Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference最新文献

{"title":"Online Learning by Means of Zoom in the Period of the COVID-19 Crisis, as Perceived by Students in Higher Studies [Abstract]","authors":"I. Rahimi, G. Zilka","doi":"10.28945/4814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4814","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study examined students’ attitudes to characteristics of learning in Zoom, attitudes to the quality of teaching in Zoom and ways of learning, about a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.\u0000Background COVID-19 crisis caused exposure to online learning on the largest scale known in human history, and that together with the challenges of the transition to online learning, there are also opportunities to change perceptions of teaching and learning, and to include new ways in the learning and teaching process in higher education.\u0000\u0000Methodology: The research question was: What are students’ attitudes to the characteristics of learning in Zoom, the quality of teaching in Zoom and ways of learning in Zoom? The study is a quantitative one, the questionnaire contained closed questions, and 712 students who study in higher education institutions in Israel participated in the study.\u0000\u0000Contribution: Facilitators, inhibitors, implications and recommendations were identified.\u0000\u0000Findings: The findings showed that most students are satisfied with learning in Zoom, and that there was a significant improvement in the students’ attitudes towards learning in Zoom during their studies in the shadow of Covid-19. It was found that older students have more positive attitudes towards learning in Zoom, and learning disorders are connected to more negative attitudes towards learning in Zoom; however, there was also an improvement in the attitudes of students with learning disorders, during their learning experience in the shadow of COVID-19.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: This study shows that most students are satisfied with learning in Zoom and that there was a significant improvement in students’ attitudes towards learning in Zoom during their studies in the shadow of COVID-19, a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: It was found that older students have more positive attitudes towards learning in Zoom, and learning disorders are connected to more negative attitudes towards distance learning; however, among students with learning disorders there was also an improvement in attitudes during their studies in the shadow of COVID-19.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: The present crisis could be a catalyst for processes that have been taking place in recent years in the use of technology in teaching and learning and in the transition to online learning.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Future research on the effectiveness of learning by means of Zoom in higher education could examine parameters such as evaluation of the learners’ achievements, the quality of the assignments presented by the students, meeting schedules, whether lecturers manage to teach all the subject matter, the quality of the discussions in Zoom, use of technological tools, use of 21st century skills and similar.","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115972515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Wisdom of the Crowds and Cost Overruns in Construction Project Tenders [Abstract]","authors":"Yahel Giat, A. Mitelman","doi":"10.28945/4783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4783","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study’s objective is to demonstrate the wisdom of the crowds phenomenon in construction project tenders and relate it to cost overruns in these projects.\u0000\u0000Background: The wisdom of the crowd’s phenomenon is an age-old idea that argues that collective opinion is better than any single (even expert) opinion. The first data-based evidence for it is from the beginning of the twentieth century when statistician Francis Galton attended an exhibition in which attendants were asked to estimate the weight of a large ox. He found that while individual estimates varied considerably, the median estimate was within less than one percent from the true weight. The existence of the wisdom of the crowds has a particularly important implication in tenders. Consider a tender for a contract in which the winner is the bidder that agrees to take the contract for the lowest cost. If the collective bid, i.e., the mean bid, is the most accurate in assessing the true value of the contract, then the winning bid is overestimating the contract and is therefore expected to end up with a loss. Indeed, this winner’s curse, was first observed in tenders in the petroleum industry and has been since found in many other fields. \u0000\u0000Methodology: All the construction projects that were tendered and completed between January 2017 and July 2020 under the management of the department of engineering and construction, a government agency in Israel, were analyzed. After data cleansing, the data comprised 148 tenders with 1295 bids and total value of 229 million US dollars. For each project we determined the valid bids, average (valid) bid, the winning bid, the original project estimated cost, and the actual payments to the winning contractor (actual project cost).\u0000\u0000Contribution: Construction projects in the public sector are typically granted through a bidding process in which the lowest bidder is granted the contract. It is therefore of interest to examine whether the wisdom of the crowds and the winner’s curse phenomena are manifested in this type of tenders. The results could help understand the reasons for cost overruns in public construction projects.\u0000\u0000Findings: \u00001. Wisdom of the crowds: For each project we computed the ratio of the average bid and the project’s estimated cost. The mean ratio (for the 148 projects) was 1.01 suggesting that, on average, the bids are within 1 percent from the true project value.\u00002. Winner’s curse: On average the winning bid was 7.9% less than the estimated cost and 8.1% less than the average bid.\u00003. Cost overruns: On average, the payments to the contractor were 16.3% higher than the estimated cost, and 18.8% higher than the average bid.\u00004. In total these results demonstrate how contractors are able to overcome the winner’s curse. On average, payments to the contractor were 30.7% higher than their bid.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Tender issuing public agencies should take into account that the winning bid is based on unrealistic o","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"83 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114176017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New Horizons for Immigrant Nurses Through a Mental Health Self-Management Program: A Pre- and Post-Test Mixed-Method Approach","authors":"Joy Penman, Kerre A Willsher","doi":"10.28945/4759","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4759","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This research paper reports on the evaluation of a mental health self-management program provided to immigrant nurses working at various rural South Australian aged care services.\u0000\u0000Background: The residential aged care staffing crisis is severe in rural areas. To improve immigrant nurses’ employment experiences, a mental health self-management program was developed and conducted in rural and regional health care services in South Australia.\u0000\u0000Methodology: A mixed approach of pre- and post-surveys and post workshop focus groups was utilized with the objectives of exploring the experiences of 25 immigrant nurses and the impact of the mental health program. Feminist standpoint theory was used to interpret the qualitative data.\u0000\u0000Contribution: A new learning environment was created for immigrant nurses to learn about the theory and practice of maintaining and promoting mental health.\u0000\u0000Findings: Statistical tests showed a marked difference in responses before and after the intervention, especially regarding knowledge of mental health. The results of this study indicated that a change in thinking was triggered, followed by a change in behaviour enabling participants to undertake self-management strategies.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Include expanding the workshops to cover more health care practitioners.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: Feminist researchers must actively listen and examine their own beliefs and those of others to create knowledge. Extending the program to metropolitan areas and examining differences in data. E technology such as zoom, skype or virtual classrooms could be used.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: The new awareness and knowledge would be beneficial in the family and community because issues at work can impact on the ability to care for the family, and there are often problems around family separation.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Extending the research to include men and staff of metropolitan aged care facilities.","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"70 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125166468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and Testing of an Education Service Quality Model [Abstract]","authors":"William D. Senn, Gayle L. Prybutok, Kittipong Boonme, V. Prybutok","doi":"10.28945/4781","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4781","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study builds upon theory to develop and test a parsimonious model of service quality importance, the Higher Education Service Quality Importance (HESQI) Model, for use in standardized, frequent surveys of student satisfaction in higher education service delivery.\u0000\u0000Background: Educational institutions operating in the higher education marketplace are facing increased competition for students. In order to be competitive in terms of the student services provided, these institutions need a method to evaluate and measure, on a frequent and recurring basis, the quality and performance of their services.\u0000\u0000Methodology: A survey was developed and administered to a stratified random sample of 1,400 students at a large public university in the southwestern United States. The 56% response rate was comprised of 790 total respondents. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze model constructs and latent variables. Reliability, validity, non-response bias, and common method bias were assessed as part of the research.\u0000\u0000Contribution: The HESQI is a compact, parsimonious instrument that can be administered in a cost-effective manner for faster, point-in-time checks of student satisfaction with less survey fatigue than larger instruments.\u0000Findings Service quality is significantly correlated with student satisfaction. The developed model is capable of explaining nearly 70% of the variance in student perceptions of satisfaction.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: The developed HESQI instrument addresses the need for a quick and easy measurement instrument to assess student satisfaction in higher education institutions. The HESQI instrument simplifies data collection and analysis and can be used on a frequent and ongoing basis to gain rapid insight into service and quality issues affecting students.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: The development of the HESQI provides an instrument that researchers can use to study the delivery of auxiliary services in higher education. In addition, the methodology used has implications for how to develop and test other parsimonious instrument for use in other contexts.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Higher education is of critical value to societal mobility. As such providing a better experience for those who seek education is important and services are an important part of that experience. The HESQI has an important role in helping to improve that experience because it allows measuring the satisfaction with changes that are made to improve auxiliary services which are important to the overall environment and experience.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Future research may be carried out to further validate and confirm the research findings and use it in other environments. Also, research may consider a single item instrument in similar environments.","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"119 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134091851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Starting Doctoral Dissertation Journey with a Solid Research Problem Statement – A Four Stage Framework [Pre-publication draft]]","authors":"Azad Ali, Shardul Pandya","doi":"10.28945/4770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4770","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: Provide methodology suggesting steps to doctoral mentors to work with students in constructing their research problem statement in their dissertation.\u0000\u0000Background: Doctoral students face difficulties writing their dissertation and they begin by writing the research problem statement.\u0000\u0000Methodology: This paper uses a framework widely used to describe student adjustment to graduate studies in general and to doctoral program in particular.\u0000\u0000Contribution: This study provides a framework to mentors/advisors that is helpful in guiding the students to writing their research problem statement.\u0000\u0000Findings: Writing a research problem statement is difficult by itself. Following a methodological approach suggested in this study could help with writing it.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: A methodological approach in writing the dissertation is helpful to mitigate the difficulties of writing the dissertation. Our study tackles difficulties with writing the research problem statement.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: More research needs to be done on methodological approach to writing the other sections in the dissertation.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Our findings in this research will help doctoral mentors/advisors as they guide students in completing the writing of their research problem statement\u0000\u0000Future Research: Intention for future research is to follow similar methodological approach in guiding students in writing the other sections of the dissertation.\u0000\u0000*** NOTE: The final version of this paper has been published in the International Journal of Doctoral Studies https://doi.org/10.28945/4839 ***","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"71 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129650192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Flipped Classroom Model in Libyan Higher Education: Experiences with Students of Computer Principles","authors":"Entisar A Al Ghawail, Sadok Ben Yahia","doi":"10.28945/4778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4778","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This study aims to examine the effectiveness of the flipped learning approach in a computer principles course at Alasmarya Islamic University, Libya. \u0000\u0000Background: The reason for this consideration was to evaluate the viability of conventional lecture-based educational programmes versus the active learning of computer concepts in flipped classrooms for college economics students at the Alasmarya Islamic University.\u0000\u0000Methodology: The experiment was applied to two groups: one, class A, undertook the course through the traditional method, while the other, class B, undertook the course according to the flipped classroom model. Class A students had to attend a face-to-face classroom lecture, while Class B students had to watch a pre-recorded YouTube lecture before attending class.\u0000\u0000Findings: The findings show that students participating in the flipped classroom were satisfied with this model, which produced a positive effect on students’ achievements in higher education. The flipped model also has the ability to increase students’ motivation to teach themselves compared with the traditional model.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: This study recommends the use of flipped learning paradigm to teach in higher education in Libya, as the teachers who applied flipped learning may also provide students with the opportunity to practice and improve their independent learning.","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"73 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126392476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early Findings of a Study Exploring the Social Media, Political and Cultural Awareness, and Civic Activism of Gen Z Students in the Mid-Atlantic United States [Abstract]","authors":"Nicole A. Buzzetto-Hollywood, Austin J. Hill, T. Banks","doi":"10.28945/4762","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4762","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States.\u0000\u0000Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations.\u0000The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. \u0000The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views.\u0000\u0000Methodology: The M","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133624616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zooming?! - Higher Education Faculty Perspectives","authors":"Moshe Leiba, Ruti Gafni","doi":"10.28945/4768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4768","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic demanded an immediate and massive adaptation of higher education to distance learning. Teachers had to transform from face-to-face to distance teaching, with insufficient pedagogical and technological knowledge and resources. This study aims to capture higher education faculty experiences in the very early stages of the crisis-prompted transition into synchronous distance education in order to obtain a broader view on the faculty’s perspectives (benefits, challenges and insights) on distance teaching through synchronous online environments.\u0000\u0000Background: Although online teaching and learning have been part of higher education teaching for more than two decades, many instructors found themselves teaching remotely for the first time and facing new and unpredicted challenges. \u0000\u0000Methodology: This study explored and analyzed an e-mail thread discourse between teachers in a higher education institute, two months after “going online” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A singular case study was conducted, and a retrospective and snapshot case study approach was used. Data analysis was an iterative exploratory process of going back and forth the empirical material, resulting in the construction of categories, then themes, and finally a conceptual framework was developed.\u0000\u0000Contribution: The findings contribute the knowledge domain of implementation of immediate and massive online teaching and learning from the faculty perspective. \u0000\u0000Findings: Two main focal points, students and teachers, were encountered. Three main recurring themes were identified associated with both students and teachers: Convenience, Ethical Issues, and Insights for the future. Two themes were identified associated with faculty: Pedagogy and Tools, and Resources. In addition, two themes were identified for students: Attendance and Responses. Each of the themes was decomposed into several aspects.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education institutions and stakeholders should build a campus wide e-learning agenda including appropriate infrastructure and professional development for the future. \u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: The study presented a conceptual model based on qualitative case study methodology. The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies. \u0000\u0000Impact on Society: Understanding the benefits and challenges of distance learning from the faculty perspectives in order to implement better distance learning strategies.\u0000\u0000Future Research: The impact and influence of each of the components of the model should be further researched and measured using quantitative methodologies.\u0000\u0000*** NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, 16, 121-140. Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper. ***","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"42 3","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114117933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Design Science Tool to Improve Code Maintainability for Hypertext Pre-processor (PHP) Programs","authors":"Grant P Trudel, S. Sambasivam","doi":"10.28945/4769","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4769","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: A design science tool to improve code maintainability for PHP programs.\u0000\u0000Background: This paper addresses this issue by providing an enhancement to an existing tool that specifically addresses and improves program maintainability for PHP programs.\u0000\u0000Methodology: This paper uses design science research which involves creating or modifying one or more artifacts. In this case, the artifact is PHP Code Sniffer, which was modified to improve code maintainability of PHP programs.\u0000\u0000Contribution: This paper provides a method of improving code maintainability of PHP programs.\u0000\u0000Findings: Code quality in terms of maintainability is a modern-day issue. No tool specifically addresses maintainability. When updating PHP code that has poor maintainability, there is a much higher likelihood that errors will be introduced than with code that is more maintainable.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Practitioners: For PHP developers and project leaders dealing with PHP programs, running the modified PHP Code Sniffer will improve code maintainability.\u0000\u0000Recommendations for Researchers: Examine ways to improve other code quality aspects such as reliability, security, usability, efficiency, and so on.\u0000\u0000Impact on Society: PHP programs, which run the background processes behind most web pages, will be more robust, reliable, and correct.\u0000\u0000Future Research: Expand this to investigate improving maintainability for other common programming languages.","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"18 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125937885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Findings From an Examination of a Class Purposed to Teach the Scientific Method Applied to the Business Discipline","authors":"Nicole A. Buzzetto-Hollywood","doi":"10.28945/4774","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.28945/4774","url":null,"abstract":"Aim/Purpose: This brief paper will provide preliminary insight into an institutions effort to help students understand the application of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline through the creation of a dedicated, required course added to the curriculum of a mid-Atlantic minority-serving institution. In or-der to determine whether the under-consideration course satisfies designated student learning outcomes, an assessment regime was initiated that included examination of rubric data as well as the administration of a student perception survey. This paper summarizes the results of the early examination of the efficacy of the course under consideration.\u0000\u0000Background: A small, minority-serving, university located in the United States conducted an assessment and determined that students entering a department of business following completion of their general education science requirements had difficulties transferring their understanding of the scientific method to the business discipline. Accordingly, the department decided to create a unique course offered to sophomore standing students titled Principles of Scientific Methods in Business. The course was created by a group of faculty with input from a twenty person department. \u0000\u0000Methodology: Rubrics used to assess a course term project were collected and analyzed in Microsoft Excel to measure student satisfaction of learning goals and a stu-dent satisfaction survey was developed and administered to students enrolled in the course under consideration to measure perceived course value.\u0000\u0000Contribution: While the scientific method applies across the business and information disciplines, students often struggle to envision this application. This paper explores the implications of a course specifically purposed to engender the development and usage of logical and scientific reasoning skills in the business discipline by students in the lower level of an bachelors degree program. \u0000\u0000The information conveyed in this paper hopefully makes a contribution in an area where there is still an insufficient body of research and where additional exploration is needed. \u0000\u0000Findings: For two semesters rubrics were collected and analyzed representing the inclusion of 53 students. The target mean for the rubric was a 2.8 and the overall achieved mean was a 2.97, indicating that student performance met minimal expectations. Nevertheless, student deficiencies in three crucial areas were identified.\u0000\u0000According to the survey findings, as a result of the class students had a better understanding of the scientific method as it applies to the business discipline, are now better able to critically assess a problem, feel they can formulate a procedure to solve a problem, can test a problem-solving process, have a better understanding of how to formulate potential business solutions, understand how potential solutions are evaluated, and understand how business decisions are evaluated. \u0000\u0000Conclusion: Following car","PeriodicalId":448853,"journal":{"name":"Proceedings of the 2021 InSITE Conference","volume":"92 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123750951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}