Understanding the Continued Usage Intention of Educators toward an e-Learning System

The tremendous development of technologies over recent decades has offered many e-learning systems to faculty educators to support teaching. The advantage of using such systems in connection with on-site courses is that it increases flexibility in teaching/learning by making resources available online. However, there is little empirical evidence to suggest which factors shape educators’ continuance intention to use such systems. This study builds a model, based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology to identify the factors. The model was tested among university educators who use the popular e-learning system, Moodle. The results suggest that the continuance intention is driven by perceived usefulness and access. Perceived ease of use, perceived behavioral control, compatibility, and social influence do not have a significant direct impact on continuance intention, although perceived ease of use and compatibility significantly affect perceived usefulness. Taken together, the core determinants of the continuance intention explained around 70% of the total variance in intention in this study.

Future Developments of E-Modules

E-learning tools can be found on an occasional basis in higher education, in particular regarding social sciences. This paper concentrates on envisaged future developments of E-Modules, the innovative e-learning platform on European Union matters created by the Institute for European Studies, which is an autonomous department of the Free University Brussels. First, it provides an overview of the strategy and the concept of E-Modules as well as content, structure and main features of the e-learning tool including best practices and current challenges. The author also explores in depth the role interactive tools and multimedia can play in enhancing the transfer of knowledge and skills to the users of the E-Modules.

Use of Virtual Classrooms in Online Learning Environments

With the help of enhancements in communication technologies, especially within the framework of opportunities provided by the internet, learning can be done both in traditional environments and online environments. Besides numerical content, online learning content has the ability to offer multiple learning tools together. The one which steps forward among these tools for providing communication and interaction is virtual classroom applications. In this study, virtual classroom structure in online learning environments is examined. Within the framework of the study, academic personnel who have experience with distance education and who have given courses in virtual classroom application are defined. In order to gain detailed information, research is designed qualitatively. After the data is analyzed, suggestions are provided by reporting the research. Action research design of qualitative methods is used in this study.

An Improved Dynavote E-Voting Protocol Implementation

Electronic voting—the use of computers or computerized voting equipment to cast and tabulate and tally ballots in an election in a trustable manner—is a pillar of e-Government. The DynaVote voting protocol system proposed by Cetinkaya and Koc (2007) is assumed secure and practicable on a network. However, the DynaVote e-Voting protocol does not completely protect the voting counter against impersonated votes, especially when the pseudo-Vote identities are known by the wrong voter or compromised by authorities. To address this problem, a prototype called improved DynaVote e-Vote protocol was designed to protect the counter from anomalies associated with counting impersonated votes (multiple votes) in the same election. This was achieved by introducing biometric fingerprint and pseudo voter identities (PVID) encryption for each voter during voter registration via online or data mining of population data containing fingerprint biometrics. Furthermore, fingerprint reader and RSA public key cryptography is used in PVID to eliminate counting impersonated votes. The performance results showed that improved DynaVote e-Vote protocol is more reliable, eligible, and accurate, and protects voter privacy against other e-Vote protocols.

Multi-Dimensional Factors Impacting on E-Government Adoption in Botswana, Mozambique, and Malawi

With widespread adoption of ICT usage in public service delivery platforms (e-Government) throughout the world, African countries have vowed not to be left behind in this marathon. Robust e-Government adoption depends on the strategy employed to implement it. This paper presents the different initiatives that have been employed to promote e-Government development and development in Botswana, Mozambique and Malawi thereby showing the impact of such initiatives on overall e-Government agenda. Using extensive document and literature reviews, this paper further intends to investigate the status of e-Government implementation in these three countries and understand the multi-dimensional factors that dictate adoption and use of e-Government services. The paper has found that deliberate fiscal ICT policies, trust of e-applications, availability of ICT infrastructures such as appropriate mobile phone and base stations technology, usability of ICT platforms, and relevant ICT skills of ordinary citizens have a lasting positive impact on people’s intention to engage in e-Government.

Measuring Lecturers’ Perception of Transition to E-Learning Systems and Digital Divide

The development of internet technology has affected spread of e-learning programs. Students have been attending e-learning programs worldwide. For example, students in Turkey have increasingly been using this technology to attend e-MBA programs. Due to constraints like lecturers, ability to use technology and the infrastructure of information technologies in current education systems it is not possible to reach high levels of higher education. In this paper, the authors measure lecturers’ behaviors toward e-learning activities. The study gauges their ability to use information technology, perceptions about the advantages of e-learning program, and readiness for the transition. Data are provided from a survey conducted in the School of Business Administration at Istanbul University. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric tests are used to analyze the data. These tests measure the digital divide between academicians taking into account their academic qualifications, gender and departments.

Trust in E-Commerce

E-Commerce’s virtuality poses questions concerning trust between buyer and seller. Web 2.0 formats have provided new complications for these questions. Companies are creating more social networking sites, experimenting with ways to use such networks for marketing purposes. This paper explores the issue of trust in social networking site transactions vs. those at more established e-commerce sites. The authors apply the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to assess the level of trust in different types of e-commerce sites. TAM measures trust along several dimensions and includes potential explanatory factors, such as ease of use, perceived usefulness, search and research capabilities, security, value of product recommendations, and value of customer reviews. The authors directed the respondents to assess amazon.com, Facebook, and eBay—sites with different levels of institutional credibility and social networking affiliations. The data suggest definite differences exist between the sites, perhaps explained by institutional credibility and social networking.

A Study on the Role of Open Education Faculty, the Leader of Distance Learning in Turkey, in Higher Education and its Educational-Social Dynamics

The distance learning method has changed the conception of classical education and training. In Turkey the distance learning mission has been undertaken by Anadolu University Open Education Faculty (OEF). Therefore, the presence of OEF in higher education has been considered as the need and demand for higher education through “distance learning system”. However, studying the state’s OEF move “a demand” is not sufficient for an integral analysis. The economic and political structure in the period when OEF was integrated into the education system was critical. In this context, there are significant social dynamics underlying the foundation of OEF as well. In this study, the differences between the distance learning experience in Turkey and other countries are analyzed. Besides the role and share of the OEF in higher education in Turkey is discussed and the socioeconomic reasons of the foundation of the OEF, as specified above, are studied within the framework of the background of the state’s educational move. Finally, the positive and negative views of the individuals on the OEF are presented in the study and suggestions are made in this framework.

The Effect of Online Collaboration Environment on Prospective Teachers’ Attitude and the Evaluation of Their Opinions

This study examines the use of Moodle assisted online collaboration environment in a Special Teaching Techniques class. In this paper, the authors investigate the effect of Moodle assisted online collaboration on prospective secondary mathematics teachers’ attitudes toward the use of the Internet and evaluate the prospective teachers’ opinions regarding the process. The method of this study is one grouped pre-test post-test model. The 30 participants of secondary mathematics education without thesis program are the study group of this research. The special mathematics teaching techniques class supported lessons with the help of the Moodle environment for 9 weeks. After the process, no significant difference existed in the attitudes of the prospective mathematics teachers toward Internet usage. However, according to the interviews, the teachers said they found the process advantageous and favorable and want further implementations in other classes.

Preventing Social Engineering and Espionage in Collaborative Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs)

Insider attack and espionage on computer-based information is a major problem for business organizations and governments. Knowledge Management Systems (KMSs) are not exempt from this threat. Prior research presented the Congenial Access Control Model (CAC), a relationship-based access control model, as a better access control method for KMS because it reduces the adverse effect of stringent security measures on the usability of KMSs. However, the CAC model, like other models, e.g., Role Based Access Control (RBAC), Time-Based Access Control (TBAC), and History Based Access Control (HBAC), does not provide adequate protection against privilege abuse by authorized users that can lead to industrial espionage. In this paper, the authors provide an Espionage Prevention Model (EP) that uses Semantic web-based annotations on knowledge assets to store relevant information and compares it to the Friend-Of-A-Friend (FOAF) data of the potential recipient of the resource. It can serve as an additional layer to previous access control models, preferably the Congenial Access Control (CAC) model.