<p>Human Trafficking is the fastest--growing organized criminal activity, second only to drug trafficking. Modeling has given us some sense of the scale of the exploitation, but we do not truly understand the depth and breadth of the behaviors within the system. This research presents chaos theory--driven risk analysis of human trafficking, with the expectation not to predict individual behaviors but to understand the boundaries and patterns of the dynamic system that is human trafficking. Subject matter experts within Six Sigma and risk analysis were consulted to evaluate the application of the traditional Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) on dynamic systems. This research identified valuable modifications to the traditional FMEA process to better apply to complex, dynamic processes. A dynamic FMEA decouples the generation of failure modes from the RPN score to accommodate the multiple POVs and SME expertise. Application of a dynamic FMEA occurs in two distinct phases: (1) failure modes ranked by their risk to the system and (2) the prioritization of solutions. This allows for broad SME knowledge to identify failure modes in the system but does not require those same SMEs to identify solutions. A discussion is needed regarding the prioritization of solutions. Subject matter experts within anti--trafficking efforts included those working in law, academia, finance, victims’ advocacy, data analysis, and law enforcement, as well as a survivor of sex trafficking. Interviews and thematic analysis identified and ranked high--level human trafficking process steps that include finance, network, transportation, location, product conversion, and law enforcement. Within these steps, major elements of behaviors were identified and included actors, activities, society, structures, government, and media. A vulnerability ranking of these steps of human trafficking gave insight into points of instability that can be used to dismantle the act of human trafficking proactively. The focus when analyzing the risk of human trafficking, therefore, should be on the systems and structures that allow for exploitation to occur in the first place. If those risks and vulnerabilities can be elucidated, true barriers and change can be implemented to destabilize the dynamic system of human trafficking.</p>

This dissertation is a multi-disciplinary study, which integrates a software engineering approach with instructional factors in the decision-making, analysis, design and development processes of instructional software. Software engineering models, tools and representations are used in the process of software construction. With reference to the fundamental characteristics of the software product, several disciplines and factors, from both instructional and computing perspectives are considered, and the most appropriate approach/es selected. Software engineering, instructional design and instructional theory are considered as pillars of courseware engineering. The object-oriented design paradigm and a prototyping life-cycle model are found to be most suitable for development of computer-aided instruction. The conceptual study is illustrated by prototype development of a component-based multi-activity practice environment in theoretical Computer Science. It offers perusal or practice, in various instructional modes, according to the user's preferred learning style or need. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

This dissertation is a multi-disciplinary study, which integrates a software engineering approach with instructional factors in the decision-making, analysis, design and development processes of instructional software. Software engineering models, tools and representations are used in the process of software construction. With reference to the fundamental characteristics of the software product, several disciplines and factors, from both instructional and computing perspectives are considered, and the most appropriate approach/es selected. Software engineering, instructional design and instructional theory are considered as pillars of courseware engineering. The object-oriented design paradigm and a prototyping life-cycle model are found to be most suitable for development of computer-aided instruction. The conceptual study is illustrated by prototype development of a component-based multi-activity practice environment in theoretical Computer Science. It offers perusal or practice, in various instructional modes, according to the user's preferred learning style or need. / Computing / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

We investigate whether usability aspects affect the design and development of the browsing experience in electronic commerce applications. The study is limited to the generic electronic commerce activities and does not address the financial perspective. As background we studied the electronic commerce domain, interaction design and information systems development methodologies. Within a quasi-experimental research design we then developed two experimental websites to test our hypotheses that the usability principles of consistency, structured information and navigation affect the users of a website: one adhering and one violating these principles. Respondents were required to record their perceptions of both using a questionnaire. We found that usability issues had a minimal influence on the perceived success of the websites. It is thus only one of many factors that needs to be considered in the design and development of a successful electronic commerce website, and cannot be treated as an isolated add-on. / Kotzé, P. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

Thesis (PhD (Education Policy Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Information is a necessary resource, produced by information systems and is a key building block to the management and decision-making in any organisation. The National Department of Education’s guidelines to establish Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) in provincial departments is a recognition that proper management, planning and evaluation are contingent on quality data, data that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. The lack of quality data and the lack of integration with other information systems hamstring the effective use of EMIS. This study addresses these limitations in three basic objectives: a) developing an information systems development model, b) applying the model in a real-life context of the development of the Western Cape EMIS, and c) applying quantitative methods on integrated data sets derived from the EMIS in the Western Cape and other information systems. The study culminates in the development of a four-phase process model for developing and using EMIS in an integrative manner that would provide a more comprehensive picture for policy and decision-making. It outlines the establishment of an information systems development (ISD) model that integrates innovative emerging trends, such as improvisation, bricolage and sensemaking, in designing and implementing information systems. These approaches postulate that beyond the numbers and quantifiable world there is a complex reality that traditional approaches do not always capture. These include, amongst other things, the atmosphere, culture and structure of an organization, together with the behaviour, emotions, knowledge and experiences of all the people who in one way or another interact with the information system. The research presents an empirical application of this developed ISD model in education management information system (EMIS) and underscores the role of information systems in everyday practice. This work practice (Practice-in-Action) approach is used to describe how the day-to-day actions and practical experiences of role players contribute to the design, development, implementation, testing, maintenance and improvement of the EMIS and is used as a lens for understanding ISD. The study further uses quantitative methods, namely education production function and learner flow-through models, to illustrate how the process of knowledge discovery in large data sets in EMIS could be facilitated. The education production function aims to identify those variables that could have a significant influence on the achievement of students in the matriculation examination. The learner flow-through models attempt to measure the effect of learner dropout and repetition on internal efficiency of the education system. Data analysis was facilitated through integration of data sets from various sources, and in turn illustrates the important role of bricolage in ISD. Through this analysis, the role of information systems of this nature to make sense of reality was highlighted. Policy making then can build on the findings from such data analyses to investigate in greater depth any trends or emerging problems, going beyond only the quantitative and macro level analysis by studies at the qualitative and micro levels.

論文名稱：線上題庫與適性測驗整合系統之發展研究 頁數：337 校所系別：國立政治大學教育學系 畢業時間及摘要別：九十學年度第二學期博士論文摘要 指導教授：林邦傑博士、余民寧博士 研究生：陳新豐 論文摘要內容 本研究係結合工具研發、理論驗證與效能評估的研究，旨在開發一個建構在全球資訊網的「線上題庫與適性測驗整合系統」，以提供教師在網際網路環境下的輔助教學評量系統，除了可動態新增題庫之外，並能針對學生提供童身訂做的適性測驗。因此，研究的兩個核心主軸為「線上題庫與適性測驗整合系統」之開發與「線上題庫建置」的理論驗證。 依循這兩個核心主軸，本研究的研究目的有三：（一）開發線上題庫與適性測驗整合系統。（二）驗證建置題庫的相關理論。（三）評估整合系統運作效能與使用者滿意程度。 為達成這三個研究目的，研究者採用結構分析中，Sehlly、Cashmen和Rosenblatt (2001)所提出的「系統開發生命週期」，將「線上題庫與適性測驗整合系統」開發過程分為「系統規劃」、「系統分析」、「系統設計」、「系統建置」、「系統運行與支援」等五個階段逐步開發。 研究樣本方面，第一次預試選用台南市崇明國中三年級學生115人，第二次預試選用台南市建興國中三年級學生191人，正式施測樣本則是台灣地區北、中、南、東、離島等共計九校2567位國中三年級學生為研究對象。此外，在需求調查報告部分，共調查十五位專家對開發系統的意見。 就研究工具來說，本研究主要研究工具為「線上題庫與適性測驗之整合系統」，另外，「功能需求調查問卷」、「硬體設備」、「軟體工具」、「系統評估量表」也是本研究的研究工具。 就資料處理來說，本研究運用ITEMAN、BILOG、MatLab和SPSS套裝軟體進行資料處理，所採用的統計方法包含古典測驗理論與試題反應理論等理論來分析，計有試題分析、IRT三參數估計、因素結構分析等。 研究結果部分，本研究得到如下結論：（一）線上題庫與通性測驗兩個系統可整合為一。（二）線上題庫與遍性測驗之整合系統具有多項功能。（三）結構化分析中之系統開發生命週期是開發整合系統的理想方法。（四）題庫等化轉換常數方法以Mean/Mean和Haebara等方法較佳。（五）線上測驗與紙筆測驗的試題訊息量相近，但難度偏高。（六）線上測驗連結效益良好。（七）本整合系統運作效能良好。（八）使用者對整合系統之功能感到滿意。根據研究結論，本研究針對工具研發、題庫建置、效能評估等提出具體建議。 關鍵字：試題反應理論、題庫、等化、電腦化適性測驗、系統開發生命週期 / A Reserach In The Development of An Integrated On-Line Item Bank and Computerized Adaptive Testing System Abstract This research is to develop an integrated internet system of on-line item bank and computerized adaptive testing (the "System"), which is comprised of the teaching tool development, theory verification, and efficiency evaluation. Except for the addition of new item bank dynamically, the System, an auxiliary teaching evaluation system for teachers, can also provide customarily made adaptive testing for students. Therefore, to develop an integrated on-line item bank and computerized adaptive testing system and to verify the theory of on-line item bank development constitute the two core spindles of this research. Following the aforementioned research spindles, the main purposes of this research are going to: (A). Develop an integrated on-line item bank and computerized adaptive testing system. (B). Verify the related theories concerning the development of on-line item bank. (C). Evaluate the operating efficiency of such System and the degree of users' satisfaction. The "systems development life cycle" (Sehily, Cashmen Rosenblatt, 2001), a structured analysis method, is adopted to conduct the research. The development process of an integrated on-line item bank and computerized adaptive testing system is divided into 5 separate and successive stages, starting from system planning, system analysis, system design, system development, to system operation and support. In terms of research sampling, the selected samples in the first preliminary testing are 115 ninth-grade students of Chiung-Ming High School in Tainan City, Taiwan. The selected samples in the second preliminary testing are 191 ninth-grade students of Cheng-Sing High School in Tainan City, Taiwan. The third and official sampling is 2,567 ninth-grade students who were selected from a total of 9 high schools ranging from Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern Taiwan, and islands adjacent to Taiwan. Furthermore, in the demand side, an investigation has been conducted to consult with 15 teaching experts for their professional opinions in regard to such System development. As far as research tools are concerned, except for the main research tool - the integrated on-line item bank and computerized adaptive testing system, other research tools employed consist of functional demand questionnaires, hardware equipments, software tools, and scales for system evaluation. In the aspect of data processing, ITEMAN, BILOQ MatLab, and SPSSapplication softwares are used to perform the data processing. The statistical method,like classical true score theory and item response theory and etc., is applied to conduct the following analyses: item analysis, IRT three-parameter estimate, structured analysis of elements, and etc. The results of this research lead to the following conclusion: 1. The on-line item bank: system and the adaptive testing system, the two separate systems, can be integrated into one system. 2. The integrated on-line item bank and adaptive testing system can play multiple functions. 3. "Systems development life cycle" in the structured analysis is an ideal manner to develop an integrated system. 4. "Mean/Mean", "Haebara" and, etc. are the better methods to perform the item bank equating and constant conversion. 5. For users, the information volume provided by on-line testing and traditional written testing are quite similar, but the degree of difficulty of on-line testing is higher than that of traditional written testing. 6. The linking effect of on-line testing is fair. 7. The operating efficiency of the integrated system is fair. 8. Users are satisfied with the functions of the integrated system. Based on research conclusions drawn thereon, suggestions for tool development, item bank development, and efficiency evaluation are also provided. Keywords: item response theory, item bank, equating, computerized adaptive testing,systems development life cycle

在重視集體智慧、重視服務、且需要因應環境快速變遷的年代，傳統的系統開發方法論雖然有其不可磨滅的價值，但已經顯露出其不足之處。為了順應時代的潮流，方法論必須指引企業去聆聽大眾的心聲，以期確保系統提供優質的服務，方法論也必須指引資訊人員運用有異於以往的手法與步驟，與其他部門和大眾共同合作，來持續不斷地維護系統，使得系統得以注入新的生命力而不斷演進。 為了提出一套不斷吸納使用者的新需求來規劃系統演進的功能需求分析方法論，本研究以哲學詮釋學為基礎，並佐以軟體工程相關文獻，將持續吸納新需求來促進系統演進的抽象概念，化為具體可執行的步驟。本需求分析方法論是針對使用者提議的需求進行初步分析與確認，可分為兩個主要部分：需求形成流程、與衝突處理流程。需求形成流程是分析使用者所提出之功能性需求的主要方式，其中包含了提出新需求、分析新需求在商業活動與科技層次的影響、估計新需求的成本效益來決定是否實作、排序實作的優先權、並且了解新功能的釋出時間的期望。而衝突解決流程是為了解決各方人馬的歧見所造成的爭端，衝突解決的方式包含了自行協商、第三方中間人介入協調、以及高層決策小組的裁決。 為了讓企業外界的大眾提議新需求，本研究發展了一套以部落格為基礎的新需求提議工具，讓網友可在部落格上提出自己對新功能的想法。此外，為了協助企業判斷新需求是否會觸發衝突解決流程，本研究根據哲學詮釋學，將使用案例（Use cases）加以延伸修改，提出一套後設模型，並輔以知識本體，據此來提出一套規則，讓本工具能自動偵測新需求與系統既有設計之間是否有所抵觸，而規則亦可進一步應用在新需求間的衝突上。 為了初步瞭解本研究所提之方法論與工具的優缺點，本研究與中時電子報和民視購物網合作，來試用此方法論與工具。透過試用之後的訪談得知，本方法論與工具有其價值，而也獲得了不少寶貴的試用意見。最後，本研究根據試用的諸多意見，對方法論與工具的改善上，提出了具體的改良作法與方向。 / Nowadays, companies have to respect collective knowledge and improve service quality for adapt their rapidly changing environment. Traditional systems development methodologies may be still valuable but have shortcomings. To accommodate customer-driven trend, new methodologies must guide enterprises to listen to customers for ensuring high-quality system services. New methodologies also have to guide developers to carry out cross-department and customer-centered collaboration in new ways for maintaining systems cyclically. This research proposes a user requirements analysis methodology according on philosophical hermeneutics and software engineering literature. The proposed methodology includes requirements formation and conflict resolution. Requirements formation process involves new user requirement proposition, commercial and technical impact analysis, cost benefit estimation, coding prioritization, and new version release scheduling. Conflict resolution process involves negotiation, mediation, and arbitration. Besides the proposed methodology, this research also develops a blog-based tool for collecting user requirements on Internet. This research extends and modifies use cases diagram and use philosophical hermeneutics as a foundation to propose a meta-model. This research also proposes a set of rules for conflict detection. Base on the proposed meta-model, ontologies, and the proposed rules, the blog-based tool can automatically detect conflicts between new requirements and existing design. These proposed rules also can apply to detect conflicts among new requirements. An online newspaper company and an online shopping mall try to use this methodology and the blog-based tool. In the interviews, they confirm this methodology’s and tool’s values and give several suggestions for improving the methodology and the tool. Finally, this research discusses the improvements and future research directions according to these suggestions.

近年來，許多公司面臨需要透過資訊科技來獲取競爭優勢。各產業對於資訊系統的要求越來愈多，促使資訊系統的開發工作越加複雜，而使得成功完成資訊系統的開發變的日益困難。 軟體工程協會指出軟體能力成熟度整合模式(Capability Maturity Model Integration, CMMI)強調軟體開發需要追求開發程序的改善與程序的最佳化。透過程序的改善以降低軟體開發專案失敗的機率。根據創意的定義，資訊系統開發程序的改善是團隊創意的表現。 目前少有研究從創意的觀點探討資訊系統開發程序的改善。根據社會認知理論指出效能信念是解釋行為/產出的關鍵元素。學者們也證明創意自我效能對於創意的重要性。到目前為止，效能與創意的連結僅限於個人層次的研究。因此，本研究將以資訊系統開發程序改善為研究情境，進行集體效能與創意文獻的連結，提出資訊系統開發團隊集體創意效能之概念，並探討集體創意效能的前置因素與了解干擾集體創意效能形成的因素。 本研究採用部分最小平方法 (Partial Least Squares)，分析98組開發資訊系統的學生團隊與61組開發資訊系統的業界團隊資料，以驗證研究模型。結果指出在學生團隊方面，團隊知識程度、成就動機、團隊知識整合能力會正向影響集體創意效能的形成；團隊互動程度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、專案複雜度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係以及干擾團隊知識整合能力與集體創意效能的關係。在業界團隊方面，團隊知識程度、成就動機、團隊知識整合能力會正向影響集體創意效能的形成；團隊互動程度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、專案複雜度會干擾團隊知識程度與集體創意效能的關係、成就動機與集體創意效能的關係以及團隊知識整合能力與集體創意效能的關係。此外，本研究亦探討在不同專案複雜度的情境中，影響集體創意效能之前置因素。 / Numerous companies have recently employed information systems to obtain a competitive edge. The demand for many new and different information system (IS) applications has increased the scope and complexity of IS developing. Developing successful IS projects became difficult. Software Engineering Institute proposed Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) that emphasized process optimization of software development. The improvement in software process can reduce the probability failure in development software. According to the definition of creativity, the improvement in software process is team creativity. However, there are few studies which discuss the issues about systems development process improvement from creative perspective. According to the social cognitive theory, efficacy is a key factor for interpreting behavior/products. Scholars demonstrated that creative self-efficacy is important to creativity. Previous researchers which studied the potential link between efficacy and creativity are focus on individual level. Thus, this study combined the literatures of collective efficacy and team creativity to propose a new construct (Collective creative efficacy, CCE) for information systems development teams, and explore the influences and moderators for CCE. 98 student project teams and 61 industry project teams are surveyed. Partial least squares (PLS) results demonstrate that team knowledge, achievement motivation and knowledge integration ability positively influenced CCE, team interaction positively moderated the relationships between team knowledge and CCE, and project complexity negatively moderated the relationships between team knowledge and CCE, and the relationships between knowledge integration capability and CCE in both samples. Project complexity positively moderated the relationships between achievement motivation and CCE in the model of industry project teams. An attempt is also made to understand the antecedents of CCE in different project complexity.

We investigate whether usability aspects affect the design and development of the browsing experience in electronic commerce applications. The study is limited to the generic electronic commerce activities and does not address the financial perspective. As background we studied the electronic commerce domain, interaction design and information systems development methodologies. Within a quasi-experimental research design we then developed two experimental websites to test our hypotheses that the usability principles of consistency, structured information and navigation affect the users of a website: one adhering and one violating these principles. Respondents were required to record their perceptions of both using a questionnaire. We found that usability issues had a minimal influence on the perceived success of the websites. It is thus only one of many factors that needs to be considered in the design and development of a successful electronic commerce website, and cannot be treated as an isolated add-on. / Kotzé, P. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

<p>Abstract</p><p>In this thesis we aim to extend the current theories about a concept called persona. A persona is a model of a user, mostly based on qualitative research and made with such accuracy that it to some extent can be used as a replacement of a real user in a development process and as a communicative tool. We will present a way of constructing this persona without meeting the actual users and follow up with interviews from the organization using them. This will lead to a model over the process of introducing personas as a concept in an organization,previously not familiar with the concept. The model is adapted to also work for projects and organizations where the concept is already known.</p> / <p>Executive summary</p><p>When developing and designing systems or products to be used directly by end users,it is important that these are developed with people in mind. One way to do this is to have close contact between the end user and the developer as can be seen in for example agile development methods. This is however not applicable at all times and therefore the developer need to get the information about the end user some other way.</p><p>Often this is done by a spokesman or project manager for the ordering company who delivers the information to a project manager or spokesman for the systems development company who in turn make sure the developer get the relevant information. Of course this means that sometimes information that could be relevant is missed and sometimes even altered due to misunderstandings or even personal interest.</p><p>One way to deal with this is to have a written description or model of the primary end user that is so correct and accurate that it to some extent could be used as a replacement of the real user. Especially effective is this when making design decisions and as a communicative tool to ensure a common and shared picture of the different needs of the users. Even if a description of the end user has been made, the view of the user is not always shared.</p><p>This thesis will address the problem of creating this description of a user by using the concept of persona, first presented by Alan Cooper 1999 in his book “The Inmates are running the Asylum – Why High-Tech Products Drive Us Crazy and How to Restore the Sanity”. In our research we show that under certain circumstances, this can be done without actually meeting the real end users by interviewing and observing other people with very similar roles.</p><p>Using this persona as a development tool requires introduction of the concept in the organization as well as introduction of the personas for the actual project. This research is summarized in a model that includes the different steps of creating a persona using several methods and also how to implement this tool in an organization</p><p>or project. For each general step in the model there is a short description which includes the construction of personas and which activities to include in the introduction, either if personas is previously known or not.</p><p>Appendix 10 in this thesis consists of a brief and more hands on guide of the process of creating personas and introducing the concept in an organization. This guide could serve as a quick introduction to the subject and could also be used at a later time to refresh some of the highlights in the process.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Denna uppsats avser utöka befintliga teorier runt konceptet persona. En persona är en modell av en användare, baserad främst på kvalitativa studier, och utvecklad med sådan precision att den till vissa delar kan ersätta en riktig slutanvändare i en utvecklingsprocess samt som ett kommunikationsverktyg. Vi kommer att presentera ett sätt att utveckla denna persona utan att träffa den riktiga slutanvändaren och följa upp med intervjuer från organisationen som använder dem. Detta leder fram till en modell över processen med att utveckla personas samt införandet i en utvecklingsorganisation som tidigare inte har använt sig av konceptet. Modellen är anpassad för att fungera vid införande av persona även i projekt och organisationer där konceptet är känt sedan tidigare.</p>