ABSTRACT

As e-learning gains importance in academic education, new opportunities emerge by the use of advanced avatar technology, specifically with the use of iBot2000 technology to create “robot avatars” as teachers. The objectives of the paper are to study the options, extent and limitations of avatar technology for academic studies in under- and postgraduate courses.
In recent years, Tony Dyson, a worldwide acknowledged robot expert, creator of Star Wars' R2D2, has developed the iBot2000 technology. It is used to create intelligent virtual robots adaptable to different environments with the ability to speak different languages providing logical answers to questions asked. This technology offers the opportunity for blended e-learning to enter the field of the virtual 3-D university (Dyson 2009). Information about this was collected through interviews with Tony Dyson

26.  Kuzma, J. (2010), An Examination of Privacy Policies of U.S. Government Senate Web Sites, Electronic Government, an International Journal, June 2010, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 270-280.

ABSTRACT

US Government websites are rapidly increasing the services they offer, but users express concerns about their personal privacy protection. To earn user's trust, these sites must show that personal data is protected, and the sites contain explicit privacy policies. This research studied privacy policy protection of 50 US Senate sites and found that few had comprehensive elements of privacy policies and a general lack of protection of personal data that could be obtain from the website. The study reviewed which specific privacy elements are most often mishandled, as well as suggestions for improving an overall online privacy practice.

25. Kuzma,  J. (2010) Asian Government Usage of Web 2.0 Social Media, European Journal of ePractice, March 2010, No. 2, pp. 1-18.

ABSTRACT

The rise of Web 2.0 social sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube has brought significant changes and opportunities for both online consumers and governments. These tools have changed the ways Internet users communicate with each other and their governments, and allow for greater social participation. The number of worldwide users is growing significantly and their expectations for more services are rising. However, this has not translated into Asian governments totally encompassing the implementation functions and services using these tools. This research investigates the level of government participation of 50 Asian governments of three social media sites. The results show that a minority of Asian governments (approximately 30 percent) are using Web 2.0 tools for communication and information dissemination. The study found that if social sites were utilised, most governments used them for a) information dissemination on official government channels, b) education and c) tourism. The implications are that governments are missing opportunities to better server their citizens and reach the growing number of Internet users. Instead of avoiding these new technologies, governments should develop an overall strategic plan for all agency levels to participate in social networks, and develop a coordinated effort to develop and implement the tools.

24.  Henson, R. & Kuzma, J. (2010),  End User Computing and Information Security: a retrospective look at the lack of systematic information risk assessment and its consequences, In: 15th Annual UK Academy for Information Systems Conference, 23-24 March, 2010, University of Oxford, UK

ABSTRACT

Information security assured on centralised systems through application of principles previously established for paper-based systems. The advent of personal computing and distributed computing potentially turned that model upside down. It seems that the eagerness of organisations for encouraging technology (Availability part of the CIA acronym) seemed to take precedence over the finer meaning of Confidentiality and Integrity, in spite of (in the UK, at least) changes to legislation.

The huge increase in portable data storage capacities ensured that what may have been perceived as a minor irritant in the 1980s became a potential nightmare scenario by 2007, which caused two government reports to report “systemic failure”. This paper looks at the development of end-user computing, and suggests that the problem occurred because of a lack of information risk assessment over many years.

23. Kuzma, J.. (2010)  Case Study in Email Reponses of European Travel Agencies, In: Culture, Media, Sport and Tourism Conference , 24 March 2010, University of Worcester, UK

ABSTRACT

The rise of the Internet has brought significant changes and opportunities for online travel sites. Consumers are using a variety of technologies, such as form-based or email inquiries to contact travel agents. However, although customer expectations of service have risen, this has not translated to a rise in customer service response from travel site owners. This research will analyze differences in online form-based queries versus email based queries for European travel agents. It will review if any significant differences exist between these two methods, as well as significant differences among agencies in various countries, as well as effectiveness in answering consumer queries in the tourism industry

22. Oestreicher, K., Kuzma, J. & Yen, D. (2010) The Virtual University and Avatar Technology: E-learning Through Future Technology. In: 9th International Conference Marketing Trends, 21-23 January 2010, Università Cà Foscari, Venice.

ABSTRACT

E-learning gains increasingly importance in academic education. Beyond present distance learning technologies a new opportunity emerges by the use of advanced avatar technology. Virtual robots acting in an environment of a virtual campus offer opportunities of advanced learning experiences. Human Machine Interaction (HMI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bridge time zones and ease professional constraints of mature students. Undergraduate students may use such technology to build up topics of their studies beyond taught lectures. Objectives of the paper are to research the options, extent and limitations of avatar technology for academic studies in under- and postgraduate courses and to discuss students' potential acceptance or rejection of interaction with AI. The research method is a case study based on Sir Tony Dyson's avatar technology iBot2000. Sir Tony is a worldwide acknowledged robot specialist, creator of Star Wars' R2D2, who developed in recent years the iBot2000 technology, intelligent avatars adaptable to different environments with the availability to speak up to eight different languages and capable to provide logic answers to questions asked. This technology underwent many prototypes with the latest specific goal to offer blended E-learning entering the field of the virtual 3-D university extending Web2.0 to Web3.0 (Dyson. 2009). Sir Tony included his vast experiences gained in his personal (teaching) work with children for which he received his knighthood. The data was mainly collected through interviews with Sir Tony Dyson, which helps discover the inventor’s view on why such technology is of advantage for academic studies. Based on interviews with Sir Tony, this research critically analyses the options, richness and restrictions, which avatar (iBot2000) technology may add to academic studies. The conclusion will discuss the opportunities, which avatar technology may be able to bring to learning and teaching activities, and the foreseeable limitations – the amount of resources required and the complexity to build a fully integrated virtual 3-D campus. Key Words: virtual learning, avatar technology, iBot2000, virtual university

21.  Kuzma, J., (2010),  "Online technology management student tutorial case study," Italics. February, 2010, Vol. 9, Issue 1, pp 52-60.

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a case study of implementing online video-based tutorials to enhance student learning. Initially, these tutorials were developed using a software product, Camtasia, to mitigate learning differences between traditional-based classrooms versus online classes. Because online students often did not receive the same hands-on and visual learning modality that was available to students on traditional classroom settings, tutorials were assumed to level the playing field between these two groups. However, after two years of developing and integrating these tutorials into online classes, it was found that only a small minority of students were using them. Other issues were that tutorials took a long time to develop, and many lecturers felt they were ineffective. This case describes the reasons the tutorials were developed, the integration process, issues raised, and implications for future development.

20. Kuzma, J. & Barnes, S. (2010), "Web Vulnerability Study of European Insurance Sites," In: International Journal of Arts & Sciences Conference,  15-18 February 2010, Gozo Malta,

ABSTRACT

The rise of online commerce has brought about advantages for consumers wishing to research and purchase auto insurance from online agents, and the global market for this business is rising. However, along with benefits come issues related to security of auto insurance Web applications. Unsecured Web applications are a major problem with overall computer security, and can lead to problems with consumer trust. Government legal mandates and individual company technical solutions are two methods that are being used to attempt to mitigate this issue. This study analyzes 60 auto insurance Web sites in three Western European countries to determine the level of Web application security, and what types of vulnerabilities are common in the sites. It also reviews some technical and procedural methods firms can take to ease some of these problems.

 

19.  Kuzma, J.,  Philippe, T.,  Kenny, S., (2009),  Creating an Online Technology Security Program for Educators. International Journal of Business Research, Vol 10, No. 1, pp. 172-180. ISSN 1555-1296

ABSTRACT

Information Technology (IT) Security education has become a critical component to college curriculum within the past few years. Along with developing security courses and degrees, there is a need to train college educators and disseminate the security curriculum and best-practices to other colleges. St. Petersburg College implemented a project entitled Information Technology Security and Education for Educators (ITSCEE) designed to address Priority III of the “National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace”, establishment of a “national cyberspace training program.” The project was designed to produce three nationally relevant IT Security degree and certificate programs at the associate, advanced technical certificate, and baccalaureate levels. Also, the project was designed to provide training and an opportunity for the Florida Community College Faculty to obtain certification in the IT Security arena to assist their institutions in deploying relevant IT Security degree programs.   This paper will describe the evolution of this project, the success in meeting goals, lessons learned and techniques and best practices other colleges may use to enhance their programs

18.  Kuzma, J. (2009), Accessibility Design Issues with UK E-government Sites, Government Information Quarterly, March 2010, Vol. 27, Issue 2, pp. 141-146.

ABSTRACT

The research seeks to provide the audience and web designers with a higher level of awareness about the level of accessibility problems within the e-government sector, specifically a sampling of 130 sites of the UK members of Parliament. The study applies the results of an online accessibility testing tool to analyze the compliance levels of both UK disability law and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The research also show which guideline errors are the most prevalent among the sites and raises awareness about the issues of access in e-government. Although the UK's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 provides equality in access of websites to people with disabilities, the results of this study show that total openness of sites to these customers is not widespread and the vast majority of sites display similar non-compliance errors among the guidelines. For each of these issues, there are published methods that web designers can implement to improve the accessibility rankings of their sites and provide greater openness to users with disabilities.

17. Oestreicher, K., Kuzma, J., & Yen, D., (2010), "Virtual University and Avatar Technology: E-Learning Through Future Technology" , In: 9^th International Marketing Trends Congress, 21-23 January, 20010, Università Cà Foscari, Venice, Italy.

ABSTRACT

E-learning gains increasingly importance in academic education. Beyond present distance learning technologies a new opportunity emerges by the use of advanced avatar technology. Virtual robots acting in an environment of a virtual campus offer opportunities of advanced learning experiences. Human Machine Interaction (HMI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bridge time zones and ease professional constraints of mature students. Undergraduate students may use such technology to build up topics of their studies beyond taught lectures. Objectives of the paper are to research the options, extent and limitations of avatar technology for academic studies in under- and postgraduate courses and to discuss students' potential acceptance or rejection of interaction with AI. The research method is a case study based on Sir Tony Dyson's avatar technology iBot2000. Sir Tony is a worldwide acknowledged robot specialist, creator of Star Wars' R2D2, who developed in recent years the iBot2000 technology, intelligent avatars adaptable to different environments with the availability to speak up to eight different languages and capable to provide logic answers to questions asked. This technology underwent many prototypes with the latest specific goal to offer blended E-learning entering the field of the virtual 3-D university extending Web2.0 to Web3.0 (Dyson. 2009). Sir Tony included his vast experiences gained in his personal (teaching) work with children for which he received his knighthood. The data was mainly collected through interviews with Sir Tony Dyson, which helps discover the inventor’s view on why such technology is of advantage for academic studies. Based on interviews with Sir Tony, this research critically analyses the options, richness and restrictions, which avatar (iBot2000) technology may add to academic studies. The conclusion will discuss the opportunities, which avatar technology may be able to bring to learning and teaching activities, and the foreseeable limitations – the amount of resources required and the complexity to build a fully integrated virtual 3-D campus. Key Words: virtual learning, avatar technology, iBot2000, virtual university

16.  Kuzma, J. (2009), "Enhancing Team Dynamics in an Online Learning Environment," Worcester Journal of Learning & Teaching, Issue 3, December 2009

ABSTRACT

The corporate world considers the ability of employees to work well within a team environment as a critical factor in success and expects potential employees to gain experience of team work during their university education. Although team projects have been well-incorporated into the traditional curriculum in higher education, the advent of online learning has created challenges in ensuring effective team dynamics. This research presents a case study implementing an online team learning approach designed to create a positive learning environment at St. Petersburg College. In the original online environment, both staff and students encountered a variety of concerns and ineffective team dynamics. These issues were addressed by the course team using a variety of formalized procedures, best practices and team documents. This led to improved student interactions, better quality of assignments, as well as lecturers spending less time on team management issues.

15.  Yen, D. & Kuzma, J. (2009), "Higher IELTS score, higher academic performance? The validity of IELTS in predicting the academic performance of Chinese students," Worcester Journal of Learning & Teaching, Issue 3, December 2009

ABSTRACT

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is widely accepted as a reliable means of assessing whether candidates are ready to study or train in the medium of the English language. It consists of four key parts: reading, speaking, listening and writing. Before enrolling onto any HE programmes at the University of Worcester, international students are required to take the IELTS exam and obtain a score of 6.0 and above, indicating a satisfactory command of English. However, despite using the IELTS band 6.0 as an entry criterion, lecturers at Worcester Business School (WBS) still find students’ language ability one of the key obstacles in learning and teaching activities. This is especially the case with the Chinese students. Lecturers often feel there is a lack of understanding from the Chinese students, despite the students’ possessing sufficient IELTS scores. So, what went wrong? Is there any significant relationship between students’ IELTS results and their academic performance?

14. Oestreicher, K., Kuzma, J., & Yen, D. (2009) Avatar Supported Learning in a Virtual University. In: 29th SGAI International Conference on Innovative Techniques and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, 15th - 17th December 2009, Peterhouse College, Cambridge.

ABSTRACT

E-learning gains increasingly importance in academic education, and new opportunities emerge by the use of advanced avatar technology, specifically with the use of iBot2000 technology. The objectives of the paper are to study the options, extent and limitations of avatar technology for academic studies in under- and postgraduate courses. In recent years, Sir Tony, a worldwide acknowledged robot expert, creator of Star Wars' R2D2, has developed the iBot2000 technology. These are intelligent virtual robots adaptable to different environments with the availability to speak different languages providing logic answers to questions asked. This technology offers blended E-learning entering the field of the virtual 3-D university (Dyson. 2009). The data was mainly collected through interviews with Sir Tony Dyson supporting the discovery of the inventor’s view on such technology’s advantages within academic studies.

13.  Kuzma, J. (2009, September), "Using Game Shows for Effective Teaching", DTRP (Division for Teachers & Researchers in Psychology - The British Psychological Society) Newsletter, September, 2009, p. 5.

12. Oestreicher, K. & Kuzma, J. (2009) "The Music Industry & Its Consumers: A Potential Divorce through Technology and Shifting Market Linkages?", Chinese Business Review, Volume 8, No, 9. September 2009, pp. 1-16.

ABSTRACT

A large market exists of online users who desire online video and music content. However, recent developments have shown that some industries, such as music and videos are not fully utilising the market benefits that disruptive technologies can bring to organisations despite the change of value drivers. According to Christensen et al (2004), and based on RPV theory, organisations may decide not to pursue disruptive innovative ideas for a variety of reasons, such as their values are set in another direction, processes do not support the new technology and resources may become under-utilised or even obsolete. Trying to pursue partly aggressive strategies, partly defence or avoidance strategies, it is suggested that the music industry has missed to reengineer its business so far. At the same time, music consumers have found various peer-to-peer models to execute their own avoidance strategies, i.e., avoiding to buy music but to share it. Various consumption platforms for music, such as, pandora, hulu or spotify, emerged, which themselves show significant innovative power.  ....  It is suggested that there is further significance this paper addresses, since what affects the music industry today, will likely have an impact on the movie, games, software and other industries in the near future: Disruption of existing resources, processes and values and threatening market linkages by redefined ways of content distribution.

11.  Kuzma, J. (2009), "Regulatory Compliance and Web Accessibility of UK Parliament Sites", Journal of Information Law Technology, September 2009, Issue 2. pp 1-15.

ABSTRACT

This research seeks to review whether web accessibility and disability laws lead to strong compliance among UK e-government web sites. This study samples 130 sites of the UK members of Parliament using an online accessibility testing tool and determines if the site design complies with disability laws and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Awareness is raised about issues disabled users face when attempting to use UK e-government sites. A discussion of UK and international disability law is reviewed in light of web accessibilty: the UK&rsquos Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995 and the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Disabled. Although these mandates aim to provide equality in access to web sites for people with disabilities, the results of this study show that total openness of these sites is not widespread and the mere existance of laws does not guarantee compliance.

10.  Kuzma, J.,  Weisenborn, G., Philippe, T.,  Gabel, A., Dolechek, R. (2009),  Analysis of Federal Senate Web Sites for Disability Accessibility. International Journal of Business Research, Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 174-181.

ABSTRACT

U.S. federal government web sites have increased significantly the level of services and information offered to various internal and external stakeholders. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which complemented the intent and aims of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As a result, federal agencies and departments were mandated to provide disabled stakeholders with access to key information from federal web sites. However, since this enactment, some federal web sites still do not meet fully the legal requirements to accommodate users with disabilities.  Additionally, web sites of members of the U.S. Congress technically do not fall under regulation. Without regulation, non-adherence to accessibility standards by congressional web sites may result in poor or ineffective utilization by citizen consumers or other stakeholders with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to examine the accessibility statistics for a pseudo-random sample of 50 web sites of U.S. Senators. The main web page of each site was evaluated with an online web site analysis software tool – Truwex. Three factors were used to gauge the level of accessibility: criteria based on Section 508, WCAG 1.0 standards, and WCAG 2.0 standards. Results suggest that the vast majority of the U.S. Senate web sites do not meet the federal legal guidelines that otherwise are imposed on other U.S. governmental agencies and departments. Many of the sites contain consistent patterns of non-compliance, and some minor changes could result in increased accessibility for disabled stakeholders.

9. Kuzma, J. (2009). Using Game Shows for Effective Teaching. Worcester Journal of Learning & Teaching. Issue 2, July 2009. LInk available.

8.  Price, C.,  Moore, J.,  Kuzma, J., (2009),  Deconstruction-Reconstruction of the Semiotics of Computer Games and Immersive Environments: Towards a Multi-modal Semiotics. In: Electronic Information, the Visual Arts and Beyond, London, July 2009.

7.  Barnes, Sue and Kuzma, Joanne (2009) Empirical Study in Teaching First-Year Database Students. In: 7th International Workshop on Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases, 6 July 2009, University of Birmingham. (In Press) http://eprints.worc.ac.uk/639/

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the authors’ experience in team teaching two occurrences of a first-level undergraduate ‘Database Applications’ module. An analysis of the two occurrences revealed a difference in attendance, marks, seminar participation and attitude. This paper attempts to identify some reasons for this difference as well as reviewing some of the teaching activities that were used in this module. It analyzes the success of these activities and the perception and feedback from each group of students, and some possible recommended changes to the module.

6.  Oestreicher, Klaus and Kuzma, Joanne (2009) "The Music Industry & Its Consumers: A Potential Divorce through Technology and Shifting Market Linkages?" In: Eurasia Business and Economics Society (EBES) Conference, 1-2, June 2009, Istanbul, Turkey. http://ebesweb.org/EBES2009.pdf.

ABSTRACT

A large market exists of online users who desire online video and music content. However, recent developments have shown that some industries, such as music and videos are not fully utilising the market benefits that disruptive technologies can bring to organisations (Chesbrough et al. 2006). According to Christensen et al. (2004), and based on RPV theory, organisations may decide not to pursue disruptive innovative ideas for a variety of reasons, such as their values are set in another direction, processes do not support the new technologies and resources may become under-utilised or even obsolete.

Trying to pursue partly aggressive strategies, partly defence or avoidance strategies (Oliver. 1991, Harrigan. 1980, 2003, Harrigan et al. 1983, Moyon et al. 2006) it is suggested that the music industry has missed to reengineer its business so far (Benghozi, 2006, Benghozi et al. 2000, 2005, Kotler et al. 2002). At the same time music consumers have found various peerto-peer models to execute their own avoidance strategies, i.e., avoiding to buy music but to share it. Various consumption platforms for music, such as, pandora, hulu or spotify, emerged, which themselves show significant innovative power. As scholars’ research tested, innovation has two beams, technology and market linkages. While the technological part is inevitably developing further, the music industry erects legal barriers to bloc those sites by applying the presently unclear DRM, since they threaten their established ways of content distribution. At the same time those barriers are placed, those consumers being online specialists find ways to circumvent them. The proposition is that by the salient marketing concept of CRM such behaviour increases the pressure on incumbents.

This paper will contrast the market linkages, discussing how online innovations may alter the ways of consuming music. The technological implications are researched, which may lead to a sustainable shift of consumers’ behaviour and the ways, by which consumers are able to overcome the legal and technological barriers for accessing those sites despite industrial prevention (Kusek et al. 2005, Adomavicius et al. 2008). It is suggested that there is further significance this paper addresses, since what affects the music industry today, will likely have an impact on the movie, games, software and other industries in the near future (Chesbrough. 2006): Disruption of existing resources, processes and values and threatening market linkages by redefined ways of content distribution.

5.  Kuzma, Joanne and Price, Colin (2009) "Analysis of UK Parliament Web Sites for Disability Accessibility". In: 9th European Conference on e-Government, 29-30 June 2009, pp. 416-422, University of Westminster, London

ABSTRACT

The growth of the Internet has led to an increase in the number of public services offered by U.K. government entities on their Web sites. A variety of consumers use e-government sites, and those individuals with disabilities are guaranteed the same access government sites under the U.K.’s Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) of 1995. This law provides equality in access, and implements penalties for non-adherence to the law. Industry standards also exist which helps site developers to create better site accessibility. However, despite both standards and legal regulations, total openness of sites for people with disabilities is still not widespread. The purpose of this study is to examine the level of accessibility of a randomly selected sample of 130 members of the U.K. House of Commons. Each site was analyzed using an online software tool –Truwex - to determine if they met industry Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) levels 1.0 and 2.0 standards and DDA law. The results showed that the majority of the sites did not meet either guidelines or legal mandates. Many of the sites displayed similar precedents when it came to the types of non-compliance, and could easily improve compliance with minor changes.

4.  Kuzma, Joanne M and Yen, Dorothy and Oestreicher, Klaus(2009) "Global e-government Web Accessibility: An Empirical Examination of EU, Asian and African Sites". In: Second International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Accessibility, 7th to 9th May 2009, Hammamet, Tunisia.

ABSTRACT

Accessibility of government Web sites is an important factor for inclusion of disabled persons to be able to fully utilize a variety of government services and information. In this paper, we examine the levels of disability accessibility for a variety of e-government sites in the European Union (EU), Asia and Africa. The study was conducted in 2008, and the results showed that the vast majority of sites in both developed and underdeveloped countries did not meet either legal requirements or industry guidelines in providing fully accessible government sites. Sites located in countries with stronger disabilities laws did score better in the compliance levels. Through comparison of the results, it is concluded that for governments to meet the needs of their disabled constituents, they need to implement a multiphase approach to site development, including stronger legal mandates and establishing localized best practice guidelines.

3. Philippe, T., Koehler, J., & Kuzma, J., “Determinant of Consumer Trust in Electronic Commerce”. International Academy of Business and Economics, July 2007

ABSTRACT

Creating trust has long been recognized as important determents of consumer awareness and behavior.  What specific trust based perceptions significantly affect consumer actions remains debatable.  With the advent of electronic commerce, new dimensions and mechanisms are evolving that affect consumer trust.  The purpose of this paper is to identify those factors that significantly affect consumers and are crucial to them in determining whether to trust or distrust electronic commerce.

2. Kuzma, J., Philippe, T., & Koehler, J. “Effects of Privacy Policies in International Pharmaceutical Ecommerce”, International Journal of Business Research. October, 2006

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of privacy on International Ecommerce and its impact on Consumer Pharmaceutical sales. A research methodology was developed for analyzing privacy policies, specifically focusing on issues emerging form Canadian online pharmacies.  However, our methodology can be expanded to encompass an analysis of other online industries.  Our studies utilized a survey methodology which yields significant data that provides a foundation for understanding the effective use of privacy polices and its impact on consumer online sales.

1. Kuzma, J. August 2006, Nova Southeastern University, Privacy Policies: A Study of Their Use Among Canadian Online Pharmacies.