Workshops


The AMCIS 2005 Pre-Conference Workshops will be held on Thursday, August 11th, 2005 in the Hilton Omaha except the Gallup Leadership Workshop which will be held off-site. All workshops are half-day except the Gallup Leadership Workshop which runs all day. Workshop registration must be paid in addition to conference registration. Please visit the registration page for more information.  All workshop sessions have access to the following:
  • Screen, Laptop, and LCD projector for the speaker. Participants should bring their presentations and other files on a CD or USB flash drive. No internet access will be provided unless it has been previously arranged with workshop chairs.
  • For a morning workshop, coffee, soft drinks, and pastry -- available at 8am onwards; For an afternoon workshop, soft drinks, coffee, and either fresh fruit or cookies -- available at 1pm onwards.

MORNING SESSIONS (8am to 12pm)

 
Perspectives on Service Oriented Architecture

Sriram Anand, Infosys Technologies, Ltd. (Sriram_Anand@infosys.com)
Srinivas Padmanabhuni, Infosys Technologies, Ltd. (srinivas_p@infosys.com)


SOA and Web Services are the hottest topics of discussion currently with regards to enterprise architecture. The technologies are maturing from a standardization perspective and the level of understanding of various aspects of a SOA is gradually rising with an increasing number of clients thinking about service implementation and adoption. This trend has generated significant interest in IT and business circles alike, owing to the promise of bridging the gap between business strategists and IT architects. Service Oriented Architecture builds upon decades of distributed computing technologies and advocates the delivery of software applications in the form of an open interface based on strict contracts, leading to loosely coupled systems which are implementation independent. The recent trends of web services are often mistaken to be the sole form of SOA, however through this workshop we will offer deeper insights into the more generic and higher level manifestations of SOA beyond web services. SOA can manifest itself in different technologies such as EAI, J2EE or .NET. This workshop will focus on providing an overview of service oriented architecture with emphasis on the evolution of SOA from other technologies such as object oriented programming and distributed computing. Subsequently, the workshop will delve into exploring SOA from multiple perspectives, such as the relevance of SOA in EAI, SOA features of J2EE and .NET apart from illustrating specific recommendations on migrating to SOA based on some sample implementations.

 
Flash MX

Gerald R. Wagner, University of Nebraska at Omaha (grwagner@mail.unomaha.edu)
Eric Goeken, University of Nebraska at Omaha (eric.goeken@grwstudios.com)


This workshop is an introduction to Flash™ a software development tool created by Macromedia, Inc. Flash began its life as an animation tool specifically designed to create small, efficient animations by using vector lines as opposed to bitmap images. This allows Flash movies to be smaller than other types of animation found on the Web, such as animated GIFs. What has made Flash better than animated GIFs is interactivity—buttons and alternate paths based on what the user clicks on in a Flash movie.
Over the years, this ability to assign interaction to elements in Flash has matured into its own robust scripting language called Action Script. Today’s Flash helps Flash developers to create application interfaces that are much more compelling than most software found today. Flash interfaces often have an almost indescribable level of delightfulness to them—the “wow” factor –that keeps users focused and entertained. Although today’s application interfaces are still mostly static, Flash-based applications are defining a future where sound, animation and aesthetics can be effectively combined to create software that is appealing and delightful. All attendees should bring a laptop with Flash installed.

 
Philosophical Foundations of Information Systems

Deborah Bunker, The University of New South Wales (d.bunker@unsw.edu.au)
John D. Haynes, University of Central Florida (jhaynes@bus.ucf.edu)
James F. Courtney, University of Central Florida (jim.courtney@bus.ucf.edu)
Melissa Cole, Brunel University(melissa.cole@brunel.ac.uk)


This workshop will address the theme of “Philosophical Understanding of Research Approaches in the Field of Information Systems/Technology”. PhD student position papers (1000 words - based on the student’s understanding of how PFIS is relevant to the research approach used within current dissertation work) will be solicited, and from these papers a workshop theme will be created. The workshop will be devised and led by the PFIS mini-track co-chairs. It will be designed and structured to generate a dialog with students about their understanding of how philosophy underpins their dissertation research. The workshop will also be recorded and a working paper on important areas of focus for students in this area will be published and distributed to attendees and interested parties. Philosophy is an established and vast field, as compared to our fledgling area of information systems and many of the PFIS group student members have expressed an interest in better understanding the philosophical underpinnings of their work.

This workshop is founded on the belief that we have hardly begun to tap the potential of philosophy in our work, especially in developing a more robust foundation for what we do. Our students are the future of our work and as such, should have the opportunity to explore ideas in PFIS with each other and more experienced researchers.

 
Developing and Implementing Information Security Programs

Michael E. Whitman, Kennesaw State University (mwhitman@kennesaw.edu)
Herbert J. Mattord, Kennesaw State University (hmattord@kennesaw.edu)

One of the continuing challenges facing industry is the security and protection of information. Advances in information security have been unable to keep pace with advances in computing in general. One of the recognized ways to combat the threat to information security is education needed to prepare students to create a secure and ethical computing environment.

This workshop will provide information on three important aspects of developing and implementing information security education in higher education. First, it addresses the determination of scope and depth of a program of study in InfoSec by assisting the individual faculty members in identifying the desired outcomes of their programs. Second, it addresses the design and instruction of specific coursework based on the “Draft Curriculum Model for Programs of Study in Information Security and Third, the program will provide insight into the development and implementation of a computer instruction lab to teach information security hands-on materials, with the utmost concern for the learning of the students, the resources of the program, and the protection of information assets in the institution.

 
Designing a First-Year Experience Course for IS Students

Amy B. Woszczynski, Kennesaw State University (awoszczy@kennesaw.edu)
Martha Myers, Kennesaw State University (mmyers@kennesaw.edu)

First Year Experience (FYE) courses target entering students and introduce them to the college environment and expectations for the college classroom. These courses have gained increasing popularity due to their positive impact on retention of students, as well as increased graduation rates. This workshop will describe how to design a FYE course specifically targeting IS students. The IS focused FYE course should improve the retention of students in information technology and information systems. As IS departments face declining enrollment, retaining the students who do select IS majors is of critical importance. Workshop participants will create a basic syllabus for the specially focused FYE course and will complete activities that will prepare them to propose and deliver the course at their university.
 
Grant Writing in Information Systems Research

Matt Germonprez, Case Western Reserve University (germonprez@case.edu)
Dong-Gil Ko, Indiana University (dgko@indiana.edu)
 
Participants
Kalle Lyytinen -- Case Western Reserve University
Balasubramaniam Ramesh -- Georgia State University
Suzi Iacono -- National Science Foundation

Jane Prey -- Microsoft Research

Grant writing has become increasingly important for Information Systems researchers. This workshop is intended to provide insight on how the grant writing process is handled from both the academic and practitioner perspective. This workshop is intended to be very applied in providing the audience with practical skills necessary for writing a variety of grants into a variety of sectors. The workshop will include a representative from the National Science Foundation, Microsoft Research, and two academics from leading Information Systems departments.

 

AFTERNOON SESSIONS (1pm to 5pm)

 
Designing and Teaching Web Systems Integration
Matt Germonprez, Case Western Reserve University (germonprez@case.edu)

This workshop is intended to teach faculty members who are interested in a web systems integration course for their departmental curriculum. The course is hands-on and requires attention to detail by instructor. The learning curve is steep for both the instructor and students but the payoffs are large. From an instructor’s perspective, this course consistently has students from Information Systems, Computer Science, and Computer Engineering. This is useful for boosting departmental enrollments and creating connections between university departments. The course is also capable of delivering high course evaluations because of its cutting edge application of technology and hands-on experience. From a student’s perspective, the course consistently rates highly as useful for critical thinking, systems thinking, and job searching. This workshop will illustrate the tenets of the course, provide course material, and point you in the right direction for getting this up and running.
 
Practical Examples for Teaching Discrete Mathematics in an Information Systems Curriculum
Valerie J. Harvey, Robert Morris University (harvey@rmu.edu)
Peter Y. Wu, Robert Morris University (wu@rmu.edu)
John C. Turchek, Morris University (turchek@rmu.edu)

This workshop offers practical information and experience on how to design and implement a discrete mathematics course and modules for information systems (IS) programs seeking ABET IS accreditation or already accredited by ABET. The workshop will deliver small group practice with materials, online software resources, activities, and teaching techniques are targeted toward needs and interests of IS students. These materials and resources can be used (1) in a discrete mathematics course, (2) in modules in core curriculum courses, such as networking and data communications, operating systems, database management, systems analysis and design, programming and application development, network security, or (3) in both. Such materials, resources, and activities foster motivation and confidence for students as well as understanding of how the concepts presented serve in learning and will serve them in career settings. The technological and societal relevance of discrete mathematics concepts in the IS curriculum is covered. A matrix correlates each local ABET-accreditable core curriculum with a standard set of discrete mathematics topics to derive relevant topic coverage. Experiences in the information systems (IS) and information systems management (ISM) programs at Robert Morris University (RMU) guided the design of this workshop.
 
Educing Theory from Practice: Developing Significant Theory from Action Research
Richard Baskerville, Georgia State University (baskerville@acm.org)
Mike Chiasson, University of Calgary (mike.chiasson@haskayne.ucalgary.ca)
Allen Lee, Virginia Commonwealth University (allenslee@alum.mit.edu)
Lars Mathiassen, Georgia State University (Lars.Mathiassen@eci.gsu.edu)

This half-day workshop focuses on the discovery or development of new or enhanced theory within the action research process. The highly practical nature of action research sometimes leads to results that have little to contribute in terms of new scholarly knowledge. Although a difficult practical problem may have been resolved, academic publications will often reject reports of the results because the theoretical value is trivial. How can action researchers avoid this pitfall? How can new or enhanced theories be developed within the action research framework? What are the indications of potentially significant theoretical contributions within an action research study?

The workshop will address these issues and questions with suggestions and guidance from a panel of four scholars experienced in publishing and evaluating action research contributions. The workshop will then move to examine the nature of the contributions from several published action research studies, as each panelist discusses how the publications implement their suggestions and guidance. The final part of the workshop will involve exercises in which workshop participants will examine hypothetical and real action research settings to determine the potential theoretical outcomes of the studies.
 
A Hands-on Workshop on Computer Security Tools for Classroom Instruction
Narayan Murthy, Pace University
Daniel Farkas, Pace University (dfarkas@pace.edu)
Anand Vadul, Pace University

In the last ten years, the Internet has become an important component of global economy. Until recently the security issue was not very prominent because people were excited about the things they could do on the Internet focused on the vast amount of information freely available. This same fascination led some people to misuse the Internet by hacking systems and gathering sensitive information. Hackers, ranging from bright curious students to seasoned criminals, have made people realize the need to secure computer systems and networks. It is clear that universities and colleges must start preparing professionals ready to take on these challenges in the workplace. NSA is actively encouraging universities and colleges to start new courses and programs in information assurance and recently, Pace University was awarded designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education by NSA. In this hands-on workshop, we will very briefly overview basic security issues (e.g. security policies and management, firewalls, host security, cryptography, application security, incident and disaster response, Social Engineering). Following this, participants will learn a number of tools which are used in our introductory courses.
 
Bringing Real-World Issues into MIS Classrooms: A Multi-media Case Study Approach
Chetan S. Sankar, Auburn University (sankar@business.auburn.edu)
Victor W. Mbarika, Southern University (vmbarika@lsu.edu)
P.K. Raju, Auburn University (pkraju@eng.auburn.edu)

The focus of the workshop will be to develop a highly interactive learning environment for faculty members who attend. The participants will get to work with state-of-the art instructional materials that have been successfully used in two Universities with about 2,000 undergraduate and graduate MIS students. These materials have been developed as part of five National Science Foundation grants. The workshop will show-case the materials during the workshop. Objectives of the Instructional Materials is for students to obtain basic training in MIS skills, integrate business skills with technical knowledge, enhance the decision-making skills, use principles of risk and cost management to solve problems, and
enhance teamwork among members thereby increasing productivity
.
 
Process Automation and Management
Edward A. Stohr, Stevens Institute of Technology (estohr@stevens.edu)
Michael zur Muehlen, Stevens Institute of Technology (mzurmuehlen@stevens.edu)
J. Leon Zhao, University of Arizona (lzhao@bpa.arizona.edu)

The trend towards e-business is increasing the complexity of intra-organizational and interorganizational processes. To accommodate these needs, organizations must integrate their services in real time to attract and maintain customers. In the last few years, process automation and management have become central themes in many businesses. Research areas addressing problems in this domain include: electronic commerce, business process reengineering, enterprise application integration, knowledge process management, groupware, workflow automation, electronic markets, and computer-supported collaborative work. These areas have unique research approaches, but have a common interest in advancing process automation to support intra-organizational and interorganizational work in the Internet era. The objective of this workshop is to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners interested in process automation and management to meet and exchange research ideas and results. Researchers are invited to present their research, experience reports and case studies in this area. We especially value participation from individuals who would like to address issues related to research methodologies and theoretical foundations for developing next generation of process technologies. We encourage individuals interested in evaluation of emerging technologies (e.g. web-based workflow systems, enterprise integration systems, e-business techniques, and mobile process management systems) to consider participating in this workshop. For more information regarding submissions to this workshop, please visit http://www.stevens.edu/sigpam/resources/call_for_papers/AMCIS2005_SIGPAM.html.
 

ALL DAY SESSION (8:30am to 3:30pm)

 

Gallup Leadership Workshop

The Gallup Leadership Workshop will start at the Gallup University campus in Omaha at 8:30am and go until 3:30pm. The Gallup campus is approximately half a mile from the conference venue. Many of the hotels provide free shuttle transportation to the Gallup University campus either free or for a nominal fee. Please contact the guest services desk in your hotel early to arrange the transportation. Plan on arriving at the Gallup campus between 8:00am and 8:30am. The tentative plan for the workshop is detailed below.

Morning Session (8:30am to 12:30pm): The morning session will be facilitated by Brian Brim, Global Program Leader for The Gallup Organization. He will use Gallup's Talent to Lead program and introduce participants to Gallup's proven "move from strength" management philosophy. During the program, participants will be introduced to factors that are crucial to leadership success. Through group discussion, insights, and activities, leaders develop more clarity about their talents and use these insights to plan strengths-based strategies for success.

During the session, participants will:

  • receive an introduction to the importance of understanding their unique talents and developing them into strengths
  • gain an increased awareness of a strengths-based approach to understanding, managing, and leading others
  • develop strengths-based goals that will help them increase their leadership impact

Prior to attending Talent to Lead, participants are encouraged to complete Gallup's Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment.  Leaders receive a report of their five most dominant areas of talent, or Signature Themes, as well as a Theme Sequence Report listing their 34 themes in rank order. These results provide the basis for further discovery and leaning during the program.

Lunch will be provided courtesy of The Gallup Organization

Afternoon Session (2:00pm to 3:30pm)

A panel of experts will discuss the issues relating to leading in a virtual world. In addition, Gallup Chief Information Officer Phil Ruhlman will showcase Gallup's poll of the world and the Gallup Brain which houses national and world opinions.

Maximum size limit: 100 (Register early. You must register for the conference to register for the workshop).

Why participate?
The Gallup Organization gathers information that helps leaders build companies: customer data, workplace engagement and strength assessments. At the base of leadership education is awareness of strengths of associates. Gallup research points to higher productivity when people know what they can do well and have a focused plan. The Clifton StrengthsFinder is a web assessment tool which is part of the Gallup session. It includes an e-learning component to be completed before the seminar. Each participant will receive Top Five Strengths reports. The University of Nebraska Gallup Leadership Institute (GLI) studies leadership globally. Updates of this research will be presented in the workshop session. Gallup senior scientists are prominent university faculty who advise the Gallup organization in key research areas. They teach in the MBA program and publish articles based on Gallup data. Senior scientists will participate in the closing panel about virtual leadership.

This workshop is sponsored by

 The Gallup Organization


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