TOPICS IN MIS SPRING 2007 BU404

TOPICS IN MIS SPRING 2007 BU4045

Hanlu Xu

Website Error and Features Analysis for some of the top schools in the U.S.

Project Abstract: Websites are very important means of communication for colleges and universities. This technology is replacing traditional ways information used to be acquired (i.e.: college catalogue, mail, phone.). Though this technology is revolutionary, there are many hidden errors that are quite critical that should be addressed and corrected. This study examines 20 web systems of colleges and universities located on Long Island. They will cover:

7 layers (appearance)
Search engine evaluation
Security and privacy (database research)

This project will prove that many schools do not test-proof their web system. There is no such thing as a perfect website because perfection is inhuman.

The research for your projects, should be taken from the web and placed here for your class project.

Start your project with the abstract, then the introduction. The body of your research should include discussion of the errors and analysis of the features of the school website you have been assigned.

Use this page to keep a record of the work you've done for the project.

Computer Human Error

http://www.computerhumanerror.org/

This is the Conference that Dr Ebrahimi helped co-found. Take a look at the site.

Why Managers Should Become Better Acquainted With Programming Issues, Web Source Code, and Technology?

Abstract

There has been a controversial debate over how well managers need to acquainted with the
area of information technology, especially about what managers need to know of programming
and understanding of web source code. Information is an indispensable key to business success
and Information Technology (IT) facilitates the ability of business to use information to its
advantage. It is the programs (software) that drive technology, the web page presents the
business enterprise to everyone. In the heart of every business there also are managers
responsible for keeping the records of performance, and using the records to promote efficiency,
discipline, and to get the job done. Today’s in-depth involvement of technology in the
marketplace has created a strong correlation between IT and managers. Over time, the bond
between a manager and IT is becoming stronger, signaling the need for more interaction and
understanding of both technical capabilities and business goals on the part of managers.
This paper posits that managers need to know more about information technology and
actively participate in the IT decision-making team. Furthermore, it suggests how managers can
have incrementally to acquire some elementary knowledge of programming issues, what shows
on the web, what is behind the web (source code), and what is placed on the server (database). In
a dynamic market where changes are made in nanoseconds. It is rewarding and may soon become almost mandatory that a multi-talented manager will have to deal with change, to add or supervise addition of pragmatic programming, and web update the web in order to be competitive. Key to the process is the increasing communication and interaction between managers and programmers. The benefit of understanding the elementary steps of programming and web technology is that it will allow a manager to play a larger role in communicating and delegating responsibility with confidence, and competence thus leading to cost reduction and better short- and long-term risk management.

Research Discussion and Guidelines

http://sigcse.org/publications/authors.shtml

Sample Published Work by

Dr. Ebrahimi and Professor Schweikert

here is some research about two colleges' websites (Look at two of the schools on the academic paper above and try and find violations of the 7X2 C's.)

NYIT http://nyit.edu/

1.content and context

Click the academics—school and programs—architecture and design, there is no volume following this enter at all, the same as college of arts and sciences, health professions, behavioral and life sciences.

At the page of Major search, put “architecture” into the box, comes out an interesting result: computer science. Then click the course, we can see

There is even no the word “architecture”. To design this access seems a ridiculous mistake.

Go to Alumni—transcripts, so surprised to see that the entire top hyperlink doesn’t work any more, visitors have to go back to the previous page or click the tool line to move on searching.

2. Compelling and Complement

The main NYIT web pages put their content bar in the center of the screen, which are much smaller than the original screen. Because of this, visitors achieve the information more strenuously and may easily feel tired of searching. For a college website, it violates the compelling demand.

3.Community and Customization

Community- Site should be designed and cater to your audience.

Customization- Site design should be mindful of your intended audience.

Notice: in order to view NYIT tour, the visitor’s computer have to equipped with shockwave player, flash, quicktime 6 or higher, realplayer 8 or higher. Otherwise, the system itself will arbitrarily demand the computer to install or update the device. As a college website, too much required condition may bring visitors much inconvenience.

St. Joseph's College http://www.sju.edu/

1. Currency and Continuity

Click “About SJU”—“news and event”, the site is upgraded by date in 2004. It is hard to believe the events published are still “news”.

Some other sites have the same problems too.

2. Community and Customization

Many sites once a visitor goes to, he or she cannot find an access go back to the former home page. For example, go to the admissions, click undergraduate students, you will have the new page:

The visitor can follow the links continuing to do search, but there is no direct way goes back to the previous home page.

3. Content and Context

Click the Academic Excellence, the response comes out that

It is a no result link which supposed to be a main link routine. Then click the Faulty/Staff Search button. It shows a broken link as a result.

4. Compelling and Complement

Look at St Joseph’s dining service page

It is pretty and compelling, but however, as a college dining website, in my view, it is a little bit too much commercial information. And according to the compelling and complement criteria, a web site should not only be impressive and appealing but also should consider the reality of institution. The contents of the site ought to belong to the college.

In addition, there is no direct routine go back to the home page either.

Thursday March 22nd 2007

We went over the conclusion of the article on College and University websites.

Conclusion and Future Remarks

The study of all college and university websites on Long Island and a sampling of some non-Long Island institutions indicate that there has been lack of quality assurance testing to assure the accuracy of information and quality of presentation. The finding of the study has been based on the examination of 7 layers and 7X2 C’s web analysis criteria especially in the area of search engine layer. These web layers are from school identity, appearance, search engine, HTML, script programming, to server data base manipulation, and security, privacy and ethic. The web analysis criteria known as 7X2 C’s are range from content, correctness, completeness to currency, consistency and compelling. A college web site should consider a quality test plan in these 49 areas. The study recommends that due to the importance of search engine to locate accurate information, a college search engine should prioritize its search on the official web page of the institution based on the most important entries and personnel which are limited. The search engine should look for the entire entry on the official institution site only. When there is no match found, the search engine should use some intelligence and do a partial search to locate the desired entry. Use of commercial search engines on college web pages provides an overwhelming amount of results that may be irrelevant. Future studies are needed to analyze more web sites and involve more colleges and universities nation or world wide and create a profile for each of these schools based on each of the seven layers and 7x2 C’s analysis. Although the purpose of this study was not to compare Long Island institutions to other institutions, a finding reveals that all non-Long Island colleges and universities including Ivy League schools in this study were using Google in combination with the in-house search. A question arises as to whether or not choosing a specific search provider such as Google will affects the neutrality of the net as well as academia?