The Role of Innovation Characteristics and Perceived Voluntariness in the Acceptance of Information Technologies

The often paradoxical relationship between investment in information technology and gains in productivity has recently been attributed to a lack of user acceptance of information technology innovations. Diverse streams of research have attempted to explain and predict user acceptance of new information technologies. A common theme underlying these various research streams is the inclusion of the perceived characteristics of an innovation as key independent variables. Furthermore, prior research has utilized different outcomes to represent user acceptance behavior. In this paper we focus on individual's perceptions about the characteristics of the target technology as explanatory and predictive variables for acceptance behavior, and present an empirical study examining the effects of these perceptions on two frequently used outcomes in the context of the innovation represented by the World Wide Web. The two outcomes examined are initial use of an innovation and intentions to continue such use in the future, that is, to routinize technology use. Two research questions motivated and guided the study. First, are the perceptions that predict initial use the same as those that predict future use intentions? Our results confirm, as hypothesized by prior research, that innovation characteristics do explain acceptance behavior. The results further reveal that the specific characteristics that are relevant for each acceptance outcome are different. The second research question asks if perceived voluntariness plays a role in technology acceptance. Results show that external pressure has an impact on adopters' acceptance behavior. Theoretical and practical implications that follow are presented.     

Scholarly Communication 2.0: Exploring Researchers' Opinions on Web 2.0 for Scientific Knowledge Creation, Evaluation and Dissemination

This paper presents the results of a survey aimed at gauging the potential acceptance of a collaborative and Web 2.0 inspired scholarly communication sector. While this sector has seen the birth of a multitude of innovative initiatives, there is still little empirical evidence of the acceptance of such initiatives by researchers. We received 349 completed questionnaires from researchers of many different disciplines. The results of the survey show that there is a strong positive attitude towards Web 2.0 and open publishing approaches. However, the major challenge still resides in combining free dissemination of results with robust and reliable quality control mechanisms.     

Transparency laws and interactive public relations: An analysis of Latin American government Web sites

A content analysis of 50 Latin American government Web sites was conducted to assess whether new transparency laws in the hemisphere impacted the interactivity, usability, technological expertise, and national symbolism manifest on the sites. Web sites were found to be generally usable but limited in interactivity. There was no difference in Web site interactivity between countries with transparency laws and those without them, but countries with laws used more visual symbols aimed at national branding. The article offers a model of Web site features for public relations practitioners interested in increasing the sophistication, usability, and interactivity of their sites in order to improve relationship building with stakeholders.     

Virtual Communities of Practice in Social Group Work Education

Virtual communities of practice are an international phenomenon in social work around the world. However, they are rare in social work in the United States. This article describes an online community, the Social Group Work Commons, designed to complement courses in social group work. Using Web 2.0 Internet tools, such as blogs, discussion boards, and chats, the developers employed group work skills to help students establish a vehicle for mutual support as students struggled to integrate course content in their field placements. Examples from course blogs indicate students became increasingly intimate in their online exchanges over time and readily provided each other support in applying course content in their practice.     

基于Web方式的“数据结构”课程教学

针对"数据结构"课程传统教学模式存在的问题及原因,结合课程特点,利用Web网络化平台,对课程内容进行组织和提炼,提出了基于Web方式的"数据结构"课程教学体系并应用于教学实践,取得较好的教学效果。     

微博网站导航结构设计研究

随着web2.0技术的广泛应用,微博已经成为很多人生活中不可或缺的重要组成部分。微博产品的精心设计可以提高用户的使用体验,但关于这方面的研究却并不多见。本文从Web产品的导航结构入手,分析了几类微博产品的导航模式,采用问卷调查法和绩效评估相结合的方法,设计了五个相关实验,记录了22名在校大学生使用不同微博产品或微博类似产品的导航系统时的操作过程和主观评价。最后对6名资深的微博用户进行了深度访谈,对实验的结果进行了验证,得到了微博导航设计的改进及微博产品功能名称使用的建议。     

第二代互联网的民意价值研究

以用户参与为本质的第二代互联网(Web2.0),以其开放性、真实性、自组织性、聚合性等特性为网络民意表达注入了新元素。相对于第一代互联网,第二代互联网赋予民意表达的价值主要体现在真实与聚合两个方面。真实性强化了网络民意的理性程度,聚合性有效提高信噪比,从而缓解了网络民意过于零散的状态。     

College Health: Biomedical and Beyond

Abstract

Excessive and underage drinking by US college and university students continues to be a significant problem. Curtailing the misuse of alcohol on college campuses is an important goal of college and university administrators because of the many negative consequences resulting from alcohol misuse. As part of their prevention programs, US colleges and universities are required by law to make information about their alcohol policies available to students. Often the source of this information is the school's Web site. The authors evaluated the alcohol-policy information that is available on the Web sites of the 52 top national universities listed in the 2002 rankings of US News and World Report. In general, they found that the information was difficult to find, was located in many areas of the Web site, and did not provide complete information about the school's alcohol policy.     

一种基于形式概念分析的Web导航菜单设计方法

Web导航菜单是用户从互联网获取信息的主要工具之一。但是当前Web导航菜单的设计普遍采用着＂树型＂的逻辑结构,这种结构的单向导航特点会导致用户查找信息的时间大大增加。本文在Web导航菜单设计过程中应用了形式概念分析（FCA）技术,将Web文档抽象为形式概念,将Web文档的特征描述为形式属性,使得最终的Web导航菜单成为＂概念格＂的逻辑结构。实验表明,用户浏览Web页面的时间得到了极大地节省。     

基于Web技术的计算机辅助系统的设计与应用探析

建立在Web基础上的计算机辅助教学系统使得传统教学方式的不足得到了根本性的改变,同时为教学提供了更加先进的教学技术手段。本文就建立在Web基础上的计算机辅助系统设计进行了论述,并就其应用研究进行举例说明。