing at Southern Polytechnic State University to support action research, applied learning and practical, real-world student experiences at the university. Access to university cloud computing resources via an academic research network...

Information Systems professionals can participate in the strategic planning and policy developmen... more Information Systems professionals can participate in the strategic planning and policy development of the business organization by applying sound techniques for rational decision making. Decision Support Systems often utilize inferential techniques to provide analysis and knowledge creation for business and its information systems. One common method of reasoning under uncertainty is the application of the Bayesian probability model. This teaching case can be used in an Information Systems program to teach one method of inferential reasoning as applied to policy and business rules for spam email filters.

Various lean management techniques (e.g., Ishikawa Diagrams, Total Quality Control, and Just-inTi... more Various lean management techniques (e.g., Ishikawa Diagrams, Total Quality Control, and Just-inTime) can be applied to improve the efficacy of online instructional systems. Problems with online pedagogy and errors or defects in course design can be analyzed by directed processes through techniques such as root cause analysis (RCA), resulting in determination of secondary and primary causes of a given problem or defect. In cases where active pedagogy should align with instructional design techniques such as course activities, discussions, exercises, and stated learning objectives, misalignments with pedagogical practices can be resolved by real-time intervention strategies. In this baseline study, the authors report on the results of an online course quality improvement strategy involving two deterministic techniques to provide for a quality controlled e-Learning environment. Anonymous data from 103 online courses at Georgia Military College Online Campus were used in this investigat...

A sample of 651 wood products industries were surveyed to determine their educational needs and q... more A sample of 651 wood products industries were surveyed to determine their educational needs and quantify their interest in receiving continuing education via an online format. In the survey, respondents were asked to rank, in order of priority, their educational needs. With a 15.2% response rate, survey respondents (n=99) indicated that an online course in Marketing is the primary need, followed by an online course in Business Strategy Development, given a list of 26 distinct subject areas. Moreover, 88% of members indicated that they are highly interested in receiving continuous education in a Web-based online format.

The increasing complexity of business systems, the accelerating pace of technological change, and... more The increasing complexity of business systems, the accelerating pace of technological change, and the highly competitive business environment are overwhelming software development methodologies that have stayed essentially the same for the last fifty years. Model Driven Architecture (MDA) is a current initiative by the Object Management Group that represents a major evolution in the way software is developed. There is growing consensus by the information systems community on the fundamental principals of MDA, but some critical elements are missing in the areas of transformation and system-behavior modeling. Agreement on standards and approaches in these areas will take some time, and substantial work remains before MDA can replace traditional, long-practiced methods and be considered a routine approach to software development. When this happens it has the potential to significantly improve the integration of customers into the software development lifecycle. Traditional development ...

Faculty members who teach large�size undergraduate classes face unique and distinct issues and ch... more Faculty members who teach large�size undergraduate classes face unique and distinct issues and challenges. Examples of issues and challenges in teaching large, diverse undergraduate student populations include wide distribution of backgrounds and abilities, various majors ver� sus students taking electives, lack of personal attention and student engagement, and deter� mination of appropriate levels of instruction. This research involves collaboration between a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University undergraduate professor and the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Institute for Distance and Distributed Learning to examine the use of information systems and eLearning strategies in concert with Web 2.0

Information Systems Education Journal, 2011

Information Systems Education Journal, 2013