Creating Individual Journal Rankings Based on a Community Approach

Selecting appropriate publication outlets is crucial to any researcher. Journal rankings can be used to guide the selection, but their usefulness may be limited for particular audiences. In this paper, it is argued that especially young researchers and researchers in interdisciplinary fields can benefit from targeting research efforts to a specific community. This can be facilitated by an individually built journal ranking that exploits a community building perspective and by a more transparent process of use. The approach introduced here is based on an analysis of both traditional journal rankings and behavior of academic communities. As a result, we present a procedure for building and us…

Towards a Wellbeing-driven System Design for Intergenerational Collaborative Innovation: A Literature Review

Researchers have previously utilized the advantages of a design driven by well-being and intergenerational collaboration (IGC) for successful innovation. Unfortunately, scant information exists regarding barrier dimensions and correlated design solutions in the information systems (IS) domain, which can serve as a starting point for a design oriented toward well-being in an IGC system. Therefore, in this study, we applied the positive computing approach to guide our analysis in a systematic literature review and developed a framework oriented toward well-being for a system with a multi-generational team. Our study contributes to the IS community by providing five dimensions of barriers to I…

The Globalization Competence Assessment Framework

The goal of this paper is to recommend suitable competence assessment instruments and methods for assessing globalization competence in the Information Systems domain. This is done by matching globalization competences with suitable competence assessment methods. The results of the analysis indicate that the most applicable competence assessment methods for assessing globalization competences in the Information Systems domain are written format assessments (especially essays), candidate self-reports, live interactions (especially group work), and computer simulations. The validity of the outcome is confirmed through a mixed method of document analysis and expert interviews by analyzing and …

System Design Principles for Intergenerational Knowledge Sharing

Up to four generations are potentially involved in education and workspaces. This means that people of different generations can increasingly learn together and share knowledge virtually in the digital age. Nevertheless, the principles for designing systems to support intergenerational knowledge sharing (IKS) are inconclusive. Our results demonstrate the value of applying design science research methodology to capture design principles for IKS systems. We articulate what design goals should be considered and bring more conceptual clarity to this phenomenon by presenting five design principles: a) positive personalization, b) progressive design ecosystem, c) effectual system design, d) itera…

From Global Games to Re-contextualized Games: The Design Process of TekMyst

Designing, developing and testing a game for a specific learning context and then achieving positive results, encourages one to deploy it in other environments. We know however that it is not always possible to successfully transfer artifacts from one learning context to the next. In this chapter we explore the principles to be considered when re-contextualizing a game. We base our analysis on the transfer of a Hypercontextualized Game SciMyst (which was designed and developed for the Joensuu Science Festival) into its re-contextualized version TekMyst (for the Helsinki Museum of Technology). Employing a qualitative approach we review the requirements and design decisions at the hand of fou…

Design Features for Gender-specific Differences in Blended Learning within Higher Education in Indonesia

Blended learning offers learning solutions for higher educational institutions facing the industrial revolution 4.0. In this study, we investigated the influence factors student perceptions of blended learning based on gender-specific differences in Indonesia. We applied a research model to systematically assess the effect of design features on the effectiveness of blended learning indicators (intrinsic motivation and student satisfaction). Moreover, we evaluated the research model for both genders separately. Based on the quantitative survey of 223 Indonesian students, our study confirms that the design features significantly influence the effectiveness of blended learning for male and fem…

Barriers to open e-learning in public administrations

Abstract This article presents a comparative study of the barriers to open e-learning in public administrations in Luxembourg, Germany, Montenegro and Ireland. It discusses the current state of open e-learning of public administration employees at the local government level and derives the barriers to such learning. This paper's main contribution is its presentation of an empirical set of barriers in the four European countries. The results allow informed assumptions about which barriers will arise in the forthcoming use of open-source e-learning technology, particularly open educational resources as means of learning. Furthermore, this study offers a contextualised barrier framework that a…

A Barrier Framework for open E-Learning in public administrations

A comprehensive literature review on E-Learning and OER in public administrations.A contextualized Barrier Framework about core barriers in the public sector.Lessons learned to improve implementation and adoption processes of open E-Learning.The relevance of organizational, social and technical barriers in the public sector. E-Learning and openness in education are receiving ever increasing attention in businesses as well as in academia. However, these practices have only to small extent been introduced in public administrations. The study addresses this gap by presenting a literature review on Open Educational Resources OER and E-Learning in the public sector. The main goal of the article …

Overcoming Cultural Distance in Social OER Environments

Open educational resources (OERs) provide opportunities as enablers of societal development, but they also create new challenges. From the perspective of content providers and educational institutions, particularly, cultural and context-related challenges emerge. Even though barriers regarding large-scale adoption of OERs are widely discussed, empirical evidence for determining challenges in relation to particular contexts is still rare. Such context-specific barriers generally can jeopardize the acceptance of OERs and, in particular, social OER environments. We conducted a large-scale (N = 855) cross-European investigation in the school context to determine how teachers and learners percei…

Theorising about barriers to open e-learning systems in public administrations

Abstract Barriers to the general use of e-learning technology are known across various contexts. Despite increasing efforts to clarify the range of these barriers, few efforts have been made to advance the theorising about them and, thus, to answer why and how they unfold. This study is motivated to overcome this unaddressed problem and develops a process model based on adaptive structuration theory (AST) and the punctuated socio-technical change model (PSIC). It represents how barriers unfold between actors, technology, and organisational properties in public administrations. The PaSIC model provides a new perspective on how critical incidents drive the emergence and progress of barriers t…

Quality for Global Knowledge-Intensive Organizations: A Step-by-Step Guide

Learning and education as well as knowledge-intensive work processes have become more and more internationalized. Knowledge workers are distributed around the world, study programs are exported across borders, and learners work in globally distributed groups. However, the quality of their work differs in many cases. In this paper, an approach to manage quality within the process of internationalization for globally distributed knowledge-intensive organizations (such as universities) is presented. A particular focus is the field of e-Learning. The key quality factors for internationalization of global learning are defined and examples for quality criteria resulting from these factors are int…

Fully coupled functional equations for the quark sector of QCD

We present a comprehensive study of the quark sector of $2+1$ flavour QCD, based on a self-consistent treatment of the coupled system of Schwinger-Dyson equations for the quark propagator and the full quark-gluon vertex. The individual form factors of the quark-gluon vertex are expressed in a special tensor basis obtained from a set of gauge-invariant operators. The sole external ingredient used as input to our equations is the Landau gauge gluon propagator with $2+1$ dynamical quark flavours, obtained from studies with Schwinger-Dyson equations, the functional renormalisation group approach, and large volume lattice simulations. The appropriate renormalisation procedure required in order t…

Introduction to Integrating Knowledge and Learning Processes Minitrack

This minitrack discusses knowledge management (KM) from an integrated perspective, i.e., the integration of KM, learning, and business processes. It mainly focuses on two issues: a) how can knowledge, learning and business processes integrated, and b) how can the related systems be integrated to enable an efficient workflow. Currently, even less learning environments take context and environment into account. Using mobile and ubiquitous technologies can lead to a paradigm shift in the construction of such learning environments: from static to highly contextualized knowledge and learning experiences. Based on the integration of knowledge and learning systems into social networks and social m…

Positive Computing as Paradigm to Overcome Barriers to Global Co-authoring of Open Educational Resources

The adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) can support collaboration and knowledge sharing. One of the main areas of the usage OER is the internationalization, i.e., the use in a global context. However, the globally distributed co-creation of digital materials is still low. Therefore, we identify essential barriers, in particular for co-authoring of OER in global environments. We use a design science research method to introduce a barrier framework for co-authoring OER in global settings and propose a wellbeing-based system design constructed from the barrier framework for OER co-authoring tool. We describe how positive computing concepts can be used to overcome barriers, emphasizing…

Context Standardisation for Learning, Education and Training

This paper presents a new specification to describe the context of learning environments. It provides suggestions how this specification should be discussed and further developed using the concept of social standardisation.

Developing a Competency Framework for Intergenerational Startup Innovation in a Digital Collaboration Setting

This study proposes a framework for the collaborative development of global start-up innovators in a multigenerational digital environment. Intergenerational collaboration has been identified as a strategy to support entrepreneurs during their formative years. However, integrating and fostering intergenerational collaboration remains elusive. Therefore, this study aims to identify competencies for successful global startups through intergenerational knowledge transfer. We used a systematic literature review to identify a competency set consisting of growth virtues, effectual creativity, technical domain, responsive teamwork, values-based organization, sustainable networking, cultural awaren…

Critical reflections on asymptotically safe gravity

Asymptotic safety is a theoretical proposal for the ultraviolet completion of quantum field theories, in particular for quantum gravity. Significant progress on this program has led to a first characterization of the Reuter fixed point. Further advancement in our understanding of the nature of quantum spacetime requires addressing a number of open questions and challenges. Here, we aim at providing a critical reflection on the state of the art in the asymptotic safety program, specifying and elaborating on open questions of both technical and conceptual nature. We also point out systematic pathways, in various stages of practical implementation, towards answering them. Finally, we also take…

Understanding Social OER Environments—A Quantitative Study on Factors Influencing the Motivation to Share and Collaborate

Social software environments are increasingly used for open education: teachers and learners share and collaborate in these environments. While there are various possibilities for the inclusion of such social functionalities for OER, many organizational, individual and technological challenges can hinder the motivation of teachers to share and collaborate in these environments. Current research cannot explain what barriers teachers face in social OER environments and how those challenges influence their motivation to engage in such environments. An exploratory factor analysis was used in the context of schools and higher education institutions to investigate the possible barriers to engagin…

Factors Influencing the Usage Behavior of Digitalized Innovation Environments in Companies : A Qualitative in-Depth Analysis

Digital Innovation Environments (DIE) as an umbrella term for facilities such as FabLabs, Makerspaces and Innovation Laboratories are already well known in the private and academic sectors. We focus on exploring the business aspects of DIEs and their role in digital transformation and creation of new opportunities for companies to increase their knowledge transfer and innovation capabilities. This research is dedicated to factors influencing the usage behavior of company employees of a DIE. From seven guided interviews, a total of 27 influencing factors in seven topics were identified through successive in-depth analysis and criterion-guided interpretation. These factors show the complexity…

Enhancing the experience of online users of open education

The limited adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) has kicked off the launch of several projects to search for possible solutions. One of these projects is “Open Educational Ideas and Innovations” (OEI2). The goal of this project is to find alternatives for increasing the uptake of OER and facilitating the collaborative development of OER. To enhance the experience of the users of open education, we interviewed twelve educators and researchers from different higher education institutions across Europe focusing on gathering insights about idea sharing experiences. In this paper, we present our key findings based on these interviews and outline some recommendations for our next open edu…

Contextualization of Open Educational Resources in Asia and Europe

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a promising concept for international collaborations: sharing, utilizing, and collaborating around OER across borders might help educational institutions and their staff to internationalize their activities. However, several barriers exist keeping stakeholders away from engaging in international collaborations. In this paper, we discuss the main challenges of OER uptake in international settings. Three case studies show potential solutions for OER uptake and collaboration in the European-Asian context. The case studies identify good practices, success factors and challenges. This paper provides a starting point for systematic analytical as well as design…

Patterns of Sociotechnical Design Preferences of Chatbots for Intergenerational Collaborative Innovation: A Q Methodology Study

Chatbot technology is increasingly emerging as a virtual assistant. Chatbots could allow individuals and organizations to accomplish objectives that are currently not fully optimized for collaboration across an intergenerational context. This paper explores the preferences of chatbots as a companion in intergenerational innovation. The Q methodology was used to investigate different types of collaborators and determine how different choices occur between collaborators that merge the problem and solution domains of chatbots’ design within intergenerational settings. The study’s findings reveal that various chatbot design priorities are more diverse among younger adults than senior adults. Ad…

A conceptual framework for ubiquitous mobile environments.

The aim of this paper is to reflect upon and develop a conceptual framework that addresses the relationship between real and virtual life, with a particular focus on mobile gaming as one potential methodology for learning. The comprehension of the virtual-real life relationship is relevant not only to mobile gaming, but also to the ongoing discussions about and development of ubiquitous computing.

Why Does Cultural Diversity Foster Technology-enabled Intergenerational Collaboration?

Globalization and information technology enable people to join the movement of global citizenship and work without borders. However, different type of barriers existed that could affect collaboration in todays work environment, in which different generations are involved. Although researchers have identified several technical barriers to intergenerational collaboration (iGOAL), the influence of cultural diversity on iGOAL has rarely been studied. Therefore, using a quantitative study approach, this paper investigates the impact of differences in cultural background on perceived technical and operational barriers to iGOAL. Our study reveals six barriers to IGC that are perceived differently …

DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACE CONNECTING TEACHERS AND REFUGEE CHILDREN - A DESIGN SCIENCE RESEARCH STUDY

Learning the German language is one of the most critical challenges for refugee children in Germany. It is a prerequisite to allow communication and integration into the educational system. To solve the underlying problem, we conceptualized a set of principles for the design of language learning systems to support collaboration between teachers and refugee children, using a Design Science Research approach. The proposed design principles offer functional and non-functional requirements of systems, including the integration of open educational resources, different media types to develop visual and audio narratives that can be linked to the cultural and social background. This study also illu…

Integration of Learning and Working: Convergent Processes and Systems

Context metadata to adapt Ambient Learning Environments

Ambient learning and knowledge environments (ALKE) are a promising concept for new methods of learning and in particular adapted, personalized learning environments. However, currently very few approaches specify concepts for adaptation. We present a metadata approach to identify and (automatically) derive the context of learning environments as a basis for adaptation. The concept has been partially validated in a scenario of ldquoSpontaneous Group Learningrdquo in Higher Education.

Skill-Based Scouting of Open Management Content

Already existing open educational resources in management have a high potential for enterprises to address the increasing training needs of their employees. However, access barriers still prevent the full exploitation of this potential. Users have to search a number of repositories with heterogeneous interfaces in order to retrieve the desired content. In addition, the use of search criteria related to skills, such as learning objectives and skill-levels is in most cases not supported. The demonstrator presented in this paper addresses these shortcomings by federating multiple repositories, integrating and enriching their metadata, and employing skill-based search for management related con…

Workshop on Competencies for the Globalization of Information Systems in Knowledge-Intensive Settings

Software development has become a global task for the past decades. Outsourcing and offshoring solutions have been discussed frequently, in both research and in industry. Export is the main driver for a society’s and corresponding individual’s wealth. As more and more organizations apply outsourcing and offshoring practices, new ways have to be found to compete in this rapidly changing environment. Additionally, the digital divide is becoming a central issue, determining the relation of developed and developing countries.

The Knowledge Intervention Integration Process

Process oriented Knowledge Management (pKM) has been a widely discussed approach for KM initiatives. The approach ties business strategy closely to KM by connecting knowledge activities to key business processes. Social Software has been taken up in many domains as an organizational tool for managing knowledge. Up till now, the impact of being globally distributed (organizations and teams) has not been emphasized within the pKM view, nor has been the Social Software approach. The globally distributed, Social Software – supported approach has clear impacts for designing and implementing KM processes in the pKM view. Within this paper the authors clarify these implications with an integrated …

User-oriented quality for OER: understanding teachers' views on re-use, quality, and trust

We analysed how teachers as users of open educational resources (OER) repositories act in the re-use process and how they perceive quality. Based on a quantitative empirical study, we also surveyed which quality requirements users have and how they would contribute to the quality process. Trust in resources, organizations, and technologies seem to be of particular importance when looking at quality. In our findings, we derive recommendations for learning object repositories and OER user-oriented quality assurance.

A Qualitative Study on the Categorisation and Prioritisation of Digital Competencies and Attitudes for Managers and Employees

Ghost spectral function from the spectral Dyson-Schwinger equation

We compute the ghost spectral function in Yang-Mills theory by solving the corresponding Dyson-Schwinger equation for a given input gluon spectral function. The results encompass both scaling and decoupling solutions for the gluon propagator input. The resulting ghost spectral function displays a particle peak at vanishing momentum and a negative scattering spectrum, whose infrared and ultraviolet tails are obtained analytically. The ghost dressing function is computed in the entire complex plane, and its salient features are identified and discussed.

Examining Competing Entrepreneurial Concerns in a Social Question and Answer (SQA) Platform

This study aims to determine the competing concerns of people interested in startup development and entrepreneurship by using topic modeling and sentiment analysis on a social question-and-answer (SQA) website. Understanding the underlying concerns of startup entrepreneurs is critical to society and economic growth. Therefore, greater scientific support for entrepreneurship remains necessary, including data mining from virtual social communities. In this study, an SQA platform was used to identify the sentiment of thirty concerns of people interested in startup entrepreneurship. Based on topic modeling and sentiment analysis of 18819 inquiries in various forums on an SQA, we identified addi…

A methodology to compare and adapt e-learning in the global context

In this paper, we present a solution how to test cultural influences on E-Learning in a global context. Based on a metadata approach, we show how specifically cultural influence factors can be determined to transfer and adapt learning environments. We present a method how those influence factors can be validated for both, to improve the dynamical meta-data specification and to be used in the development of (international) E-Learning scenarios.

Towards Successful Implementation of a Virtual Classroom for Vocational Higher Education in Indonesia

The virtual classroom continues to grow, but it is becoming more and more the norm, and it is fundamentally different from the vocational students at the Indonesian university. With the promised benefits of the virtual classroom, many challenges and difficulties come in the implementation. Although there are already successful design principles for virtual classrooms that support organizations in overcoming the challenges, the approach to implementing the design principles of virtual classroom at the vocational higher education in Indonesia is still lacking. In this study, we aim to answer the research gap and used the design sciences research by interviewing the lecturers to design the sol…

Software and Standards in an Emerging Domain

This paper considers the software market in the field of e-Learning and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) through observing standardization developments in the domain. A model of software market evolution suggests that observations on development and deployment of standards in the domain indicate the status on the market. As the model holds, in a mature phase, level of standardization is high and the number of competing standards low. The result of the study is, there appears to be a market, but a heterogeneous one, with hesitation on dominant designs and an overall modest level of standards adoption. Content standardization enables the (re)use of the learning content in multiple formats w…

Design principles for collaboration platforms for open education

Increasing the current low uptake of Open Education Resources (OER) is a key challenge for researchers and practitioners in the field. User studies have shown that collaboration is a main success factor for successful open educational activities. However, effective collaboration in open educational contexts requires well planned processes and platforms supporting collaboration, in particular in physically distributed settings. We have been investigating the value of such platforms, their main features and user requirements to enable collaboration from immature ideas to completed resources. We used quantitative and qualitative research methods to collect insights from potential users of such…

Removing the barriers to adoption of social OER environments

Despite the opportunities and benefits of OER, research and practice has shown how the OER repositories have a hard time in reaching an active user-base. The opportunities of experience exchange and simple feedback mechanisms of social software have been realized for improving the situation and many are basing or transforming their OER offerings towards socially powered environments. Research on social software has shown how knowledge-sharing barriers in online environments are highly culture and context-specific and require proper investigation. It is crucial to study what challenges might arise in such environments and how to overcome them, ensuring a successful uptake. A large-scale (N =…

Barriers and wellbeing-oriented enablers of intergenerational innovation in the digital age

AbstractSo far, researchers have used a wellbeing-centered approach to catalyze successful intergenerational collaboration (IGC) in innovative activities. However, due to the subject’s multidisciplinary nature, there is still a dearth of comprehensive research devoted to constructing the IGC system. Thus, the purpose of this study is to fill a research void by providing a conceptual framework for information technology (IT) system designers to use as a jumping-off point for designing an IGC system with a wellbeing-oriented design. A systematic literature study was conducted to identify relevant terms and develop a conceptual framework based on a review of 75 selected scientific papers. The …

How software development competences change in global settings-an explorative study

Global software development GSD holds various challenges and problems for team members. When confronted with a contextual change in their working environment, individuals have to adapt to the new situation. This includes the adaptation of working styles, behaviors, and methods. Additionally, new challenges, especially those based on the virtual work and cultural background of team members, have to be addressed. By conducting explorative expert interviews, we identified challenges and potential solutions for individuals when encountering contextual change with a focus on competences. We identified that the lack of competences was seen as a major influence factor for a variety of common chall…

Analysis and Validation of Learning Technology Models, Standards and Specifications

The paper presents a model for the analysis, comparison and validation of standards, specifications and in particular reference models in the field of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL). The Reference Model Analysis Grid (RMAG) establishes categories of reference models and standards. Based on those categories, a set of criteria for the analysis and validation of standards was elaborated as a part of the ICOPER project that aims at interoperable open content for competency-based TEL. The analysis of standards in this context is targeted at developing a set of validated approaches that lead to a new reference model. Four standards were investigated, taking into account a broad range of aspec…

Understanding the challenges of rapid digital transformation : the case of COVID-19 pandemic in higher education

Rapid digital transformation is taking place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing organisations and higher educational institutions to change their working and learning culture. This study explores the challenges of rapid digital transformation arising during the pandemic in the higher education context. This research used the Q-methodology to understand the nine challenges that higher education encountered, perceived differently as four main patterns: (1) Digital-nomad enterprise; (2) Corporate-collectivism; (3) Well-being-oriented; and (4) Pluralistic. This study broadens the current understanding of digital transformation, especially in higher education. The nine challenges and four pat…

Towards humane digitization : a wellbeing-driven process of personas creation

Digital transformation is a process of digitizing the working and living environment in which people are at the center of digitization. In this paper, we present a personas-based guideline for system developers on how the humanization of digital transformation integrates into the design process. The proposed guideline uses the positive personas from the beginning as a basis for the transformation of the working environment into the digital form. We used the literature research as a preliminary study for the process of wellbeing-driven digital transformation design, consisting of questions for structuring the required information in the positive personas as well as a potential method that co…

Open educational resources repositories literature review – Towards a comprehensive quality approaches framework

Display Omitted A comprehensive literature review on learning object repositories (LOR) quality approaches.Most cited quality approaches are "peer reviews" and "recommendation systems".User-generated, collaborative, quality instruments are favored for their sustainability.Main result is a Quality approach framework for LOR design. Today, Open Educational Resources (OER) are commonly stored, used, adapted, remixed and shared within Learning object repositories (LORs) which have recently started expanding their design to support collaborative teaching and learning. As numbers of OER available freely keep on growing, many LORs struggle to find sustainable business models and get the users' att…

Gauge-invariant condensation in the nonequilibrium quark-gluon plasma

The large density of gluons, which is present shortly after a nuclear collision at very high energies, can lead to the formation of a condensate. We identify a gauge-invariant order parameter for condensation based on elementary non-perturbative excitations of the plasma, which are described by spatial Wilson loops. Using real-time lattice simulations, we demonstrate that a self-similar transport process towards low momenta builds up a macroscopic zero mode. Our findings reveal intriguing similarities to recent discoveries of condensation phenomena out of equilibrium in table-top experiments with ultracold Bose gases.

A novel approach towards skill-based search and services of Open Educational Resources

Open educational resources (OER) have a high potential to address the growing need for training materials in management education and training. Today, a high number of OER in management are already available in a large number of repositories. However, users face barriers as they have to search repository by repository with different interfaces to retrieve the appropriate learning content. In addition, the use of search criteria related to skills, such as learning objectives and skill-levels is not generally supported. The European co-funded project OpenScout addresses these barriers by intelligently connecting leading European OER repositories and providing federated, skillbased search and …

Ontology-based standardization on knowledge exchange in social knowledge management environments

After the hype around Web 2.0, organizations have revisited their efforts on knowledge management in order to create beneficial effects from their employees' activities in social environments. While there is not much doubt about the positive effects on creativity and flexibility, handling the variety of knowledge work environments that are in use at different organizational units or business partners can negatively affect productivity. While standards have generally mushroomed in the IT domain, there is a lack of standards in knowledge management. This paper argues for a standard on exchanging knowledge between social environments. We revisit related work, particularly standards which can b…

A Data Model for Describing and Exchanging Personal Achieved Learning Outcomes (PALO)

Employers seek people that match particular qualifications and graduates seek jobs that match their qualifications. This market is currently managed primarily using paper certificates and heterogeneous university management systems that capture achieved learning outcomes as well as corporate information systems that capture required qualifications. In light of trends toward increased student mobility, employability and lifelong learning, this situation is less than satisfactory. Therefore, in this paper, the authors propose a schema that facilitates interoperable storage and management of Personal Achieved Learning Outcomes (PALO) based on a common data model. This paper presents use case s…