The Academic Telecommunications-Use Policy
Michael E. Whitman, Anthony M Townsend, Robert J. Aalberts
A user-centered approach to Web site engineering is critical to the development of effective e-commerce sites. Clear information architecture, easy navigation. and user interfaceareessentialconsiderations forusability Bringingiterative usability testing methods, such as card sorting and paper prototyping, to Web site engineering helps to increase a site's success by focusing on its users. Such approach differs .significantly from software engineering methods rooted in traditional systems development life cycle. Three pedagogies for e-commerce courses were developed to address usability issues and Web-site engineering. The pedagogy which facilitated collaboration between Web developers and usability consultants showed more favorable results as compared to pedagogies for teaching these development methods separately. This collaborative consulting approach is a cost effective way to teach Web site engineering with a clear focus on Web site users. Through this approach, students also acquired an understanding about the complexity of iterative, multi-disciplined group work in a fast-paced development environment.
Michael E. Whitman is an associate· professor of computer science and infonnation systems in the College of Sciences at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He earned his MBA and his PH.D. in Information Systems from Auburn University. Dr. Whitman's teaching and research interests include local area networking, telecommunications management and policy, and computer-use ethics. His articles have appeared in numerous scholarly and applied journals, including Communications of the ACM, Information and Management, ACMComputers & Society, The Journal ofComputer Information Systems, Information Resources Management Journal, and Information Systems Management.
Anthony M Townsend is an assistant professor of management in the College ofBusiness at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He received his Ph.D. in organizational behavior and industrial relations from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. His teaching and research interests include teams and technology and innovation management. Dr. Townsend's research has appeared, or is in press, in such journals as the Academy ofManagement Executive, Communications ofthe ACM, Journal ofLabor Research, Journal ofInternational Business Studies, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Labor Law Journal, Information Systems Management, and HR Magazine.
Robert J. Aalberts is the Ernst Lied Professor of Legal Studies in the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He earned a J.D. from Loyola University and an M.A. from the University of MissouriColumbia. Professor Aalberts' teaching and research pursuits are in the areas of employment law and real estate law. He has published over 65 articles in law reviews and business journals, and is currently the editor-in-chief ofthe Real Estate Law Journal. He is also co-author of the textbookLaw andBusiness andthe Regulatory Environment, 4th (\ 994) published by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
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