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Journals Conferences Reports
Weide, Th.P. van der and Flipsen, N.A., The Middle Out Approach. IJIDE: International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy, Vol. 1, No. 4, Oct-Dec 2010, pp 1-18
The Middle Out approach is a method to introduce ICT education in developing countries. The basic idea is to start at the level of a Polytechnic University. This Polytechnic University starts with the introduction of an ICT program and an Education program. The underlying educational philosophy is learning-by-building. In the form described in this paper, the students build, maintain and explore ICT infrastructure both on a personal and material level. The practical component directly results in market-oriented products; the theoretical component has a constructive and entrepreneurial flavor. This will enhance a short-term return on investment.
[ see here ]
Pscheidt, M. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Bridging the Digital Divide by Open Source. IJIDE: International Journal on Innovation in Digital Economy, Vol 1(2), pp 44-60
In this article we show how open source software can be used as an instrument to tackle certain issues of the digital divide. We elaborate the relationship between the digital divide, appropriate technology and open source.
Furthermore we present some aspects and possible building blocks which in our view are to be taken into account in order to create successful and sustainable development and implementation of open source systems in institutions of higher learning in developing countries. The ideas and findings presented here are partly based on study of literature and partly drawn from the experience of the authors within the framework of a project to develop and implement an academic registration and information system (ARIS) for Mozambican universities.
Flipsen, N.A. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Implementing Gender Issues in ICT. Africa Education Review, Vol 6 (2), pages 308 - 323, October 2009
The rapid technological changes caused by ICT have a strong impact on global societies. This will lead to changes in the traditional role patterns. In this paper we focus on an academic master course to create gender awareness in ICT development with a special emphasis on developing countries.
First we analyze the impact of ICT on society, and derive requirements from society on the introduction of new ICT applications. We transform these requirements into course objectives, and discuss and motivate our strategy to obtain these objectives in the master course. Then we decompose the course objectives and derive a course program.
[ see here ]
Weide, Th.P. van der and Flipsen, N.A., Reflections: Engendering ICT Development. i4d (Gender and ICTs), Vol VII, Nr 7, July-September, 2009, pages 20-21 ;
In this paper we focus on the impact of the explosion of digital techniques, and its effect on society. At the heart of society we find the gender contract. We make a comparison with the industrial revolution, which led to the proletarian family with its traditional role patterns between man and woman, and an explosion in population size. We argue that the digital revolution also will lead to a new family structure with renewed role patterns, but also to a population implosion. Further we discuss the preconditions for countries and women to participate in these new developments.
Journals Conferences Reports
Ngobye, M. and Weide, Th.P. van der and Groot, W.T. de and Quenum, J., A MAL Architecture to Simulate Small Scale Fisheries. IPN Poster, 2009
Agent-oriented platforms are becoming more diverse and sophisticated as there is increasing demand to design complex and dynamic systems. Therefore there is need to match the demand by developing architectures which can accommodate such dynamics. We propose the Multi-agent Lab (MAL) architecture in which the agents will exhibit cognitive notions of coordination, cooperation and competition.
[ pdf ]
Baguma, R. and Stone, R. G. and Lubega, J. T. and Weide Th.P. van der, Web Content Filtration According to Context of Use: Case Study of Accessibility Guidelines. In Kizza, M. J., Lynch, K, Aisbett, J, Nath, R. and Vir, P.: Strengthening the Role of ICT in Development, Vol. V, pp. 190-199, ISBN: 978-9970-02-738-5, 2009
In this paper, we propose an approach for filtering Web based content according to context of use based on user roles and other use case scenarios. The purpose of the filtration approach is to make such Web content easier to use for the target audience. Context of use is important for the usability of Web based content particularly that used by different groups of people with different roles, interests and skill base. We use the Web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) to demonstrate how the approach can be used to improve usability of Web based content. Other than accessibility guidelines, the approach is relevant to ANY Web based content for any subject if intended for multiple classes of users.
[ pdf ]
Muyinda, P.B. and Lubega, J.T. and Lynch, K. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Mobile Learning Objects Deployment and Utilization in Developing Countries. IADIS International Conference Mobile Learning 2010
The increasing ability to access Internet via mobile devices means that learning objects can be deployed and utilized on those devices. Increasing research attention has been accorded to the design and development of reusable learning objects for tethered and mobile based learning management systems. Little research has been undertaken in regard to pedagogical models geared towards effective deployment and utilization of mLearning objects in different contexts and particularly of developing countries. This paper uses the Design Research approach to develop a UML based model for instantiating applications for deploying and utilizing learning objects on multi-generation order mobile phones in developing countries of Africa.
[ see here ]
Omona, W. and Weide, Th.P. van der and Lubega, J.T., A theoretical approach for knowledge management framework design using ICT in higher education.
Knowledge constitutes a key organizational resource and the realization that it should be managed effectively is becoming a key concern of managers of higher education institutions (HEI). Moreover, the lack of a clear theoretical foundation for knowledge management (KM) framework design approach has resulted into the proliferation of KM definitions and frameworks that have little underlying coherences in addressing KM challenges in HEI. This paper aims through synthesis of available literatures at proposing a theoretical foundation for a design science approach for a framework for KM using ICT in higher education in Uganda. The conceptual framework development will build on the approaches to design theory using the principles espoused by Chen and Burstein (2006) and Rubenstein-Montano et al. (2001). We believe that the choice and understanding of the two approaches in the development of the proposed framework should lead to the design of the most appropriate framework for KM using ICT for enhanced higher education.
Elbers, W.J.M. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Optimizing WebPage Interest. ICTIR 2009, Advances in Information Retrieval Theory Second International Conference on the Theory of Information Retrieval, ICTIR 2009 Cambridge, UK, September 10-12, 2009 Proceedings, 330-337
In the rapidly evolving and growing environment of the internet, web site owners aim to maximize interest for their web site. In this article we propose a model, which combines the static structure of the internet with activity based data, to compute an interest based ranking. This ranking can be used to gain more insight into the flow of users over the internet, optimize the position of a web site and improve strategic decisions and investments. The model consists of a static centrality based component and a dynamic activity based component. The components are used to create a Markov Model in order to compute a ranking.
Heijden, M. van der and Kraaij, W. and Hinne, M. and Verberne S. and Raaijmakers, S. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Annotation of URLs: more than the sum of parts. SIGIR 2009 Poster Track, Boston
Recently a number of studies have demonstrated that search engine logfiles are an important resource to determine the relevance relation between webpages and query terms. We hypothesized that the queries associated with a particular page could also be presented as useful webpage metadata in a search engine result list, e.g. for helping to determine the semantic category of a page. We evaluated this hypothesis by a classification experiment based on the ODP dataset. Our method can also annotate URLs that have no associated queries.
Omona, W. and Weide, Th.P. van der and Lubega, J.T., A Framework for Knowledge Management (KM) using ICT in Higher Education in Uganda. The 6th International Conference on Knowledge Management - - Managing Knowledge for Global and Collaborative Innovations, Hong Kong, China, December 2009
ICT and KM have become one of the most important concepts to be adopted by Higher Education Institutions (HEI) worldwide to advance their goals. The purpose of this paper is to express a position on a research project to be undertaken to develop a design theory to guide the development of a framework for KM using ICT in higher education in Uganda. The framework is expected to provide users with an integrated means to knowledge and information access and sharing from different and scattered sources from HEI in Uganda. The theoretical basis for the proposed KM framework and the proposed approach for developing and validation of the framework are outlined.
Pscheidt, M. and Reijswoud, V. van and Weide, Th.P. van der, Assessing Appropriate ICT with ARIS case in Mozambique. 5th International Conference on Computing and ICT Research, Kampala, 2009
ICT projects in developing countries need to integrate requirements of the local context in order to be successful. Appropriate Technology (AT) has been applied in many domains to deliver technological solutions that are suitable to the local contexts for which they are intended. The Appropriate ICT framework has adopted the principles of AT within the domain of ICT. This paper assesses the Appropriate ICT framework in the context of developing and implementing an Academic Registry Information System (ARIS) in Mozambique, and proposes further research on appropriate ICT tools and methods.
Pscheidt, M. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Towards 'best practices' in North-South open source projects - lessons learned from the ARIS project in Mozambique. IDIA2009
In this article we present some aspects which in our view are to be taken into account in order to create successful and sustainable development and implementation of open source systems in institutions of higher learning in developing countries. The ideas and findings presented here are partly based on study of literature and partly drawn from the experience of the authors within the framework of a project to develop and implement an academic registration and information system (ARIS) for Mozambican universities. Some of the propositions made in this article are specific for the sector or domain of higher education, while others are more generic and could possibly be used as a source of inspiration for the development and implementation of open source software systems in developing countries in general.
The objective of this paper is to show the opportunities, challenges and ways to approach information systems like ARIS with open source concepts. We show possible building blocks for open source projects, with the intention to contribute to "best practices".
Baguma, R. and Stone, D.G. and Lubega, J.T. and Weide, Th.P. van der, A Framework for Filtering Web Accessibility Guidelines. W4A International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility, ACM, Pages 46-49, Madrid 2009
In this paper, we propose a framework for filtering accessibility guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) according to context of use such as level of use, Web page component, type of disability and structure of the document. The purpose of the filtration ramework is to make the Web accessibility guidelines easier to use and apply by the target audience such as Developers and IT Managers/Procurers. Context of use is important for the usability of accessibility guidelines since they are used by different groups of people with different interests and skill base.In the framework, the role played by each context in making the guidelines easier to use for a particular target group is given. A prototype system using WCAG 1.0 guidelines was developed using the framework. The prototype was tested alongside the WCAG 1.0 guidelines on Web developers and IT Managers. The results suggest that filtering Web accessibility guidelines according to contexts of use makes it easier to find required advic compared to the general organization and presentation used by WCAG 1.0 and WCAG 2.0. The testing was done on WCAG 1.0, because by the time of the study, it was still the stable and referenceable version. But the approach is also relevant to WCAG 2.0 because it applies to ANY set of guidelines for any subject if intended for multiple classes of users.
Baguma, R. and Stone, D.G. and Lubega, J.T. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Integrating Accessibility and Functional Requirements. HCI International 2009 Conference, LNCS, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, ISBN: 978-3-642-02944-8, Vol. 5610-56
This paper discusses how to move forward the position at which accessibility is considered in creating websites. Initial research on Web accessibility was focused on testing completed Web pages. More recently, the focus is moving to integrating accessibility features into coding tools such as Dreamweaver 8 and plugins notably LIFT, a plugin for Dreamweaver and Microsoft front page. Thus accessibility is being considered slightly earlier in the development process. However, the state of Web accessibility is still disappointing even on websites that have followed the guidelines and or used evaluation and coding tools. We are proposing an approach to start considering accessibility much earlier and integrate it into requirements analysis and specification. Our purpose is to address accessibility in the context of what is to be done and who will be participating. In this paper, we present views of Web developers (involved in developing accessible websites) about this approach. We then show (using a case study) how Web developers can elicit accessibility requirements alongside functional requirements and integrate the two to obtain conceptual models that contain explicit traces of accessibility requirements integrated with functional requirements. Finally we discuss lessons learnt from the case study and common benefits of the approach, to Web accessibility and Web projects.
Heijden, M. van der and Hinne, M. and Verberne S. and Kraaij, W. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Using query logs and click data to create improved document descriptions. Workshop on Web Search Click Data 2009, Barcelona
Logfiles of search engines are a promising resource for data mining, since they provide raw data associated to users and web documents. In this paper we focus on the latter aspect and explore how the information in logfiles could be used to improve document descriptions. A pilot experiment demonstrated that document descriptors extracted from the queries that are associated with documents by clicks (implying semantic relation) are preferred over document descriptors extracted from the full text of the web pages.
Flipsen, N.A. and Weide, Th.P. van der and Reijswoud, V. van and Ssozi, F., Learning without Borders: Community Based Learning in a Development Setting. Engineering Education and Educational Technologies: EEET 2009, July 10th - 13th, 2009, Orlando, Florida, USA, 303-308
In this paper we describe an experiment with an international variant of community-based service learning. We describe the underlying motivation and organization. We also provide some initial results.
Flipsen, N.A. and Weide, Th.P. van der, The Middle Out Approach: a program for the introduction of ICT education. Prato Community Informatics Conference, Nov 4-6, 2009
In this paper we focus on community empowerment, and describe the rationale for a program to introduce ICT effectively at all educational levels in a relatively short period. We describe and motivate the fundamentals of our approach.
Pscheidt, M. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Supporting the ARIS community system in Mozambique. Prato Community Informatics Conference, Nov 4-6, 2009
This paper studies the community involved in the development and implementation of the Academic Registry Information System (ARIS) in the Mozambican Higher Education context. The context of ARIS comprises a North-South development cooperation project which was established to serve the needs of local universities and the Ministry of Education to raise the timeliness and quality of academic information about studies, students and student marks.
We investigate how community participants have been empowered during the North-South project. Based on these experiences we design a framework for a supportive organization to sustain the information system after the end of the North-South cooperation.
Some propositions are specific to domain of Higher Education, while others are more generic and may be relevant to the development and implementation of other community systems in less developed countries.
Flipsen, N.A. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Master Course Gender Issues in ICT. Tinfon, 2009
De snelle technologische vernieuwingen van ICT hebben een duidelijke impact op de maatschappij. Daardoor treden veranderingen op in de traditionele rolpatronen zoals we die momenteel kennen. We willen naar ICT onderwijs kijken in het licht van deze maatschappelijke veranderingen vanuit het oogpunt van veranderende rolpatronen.
Om op de veranderingen en de nieuwe vereisten in te spelen worden speciale eisen gesteld aan onderwijs in het algemeen en aan ICT onderwijs (de ontsluitende technologie) in het bijzonder. Deze eisen worden vastgelegd in eindtermen, en vormgegeven in werkvormen.
We illustreren onze benadering aan de hand van een recent verzorgde internationale master course.
Journals Conferences Reports
Zlotnikova, I.Y. and Weide, Th.P. van der, An Approach to Modeling ICT Educational Policies in African Countries .
Based on the research of sub-Saharan African countries, this paper proposes a model for ICT educational policies. In this model, the authors identify factors (political, socio-economic, demographic, geographic, cultural etc.) that contribute to the success or failure of ICT educational policies. Currently the model has a qualitative, descriptive character. An initial setting of quantitative parameters is taken to derive an overview for all sub-Saharan countries. The authors use this ordering as an initial validation of the proposed model.
Zlotnikova, I.Y. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Modeling International Policies on Information Technology Integration into Education.
Based on the research of sub-Saharan African countries, this paper proposes a model for ICT educational policies. In this model, the authors identify factors (political, socio-economic, demographic, geographic, cultural etc.) that contribute to the success or failure of ICT educational policies. Currently the model has a qualitative, descriptive character. An initial setting of quantitative parameters is taken to derive an overview for all sub-Saharan countries. The authors use this ordering as an initial validation of the proposed model.
Koopmans, F.T.W. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Tracking Local Community Evolution.
We are interested in observing changes to a particular web graph community over time. A small subset of the entire web graph can provide sufficient information about our community of interest. Therefore we use a local approach where knowledge of the entire web graph is not needed. In this paper we will consider how we may track the evolution of a community from a local point of view and analyze the quality of our model. We use local modularity as our community definition of choice and propose an improvement thereof. An incremental definition is coined such that we may analyze the consequences of elementary modification of a community. We analyze the quality of a local community as constructed using this incremental definition. Therefore we propose a probability model that we demonstrate on omission errors for the incremental algorithm.
Pscheidt, M. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Sustaining North-South Projects with a Community Informatics Approach: turning weaknesses into strengths.
This paper draws on the experiences during the development and implementation of the Academic Registry Information System (ARIS) in the Mozambican Higher Education context. As the result of a participative case study approach a set of tools and methods is presented that targets the creation of social capital with the intent to counteract some of the vulnerabilities in volatile environments of developing countries. Theoretical considerations include community empowerment and effective use.
Heijden, M. van der and Hinne, M. and Verberne S. and Kraaij, W. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Annotating URLs with query terms: What factors predict reliable annotations? .
A number of recent studies have investigated the relation be- tween URLs and associated query terms from search engine log files. In [5], the query terms associated with the domain of a URL were used as features for a URL classification task. The idea is that query terms that lead to successful classi- fication of a URL are reliable semantic descriptors of the URL content. We follow up on this work by investigating which properties of a URL and its associated query terms predict the classification success. We construct a number of URL and query properties as predictors and proceed to analyze these in-depth. We conclude that the classification success — and thus the reliability of the query terms as URL descriptors — cannot easily be predicted from properties of the URL and the queries.
Ngobye, M. and Groot, W.T. de and Weide, Th.P. van der, Simplicity and Complexity: Types and Priorities of Multi-Agent Systems for Empirical Research.
Multi-Agent Systems(MAS) may be classified as containing No Interactions (NI), Simple Interactions (SI) or Complex, Conditional Interactions (CI) between agents. This paper argues and illustrates that models with simple interactions (SI), even though possibly less fascinating for the MAS theorist than CI models are, deserve more attention in the MAS community. SI models may contain social learning and reciprocal relationships. Maybe most importantly, SI models enable cross-scale connections by linking local to global actors in their local and global 'life worlds'.
Namirembe, E. and Zlotnikova, I.Y. and Weide, Th.P. van der, Influence of ICT on Banking Industry Performance in Kampala.
This paper reports on findings of the study on the influence of ICT on the banking industry performance. The geographical scope of the study included Kampala where most Ugandan banks are concentrated. The data were collected from individual bank customers through self-administered questionnaires. The data were subjected to a validity check. The relationship between the ICT and the banking industry performance was shown using Pearson's correlation coefficient. Findings revealed that e-funds transfer, telephone and Internet technologies positively correlated with the banking industry performance. Based upon results of study the following recommendations have been given: 1) ICT should be incorporated in cash deposit, cash withdrawal and account balance inquiry; 2) among three banking technologies under consideration the telephone technology is most applicable to local conditions since it doesn’t require from customers special skills and additional resources.