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Par-Ola Zander

Publications and source records attributed to Par-Ola Zander.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Predicting Virtual Learning Environment adoption - A case study

Purpose - To qualify the significance of Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory with regard to Virtual Learning Environments. To apply an existing Diffusion of Innovations instrument on a case organisation, the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), in order to compare its results with previous findings. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were deployed to analyze adopter group memberships and predictor significance in Virtual Learning Environment adoption and use. Findings - The Diffusion of Innovations theory is not stable across organizations when it comes to predicting different user categories or the distribution of users. However, it was possible to achieve reliable results for virtual learning environments within a particular organization. Research limitations ND implications - The study questions scholarly attempts to establish models of this type across organizations. Practical implications - Professionals should be aware that cross-organizational generalizations from Diffusion Of Innovation findings within the domain of virtual learning environments may be very unreliable. Originality and value - The study challenges the massively cited Diffusion of Innovation literature. It provides data from Bhutan, which is underrepresented in empirical investigations.

cs.CY

Belief-Rule-Based Expert Systems for Evaluation of E- Government: A Case Study

Little knowledge exists on the impact and results associated with e-government projects in many specific use domains. Therefore it is necessary to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of e-government systems. Since the development of e-government is a continuous process of improvement, it requires continuous evaluation of the overall e-government system as well as evaluation of its various dimensions such as determinants, characteristics and results. E-government development is often complex with multiple stakeholders, large user bases and complex goals. Consequently, even experts have difficulties in evaluating these systems, especially in an integrated and comprehensive way as well as on an aggregate level. Expert systems are a candidate solution to evaluate such complex e-government systems. However, it is difficult for expert systems to cope with uncertain evaluation data that are vague, inconsistent, highly subjective or in other ways challenging to formalize. This paper presents an approach that can handle uncertainty in e-government evaluation: The combination of Belief Rule Base (BRB) knowledge representation and Evidential Reasoning (ES). This approach is illustrated with a concrete prototype, known as Belief Rule Based Expert System (BRBES) and put to use in the local e-government of Bangladesh. The results have been compared with a recently developed method of evaluating e-Government, and it is shown that the results of BRBES are more accurate and reliable. BRBES can be used to identify the factors that need to be improved to achieve the overall aim of an e-government project. In addition, various "what if" scenarios can be generated and developers and managers can get a forecast of the outcomes. In this way, the system can be used to facilitate decision making processes under uncertainty.

cs.AI