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Gamification: A Key Determinant of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Success
Abstract
Massive open online courses (MOOCs), contribute significantly to individual empowerment because they can help people learn about a wide range of topics. To realize the full potential of MOOCs, we need to understand their factors of success, here defined as the use, user satisfaction, along the individual and organizational performance resulting from the user involvement. We propose a theoretical framework to identify the determinants of successful MOOCs, and empirically measure these factors in a real MOOC context. We put forward the role of gamification and suggest that, together with information system (IS) theory, gamification proved to play a crucial role in the success of MOOCs.
... Additionally, completeness and understandability are also important dimensions of information quality. 62 We discuss these information quality dimensions in a gamified program context as follows. ...
... (vi) Understandability refers to how much the reader can comprehend the presented information. 62 When the receivers cannot comprehend the information provided, they are less likely to use it. 66 For instance, if the information is too technical, abstract, or presented in a passive voice, the users may not understand it well. ...
... We used a 7-point Likert scale ("1 = Strongly disagree and 7 = Strongly agree") in administering the survey. To measure intrinsic game dynamics, we deployed a 6-item scale from Hollebeek et al. 14 and Eisingerich et al. 6 ; for measuring extrinsic game dynamics, we used a 4-item scale from Suh et al. 39 and Hollebeek et al. 14 To measure simplicity, we used a 6-item scale taken from Fogg 37 ; while for measuring information quality, we used a 6-item scale adapted from Miller, 63 Laudon and Laudon 64 and Aparicio et al. 62 To measure intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, we used 3-item scales each taken from Ryan and Deci. 41 Further, we developed scale items from Torkzadeh et al. 73 for measuring both ability and role clarity. ...
... Merry, Bettinger, and Lee (Aparicio et al., 2019). With this information in mind, our focus was to evaluate the effectiveness of two online courses through students' reflection or self-assessment of their own knowledge and confidence gains and to further receive feedback regarding potential system improvements. ...
... It has been noted that gamification can improve the experience of online education users (Aparicio et al., 2019;Raharjo et al., 2021). Survey participants were asked whether gamification would have improved the courses they accessed in the OLAF educational tool. ...
... Perhaps gamification could help improve participant completion rates and overall course grades and serve as a motivating factor for engaging in an online course (Sailer et al., 2017). Gamification can Merry, Bettinger, and Lee include avatars, leaderboards, in-group competitions, and general feedback, including badges and points (Aparicio et al., 2019). Since completion of the surveys in the fall of 2021, a few areas of gamification have been added to the OLAF educational tool. ...
Online learning has become an important advance in education in the last decade. We developed an online learning system related to land and tree measurements. University students were given pre- and post-exposure surveys for two courses offered within the online system. Surveys were designed to assess whether the knowledge level and confidence of students increased through interaction with the online system. A final assessment was conducted to understand user experiences with the online technology. Statistically significant increases in knowledge and confidence concerning land measurement concepts and tree measurement topics were evident among survey participants. Survey participants agreed that the course functioned properly, that graphics and images within the courses were useful, and that using the system prior to in-person instruction helped students better understand concepts.
... Learning platforms commonly employ badges, leaderboards, progress bars, experiences, and level challenges (Khalil et al., 2018;Poondej & Lerdpornkulrat, 2020). These elements aim to enhance user experience and boost engagement toward specific goals in learning environments, thus encouraging learners to actively participate in course activities (Aparicio et al., 2019). According to Kyewski and Krämer (2018), motivation is a pivotal factor in learning, and gamified elements, such as badge rewards, prove effective in heightening learners' motivation. ...
... Commonly used gamification elements in learning platforms include badges, leaderboards, progress bars, experience points, and level challenges (Popp & Schuhbauer, 2023;Al-Hafdi & Alhalafawy, 2024). These elements are incorporated into learning environments to create a better user experience and increase engagement to achieve a specific goal to influence learners to take an active role in course activities (Aparicio et al., 2019). Badges are forms of reward that take the form of digital images indicating that the learner has achieved some predetermined goal (Popp & Schuhbauer, 2023;Moskal et al., 2015). ...
... Recent systematic literature reviews agree on the potential of gamification in MOOCs in increasing user participation, such as in getting more tasks done, and improving forum participation, motivation, and achieving learning outcomes (Jarnac et al. da Silva;Saputro & Salam, 2024;Al-Hafdi & Alhalafawy, 2024). Several studies have also shown that a gamified context in MOOCs leads to a higher level of participation and enjoyment and is an overall significant contributing factor to the overall success of a MOOC (Aparicio et al., 2019;Cheng, 2021;Ortega-Arranz et al., 2019;Vaibhav & Gupta, 2014). Furthermore, comparative studies between non-gamified and gamified learning environments have found that with the latter, there is a decrease in learner dropouts and greater 'visible' presence from the learners; if gamified, the learning platform even manages to encourage learners to perform optional tasks (Cheng, 2021;Ortega-Arranz et al., 2019;Vaibhav & Gupta, 2014). ...
The University of the Philippines Open University has been at the forefront of providing Massive Open Online Courses to address knowledge and skill gaps, aiming to make education accessible and contributing to societal goals. Recognising challenges in student engagement and completion rates within Massive Open Online Courses, the authors conducted a study by incorporating gamification into one of the University of the Philippines Open University's Massive Open Online Courses to assess its impact on these aspects. Gamification involves integrating game elements to motivate and engage users. This study explored the incorporation of Moodle elements such as badges, leaderboards, and progress bars. Using Moodle analytics, the study also tracked student engagement, views, and posts throughout the course, offering valuable insights into the influence of gamification on user behaviour. Furthermore, the study delved into participant feedback gathered through post-evaluation surveys, providing a comprehensive understanding of their experiences with the gamified course design. With a 28.86% completion rate and positive participant reception, the study concluded that gamification can enhance learner motivation, participation, and overall satisfaction. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on innovative educational methods, positioning gamification as a promising avenue for creating interactive and impactful online learning experiences in the Philippines and beyond.
... Learning platforms commonly employ badges, leaderboards, progress bars, experiences, and level challenges (Khalil et al., 2018;Poondej & Lerdpornkulrat, 2020). These elements aim to enhance user experience and boost engagement toward specific goals in learning environments, thus encouraging learners to actively participate in course activities (Aparicio et al., 2019). According to Kyewski and Krämer (2018), motivation is a pivotal factor in learning, and gamified elements, such as badge rewards, prove effective in heightening learners' motivation. ...
... Commonly used gamification elements in learning platforms include badges, leaderboards, progress bars, experience points, and level challenges (Popp & Schuhbauer, 2023;Al-Hafdi & Alhalafawy, 2024). These elements are incorporated into learning environments to create a better user experience and increase engagement to achieve a specific goal to influence learners to take an active role in course activities (Aparicio et al., 2019). Badges are forms of reward that take the form of digital images indicating that the learner has achieved some predetermined goal (Popp & Schuhbauer, 2023;Moskal et al., 2015). ...
... Recent systematic literature reviews agree on the potential of gamification in MOOCs in increasing user participation, such as in getting more tasks done, and improving forum participation, motivation, and achieving learning outcomes (Jarnac et al. da Silva;Saputro & Salam, 2024;Al-Hafdi & Alhalafawy, 2024). Several studies have also shown that a gamified context in MOOCs leads to a higher level of participation and enjoyment and is an overall significant contributing factor to the overall success of a MOOC (Aparicio et al., 2019;Cheng, 2021;Ortega-Arranz et al., 2019;Vaibhav & Gupta, 2014). Furthermore, comparative studies between non-gamified and gamified learning environments have found that with the latter, there is a decrease in learner dropouts and greater 'visible' presence from the learners; if gamified, the learning platform even manages to encourage learners to perform optional tasks (Cheng, 2021;Ortega-Arranz et al., 2019;Vaibhav & Gupta, 2014). ...
The University of the Philippines Open University has been at the forefront of providing Massive Open OnlineCourses to address knowledge and skill gaps, aiming to make education accessible and contributing to societal goals.Recognising challenges in student engagement and completion rates within Massive Open Online Courses, the authorsconducted a study by incorporating gamification into one of the University of the Philippines Open University'sMassive Open Online Courses to assess its impact on these aspects. Gamification involves integrating game elementsto motivate and engage users. This study explored the incorporation of Moodle elements such as badges, leaderboards,and progress bars. Using Moodle analytics, the study also tracked student engagement, views, and posts throughoutthe course, offering valuable insights into the influence of gamification on user behaviour. Furthermore, the study delvedinto participant feedback gathered through post-evaluation surveys, providing a comprehensive understanding of theirexperiences with the gamified course design. With a 28.86% completion rate and positive participant reception, thestudy concluded that gamification can enhance learner motivation, participation, and overall satisfaction. This researchcontributes to the ongoing discourse on innovative educational methods, positioning gamification as a promising avenuefor creating interactive and impactful online learning experiences in the Philippines and beyond.
(PDF) Innovation in Education. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/383759725_Innovation_in_Education [accessed Sep 08 2024].
... The literature indicates that gamification-based services bring enjoyment to user participation and engagement (Feng et al., 2020). Even in education, the user intent to persist is driven by ENG in education and learning (Oliveira et al., 2022;Aparicio et al., 2019). The ENJ also gives learners the relaxing feeling of conquering challenges with ease and fun, which brings joy. ...
... Thus, in this emerging trend and the techno-oriented world, exponential growth in Gamification is visible in various fields and disciplines (De Paiva Azevedo et al., 2019). The game elements design engages and leverages human attention to transform attitudes toward a specific goal (Aparicio et al., 2019). There has been a sudden increase in gamification usage and adoption implementation to improve human engagement and learning modes in education. ...
... The study proposed the ENJ and SDT relationship where HENG depends on them and explained 72.25 % variance. This study supports the existing research findings in Gamification, where ENJ and SDT were identified as drivers for user engagement (Oliveira et al., 2022;Gupta & Goyal, 2022;Aparicio et al., 2019). Any enjoyable task makes it easy for the user to adapt, opening the engagement. ...
The new normal has transformed IT company employees' working styles and patterns to accommodate changing business demands. It brings back the attention required for self-health, and the pandemic has demonstrated the importance of Health. The prominence of Gamification and its adaptation is growing in the education and learning industries. This research paper aims to study, analyze, and understand users' intention to use gamified health monitoring tools or applications with emerging health disruptions in the post-pandemic era. The study gathered data from Indian users as the primary source, where the participants' backgrounds were from Information Technology (IT) companies, and the survey gathered 185 responses online from Gen Z women. This study shows a significant association between the gamified engagement approach and user intention to engage. Considering the ongoing business uncertainty and growing work-from-home hours for IT employees, disruption may persist while creating the need for gamified health engagement.
... In general terms, the articles analyzed in this review placed emphasis on gamification projects and presented unclear or generic descriptions of the gamification design. The most commonly applied elements in this kind of projects include the following: goals and objectives, followed by multimedia feedback, and metaphorical or fictional representations; these are commonly applied in digital platforms, applications for customer experience, and training (Ferraz Júnior et al., 2020;Contretas, 2020;Aparicio, 2019;Zamora and Aranda, 2017). Goals and objectives are related to consecutive challenges that participants are able to understand and accomplish immediately. ...
... Finally, metaphorical or fictional representations refer to audiovisual displays of the work process or work environment -for example, simulation of the customer service process (Warmelink et al., 2020). Marketing, and Innovation in Business Models sought to broaden people's understanding of the concept of gamification in order to verify the possibility of applying the elements of gamification so as to improve motivation and engagement of the people involved in a gamified project (Ribeiro et al., 2019;Warmelink et al., 2020;Aparicio et al., 2019;SWACHA, 2015;Morschheuser and Hamari, 2019;Kavaliova et al., 2016;XI and Hamari, 2020;Xu, Buhalis and Weber, 2017;Khofacker et al., 2016;Roth, 2015). Having a clear understanding of these aspects of gamification is essentially important when gamification is transposed to the management context due to the need for voluntary engagement of the employee so as to obtain positive results. ...
... real, virtual, emotional compensation) or even by engaging in an interesting endeavor that arouses the participant's sense of curiosity and interest in exploration. Such resources are being used within exclusively digital enviornments and to stimulate behaviorial patterns, enhance communication and engagement in real actions and attitudes that directly influence people's lives.Other psychological results identified in the studies analyzed in this SLR included the following: engagement, interest, awareness/perception, learning, and happiness(Warmelink et al., 2020;Adornes and Muniz, 2019;Aparicio et al., 2019;Ruiz-Alba, 2019). ...
Through a comprehensive review of studies reported in the literature on gamification – which is understood as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, this work sought to present the results obtained from a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of studies related to the use of gamification in management and business. This study was conducted based on the application of the Systematic Model for Research in Open Access Databases (SMROAD). The model applied involved the conduct of a comprehensive survey of research studies related to the subject matter investigated in a number of journals and the categorization of the data obtained into two aspects: i) general aspects; and ii) dimension of analysis and its categorizations according to the subject matter. For the literature review, we examined 20 journals, and 24 articles were selected out of a total of 4973 articles initially investigated. The results obtained showed that although research on gamification is incipient and is in need of theoretical and empirical deepening in specific contexts, such as in finance, the use of gamification as a management tool can provide us with relevant individual and organizational results.
... DAS play an integral role in modern banking operations by enabling efficient data collection, processing, and dissemination (Le et al., 2024;Agbodjo et al., 2021;Al-Hattami, 2021). These systems is less frequently explored in banking contexts, where financial outcomes are primary indicators of success (Floropoulos et al., 2010;Aparicio et al., 2019). ...
... This suggests that while SyQ enhances usage, it may not be a primary determinant of PU. Similar findings in prior literature (Floropoulos et al., 2010;Aparicio et al., 2019) suggest that other factors, such as IQ or user satisfaction, could be more critical drivers of PU. ...
The digital revolution has reshaped financial management, with digital accounting systems (DAS) emerging as game-changers for enhancing organizational performance. This study examines the transformative impact of DAS on key financial performance indicators—cash flow (CF), profitability (P), and return on investment (ROI)—within the banking sector, with a focus on Yemeni banks. Using a quantitative research approach, the study analyzes how system quality, information quality, service quality, perceived usefulness, and DAS usage influence financial outcomes. The findings reveal a strong positive correlation between the adoption of DAS and improvements in CF, P, and ROI, underscoring the role of digital tools in enhancing operational efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making. This research provides financial practitioners, policymakers, and system developers with valuable insights by offering evidence-based strategies to optimize performance and design sector-specific digital solutions that support more effective financial management in an increasingly digitalized environment.
... This platform allows students to access various learning materials flexibly, anytime and anywhere. By integrating MOOCs into learning, students can learn independently with structured guidance and interact with other students through discussion forums provided by the platform (Aparicio et al., 2019). The advantage of MOOCs is their ability to present material in a more interactive way, such as through videos, quizzes, and gamification-based learning, which can help students understand the material more deeply and structured (Rahim, 2024). ...
... Thus the findings from this analysis confirm that a MOOC-based approach, especially when supported by video content and interactive quizzes, can effectively improve students' reading comprehension skills in the context of English-language philosophical texts (Aparicio et al., 2019). The significant increase in posttest scores and reduction in the time required to complete the test indicate that MOOCs not only improve understanding of the material but also help students manage their time more efficiently (Du & Qian, 2022). ...
This study examines the impact of the Frater learning approach through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in enhancing the reading comprehension skills of philosophy students tackling English-language philosophical texts. By integrating pre-tests, post-tests, and qualitative feedback, the research highlights how MOOCs address challenges in understanding dense and complex philosophical material. The findings reveal a significant 11% improvement in reading comprehension after MOOC participation, emphasizing its effectiveness in breaking down intricate concepts into manageable components. Key elements contributing to this success include segmented video content, which facilitates focused learning, and interactive assessments that reinforce comprehension in real time. This research underscores the potential of the MOOC-based Frater approach as an innovative solution for bridging language and content barriers in the study of philosophy.
... Example: A learning platform using AI may adjust quiz difficulty based on user accuracy, motivation, and engagement, ensuring users remain within their "flow zone"-challenging enough to be engaging without causing frustration. This adaptive approach aligns with the concept of "flow" in gamification, where the challenge level matches the user's skill level (Aparicio et al., 2019). ...
... These mathematical models provide a foundation for implementing AI-driven gamification systems that adapt to individual user needs and behaviors (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011;Aparicio et al., 2019). By leveraging these models, developers can create more engaging and effective gamified experiences that maintain user interest over time (Seaborn & Fels, 2015;Sailer et al., 2017). ...
Gamification applies game mechanics to non-game environments to motivate and engage users. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers powerful tools for personalizing and optimizing gamification, adapting to users' needs, preferences, and performance levels. By integrating AI with gamification, systems can dynamically adjust game mechanics, deliver personalized feedback, and predict user behavior, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of gamification efforts. This paper examines the intersection of gamification and AI, exploring AI's methods to optimize gamified experiences and proposing mathematical models for adaptive and predictive gamification.
... The matter of using massive open online courses in the educational process has been developed in the writings of a team of researchers from Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China) [14], as well as a number of scientists from Australia [15], Malaysia and Saudi Arabia [16]. The use of game approaches in the educational process, in particular, was examined by researchers from Portugal [17], Brazil and South Korea [18]. ...
... The advantages of such a modern supplementation to the learning environment are accessibility and openness for an unlimited number of students [16]. MOOCs allow teachers to run courses to a significantly larger audience than during the traditional learning process, and can also provide continuing education [17]. ...
The purpose of the research is to highlight possibilities and prospects of student’ use of Internet encyclopedias, massive open online courses and interactive platforms. The concept of the digital barrier is comprehensively revealed and the factors that influence it are considered. The article is addressed to teachers and specialists involved in the development of educational online platforms, as well as to all those interested in modern online education trends.
... There are 6,850 MOOC courses offered by more than 700 universities (Shah, 2018). Different studies have shown that MOOCs have become more and more important in learning and have become increasingly popular in higher education (Aparicio, et al., 2019;Pozón-López, et al., 2020;Tzeng, et al., 2022). ...
This study examines the relationship between instructional delivery that affects students' engagement with video lectures and the need to re-watch video lectures in the context of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), where video lectures are the predominant mode of instruction. Multiple linear regression was used to investigate the relationships between some key characteristics of video lectures— the arrangement of text and graphs that creates eye scanning behavior, audiovisual support, text-image comprehensibility, professor's speech clarity—with the need to re-watch video lectures. The findings from the study reveal that the arrangement of text and graphs, the professor’s speech clarity, and text-image comprehensibility emerge as major factors influencing the need to re-watch video lectures in MOOCs. However, audiovisual support does not significantly influence the need to re-watch video lectures. Consequently, the study sheds light on the positive relationship between the arrangement of text and graphs and the need to re-watch video lectures, highlighting the potential cognitive overload experienced by students when oscillating between textual and graphical information. Similarly, the study also shows how the comprehensibility of text and images impacts students' video lecture rewatching behavior, emphasizing the necessity for clear and comprehensible visuals in instructional materials. Additionally, our findings indicate the significance of speech clarity in video lectures, with clear speech patterns contributing to a reduced need for re-watching video lectures. However, the study notes the limited impact of audiovisual support on students' re-watching behavior, suggesting the need for instructors and content creators to minimize audiovisual distractions in order to create sustained engagement. While previous studies have explored various aspects of student engagement in MOOCs, this research fills a critical gap by specifically investigating instructional delivery affecting engagement behaviors of students and the propensity for such instructional delivery to cause students to re-watch video lectures in Moocs. Thus, these findings highlight key areas for optimizing video lecture design in MOOCs, offering actionable insights for educators and content creators to enhance instructional effectiveness and student engagement in fully online learning environments.
... Aparicio et al. (2019) conducted a comprehensive study of gamification elements using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with data from 2,196 MOOC participants. Their findings revealed that gamification elements significantly improved engagement (β = 0.45, p < 0.001) and completion rates (β = 0.38, p < 0.001). ...
This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research trends in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from 2015 to 2024. Using data from the Scilit database, we analyzed 707 peer-reviewed articles to identify patterns in research output, citation networks, and international collaboration. The analysis employed VOSviewer and Scimago Graphica tools to examine publication trends, author collaborations, citation patterns, and geographical distribution of MOOC research. Results reveal a steady increase in research output from 2015 to 2021, with self-regulated learning and learner engagement emerging as dominant themes. The United States and the United Kingdom lead in publications and citations, while emerging contributions from countries like Malaysia and China indicate growing global interest. Citation analysis identified key influential papers, with the most cited work focusing on self-regulated learning strategies (547 citations). Co-authorship analysis revealed 86 collaboration clusters, highlighting both the collaborative nature of MOOC research and opportunities for increased international cooperation. Keyword analysis evolved from fundamental implementation concerns to sophisticated applications of artificial intelligence and personalized learning. The findings suggest a maturing field emphasizing technological integration, learner support systems, and cross-cultural adaptations. This study provides valuable insights for researchers, educators, and policymakers involved in MOOC development and implementation while identifying emerging trends and future research directions in online education.
... Huang (2024) and Zhu et al. (2023) investigated learners' continuance intention of MOOCs for personal or professional development relying on survey data. Aparicio et al. (2019) and Van den Broeck et al. (2020) found that flow and interest affect the learners' usage behavior, while other studies found that the instructors' interaction (Shah and Khanna 2022), learners' motivation (Gómez Gómez and Munuera Gómez 2021) and perceived usefulness (Zalli et al. 2019) are linked to their satisfaction and continuance intention. ...
Big social data analysis has played an important role in understanding learners’ preferences in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). This study investigates learners’ satisfaction with MOOCs using big social data analysis and a large-scale survey. The learners’ online reviews are analyzed using a hybrid method based on machine learning techniques and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. We adopted a text mining approach, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), which is widely used in topic modeling. We utilized a large dataset of 6004 online reviews obtained from the learners of Udemy’s online courses. The results from the analysis identified nine topics as aspects of the quality of online courses, namely Course Accessibility, Course Cost, Course Material Quality, Course Organization, Course Resource Availability, Course Usefulness, Instructor Explanation, Instructor Knowledge, and Practical Examples in the Course. The results of the analysis were used to construct a research model, which was evaluated using a large-scale survey (N = 464). The results of the PLS-SEM confirmed the significant impacts of the proposed research factors, except for course organization, on learners’ satisfaction. The results also revealed that the practical examples in the course moderate the relationships between course usefulness, instructor explanation, instructor knowledge, and learners’ satisfaction. The findings of this research contribute to both the theoretical and methodological aspects of discovering and analyzing the influential factors for learners' satisfaction with MOOCs, thereby offering valuable insights for enhancing the overall quality of education in digital learning environments.
... "Gamification" refers to the incorporation of game design elements into non-game environments. Specifically, gamification is considered an effective means to enhance consumers' purchase intentions because it can increase user interaction interest and engagement by incorporating game-like system designs or game-like experiences into non-game environments [3,4]. For example, the hotel industry has launched membership reward programs, and the airline industry has adopted frequent flyer programs, both of which incorporate certain game design techniques. ...
With the rapid development of AI technology, AI live streaming commerce has gradually become an important way for enterprises to interact with consumers. However, how to enhance consumers' purchase willingness through effective design is still a key problem in theory and practice. This study focuses on the influence of gamification drivers on consumers' purchase intention. Based on Octalysis Gamification Framework, a configuration model including eight condition variables and one outcome variable is constructed, and multiple reconfiguration paths are revealed by fuzzy set qualitative comparison analysis (fsQCA). The results show that the seven intermediate solution paths show the promotion effect of different gamification types on consumers' purchase intention, which respectively reflect various mechanisms. Further analysis shows that epic meaning is the core conjunctural conditions affecting all paths, while scarcity, unknown and loss avoidance form alternative conditions. This study enriches the application of Octalysis Gamification Framework in AI live streaming commerce scenarios from the theoretical level, expands the perspective of the configuration of gamification mechanism's impact on consumer behavior, and provides a new way to understand the multi-factor interaction in complex business scenarios. From the practical level, it provides specific guidance for live streaming platforms and brands to design gamification strategies, and suggests that consumers' participation and purchase intention can be further enhanced by strengthening the sense of mission, designing limited-time interactive activities and optimizing human-computer interaction scenarios.
... The theory of mind flow, proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, describes an inner experience in which an individual is completely mentally invested in an activity accompanied by a high level of euphoria and fulfillment [12]. As a mental state in which an individual achieves consistent pleasure through total concentration and obliviousness to an activity, mind streaming is an excellent mental experience that is so pleasurable that one expects to be immersed in it for a long time [13]. When reach the most advanced state of mindstream, individuals experience a diminished perception of time, a strong sense of purpose, and a need for immediate feedback. ...
In a globalized educational environment, student populations from different cultural backgrounds have diverse communication barriers, including psychological noise, which affects teaching effectiveness and learning experiences. As an innovative teaching method, gamification instruction attempts to increase student engagement and motivation by simulating game elements and mechanisms, thus reducing the impact of psychological noise. Through a comprehensive analysis of related literature and empirical research, this paper aims to reveal the correlation between gamified teaching and psychological noise and its potential impact on reducing psychological noise. It has been found that gamified teaching can significantly affect and alleviate the problem of psychological noise; meanwhile, by enhancing learning participation and motivation, gamified teaching helps significantly reduce the negative impact of psychological noise. These findings aim to help learners better adapt to different cultural environments, improving intercultural communicative competence, and help educators adjust their gamified teaching strategies to specific cultural contexts to further optimize the teaching effect and to create a more inclusive and efficient learning environment.
... This trend will revolutionize higher education by increasing the availability of knowledge to students. MOOCs are free, easily accessible online courses that allow large numbers of students to enroll students enroll while acquiring quality knowledge and giving them the opportunity to collaborate and teachers from anywhere, anytime, even without standard classroom settings (Aparicio et al., 2019;Zhao et al., 2020). Therefore, distance learning via MOOCs has proven to be the most flexible and preferred way to acquire an education. ...
Background and Aims: The objective of this article was to investigate the influence of MOOC implementation factors on the continuous intention and satisfaction of undergraduates in Chengdu, China, performance expectancy (PE), social influence (SI), perceived usefulness (PU), confirmation (CON), flow experience (FE), satisfaction (SAT), and continued intention (CI) were all interconnected in the conceptual framework. The objective of the research is to determine the extent to which each variable influences the use of MOOCs, to provide insights that can help improve the learning experience and ensure learners' long-term investment. Materials and Methods: The researcher utilized the quantitative investigation strategy with 500 samples and distributed the questionnaire to the selected undergraduate students at Xihua University. In this survey, a multistage sampling strategy was used to collect data from the investigation, using judgmental and quota sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation model (SEM) have been implemented to analyze data. In addition, goodness of model fits, correlation validity, and reliability testing for each component were utilized. Results: The result demonstrated that MOOC implementation factors, including performance expectancy, social influence, perceived usefulness, confirmation, and flow experience significantly affect students’ continuance intention and satisfaction, with flow experience (FE) providing the greatest consequence on satisfaction. The entire hypotheses have been evidenced to achieve the research purposes. Conclusion: The study provides empirical evidence on how MOOC implementation factors affect engineering students' satisfaction and continuance intention. It suggests that the findings could be useful for university management and lecturers to increase teaching and learning quality in the course and develop new strategies and approaches that suit modern-day learners. The study also aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of class delivery and improve student engagement in the learning process.
... Gamification strategies have been successfully implemented in educational settings to provide an influential and motivational studying process, which can significantly enhance Beyond Points and Badges: Deepening Engagement in MOOCs through Gamification learner engagement [13]. Research has also shown that gamification improves the overall satisfaction of learners and helps organizations achieve better performance outcomes [48]. ...
Despite massive open online courses (MOOCs’) widespread acceptance, the substantial dropout rate among learners remains a significant challenge in remote education. Although gamification has been identified as a potential strategy to address this issue, preliminary research on this topic is limited in scope and methodology. Therefore, this study aims to explore the application of gamification in MOOCs and its impact on participant engagement and course completion rates. Twenty-two articles were systematically nominated and reviewed under preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. They were extracted from 225 articles indexed in the Scopus database for various criteria, including peer-reviewed articles published within the last five years to ensure we use articles with the latest technological developments. The analysis emphasizes that despite its limitations, gamification in MOOCs positively influenced learner engagement and completion rates through strategies such as badges, leaderboards, and challenges. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the potential of gamification to enhance learner engagement and improve course completion rates in MOOCs, contributing to more effective remote education strategies. The study concludes by identifying the need for future research on long-term effects across different types of MOOCs and the sustainability of engagement over time.
... One of the technologies used to support learning is gamification [1]. Gamification uses a game approach to help students understand learning well [2]. The development of the game industry is getting bigger; other researchers are starting to include features and content about video games in non-playful contexts to increase motivation, such as those in games, such as challenges, task involvement, and achievement [3], [4]. ...
... This theory divides motivation into intrinsic and extrinsic. The first type of motivation helps to overcome the undesirable negative consequences of external motivators, which mainly perform a controlling function Aparicio et al., 2019). At the same time, extrinsic motivation is caused by different types of rewards and limiting factors, which, although motivational in nature, have a negative impact on the duration and strength of motivation . ...
Aim. The purpose of the paper is to study the concept of gamification in the field of psychology as a basis for the formation of the results of bibliometric analysis and to identify ways to improve the efficiency of its work. The article is devoted to the bibliometric analysis of the works presented in the Scopus scientometric database and covering the areas of psychology and psycholinguistics in gamification. Methods. The dialectical approach allowed us to formulate philosophical aspects, factors and conditions of gamification in psychology in different areas of activity. It was found that there are practically there are practically no studies describing the use of gamification in psycholinguistics. For the bibliometric analysis, we used The online platform VOSviewer was used to process and summarize the data on gamification in the field of psychology, which are presented in the scientometric database Scopus. Results. The analysis shows the relevance of the chosen research topic, as every year there is a positive trend in the number of published papers: 2012 (n=1), 2013 (n=5), 2014 (n=10), and in 2023 (n=139). The formation of a visualization map by keyword allowed us to identify 7 clusters where the concept of gamification in the field of psychology is most often revealed. By affiliation, most of the papers were published in institutions located in the United States. The bibliometric analysis allowed us to select the TOP-5 authors who currently have the largest number of works on gamification in the field of psychology. Conclusions. It has been proved that bibliometric analysis is an effective tool for conducting a generalized study of published works on a given keyword. For the first time, a bibliometric analysis of scientific papers on the topic of gamification in the field of psychology (n=718), which are presented in the Scopus scientometric database, was carried out.
... MOOCs have emerged as a promising tool in this regard. Aparicio et al. [6] highlights the potential of MOOCs in promoting higher-level thinking skills among students. The problems with MOOCs are high dropout rates (approximately 95%), difficulty in conducting student assessments, and the provision of feedback by an instructor [7]. ...
span lang="EN-US">The study focused on the development and evaluation of an online course in the massive open online courses (MOOC) environment, specifically targeting science and mathematics education. The goal was to utilize pedagogical design principles, particularly those derived from the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) model, to create an effective learning experience for students in different years of study. The online course was hosted on the edX platform, which is a popular platform for MOOCs. The assessment of the online course covered various criteria: interface, interaction, and design. The criteria of interface, interaction, and design received high marks from students of the two groups. The study found that the participants were highly engaged during the training, which is a positive outcome. The analysis of interest in online learning among first- and fourth-year students shows that first-year students had an average level of interest in online learning of 4.50 with a standard deviation of 0.32. Fourth-year students had an average level of interest of 4.45 with a slightly larger standard deviation of 0.41. Student engagement is an important factor in effective learning, as it reflects their active involvement and motivation in the learning process.</span
... Surveys and interviews involve collecting data through structured questionnaires [53,57] or direct interviews with individuals. In the context of economic analysis, surveys and interviews can gather opinions, preferences, and insights from key stakeholders, such as businesses, policymakers, or consumers [12]. ...
The widespread adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has fundamentally transformed technological landscapes and societal structures in recent years. Our objective is to identify the primary methodologies that may be used to help predict the economic and social impacts of generative AI adoption. Through a comprehensive literature review, we uncover a range of methodologies poised to assess the multifaceted impacts of this technological revolution. We explore Agent-Based Simulation (ABS), Econometric Models, Input-Output Analysis, Reinforcement Learning (RL) for Decision-Making Agents, Surveys and Interviews, Scenario Analysis, Policy Analysis, and the Delphi Method. Our findings have allowed us to identify these approaches' main strengths and weaknesses and their adequacy in coping with uncertainty, robustness, and resource requirements.
... The adaption of gamified ideas to improve students' successful learning outcomes is described in several techniques. According to some studies (Huang et al., 2019;Jagut, Botiki, & So, 2018;Jo et al., 2018;Lo & Hew, 2018;Zainuddin, 2018), incorporating this idea into modern pedagogical instruction such as flipped learning, or in the context of the Wiki classroom, and MOOCs, could be an alternative and successful strategy to improve students' learning achievement (Aparicio et al., 2019;Chang & Wei, 2016.) www.firstcity-jbdt.com ...
Higher Education plays a vital role in developing a student's better life and therefore educators should use an appropriate approach to imparting knowledge into learners. Traditional teaching methods have been inadequate in having student engagement in classes. Consequently, digital education became an important and most in-trend approach. However, not many higher educations adapted to digital education, and the academicians are still unclear on how to use gamification as a pedagogic tool and how it can impact teaching and learning in higher education. This paper seeks to provide an overview of research on tools or techniques used in gamification, academician's perceptions, the challenges faced by academicians, and the impact of gamification in teaching and learning with using gamification for business related modules in higher education through systematic review. The publications from 2012 to 2022 will be included after final synthesis, according to explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria. By adapting digital education, educators will be able to provide quality and engaging learning for all students. Simultaneously, this research provides an understanding to the academicians on the opportunities and the need of being competent in digitalized education for professional development.
... However, in the developing world, the adoption of MOOCs in HEIs is still in its infancy, and faces numerous challenges, notably the sustainability of an effective technology base [4], and the lack of a positive response from many academics [5]. From a process perspective, a major obstacle is the execution of the change required to adopt innovative technology, such as that required by MOOCs [6]. Given the lack of international language skills and computer literacy issues, MOOC based learning -even in its simplest formconstitutes a significant challenge for many public universities in Libya [7]. ...
This paper focuses on the adoption of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the Libyan university
environment. MOOCs have become a much-discussed phenomenon in the online learning world, and can
provide learning opportunities for large numbers of students from anywhere, as long as they can access the
course materials through the Internet. With the growing trend towards online education, implementation
models have become important to examine the factors affecting adoption processes. Although MOOCs are of
growing importance in Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in general, their adoption and implementation still
face many challenges in Libya. The aim of this paper is to establish the existing level of adoption of MOOCs in
one Libyan university, and identify the factors that are impeding the take-up of this form of education. The
research adopts a qualitative approach, focusing on a case study of the University of Misurata, where a survey
and interviews were undertaken. This has produced new insights that can guide future strategy and
operational plans for adopting or improving existing MOOCs adoption processes in Libya. A multi-dimensional
model was used to map and assess the MOOC adoption process. The research findings can benefit online
learning facilitators and policymakers by increasing the successful implementation of MOOCs.
Keywords: Digital technology, Higher Education Institutes, Libya, MOOCs, online learning.
... La gamificación también se considera método y tecnología aplicada en la educación para aumentar la motivación y la participación en la formación de instructores en la enseñanza superior. En este proceso de formación se utilizan elementos, mecánicas y principios de contextos no lúdicos y se aplican en educación (Husband, 2015;Monu y Ralph, 2013;Dishaw y Strong, 1999;Aparicio et al., 2019;Barata, Gama, Jorge y Gonçalves, 2013;Feigenbaum y Feigenbaum. 2013;Knautz, Göretz y Wintermeyer, 2014). ...
Este trabajo busca explorar las tendencias y enfoques teóricos actuales en la investigación sobre gamificación en el nivel superior. Para ello se realizó un análisis sistemático de los resultados asociados a investigaciones de los últimos cinco años a partir de la información brindada por Scopus y otras bases de datos, para tener una idea general del alcance y relevancia de la gamificación en el nivel superior. El análisis de clustering permitió identificar cuatro clústeres o tendencias principales de investigación: algunos enfocados en la motivación y el compromiso, otros en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje, la innovación educativa y la tecnología educativa. Se concluye que se necesitan más investigaciones que exploren cómo se puede diseñar y evaluar la efectividad de las estrategias de gamificación en el nivel superior. La gamificación puede ser una herramienta efectiva para mejorar la motivación y el compromiso de los estudiantes pero podrían realizarse más abordajes críticos y cruces disciplinares para comprender mejor su desarrollo, aplicación y vinculación a procesos de innovación en las organizaciones.
... Regarding the recent trend of educational institutions, universities and massive open online courses (MOOCs) on platforms increasingly offer courses and certifications in AI and machine learning. Programs from organizations such as Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy [28][29][30] have made high-quality AI education accessible to a global audience worldwide, empowering a new generation of AI practitioners and users. Governments worldwide recognize AI's potential to drive economic growth and improve public services [31,32]. ...
The democratization of artificial intelligence (AI) involves extending access to AI technologies beyond specialized technical experts to a broader spectrum of users and organizations. This paper provides an overview of AI’s historical context and evolution, emphasizing the concept of AI democratization. Current trends shaping AI democratization are analyzed, highlighting key challenges and opportunities. The roles of pivotal stakeholders, including technology firms, educational entities, and governmental bodies, are examined in facilitating widespread AI adoption. A comprehensive framework elucidates the components, drivers, challenges, and strategies crucial to AI democratization. This framework is subsequently applied in the context of scenario analyses, offering insights into potential outcomes and implications. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research directions and strategic actions to foster responsible and inclusive AI development globally.
... While the IT literature has examined the influence of technological factors such as information quality and system quality on continued online learning (Aparicio et al., 2019), how organizations could effectively foster this nascent learning behavior remains unclear. As noted by the human resource management (HRM) literature, organizations are advised to invest in employee development since a competitive human resource pool is pivotal for achieving long-term business success (Chatterjee, 2017;Lin et al., 2020;Ng et al., 2022). ...
In the contemporary digital age, continued online learning behaviors have become indispensable for fostering employee development. However, the learning and development literature predominantly focuses on traditional instructor‐led approaches. It remains unclear how organizations can shape employees' learning behaviors, particularly in the context of online learning. The current study clarifies this underexplored research area by investigating how organizational investment in employee developmental climate (IEDC) can promote employees' continued online learning behaviors. Drawing on social influence theory and employing a multilevel research design, we find empirical support for our research model, which specifies that IEDC positively affects employees' continued online learning behaviors through the effect of normative pressure. The findings also reveal the moderating role of online learning facilitating conditions. Specifically, in firms characterized by higher levels of online learning facilitating conditions, the positive relationship between IEDC and normative pressure becomes more pronounced when compared to organizations with lower levels of such facilitating conditions.
... People make their decision to use a system based on information quality, response time, access to system services, and their goals. MOOC SRVQ encompasses good system performance, availability, and usability (Aparicio et al., 2019). Chavoshi and Hamidi (2019) have described various key metrics for a system's technical quality, including accessibility, maintainability, system speed, reliability, personalization, usability, maintainability, security, and flexibility. ...
Adding gamification elements to non-gamified platforms has become increasingly pervasive. Nevertheless, our understanding of the real psychological state of users during their game participation and how gamification design affects these users’ behaviors remains limited. Guided by cognitive dissonance theory and by using the case of Ant Forest, a typical gamification platform in China, we build a research model to investigate the effects of visibility of achievement and privacy concerns on gamification platform users’ psychology and behaviors. We conduct a questionnaire survey on 265 users with Ant Forest usage experience. Empirical results show that visibility of achievement, privacy concerns, and their interaction lead to users’ ambivalence, which in turn leads to intermittent discontinuance. This study introduces the ambivalence perspective to extend the research on the psychological state of gamification platform users from one to two dimensions. This study also links the antecedents and outcomes of ambivalence to examine its systematic impact on users’ intermittent discontinuance from a broader perspective and to provide valuable insights for operators and designers that guide them in developing platforms that meet users’ needs and foster their engagement.
In this work, a thorough mathematical framework for incorporating Large Language Models (LLMs) into gamified systems is presented with an emphasis on improving task dynamics increasing user engagement, and improving reward systems. Personalized feedback adaptive learning and dynamic content creation are all made possible by the integration of LLMs and are crucial for improving user engagement and system performance. A simulated environment is used to test the framework's adaptability and demonstrate its potential for real-world applications in a variety of industries including business healthcare and education. The findings demonstrate how LLMs can offer customized experiences that raise system effectiveness and user retention. This study also examines the difficulties this framework aims to solve highlighting its importance in maximizing involvement and encouraging sustained behavioral change in a range of sectors.
Since the digital transformation revolution has emerged in the world, many entrepreneurial businesses have used digital technology tools such as blockchain technology, artificial intelligence and machine learning in the domain of the financial and accounting functions digitalization to improve business decision-making quality and sustain their performance. Although it is global usage, only a few studies have investigated the related issues of digital technology tools in the Jordanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) context. Accordingly, the current study aims to explore the role of accounting information systems (AIS) usage on decision-making quality by the moderating role of information technology (IT) knowledge. The suggested research model is empirically tested with 237 responses retrieved from owners and managers of Jordanian SMEs. The results show that the perceived usefulness of AIS is impacted by perceived ease of use. Besides, the perceived usefulness of AIS significantly influences perceived satisfaction. The findings also indicate that AIS usage is impacted by perceived usefulness, perceived satisfaction, perceived innovativeness in IT, perceived self-efficacy and perceived compatibility. Interestingly, the results show that perceived ease of use and perceived convenience do not significantly influence the usage of AIS. The findings also show the critical role of AIS usage in improving decision-making quality. Likewise, the findings showed that IT knowledge moderated the relationship between AIS usage and decision-making quality. Lastly, more discussion regarding the limitations and future research is presented at the end of this paper, which completes the whole paper.
Objetivo: Este estudo buscou explorar os resultados provenientes de uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura (RSL) sobre estudos relacionados ao uso da gamificação em contextos de gestão e negócios. Originalidade/valor: Entendida como a utilização de elementos de design de jogos em contextos que não são jogos, a gamificação se tornou reconhecida pela sua capacidade intrínseca, de incentivar a ação, solucionar problemas e promover aprendizagens nas mais diferentes áreas do conhecimento. Contudo, embora sua investigação tenha se mostrado promissora, é importante considerar que estes estudos ainda são recentes e as teorias formuladas estão em fase de desenvolvimento. Nesse sentido, a principal contribuição desta pesquisa é sistematizar a literatura sobre a aplicação da gamificação nos contextos de gestão e negócios, preenchendo uma lacuna ao resumir os principais conceitos da gamificação e demonstrando o que já tem sido pesquisado e implementado nesta área do conhecimento. Design/metodologia/abordagem: A metodologia eleita para essa pesquisa seguiu o enfoque qualitativo interpretativo hermenêutico, empregando como estratégia, a análise documental com foco em uma Revisão Sistemática da Literatura (RSL), elegendo-se os periódicos que possibilitassem o emprego do Modelo Sistemático para Pesquisas em Bancos de Dados Livre (MSPBAL) que contempla categorias de análise e organização sistêmica sobre as similaridades apresentadas no rol de dados obtidos. Resultados: Os resultados demonstraram que diante dos contextos de aplicação definidos: Marketing, Treinamento e Desenvolvimento e Colaboratividade. Prevaleceu um número maior de pesquisas em Treinamento e Desenvolvimento, seguidas de Colaboratividade e Marketing. As abordagens metodológicas buscavam, a partir da análise do estado da arte, avaliação ou ainda da experimentação, uma maneira de integrar ou avaliar a gamificação nos processos educacionais e organizacionais. Em termos de uso, a gamificação como ferramenta de gestão apresentou resultados positivos em todos os trabalhos analisados.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose a research model based on the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model to examine whether network externality, personalization and sociability as environmental feature antecedents to learners’ learning engagement (LE) can influence their learning persistence (LP) in massive open online courses (MOOCs).
Design/methodology/approach
Sample data for this study were collected from learners who had experience in taking MOOCs provided by the MOOC platform launched by a well-known university in Taiwan, and 371 usable questionnaires were analyzed using structural equation modeling in this study.
Findings
This study proved that learners’ perceived network externality, personalization and sociability in MOOCs positively affected their cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE elicited by MOOCs, which jointly led to their LP in MOOCs. The results support all proposed hypotheses, and the research model accounts for 76.2% of the variance in learners’ LP in MOOCs.
Originality/value
This study uses the S–O–R model as a theoretical base to construct learners’ LP in MOOCs as a series of the inner process, which is affected by network externality, personalization and sociability. It is worth noting that three psychological constructs including cognitive LE, psychological LE and social LE are used to represent learners’ organismic states of MOOCs usage. To date, hedonic/utilitarian concepts are more often adopted as organisms in previous studies using the S–O–R model, and psychological constructs have received lesser attention. Hence, this study’ contribution on the application of capturing psychological constructs for completely expounding three types of environmental features as antecedents to learners’ LP in MOOCs is well documented.
Massive open online courses (MOOC) have become important in the learning journey of college students and have been extensively implemented in higher education. However, there are few studies that investigated the willingness to continue using Massive open online courses (MOOC) in the field of business in higher education. Therefore, this paper proposes a comprehensive theoretical research framework based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). In the field of business, a representative accounting course is taken as an example. We adopt the questionnaire survey method and use the partial least squares structural equation model to analyze the collected feedback data from college students and test the hypotheses. This paper focuses on the potential influencing factors and mechanisms of the willingness to continuously use Massive open online courses (MOOC) in accounting. The results show that interface convenience (IC) and interface design aesthetics (IDA) have positive effects on user attitude (ATT). User attitude (ATT), perceived behavioral control (PBC), and subjective norms (SN) have positive effects on the continuance learning intention. In addition, academic self-efficacy (EF) not only significantly affects continuance learning intention (CI) but also moderates the relationship between the Theory of Planned Behavior (user attitude, perceived behavior control, subjective norms) and the continuance learning intention of accounting MOOC. Therefore, the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB) is extended in social science accounting Massive open online courses environment. Based on these findings, this paper provides several theoretical and practical implications for researchers and practitioners of MOOC, accounting, and the design of learning systems in higher education contexts.
Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, D6 oyunlaştırma modeline dayalı web tabanlı bir oyunlaştırma sistemi geliştirmektir. Araştırmada, sistemin geliştirilmesi sırasında iki yinelemeli döngü uygulanarak tasarım tabanlı bir araştırma yaklaşımı kullanılmıştır. İlk oyunlaştırma tasarımı mevcut literatür yardımıyla formüle edilmiştir. Daha sonra bu tasarım, iki yazılım mühendisi, dört eğitim bilimleri uzmanı, bir grafik tasarımcı, bir arayüz tasarımcısı, iki oyunlaştırma uzmanı ve dört eğitim teknolojisi uzmanından oluşan 14 kişilik bir ekip tarafından değerlendirilmiştir. Ayrıca tasarım, sistemi kullanan 14 kız ve 20 erkek katılımcıdan oluşan bir grup öğrenciye sunulmuştur. Bu öğrenciler, her biri birer hafta süren iki döngüde geri bildirim sağlayarak iki hafta boyunca sistemle etkileşime girmişlerdir. İki haftalık sürecin ardından hem uzmanlardan hem de öğrencilerden alınan geri bildirimler, oyunlaştırma tasarımının kullanılabilirliğini en üst düzeye çıkarmak için içeriğin geliştirilmesinin ve çeşitlendirilmesinin, etkileşimin artırılmasının, ödül mekanizmalarının doğru kullanılmasının, içeriğin farklı yaş gruplarına göre uyarlanmasının, heyecan ve ilerleme unsurlarının dâhil edilmesinin, bonus puanlar yoluyla katılımın teşvik edilmesinin, puanların, rozetlerin ve seviyelerin dengelenmesinin, ses ve sürenin optimize edilmesinin ve kullanıcı dostu bir arayüz tasarımının sağlanmasının çok önemli olduğunu göstermiştir.
Gamification has become a widely applied technique in the digital platform sector. Despite prior research exploring gamification in various contexts from different angles, an integrated empirical study has yet to draw cohesive conclusions from these findings. This study, utilizing data from 34 papers (N = 35,856), has developed a meta-analytic framework comprised of 17 paths. Through this framework, we have identified immersion, achievement, and social as core gamification affordance constructs, as well as functional value, emotional value, and social value as perceived value constructs, and we have also designated user behavior as the outcome, utilizing the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework. The research results indicate that emotional value has a profound effect on behavior, with context, platform, and country moderating to the gamification mechanism. This study has significant implications for the further advancement of gamification in the digital platform.
Der vorliegende Sammelband widmet sich dem Thema der Digital Literacy im Tourismus und bietet eine umfassende Analyse der aktuellen Herausforderungen, Potenziale sowie Entwicklungsperspektiven digitaler Bildungsstrategien in der Tourismusbranche. Auf Grundlage der Ergebnisse des Forschungsprojekts Digi-T: Digital Literacy im steirischen Tourismus, welches die Rahmenbedingungen und Anforderungen an digitale Kompetenzen im Tourismus detailliert untersucht, werden praxisnahe Ansätze mit wissenschaftlich fundierten Erkenntnissen verknüpft. Die Beiträge dieses Sammelbandes thematisieren zentrale Aspekte wie die digitale Customer Journey, ethische Implikationen Künstlicher Intelligenz und die praxisorientierte Implementierung digitaler Lernformate. Das Werk richtet sich an Fachleute, Lehrende, Studierende sowie Entscheidungsträger:innen und bietet fundierte wissenschaftliche Grundlagen sowie praxisnahe Handlungsempfehlungen zur Gestaltung von Bildungsangeboten im Rahmen der digitalen Zukunft des Tourismus.
Purpose
The effect of digital transition on knowledge management (KM) processes is becoming relevant for companies operating in different industries and the body of literature examining this impact is rapidly growing. This paper aims to critically analyse the literature on the impact of digital transition on KM by rethinking the SECI model proposed by Nonaka and proposing the WISED model for the digital knowledge-creating company.
Design/methodology/approach
The systematisation of existing studies on the topic and the analysis of the evolution of knowledge creation process in the era of digital transition was carried out through a bibliometric approach.
Findings
According to the traditional epistemological and ontological dimensions and considering the innovative KM processes identified by this study (i.e. webification, informalisation, systematisation, explicitation and digitalisation), the results highlight how the proposed WISED model can be adopted by organizations to manage knowledge through the use of digital technologies.
Originality/value
Digital transition seems to open up new horizons that can expand the potential use of the WISED model for organisations and society.
Der Beitrag beleuchtet den aktuellen Stand der Forschung zum Thema Gamification in der öffentlichen Verwaltung und diskutiert, inwiefern Gamification eine wichtige Methode zur Stei-gerung von Kompetenzen der Zukunft (z.B. Digital Literacy) im öffentlichen Sektor darstellen kann. Anhand eines rundenbasierten Konzeptes wird erläutert, wie sich verschiedene Elemente praxisnah in ein Gesamtkonzept integrieren lassen, das es zulässt, Elemente der Digital Literacy unterschwel-lig und spielerisch zu erlernen.
The integration of technology in higher education has transformed teaching, turning students into active participants in their learning. Faced with the limitations of conventional methods, the integration of technological and creative methods adapted to current demands is being sought.
Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheets is crucial in university education, especially in social sciences and law, where the lack of specialized technical training affects academic performance. This study analyzes the impact of incorporating serious games with technological tools and active teaching methods on students' motivation, engagement and academic performance.
The pandemic impacted the landscape of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and how gamification was integrated into these platforms. This chapter presents some recent changes and adaptations observed in gamification within MOOCs: 1) Increased engagement strategies: MOOC platforms leveraged gamification elements more intensely to boost engagement. They incorporated features like badges, points, leaderboards, and progress bars; 2) Social interaction emphasis: the pandemic led to a surge in the desire for social interaction and community engagement. MOOCs incorporated gamified elements to encourage collaboration, such as team challenges or forums, fostering a sense of community among learners; 3) Personalised learning journeys: platforms started customising gamified elements to cater to individual learning styles and preferences; 4) Integration of advanced technologies: some MOOCs started exploring emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to gamify the learning experience further, offering immersive and interactive elements.
Written as an extension of A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Second Edition, this easy-to-understand, practical guide covers advanced content on PLS-SEM to help students and researchers apply techniques to research problems and accurately interpret results. The book provides a brief overview of basic concepts before moving to the more advanced material. Offering extensive examples on SmartPLS 3 software (www.smartpls.com) and accompanied by free downloadable data sets, the book emphasizes that any advanced PLS-SEM approach should be carefully applied to ensure that it fits the appropriate research context and the data characteristics that underpin the research.
To achieve lasting competitiveness through IT, according to the authors, companies face three enduring challenges: focusing IS efforts to support business strategies and using IT innovations to develop new, superior strategies; devising and managing effective strategies for the delivery of low-cost, high-quality IS services; and choosing the technical platform on which to mount IS services. Three strands of research - on the CIO's role and experience, the CIO's capabilities, and IS/IT outsourcing - demonstrate that businesses need nine core IS capabilities to address these challenges: 1. Leadership. Integrating IS/IT effort with business purpose and activity. 2. Business systems thinking. Envisioning,he business process that technology makes possible. 3. Relationship building. Getting the business constructively engaged in IS/IT issues. 4. Architecture planning. Creating the blueprint for a technical platform that responds to current and future business needs. 5. Making technology work. Rapidly achieving technical progress - by one means or another. 6. Informed buying. Managing the IS/IT sourcing strategy that meets the interests of the business. 7. Contract facilitation. Ensuring the success of existing contracts for IS/IT services. 8. Contract monitoring. Protecting the business's contractual position, cu:rent and future. 9. Vendor development. Identifying the potential added value of IS/IT service suppliers. IS professionals and managers need to demonstrate a changing mix of technical, business, and interpersonal skills. The authors trace the role these skills play in achieving the core IS capabilities and discuss the challenges of adapting core IS capabilities to particular organizational contexts. Their core IS capability model implies migration to a relatively small IS function, staffed by highly able people. To sustain their ability to exploit IT, the authors conclude, organizations must make the design of flexible IS arrangements a high-priority task and take an anticipatory rather than a reactive approach to that task.
Research in the information systems (IS) field has often been characterized as fragmented. This paper builds on a belief that for the field to move forward and have an impact on practitioners and other academic fields, the existing work must be examined and systematized. It is particularly important to systematize research on the factors that underlie success of organizational IS. The goal here is to conceptualize the IS success antecedents (ISSA) area of research through surveying, synthesizing, and explicating the work in the domain. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods, a taxonomy of 12 general categories is created, and existing research within each category is examined. Important lacunae in the direction of work have been determined. It is found that little work has been conducted on the macro-level independent variables, the most difficult variables to assess, although these variables may be the most important to understanding the ultimate value of IS to organizations. Similarly, ISSA research on success variables of consequence to organizations was found severely lacking. Variable analysis research on organizational-level success variables was found to be literally nonexistent in the IS field, whereas research in the organizational studies field was found to provide useful directions for IS researchers. The specifics of the 12 taxonomy areas are analyzed and directions for research in each of them provided. Thus, researchers and practitioners are directed toward available research and receive suggestions for future work to bring ISSA research toward an organized and cohesive future.
p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 12pt 36pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 15pt;"> Much of the literature and the academic discussion about the impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) in institutional strategic planning has been centred on the US context. However, data shows that although the US are responsible for the largest MOOC platforms and the most successful course provision, it is the European region which accounts for the highest percentage of global MOOC participation. Differently from the US Higher Education system framework, however, in Europe public policy and in particular the European Commission is now driving MOOC institutional uptake.
Given the very different institutional, political and cultural contexts, it is interesting to analyse how in these two different regions Higher Education institutions are responding to the challenges of the MOOC phenomena and are integrating it in their own strategic planning.
The current research presents the first attempt to conduct a benchmarking study of institutional MOOC strategies in Europe and the US. It's based on a survey launched by the EU-funded project HOME and compares results with a similar survey launched in the US. Results show that are significant differences in how US and European institutions understand the impact of massive forms of open education and also how they perceive the efficiency of digital education and online learning. </p
An efficient peer grading mechanism is proposed for grading the multitude of assignments in online courses. This novel approach is based on game theory and mechanism design. A set of assumptions and a mathematical model is ratified to simulate the dominant strategy behavior of students in a given mechanism. A benchmark function accounting for grade accuracy and workload is established to quantitatively compare effectiveness and scalability of various mechanisms. After multiple iterations of mechanisms under increasingly realistic assumptions, three are proposed: Calibration, Improved Calibration, and Deduction. The Calibration mechanism performs as predicted by game theory when tested in an online crowd-sourced experiment, but fails when students are assumed to communicate. The Improved Calibration mechanism addresses this assumption, but at the cost of more effort spent grading. The Deduction mechanism performs relatively well in the benchmark, outperforming the Calibration, Improved Calibration, traditional automated, and traditional peer grading systems. The mathematical model and benchmark opens the way for future derivative works to be performed and compared.
The idea of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has attracted a lot of media attention in the last couple of years. MOOCs have been used mostly as stand-alone, online courses without credits. However, some researchers, teachers, colleges, and universities have attempted to utilize MOOCs in blended format in traditional classroom settings. This paper reviews some recent experiments in the context of current trends in MOOCs by examining methodologies utilized in blended MOOCs in a face-to-face environment. This paper further discusses the preliminary findings related to its effectiveness of learning outcomes and its impact on students and instructors in blended MOOCs format. The review of blended MOOCs in classrooms assists to form the emerging consensus on integrating MOOCs in conventional classroom settings, while highlighting potential opportunities and challenges one might face when implementing MOOCs in similar or entirely different contexts.
Business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) has emerged as an important area of study for both practitioners and researchers, reflecting the magnitude and impact of data-related problems to be solved in contemporary business organizations. This introduction to the MIS Quarterly Special Issue on Business Intelligence Research first provides a framework that identifies the evolution, applications, and emerging research areas of BI&A. BI&A 1.0, BI&A 2.0, and BI&A 3.0 are defined and described in terms of their key characteristics and capabilities. Current research in BI&A is analyzed and challenges and opportunities associated with BI&A research and education are identified. We also report a bibliometric study of critical BI&A publications, researchers, and research topics based on more than a decade of related academic and industry publications. Finally, the six articles that comprise this special issue are introduced and characterized in terms of the proposed BI&A research framework.
Continuing interest in digital games indicated that it would be useful to update Connolly et al.'s (2012) systematic literature review of empirical evidence about the positive impacts and outcomes of games. Since a large number of papers was identified in the period from 2009 to 2014, the current review focused on 143 papers that provided higher quality evidence about the positive outcomes of games. Connolly et al.'s multidimensional analysis of games and their outcomes provided a useful framework for organising the varied research in this area. The most frequently occurring outcome reported for games for learning was knowledge acquisition, while entertainment games addressed a broader range of affective, behaviour change, perceptual and cognitive and physiological outcomes. Games for learning were found across varied topics with STEM subjects and health the most popular. Future research on digital games would benefit from a systematic programme of experimental work, examining in detail which game features are most effective in promoting engagement and supporting learning.
Studies for over 30 years have consistently indicated that enterprise-level Business-Information Technology (IT) alignment is a pervasive problem. While significant progress has been made to understand alignment, research on IT alignment is still plagued by several problems. First, most alignment models approach alignment as a static relationship in contrast to analyzing the scope and variance of activities through which the alignment is (or can be) attained. Second, most alignment models are not founded on strong theoretical foundations. Third, because of their static view, these models do not guide how organizations can improve alignment. This study addresses these weaknesses using a capability-based lens. It formulates and operationalizes a formative construct rooted in the theory of dynamic capabilities and defines the scope and nature of activities that contribute to alignment. The construct identifies six dimensions promoting alignment: (1) IT-Business Communications ; (2) Use of Value Analytics; (3) Approaches to Collaborative Governance; (4) Nature of the affiliation/partnership; (5) Scope of IT initiatives; and (6) Development of IT Skills. The construct measures are validated in terms of their dimensionality, item pool sampling, and the nomological and predictive validity. The research uses Partial Least Squares (PLS) to statistically validate the construct using a dataset covering over 3000 global participants including nearly 400 Fortune 1000 companies. All construct dimensions contribute significantly to the level of alignment and the construct shows strong nomological and predictive validity by demonstrating a statistically significant impact on firm performance. Scholars can leverage this research to explore additional activity-based constructs of IT-business alignment.
Since the introduction of information systems more than 60 years ago, organizations want to ensure that their systems are effective or “successful”. Much has changed in the evaluation of information systems success during this period. The role of information systems in organizations has changed dramatically, as have the key stakeholders and the expected benefits of the investments in IS. During this period, IS research has evolved to keep pace with the changing expectations regarding the success of information systems, yet practice tends to lag behind. In this commentary, we discuss five eras of information systems evolution and explain how the perceptions and measures of successful information systems have changed across these eras. By looking at the past and present, we are able to comment on how our understanding of success has evolved over time in research and practice. We discuss the inadequacy of IS success evaluation in practice. Finally, we offer four themes as calls for future action related to the research of information systems success
The last five years have witnessed a hype about MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) presaging a revolution in higher education. Although all MOOCs have in common their scale and free access, they have already bifurcated in two very distinct types of courses when compared in terms of their underpinning theory, format and structure, known as c-MOOCs and x-MOOCs. The concept of openness behind each of the formats is also very different. Previous studies have shown that c-and x-MOOCs share some common features but that they clearly differ on the learning theory and pedagogical model on which they stand. In this paper we extend earlier findings and concentrate on the concept of “openness” behind each format showing important differences.
In 2008, a new term emerged in the already crowded e-learning landscape: MOOC, or massive open online course. Lifelong learners can now use various tools to build and manage their own learning networks, and MOOCs may provide opportunities to test such networks. This paper focuses on the technological aspects of one MOOC, the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge (CCK08) course, in order to investigate lifelong learners’ attitudes towards learning network technologies. The research framework is represented by three perspectives: (a) lifelong learning in relation to open education, with a focus on the effective use of learning tools; (b) the more recent personal knowledge management (PKM) skills approach; and (c) the usability of web-based learning tools.
Findings from a survey of CCK08 participants show that the course attracted mainly adult, informal learners, who were unconcerned about course completion and who cited a lack of time as the main reason for incompletion. Time constraints, language barriers, and ICT skills affected the participants’ choice of tools; for example, learners favoured the passive, filtered mailing list over interactive but time-consuming discussion forums and blogs. Some recommendations for future MOOCs include highlighting the pedagogical purpose of the tools offered (e.g., learning network skill-building) and stating clearly that the learners can choose which tools they prefer to use. Further research on sustainability and instructor workload issues should be conducted to determine the cost and effectiveness of MOOCs. Investigation is also necessary to understand whether such terms as course, drop-out, and attrition are appropriate in relation to MOOCs.
This paper aims to shed light on an emergent kind of learning occurring as part of participating in global open online courses. Participants voluntarily jump into an ocean of complexity and fractal nature, yet are able to swim through and learn. The paper outlines Connectivism as the framework for such learning, and describes the structure of PLENK2010 course. Then, four lessons learned during the involvement of the author as a learner in the course are detailed, among them the different channels for learning in such an environment and the (no) need for direct assessment. As the course has still few weeks to go, the lessons learned so far will surely go under further consideration. However, those who consider participating in massive online open courses either as learners or as facilitators might benefit from this primary account.
All research streams can trace their lineage to an initial paper or series of papers. The information systems (IS) field – despite its relative youthfulness – can point to examples of seminal research by Davis (1989) on technology acceptance or Brynjolfsson and Hitt (1996) on information technology (IT) payoffs as the foundation of whole new areas of research. After almost a quarter century and 3200 citations (as of October 2014), many researchers would also include work by Henderson and Venkatraman (1993) – first published in the IBM Systems Journal under the heading, ‘Strategic Alignment: Leveraging Information Technology for Transforming Organizations’ – on the list of seminal and transformative IS publications.
The latest education revolution, the massive open online courses (MOOCs), is gaining momentum,
accolades, and participation across industry and academia. These learning laboratory
behemoths host and assess tens to hundreds of thousands of students in a single class, for free.
Similar to their scope, MOOCs’ short- and long-term educational implications seem massive.
Immediate MOOC educational outcomes vary widely from roaring successes to global jokes.
To date however, few or no studies address MOOCs in hospitality and tourism. This article
takes a small step toward addressing this gap, drawing on the Diffusion of Innovations theory
to review educational technologies, open education, and MOOCs. The result is an overview
and four complementary MOOC diffusion strategies and research areas.
The statistical tests used in the analysis of structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error are examined. A drawback of the commonly applied chi square test, in addition to the known problems related to sample size and power, is that it may indicate an increasing correspondence between the hypothesized model and the observed data as both the measurement properties and the relationship between constructs decline. Further, and contrary to common assertion, the risk of making a Type II error can be substantial even when the sample size is large. Moreover, the present testing methods are unable to assess a model's explanatory power. To overcome these problems, the authors develop and apply a testing system based on measures of shared variance within the structural model, measurement model, and overall model.
A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), by Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt, provides a concise yet very practical guide to understanding and using PLS structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM is evolving as a statistical modeling technique and its use has increased exponentially in recent years within a variety of disciplines, due to the recognition that PLS-SEM’s distinctive methodological features make it a viable alternative to the more popular covariance-based SEM approach. This text includes extensive examples on SmartPLS software, and is accompanied by multiple data sets that are available for download from the accompanying website (www.pls-sem.com).
Instead of thinking about education as the mastery of a body of knowledge where the subject matter becomes the focus of our attention, The Gamification of Higher Education encourages us to think of it as a process that draws out the best in individuals and prepares them for happy, productive, and successful lives.
Employees' knowledge as the guarantor of companies' success is an important asset of the enterprises' value. However, this knowledge is often not optimally used or even visible and available for employees and management within companies. This intangible knowledge leads to continuously reinvented wheels within organisations and employees misspend time learning processes in a cumbersome way on their own. To overcome this problem, we present a new approach aimed at connecting employees socially. The main novelty is the use of the organisation's business processes as basis for connecting employees by indicating their process-related areas of expertise. The goal is to enable enduring sharing and distribution of knowledge within an organisation to support decision making in process execution. Our evaluation results from two financial services companies show that employees perceive such a network as very helpful. Our approach leads to easier access, better search results and more opportunities to connect knowledge with other employees.
This paper examines the relationships between the intensity of IT investment and four performance impact measures relating to computerization. Data were collected via a questionnaire survey of the retail industry in Singapore. Results suggested that the intensity of IT investment has negligible relationships with information quality and improvement in work environment. Information quality is positively related to improvement in work environment, managerial satisfaction and organizational impact. Improvement in work environment is positively related to organizational impact but not to managerial satisfaction. Implications of the findings are discussed.
The strategic use of IS and the alignment of IT with business needs are important managerial issues that need to be addressed if optimal organizational performance is to be achieved. IS research has proposed models to optimize the impact of IS investment on organizational performance. The Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) proposed by Henderson and Venkatraman is the most well-known and widely used of these models. However, 20 years on, there remains a significant disparity between the intended contribution of the literature built around SAM and the apparent practical consequences of its application in organizations. In this study, we explain this disparity using a grounded theory stance with a bibliometric and interpretive approach to help us analyze the literature: We use tri-citation analysis (with bibliometric data collected in 2011, and again in 2014) and investigate interpretatively the contents of the texts highlighted by our statistical results. This allows us to show that the research field built around SAM mostly appears not to challenge its basic assumptions and premises, although these may artificially constrain organizational reality and practices. In turn, this leads us to propose an explanation for practitioners’ apparent failures to fulfill SAM’s intended contribution. Beyond our theoretical and methodological contributions, we propose possible theoretical and practical improvements to adapt this model to the current organizational reality.
While the importance of IT-business alignment is rarely questioned, strong theoretical development of alignment's nomological network has not been developed or tested. This has generated a debate on why tighter alignment may or may not lead to higher levels of firm performance. To further understand the alignment-performance relationship, we used meta-analytic structural equation modeling techniques to probe the inter-relationships found in 78 independent datasets drawn from the literature. We find intellectual alignment influences operational alignment, identify a more nuanced understanding of the performance constructs, and offer insight into how governance structure and social alignment influence intellectual and operational alignment.
The dynamic capabilities framework has had a significant impact on strategic management theory and practice, but the sizable literature on the topic has not always been unified. This paper begins with a restatement of the framework encompassing clarifications and extensions that have occurred since it was introduced. The paper highlights key elements that have been omitted or poorly integrated into the dynamic capabilities literature: the role of individual action by entrepreneurial managers, the role of resources, strategy, and the distinction between ordinary and dynamic capabilities. Dynamic capabilities is advanced as a multidisciplinary framework to explain long-run enterprise performance. Ambidexterity and other related frameworks are tailored versions of dynamic capabilities. Linkages between (strategic) management theory and (Austrian) economic theory are explored. The concepts of x-inefficiency and d-ineffectiveness are compared.
Understanding sources of sustained competitive advantage has become a major area of research in strategic management. Building on the assumptions that strategic resources are heterogeneously distributed across firms and that these differences are stable over time, this article examines the link between firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Four empirical indicators of the potential of firm resources to generate sustained competitive advantage-value, rareness, imitability, and substitutability are discussed. The model is applied by analyzing the potential of several firm resources for generating sustained competitive advantages. The article concludes by examining implications of this firm resource model of sustained competitive advantage for other business disciplines.
Despite the rapid growth and significant benefits of online learning, retaining students in online courses remains a key challenge. This study empirically tests an integrated model that simultaneously examines factors influencing students' attainment of flow experience in online learning and the impacts of flow on their online learning continuance intention. The results identified telepresence as the most significant factor influencing students' flow experience in online learning. Perceived hedonic value played the most important mediating role transmitting the effects of flow on students' continuance intention. The implications of the study for both research and practice are discussed.
The results of this research suggest a new mandate for discriminant validity testing in marketing. Specifically, the authors demonstrate that the AVE-SV comparison (Fornell and Larcker 1981) and HTMT ratio (Henseler et al. 2015) with 0.85 cutoff provide the best assessment of discriminant validity and should be the standard for publication in marketing. These conclusions are based on a thorough assessment of the literature and the results of a Monte Carlo simulation. First, based on a content analysis of articles published in seven leading marketing journals from 1996 to 2012, the authors demonstrate that three tests—the constrained phi (Jöreskog 1971), AVE-SV (Fornell and Larcker 1981), and overlapping confidence intervals (Anderson and Gerbing 1988)—are by far most common. Further review reveals that (1) more than 20% of survey-based and over 80% of non-survey-based marketing studies fail to document tests for discriminant validity, (2) there is wide variance across journals and research streams in terms of whether discriminant validity tests are performed, (3) conclusions have already been drawn about the relative stringency of the three most common methods, and (4) the method that is generally perceived to be most generous is being consistently misapplied in a way that erodes its stringency. Second, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to assess the relative rigor of the three most common tests, as well as an emerging technique (HTMT). Results reveal that (1) on average, the four discriminant validity testing methods detect violations approximately 50% of the time, (2) the constrained phi and overlapping confidence interval approaches perform very poorly in detecting violations whereas the AVE-SV test and HTMT (with a ratio cutoff of 0.85) methods perform well, and (3) the HTMT.85 method offers the best balance between high detection and low arbitrary violation (i.e., false positive) rates.
Organizational agility is a significant business capability. Though there have been numerous studies about the effects of information technology (IT) capabilities on organizational agility, there has been limited attention on the enabling effects of IT ambidexterity, namely, the dual capacity to explore and exploit IT resources and practices. We propose that IT ambidexterity enhances organizational agility by facilitating operational ambidexterity, and that the magnitude of facilitation depends on the level of environmental dynamism. We test these relationships utilizing data from a large-scale, matched-pair field survey of business and IT executives. The results confirm that a firm's IT ambidexterity does enhance its organizational agility through the mediated effects of operational ambidexterity, and that the dynamism of a firm's environment affects these relationships.
Interest in the problem of method biases has a long history in the behavioral sciences. Despite this, a comprehensive summary of the potential sources of method biases and how to control for them does not exist. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the extent to which method biases influence behavioral research results, identify potential sources of method biases, discuss the cognitive processes through which method biases influence responses to measures, evaluate the many different procedural and statistical techniques that can be used to control method biases, and provide recommendations for how to select appropriate procedural and statistical remedies for different types of research settings.
The dynamic managerial capabilities literature has developed over the past decade to the point where a review and synthesis of relevant literature can move the scholarly conversation forward. The concept of dynamic managerial capabilities—the capabilities with which managers create, extend, and modify the ways in which firms make a living—helps to explain the relationship between the quality of managerial decisions, strategic change, and organizational performance. We clarify theoretical constructs and their relationships, review and synthesize empirical research on the role and impact of managerial capabilities directed toward strategic change, and suggest avenues for future research. Our review begins with an overview of theoretical conceptions of dynamic managerial capabilities. Then we organize the remainder of the review around the three core underpinnings of dynamic managerial capabilities: managerial cognition, managerial social capital, and managerial human capital. In our review, we examine evidence from studies of dynamic managerial capabilities and reinterpret evidence prior to the introduction of the dynamic managerial capabilities concept through that lens. Consistent with the dynamic managerial capabilities concept, empirical research shows that managers differ in their impact on strategic change and firm performance and that differences in managerial cognition, social capital, and human capital lead to different outcomes.
Because many massive open online courses (MOOCs) have adopted social media tools for large student audiences to co-create knowledge and engage in collective learning processes, this study adopted various social media mining approaches to investigate Twitter messages related to MOOC learning. The first approach adopted in this study was calculating the important descriptive statistics of MOOC-related tweets and examining the daily, weekly, and monthly trends of MOOC that appeared on Twitter. This information can enable MOOC practitioners to observe participants’ temporal activities on social media and ascertain the most effective time to post or analyze tweets. Secondly, we investigated how public sentiment toward MOOC learning can be assessed according to related tweets. Because the availability and popularity of opinion-rich social networking services are increasing for MOOC communities, our findings from the sentiment analysis of Twitter data can afford substantial insights into participant perceptions of MOOC learning. Third, we analyzed the positive and negative retweets related to MOOCs and identified the influencers of these retweets. Social network diagrams were also developed to reveal how sentimental messages about MOOCs on Twitter were disseminated from the top influencers with the highest number of positive/negative retweets about MOOCs. Analyzing the relationships among top retweet users is vital to MOOC practitioners because they can use this information to filter or recommend MOOC-related messages to the influencers. In short, the findings pertaining social media mining in this study afford a holistic understanding of MOOC trends, public sentiment toward MOOC learning, and the influencers of MOOC-related retweets.
How can firms improve the degree of social alignment between their business and IT units?
Many years of research have shown the importance of business-IT alignment and its various
facets, yet research on the efficacy of IT governance mechanisms to improve business-IT
alignment is scarce. In this paper, we develop a model of social alignment at the operational
level that considers the degree of social capital between an organization’s business and IT
units, IT personnel’s business understanding, and a set of formal and informal IT governance
mechanisms that drive the creation of social alignment and business value. Using survey
data from 132 US banks, we show that social alignment is driven to varying degrees by a
broad variety of IT governance mechanisms ranging from top management support and IT
representation on the executive board to joint IT planning and IS training, regular meeting
cycles, and liaison units. Our research contributes substantially to the practical demand on
business-IT alignment research for an effective toolkit of IT governance mechanisms.
Research examining the relationship between IT–business strategic alignment (hereafter referred to as alignment) and firm performance (hereafter referred to as performance) has produced apparently conflicting findings (i.e., an alignment paradox). To examine the alignment paradox, we conducted a meta-analysis that probed the interrelationships between alignment, performance, and context constructs. We found the alignment dimensions (intellectual, operational, and cross-domain) demonstrate unique relationships with the different performance types (financial performance, productivity, and customer benefit) and with many of the other constructs in alignment’s nomological network. All mean corrected correlations between dimensions of alignment and dependent variables were positive and most of the credibility interval values in these analyses were also positive. Overall, the evidence gathered from the extant literature suggests there is not much of an alignment paradox. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the relationships between alignment and performance outcomes and offering insight into sources of inconsistencies in alignment research. By doing so, this paper lays a foundation for more consistent treatment of alignment in future IT research.
The paper empirically examines the effects of social capital of the relationship between the chief information officer (CIO) and top management team (TMT) on organizational value creation based on responses from CIOs and matched TMT respondents from 81 hospitals in the United States. Specifically, we theorize how the three dimensions of social capital—structural, cognitive, and relational social capital—facilitate knowledge exchange and combination between the CIO and TMT resulting in the alignment between the organization's information systems (IS) strategy and business strategy. Results show that IS alignment significantly influences the firm's financial performance and mediates the relationship between CIO-TMT social capital and performance. The findings also indicate that cognitive and relational social capital influence information systems strategic alignment but that structural social capital exerts its influence through its effects on cognitive social capital. Recommendations are provided as to how organizations can develop CIO-TMT structural, cognitive, and relational social capital to positively influence firm performance via IS strategic alignment.
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer an exciting range of opportunities to widen access and participation in education. The massive and open nature of MOOCs places the control of learning at the discretion of the learner. Therefore, it is essential to understand learner behaviour. This paper examines the psychological considerations inherent in learning and explores the psychological determinants of learner behaviours relevant to MOOCs. A number of psychological challenges specific to the development and use of MOOCs such as the motivational, emotional and intellectual commitment of MOOC learners, and the skills profile that effective MOOC learners require are discussed. The psychological barriers that learners may encounter when engaging with MOOCs are identified. In doing so, we highlight the importance of considering the psychosocial and cognitive profile of the learner, and provide a psychological characterisation of many of the practical and theoretical issues that inform the design, development and delivery of MOOCs. For example, digital literacy skills, individual differences in motivation and self-regulation are key learner attributes in the context of MOOC-based learning. The temporal dimension of learning is also addressed: how learners perceive time online, how this influences time spent on tasks and how this may impact on the effective use of MOOCs. Given that MOOCs are increasingly being accessed using mobile devices, the psychological challenges of mobile MOOC-based learning are explored. It is anticipated that the insights derived from a psychologically informed consideration of MOOC-based learning will serve as a catalyst for debate, discussion and future research.
Top management has been concerned with IT-business strategic alignment (hereafter referred to as alignment) for the past 30 years. Consequently, alignment researchers have developed many models to explain how alignment generates value for firms. However, these models use inconsistent definitions and measures of alignment, which has led to conflicting results and has potentially inhibited the progress of research on this critical topic. This paper emphasizes the importance of demarcating the six alignment types that are sometimes confused in the literature into a single, unified model. It also reports on the development of definitions and measures of these six types of alignment including alignment between IT and business strategies (i.e., intellectual alignment), between IT and business infrastructures and processes (i.e., operational alignment), and across these two domains such that strategies are linked with infrastructures and processes (i.e., four types of cross-domain alignment). Analyzing survey data collected from 140 Chief Information Officers, we found each measure possesses desirable psychometric properties. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Organizational ambidexterity refers to the ability of an organization to both explore and exploit — to compete in mature technologies and markets where efficiency, control, and incremental improvement are prized and to also compete in new technologies and markets where flexibility, autonomy, and experimentation are needed. In the past 15 years there has been an explosion of interest and research on this topic. We briefly review the current state of the research, highlighting what we know and don’t know about the topic. We close with a point of view on promising areas for ongoing research.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), as a recent disruptive development in distance education enabled by advanced information technologies, are gaining increasing popularity and transforming higher education. Why are some schools eager to embrace this open model of teaching, while at the same time some others are reluctant to jump onboard? Applying the theory of exploration and exploitation (March 1991), we model universities’ decision to adopt MOOCs as an explorative activity, and analyze the tradeoffs they face when allocating their resources in balancing exploration and exploitation. By examining the complete history of MOOC adoption by US colleges and universities, we find that slack financial and human resources are positively associated with the decision to become a MOOC producer, but a university in a highly competitive situation is less likely to explore MOOC production, possibly for strategic reasons. Interestingly, we also find evidence that these factors have heterogeneous effects on different types of higher education institutions. For example, while research schools (compared to teaching schools) are more likely to use their slack resources to explore MOOCs, both research and teaching schools are similarly constrained by competitive pressure in their decisions on adopting MOOCs. We discuss the implications for research and practice.