Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, Educational Studies

As mobile learning (m-learning) becomes increasingly prevalent in education, it is recognized for its potential to enhance the overall quality of teaching and learning. Despite the many benefits, m-learning apps often experience low retention rates, which directly impede learners' benefit from using them and cause a waste of resources in app design, development, and maintenance. To investigate the critical factors influencing learners' acceptance of m-learning outside the classroom, this study introduced a novel model, the Mobile Learning Acceptance Determination (mLAD) Model, based on the Technology Acceptance Model and the updated DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model. Through the mLAD model, the study identified the critical app quality factors that influence learners' acceptance of m-learning. The moderating effects of the type of m-learning apps on learners' acceptance of m-learning were also revealed. An online questionnaire named the m-Learning Acceptance Questionnaire (mLAQ) was developed and disseminated through Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of seven hundred forty-seven adult learners in the U.S. participated in the study. The descriptive statistical results of the examined factors revealed that m-learning apps available in the market demonstrate high mobility and content quality. Still, their interactivity and service quality could be improved. Furthermore, the results of the structural equation modeling analysis indicated that learners' two beliefs, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, are the two essential determinants of learners' intention to use m-learning apps outside the classroom. Quality factors, such as content quality, interface design, mobility, and service quality, are the antecedents of learners' m-learning acceptance, given that they significantly and directly influence perceived usefulness and ease of use and indirectly impact learners' intention to use m-learning apps through learners' two beliefs. Through (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ana-Paula Correia (Advisor); Minjung Kim (Committee Member); Richard J Voithofer (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Software; Educational Technology; Information Systems; Information Technology; Technology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2021, East Asian Studies

Productivity growth drives long-term economic growth and rising living standards in a modern economy. Information and communications technology (ICT) has been a key driver of both total factor productivity (TFP) and labor productivity growth since the 1990s. Japan, which has consistently had the lowest labor productivity in the G7, has not seen significant levels of ICT-driven productivity growth in its non-manufacturing sectors despite investing heavily in ICT hardware. This paper explores the reasons for Japan's failure to reap productivity gains from its ICT investments. I claim Japanese firms have failed to invest in organizational capital and new business practices to maximize the potential of ICT. A preponderance of very small firms with elderly managers have left large swaths of the economy with minimal ICT investment. Part of the failure to update business practices stems from labor market rigidity which reduces the labor input savings from ICT systems and inefficient capital markets which protect inefficient incumbent firms. Furthermore, the low rate of firm entry and exit, coupled with a lack of foreign direct investment, hinders the adoption of new ideas and the reallocation of capital and labor.

Committee: Ian Sheldon (Advisor); Hajime Miyazaki (Committee Member); Sarah Brooks (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Economics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2003, Human Nutrition and Food Management

The strategic use of management information systems (MIS) can convey competitive value. For this reason, it is important to understand which antecedents are associated with system success. By utilizing theoretical assumptions from several fields: strategic management, MIS, and hospitality, this study develops a model of Restaurant Management Information System (RMIS) success for the foodservice industry. The purpose of this study was to identify current information technology (IT) trends in the foodservice industry, to identify the types and quality of IT training and support offered to managers, and to develop and test the RMIS model. This study uses survey research. A survey was administered to restaurant managers (n = 243) to gather data about their system features and effectiveness. This study demonstrated several important findings. First, many foodservice establishments are utilizing systems more than indicated in earlier foodservice literature. Food and labor cost analyses, sales forecasts, server performance evaluations, menu analysis, and e-mail are commonly utilized by today's restaurant manager. Second, this study provides support for contingency theory, that is, firms do not use systems equally. Full and quick service restaurants, chains and independents, and successful and unsuccessful restaurants all utilized systems differently. Third, this study provided partial support for systems implementation theory. This study found that training related to system success, but not support. The availability (hours) of support provided by the “help desk” did not relate to system success. Lastly, this study used regression analysis to test the RMIS research model. The first regression model of RMIS success, with decision-making support satisfaction as a dependent variable, exhibited a fit of .450. Four antecedents – system use, system quality, report quality, and training quality –were significant. Sensitivity analysis was conducted on the regression analysis, and (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: R. Thomas George (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration, General

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1969, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2006, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2023, Environment and Natural Resources

The burning of fossil fuels for electricity production greatly endangers global sustainability. One strategy in combatting this issue is the widespread adoption of household renewable energy sources such as residential photovoltaic systems (RPVS). Effective communication strategies are critical for promoting solar diffusion at the household level. One important factor in this process is the messenger who disseminates solar information. Known as the ‘messenger effect', one who communicates a message can influence how their audience perceive and respond to a product, which can shape future behaviors. Three pre-registered studies explore this effect in several dimensions of consumer engagement with RPVS. Study 1 reveals that traits differ across various messenger types, finding higher levels of warmth, trust, and vulnerability in known messengers compared to unfamiliar messengers and higher levels of dominance in entity messengers compared to their individual representatives. Study 2 explores whether these differences will influence consumer engagement with the technology, finding neighbors elicit higher levels of openness to learning. Study 3 builds on previous findings to examine the influence of message delivery platforms with results indicating neighbors who share about RPVS via phone calls increase the likelihood of future conversations. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Committee: Nicole Sintov (Advisor); Grant Donnelly (Committee Member); Robyn Wilson (Committee Member); Kim Wolske (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Environmental Science

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.), Franklin University, 2023, Business Administration

Leadership styles and traits are well-researched across multiple industries and countries. Still, limited studies exist on the impact of these behaviors on job satisfaction and, ultimately, on organizational culture for technology professionals. Leaders within technical disciplines have generally been promoted through the ranks, possessing vast specialized knowledge but seemingly lacking transformational leadership skills and awareness of organizational culture. Job satisfaction is a culmination of leadership skills and external influences. The critical drivers for creating and sustaining cultural norms are behaviors, systems, and symbols. How these drivers are developed and passed down to employees can impact job satisfaction, engagement, and organizational commitment. This qualitative study will explore the divergence between what is currently understood and what is still largely unknown about transformational leadership traits, organizational culture, and job satisfaction among technology professionals in the United States. The research question to be answered is: RQ: What transformational leadership traits enhance U.S. technology professionals' job satisfaction? In addition, interviews with current technology professionals will allow participants to share their occupational experiences and opinions on leadership and organizational culture. This research will fill a gap in the literature regarding leadership behaviors, organizational culture experiences, and job satisfaction among U.S. technology professionals.

Committee: Tracy Greene (Committee Chair); Bora Pajo (Committee Member); Tim Reymann (Committee Member) Subjects: Management; Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, Physics

Quantum information science and engineering requires novel low-loss magnetic materials for magnon-based quantum-coherent operations. The search for low-loss magnetic materials, traditionally driven by applications in microwave electronics near room-temperature, has gained additional constraints from the need to operate at cryogenic temperatures for many applications in quantum information science and technology. Whereas yttrium iron garnet (YIG) has been the material of choice for decades, the emergence of molecule-based materials with robust magnetism and ultra-low damping has opened new avenues for exploration. Specifically, thin-films of vanadium tetracyanoethylene (V[TCNE]x) can be patterned into the multiple, connected structures needed for hybrid quantum elements and have shown room-temperature Gilbert damping (α = 4 x 10^(-5)) that rivals the intrinsic (bulk) damping otherwise seen only in highly-polished YIG spheres (far more challenging to integrate into arrays). However, while these properties clearly establish the potential of V[TCNE]x for new applications in traditional microwave electronics, very little is known about its low-temperature magnetization dynamics and therefore its potential for applications in quantum information science and technology. Presented in this thesis a comprehensive and systematic study of the low-temperature magnetization dynamics for V[TCNE]x thin films, with implications for their application in quantum systems. These studies reveal a temperature-driven, strain-dependent magnetic anisotropy that compensates the thin-film shape anisotropy, and the recovery of a magnetic resonance linewidth at 5 K that is comparable to room-temperature values (roughly 2 G at 9.4 GHz). We can account for these variations of the V[TCNE]x linewidth within the context of scattering from very dilute paramagnetic impurities, and anticipate additional linewidth narrowing as the temperature is further reduced. Additionally, ongoing work investigati (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin Professor (Advisor); Marc Bockrath Professor (Committee Member); Ciriyam Jayaprakash Professor (Committee Member); Christopher Hirata Professor (Committee Member) Subjects: Physics

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.), Franklin University, 2022, Health Programs

This study applied quantitative methods in surveying primary care physicians to identify when EHR training was introduced during medical education and measure the ease of use once beginning clinical practice. The physicians were graduates from allopathic and Osteopathic medical programs. Survey questions included 5 demographic questions and twelve designed with TAM. Eighty-three primary care physicians participated in this study by completing a survey sent out in the Ohio State Medical Association's newsletter and through Centiment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze survey results. Excel and Statistical Analysis Software was used for analysis. Analysis was done using chi-square analysis to determine the year of graduation and the number of EHR courses in school. Measurement of perception from TAM included weighing each question out of eighty-two. Most of the osteopathic participants scored 70 or higher out of 84 in their responses indicating a moderately high level of readiness. In contrast, 37 allopathic physicians score 70 or higher which is slightly higher than half of the allopathic participants would have a strong level of readiness with EHRs. Results from this study showed no correlation between an increased amount of EHR courses taken in medical school and years of graduation.

Committee: Alyncia Bowen (Committee Chair); JoAnn Jordan (Committee Member); Karen Lankisch (Committee Member) Subjects: Health Care; Health Education; Technology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2021, Management

This research explores difficult decisions by victims to report an incident of workplace violence, and difficult audit scope decisions made by auditors. It includes a qualitative study revealing the role of fear in reporting incidents of workplace violence, showing fear can deter individuals from doing the right thing, and the financial auditors' scope of testing of information technology (IT) in an integrated audit. The notion of fear in the workplace was further studied with an experimental design to measure the auditors' assessment of scope for testing when facing complex IT environments with highly skilled and hostile client teams, and a third experimental design exploring how systems thinking can be an intervention. The findings indicate that less experienced and younger individuals are more prone to fear due to seniority and authority gaps. Such fear may deter them from reporting workplace violence when they are victims or witnesses. Similarly, fear causes unskilled auditors to perform less testing on IT controls and components despite common logic and guidelines from auditing standards when faced with highly complex IT environments. The findings also reveal that systems thinking can be an intervention to counter, or in certain cases, reverse, such an effect. When provided during the auditor's audit scope planning phase, systems thinking training causes auditors to perform the same or greater level of IT testing in a complex IT environment compared to non-systems thinking, or “reductionist thinking” auditors. When used appropriately, systems thinking skills can enhance an auditor's judgment in complex situations. This implies that systems thinking can be applied to other complex audit situations.

Committee: Anthony C. Bucaro (Committee Chair); Richard J. Boland Jr. (Committee Member); Philip A. Cola (Committee Member); James E. Gaskin (Committee Member) Subjects: Accounting; Information Technology; Management; Organizational Behavior

Doctor of Management, Case Western Reserve University, 2021, Weatherhead School of Management

This paper integrates data collection, analysis, and findings to obtain insights into the organizational dynamics that impact supply chain management performance. In an initial qualitative research, I first investigated organizational vulnerabilities to disruptive events in the food industry that impact organizational outcomes. I interviewed twenty-seven directors of operations, logistics managers and front-line crew members. In the second study, I distributed a self-administered quantitative survey among 144 operation directors, operation managers, crew members, logistics managers and truck drivers; I investigate the effects of information technology, forecasting accuracy and organizational effectiveness impacting supply chain management performance and employee engagement, respectively. I found in the qualitative strand that during disruptive events, crisis leads to unethical decision making, crisis drives innovative thinking, and the important of cognitive factor. I developed a framework for disaster management performance prior, during, and after turbulent events, and I ask: To what extent do effective managers and decision-makers impact supply chain management performance and employee engagement outcomes? I used structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized model.

Committee: Kalle Lyytinen Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Business Administration; Business Education; Management; Operations Research; Quantitative Psychology

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Arts and Sciences: Communication

The current need for increased awareness and resources for mental health care in the United States is overwhelming, especially as it impacts the lives of young adults. While there are a great deal of therapies that may be utilized from one provider to another and dependent on the needs of each individual patient, one method is that of Art Therapy. Evolving from its traditional methods, current methods of Digital Art Therapy have welcomed the integration and use of information communication technologies (ICTs) into their practice, such as Virtual Reality (VR). The purpose of this study is to learn more about the potential of VR as it is integrated into Art Therapy and the differences that the various traditional and technological forms may have, as they pertain to mental health interventions. This quantitative study utilized an experimental design to test the effectiveness of one specific arts-based VR application, Tilt Brush, for relieving symptoms of anxiety, depression, and/or stress among a student sample at the University of Cincinnati. This study also evaluated effects of affect and coping mechanisms to fully determine if there were differences on participants from the intervention. This study found that there was no significant effect for the decrease of anxiety, depression, or stress across all participants (N=116). However, the study did see a general decrease in affect levels. This study confirms previous studies regarding the prevalence of clinical mental health diagnoses among this population and provides theoretical and practical implications moving forward.

Committee: Pamara Chang Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Nancy Jennings Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tony Liao Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Information Technology

The purpose of this study is to analyze patterns of gender-based grade disparity in undergraduate information technology (IT) courses at a public research university. The study was conducted in an effort to understand factors in IT education that may contribute to the IT gender gap in higher education and careers. The study followed a learning analytics methodology developed and used by previous studies of gendered based performance differences in STEM courses at other universities. This research adds to a base of information on gender performance in IT courses. Results indicated that on average IT courses have gendered performance differences with the majority of courses favoring males. In addition, results found that on average course delivery method doesn't impact gender performance. A surprising result is that in the senior level courses, on average the courses favor females. The recommendations for expanding the study by examining additional course factors such as: (a) add additional course factors such as instructor gender, class size, and number of females in the course to determine the impact, (b) expand the data set to include additional computing disciplines, (c) expand the study to other universities. This study will lead to a research path to understanding gender neutral IT course instruction.

Committee: Hazem Said Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Chengcheng Li Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Information Technology

Master of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 2018, Social Work

Purpose: As record keeping and administrative technology provides for innovation and improvements in many sectors, the field of mental health lags in adopting health information technology (HIT) (Perron, 2010). This leads to care gaps, potential inefficiencies, and unnecessary cost (Puskar, Aubrecht, Beamer, & Carozza, 2004). The objective of the study is to describe the prevalence of HIT use among mental health organizations and identify characteristics that are associated with HIT use. The results have implications for organizational leaders and policy makers responsible for technology decision making in the mental health field. Methods: Secondary data was drawn from the 2014 National Mental Health Services Survey (NMHSS) conducted by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The NMHSS measured whether organizations use computers, paper or both for 14 internal, external, and potentially external processes. Descriptive analysis was used to define the prevalence of HIT adoption, and regression analyses were used to examine organizational features (ownership, facility type, number served, licensing, and funding/payment types) related to HIT adoption. Results: Respondents reported low levels of overall HIT adoption, with internal processes having higher rates of adoption than external and either internal or external processes. Organizations with private, for profit ownership or public ownership, large numbers served, and residential care facility adopted HIT to a greater degree than other organizations. Implications: There is a need for strategic planning, regulation, and resources originating from entities that have influence over the entire field of mental health, not just particular organizations. Simply doing the same thing that has been done in other sectors, such as healthcare, would not be a successful endeavor for mental health. Resources, supports, and mandates should be put in place to boost HIT adoption. Special c (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alicia Bunger PhD (Advisor); Njeri Kagotho PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Information Technology; Mental Health; Social Work

Master of Science (MS), Wright State University, 2017, Computer Science

Semantic Web extends the current web, using ontologies, metadata and other technologies to establish links between terms and concepts. This enables machines to automatically integrate information across different platforms utilizing the standard definitions. Furthermore, reasoning agents can infer new knowledge by gathering existing information and these additional connections between them. As a result of being designed and maintained independently, data sources exhibit highly heterogeneous nature. This increases the complexity of data integration and hinders interoperability. However, if we can align the overlapping concepts among different domains of knowledge, the prospect of achieving interoperability and integration without having any intermediate reasoning agent, can be extremly valuable. But reusing ontologies is a practice that requires significant human effort by itself [72]. It takes crucial amount of endeavour on Ontology Engineers' part to understand an existing ontology and figure out an appropriate domain for reuse. Being able to consult good documentations and clear schema diagrams, contributes largely in favor of this pursuit[41]. In this paper, we described the development of a light-weight tool that automatically produces a schema diagram from a given ontology. We have evaluated our work comparing with the standard diagrams available in existing literature. Also, we matched our results with the visualization yielded by a widely used visualization tool VOWL. In the end, we presented a comparative discussion between the different approaches conceived by these two tools and compared their efficacy.

Committee: Pascal Hitzler Ph.D. (Advisor); Adila A. Krisnadhi Ph.D. (Committee Member); Tanvi Banerjee Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Information Science; Information Technology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2017, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Information Technology

The United States has a considerable talent gap in Information Technology (IT) as there are not enough qualified candidates to fill open IT jobs. This workforce shortage is addressed locally, regionally, and nationally by non-profit organizations, government initiatives, and educators. One non-profit organization, INTERalliance of Greater Cincinnati, grows the regional IT talent pipeline in Cincinnati by executing experiential programs for local high school students. INTERalliance connects the students with IT career pathways at companies and universities in the region, facilitating early connections with IT managers who can hire them for college internships and full-time jobs. This thesis analyzes data about the college and career decisions of past program participants. Compared to national averages, the results show INTERalliance participants are 12 times more likely to study IT in college and 13 times more likely to work full-time in IT. A regression analysis determined the significance of certain variables like gender and school type towards predicting student decisions. The results demonstrate the value of the organization and suggest opportunities to improve its programs in the future. The INTERalliance model could be deployed in other regions to develop their IT talent pipelines.

Committee: Kijung Lee Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Chengcheng Li Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Rokey M.B.A (Committee Member) Subjects: Information Technology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2007, Mass Communication - Telecommunications (Communication)

This study analyzed the role of Multilateral Organizations in Zambia's preparation of an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy. The research used the qualitative research and secondary analysis methods to gather, analyze and discuss findings. It uses the political economy theoretical framework, emphasizing paradigmic approaches of modernization, dependency and globalization to explore the levels of influence from Multilateral Organizations. The study revealed that Multilateral Organizations, which include World Bank, World Trade Organization, Southern African Development Community and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, influenced the Zambian ICT policy process through three mechanisms: they developed protocols and guidelines which Zambia incorporated into the ICT policy; set benchmarks and targets which Zambia was obligated to implement within a specific timeframe; and utilized behavioral and resource power to extract binding commitments from the Zambian leadership involved in the policy-making process.

Committee: Don Flournoy (Advisor) Subjects: Mass Communications

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2017, EECS - Computer Engineering

In this era of technological transformation in medicine, there is need to revolutionize the approach and procedures involved in the treatment of diseases to have a restructured understanding of the role of data and technology in the medical industry. Data is a key factor in diagnosis, management, and treatment of patients in any medical institution. Proper management and usage of patient's data will go a long way in helping the society save money, time and life of the patient. Having data is one thing and providing a system or means of translating the data is another issue. This dissertation is proposing a design of a Point of Care system for the Intensive Care Unit (a.k.a ICU_POC), which is a system that integrates the capabilities of the bedside monitors, bedside eFlowsheet and the Electronic Medical Records in such a manner that the clinicians interact with one another in real time from different locations, to view, analyze, and even make necessary diagnoses on patients' ailment based on their medical records. It demonstrates how patient data from the monitors can be imported, processed, and transformed into meaningful and useful information, stored, reproduced and transferred automatically to all necessary locations securely and efficiently without any human manipulation. ICU_POC will grant physicians the remote capability in managing patients properly by providing accurate patient data, easy analysis and fast diagnosis of patient conditions. It creates an interface for physicians to query historical data and make proper assumptions based on previous medical conditions. The problem lies in managing data transfer securely between one hospital EMR database and the other for easy accessibility of data by the physicians. This work is challenged by designing a system that could provide a fast, accurate, secure and effective (FASE) diagnosis of medical conditions of the patients in the ICU. The proposed system has the potential of reducing patients' length of stay i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kenneth Loparo (Advisor); Farhad Kaffashi (Committee Member); Vira Chankong (Committee Member); Michael Degeorgia (Committee Member) Subjects: Computer Engineering; Computer Science; Engineering

Master of Science in Industrial and Human Factors Engineering (MSIHE) , Wright State University, 2017, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering

Small screen wearable devices are becoming ubiquitous in the medical field; especially in the fields of surgery and trauma care. Technological intervention that supports data transfer of sending summary of the patient vitals through the transfer of care would be of great benefit to trauma care department. This research focuses on information presentation for wearable augmented reality device to improve human decision making during transfer of care for emergency response, and to improve user experience and reduce cognitive workload. Google Glass ™ device acts as heads up display for users, in this case being medical responders in hospital trauma care. The display being a small form factor poses a challenge in presenting information and at the same time making sure that there is no cognitive overload to the user. This could potentially help medical responder in the trauma care center to prepare for treatment materials like medicine, diagnostic procedures, bringing in specialized doctors or consulting the advice of experienced doctors and calling in support staff as required. The results of this experiment can make significant contribution to design guidelines for information presentation on small form factors especially in time critical decision-making scenarios.

Committee: Subhashini Ganapathy Ph.D. (Advisor); Mary E. Fendley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary C. McCarthy M.D., F.A.C.S. (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2017, Design

An overwhelming number of people in the United States possess a below basic health literacy level. They are unable to or have difficulty gathering, processing and understanding health information and services necessary to make appropriate health decisions (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Currently, the state of communication of health information is widely diverse and in many instances, not effective to meet users' informational needs. The intent of this research was to explore through a human-centered design approach how design and digital interactive technology can contribute to health literacy – specifically, the communication of missed oral contraceptive pills information to female college students. Often, women using this type of contraception lack understanding about the medication, struggle to take it accurately and effectively, which in many cases leads to unintended pregnancies. The outcome is a proposed interaction model that focuses on direct manipulation interfaces, digital representation of physical objects (pill package and inserts) and tailored cause and effect results seeking to more effectively personalize and communicate medication information. The implementation of the model is portrayed in a prototyped product solution that was guided by research of previous studies, user needs, behaviors and goals. The prototype embodies a webpage displayed through a smartphone that was evaluated by users through an iterative design process. The results conclude that a human-centered designed digital product that sensibly employs interactive features can elevate the current state of communication and delivery of information for missed oral contraceptive pills.

Committee: R. Brian Stone (Advisor); Carolina Gill (Committee Member); Lorraine Wallace (Committee Member); Maria Palazzi (Committee Member) Subjects: Design; Health; Health Care; Health Education