[AISWorld] JAIS 2013 Volume 14, Issue 1 (January) Contents

[Gregor, Shirley]

Contents of Volume 14, Issue 1 (January) Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) Official Publication of the Association for Information Systems

Published: Monthly Electronically

ISSN: 1536-9323

Published by the Association for Information Systems, Atlanta, USA http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/
Editor-in-Chief: Professor Shirley Gregor, The Australian National University, Australia

PAPER ONE
The Impact of User Interface Design on Idea Integration in Electronic Brainstorming: An Attention-Based View By Elahe Javadi, Judith Gebauer, and Joseph Mahoney

Abstract
This paper introduces an attention-based view of idea integration that underscores the importance of information system (IS) user interface design. Presenting ideas via an IS user interface can play an important role in enabling and motivating idea integration in electronic brainstorming systems (EBS), and thus can improve productivity. Building on a cognitive network model of creativity and the ability-motivation framework, our attention-based view focuses on two major attributes of a user interface: visibility and prioritization. Visibility enables idea integration by directing individuals’ attention to a limited set of ideas, and prioritization enhances the motivation for idea integration by providing a relevant proxy for the value of the shared ideas. The theory developed in this paper is distinct from previous research on EBS in at least two ways: (1) it focuses on idea integration as the desired outcome, and (2) given that EBS do not universally outperform verbal brainstorming, the proposed theory revisits the links between user interface and idea integration. Idea integration in groups is an attention-intensive process that is essential for organizational creativity and thus for establishing knowledge-based capabilities. A lack of integration can significantly reduce the value of idea sharing, which has been the main focus of the EBS literature. Our theory posits that the ability of electronic brainstorming to outperform nominal or verbal brainstorming depends on its ability to leverage the capabilities of the IS artifact for enhancing idea integration. Our theory provides a foundation for new approaches to EBS and computer-mediated collaboration research. The emphasis on idea integration provides designers and managers of EBS with practical, cognition-based criteria for choosing interface features. Our theory also has implications for the practice and research of knowledge management, especially for the attention-based view of the organization.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol14/iss1/2/


PAPER TWO
Fostering Quality and Flow of Online Learning Conversations by Artifact-Centered Discourse Systems By Evren Eryilmaz, Terry Ryan, Jakko van der Pol, Sumonta Kasemvilas, and Justin Mary

Abstract
Computer-mediated communication has become a major research topic due to the growing number of graduate-level students entirely or partially enrolled in Internet-based degree programs. Drawing on the concept of common ground from Clark’s communication theory, we propose a model to investigate the varying quality and flow of online learning conversations. Our investigation centers on three discourse systems in order to isolate the effects of two functional differences: online presence of the learning material and a linking functionality. The first system, which supports parallel artifact-centered discourse, displays the learning material and its related discussion in a single window. The second system, which supports linked artifact-centered discourse, provides a bi-directional linking functionality between these two elements available in a single window. The control system, which supports conventional discourse, offers the two elements in separate windows. We conducted an experiment with 30 doctoral students enrolled in three sections of an introductory research methods seminar. A total of 30 discussion transcripts, 10 for each group, formed the basis of the data analyses. Using an integrated approach that combined content and sequential analyses, we categorized and sequentially plotted all messages. The findings demonstrate that the online presence of the learning material supports sustained discussions centered on understanding the meaning of a text. Moreover, a linking functionality promotes complex forms of interaction with the learning material and re-focuses the discussion when it digresses. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

To obtain a copy of the entire article, click on the link below:
http://aisel.aisnet.org/jais/vol14/iss1/1/