Maximizing Coverage, Reducing Time: A Usability Evaluation Method for Web-Based Library Systems

Usability of a Web Based Library Systems (WBLS) is a major quality attribute. Checklists have become common and easy method to evaluate the usability of these WBLS; however the available checklists support evaluation of general usability aspects of WBLS only. The domain specific usability aspects are required to maximize the usability for such systems. This research proposes and validates a checklist based usability evaluation method that supports the evaluation of general as well as specific usability aspects of WBLS. The usability evaluation checklist is proposed based on analysis of literature and data of a controlled experiment. The checklist is validated in comparison to the “Academic Library Website Evaluation Checklist” via another controlled experiment. The proposed checklist is applied to the WBLS of universities in Pakistan. The manual and statistical result shows that, the proposed usability evaluation checklist identifies more general and specific usability aspects. It is found that both the checklists are equally efficient while identifying the usability errors. The proposed checklist is beneficial for the academia as well as industry to evaluate the usability of WBLS to an optimal level.

Are we making a difference? Outreach evaluation in practice

Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D., brought with him when he joined NLM an inquisitive mind, tech savvy, and new ideas. He was an early advocate of both outreach and evaluation innovation at NLM. Dr. Lindberg initiated and supported multiple pilot test and implementation projects to strengthen NLM’s health information outreach to healthcare providers, research scientists, health science and hospital librarians, and the general public, including minority and underserved populations. He helped steer NLM’s transition to the Internet, and NLM’s development of a robust framework for evaluating Internet and Web-based health information dissemination and outreach to its many audiences. Dr. Lindberg’s leadership led to numerous landmark accomplishments, including the capacity-building “Measuring the Difference” outreach evaluation Guide, and a multi-dimensional approach to Internet and website evaluation that placed NLM at the forefront of federal agencies using these new and emerging technologies to support their missions.

Positive Choices: Evaluation of a national initiative to disseminate evidence-based alcohol and other drug prevention strategies (Preprint)

BACKGROUND To prevent adolescents from initiating alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, and reduce associated harms, effective strategies need to be implemented. Despite their availability, effective school-based programs and evidence informed parental guidelines are not consistently implemented. The Positive Choices drug prevention initiative and website was launched to address this research and practice gap. The intended end users were school staff, parents, and school students. An 8-month post-launch evaluation of the website showed that end users generally had positive feedback on the website’s usability, and following its use the majority would consider the evidence-base and effectiveness of drug education resources. The current study extends this initial evaluation by examining the effectiveness and impact of the Positive Choices initiative over a three-year period. OBJECTIVE Guided by the five dimensions of the RE-AIM framework i.e., reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance, the study assesses the impact and effectiveness of the Positive Choices initiative in increasing awareness and implementation of evidence-based drug prevention. METHODS Data was collected between 2017 and 2019 using online website evaluation and community awareness surveys. Data from the surveys was merged to examine reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance, via descriptive statistics. Google Analytics was used to further understand the reach of the website. The System Usability Scale was used to measure website usability. Additionally, inductive analysis was employed to assess participants’ feedback about Positive Choices. RESULTS Five years post-launch, the Positive Choices website has reached >2 million users. A national Australian campaign increased awareness from 8% to 14% post campaign among school staff, and from 15% to 22% among parents. Following a brief interaction with the website the majority of participants, who were not already following recommended strategies, reported an intention to shift towards evidence-based practices. The System Usability Scale score for the website was ‘good’, for both user groups. The participants intended to maintain their use of the Positive Choices website in the future. Both user groups reported a high level of confidence in communicating about AOD related topics. Participants’ suggestions for improvement informed a recent website update. CONCLUSIONS The Positive Choices website has the capacity to be an effective strategy for disseminating evidence-based drug prevention information and resources widely. The findings highlight the importance of investing in ongoing maintenance of, and promotion to enhance awareness of health websites. With the increased use and acceptability of health education websites, teams should ensure that websites are easy to navigate, engaging, use simple language, contain evidence-informed resources, and are supported by ongoing promotional activities.

RANKING ALTERNATIVES USING PIPRECIA METHOD: A CASE OF HOTELS’ WEBSITE EVALUATION

The article presents the application of the PIvot Pairwise RElative Criteria Importance Assessment (PIRECIA) method for ranking alternatives. The PIPRECIA method is primarily intended for determining the significance (weight) of criteria, but it can also be used for completely solving decision-making problems. So far, this method has not been used for completely solving multiple criteria decision-making problems, which is why this article presents the application of the PIPRECIA method for the evaluation and ranking alternatives. The process of evaluating alternatives using the PIPRECIA method is shown on an example of evaluating the websites of some hotels located in Southern and Eastern Serbia.

Fake News and the “Wild Wide Web”: A Study of Elementary Students’ Reliability Reasoning

Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Some features of internet text differ from that of traditional print, contributing to the challenges of discerning “fake news.” Readers must understand how to navigate online texts to conduct research effectively, while applying critical thinking to determine the reliability of online information. Descriptive data from an ongoing study revealed that children in grades 1–5 lack some basic understanding of how to search the “wild wide web.” Just as children benefit from explicit instruction related to text features, children benefit from instruction related to the features of the internet. This article presents a study of website evaluation that occurs early in the search process prior to the selection of a particular website or article. The application of the web literacy skills required to conduct an internet search is addressed, and recommendations prompt teachers to consider searches beyond the “walled garden,” as well as ways to handle the “messiness” of internet exploration.

Comparison of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Models: Analyzing the Steps in the Domain of Websites’ Evaluation

Websites of environmental content constitute an important tool for promoting environmental information, affect environmental attitudes and promote protected areas as touristic destinations. However, these websites have to be evaluated to ensure that they reach their final goal. The use of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) models in website evaluation is relatively new and not many models have been tested for this purpose. Comparisons of such models have been implemented in various domains but not for the purposes of environmental website evaluation. The main objective of this paper is on presenting the procedure of comparison of MCDM models spherical by providing in detail the steps that have to be followed. This process was implemented for website evaluation and investigated the comparative performance of the TOPSIS and VIKOR models. This comparison process involves reliability analysis of the questionnaire and the sample of decision makers, pairwise comparisons of the models by calculating the Pearson correlation coefficient and estimation of the Cohen’s Kappa for testing the inter-rater comparability, using the models as raters. Furthermore, a sensitivity and robustness analysis of those models is implemented, which also has not been implemented before in the application of those models in website evaluation. The tests implemented and presented in this paper reveal that the reasonable disagreement that was often observed among the methods did not affect their reliability. As a result, MCDM models proved very effective for evaluating websites of environmental content.

Can Medical Students Evaluate Medical Websites?

Objectives: Medical students and practitioners need to evaluate medical information found on the Internet. Most current medical students are familiar with the Internet, but their ability to evaluate material may require additional skills. We aimed to discover the extent to which medical students can evaluate medical websites, criteria used, factors affecting their abilities, and whether a teaching intervention could rectify problems. Methods: A class of 181 undergraduate medical students evaluated an unreliable medically-related website, received a teaching intervention on web site evaluation criteria, and re-evaluated the same site. Results: A total of 149 (82.3%) students participated. Students spent a mean of 4.69 hours per day on the Internet; there were no significant correlations between demographic indicators and Internet time. On Likert Scales of 1-10, students’ scores ranged from 5-6, with no significant differences between the pre- and post- evaluations, except increased polarisation away from the mean. Qualitative comments indicated an awareness of relevant criteria, but an overall inability to critically apply them. Conclusion: The results indicate that one cannot make a blanket statement about medical students’ ability to evaluate medical websites, in spite of technological familiarity. The indications are that website evaluation should be viewed primarily from the information perspective, and that critical thinking ability may play a major role. Because of these overriding factors, short interventions are unlikely to have an impact, and other educational strategies should be developed. These are necessary to ensure that medical students can function independently as life-long learners and medical professionals. Keywords: Internet; Students, Medical; Oman.

Efektivitas Sosialisasi Lapak Desa terhadap Pemasaran Online (E-Commerce) Berbasis Syariah

Socialization of activities is carried out by visiting the community or business owners directly and providing information related to this village website. Evaluation of activities, visiting the community and digging up information about community knowledge in conducting information and education must be continuously conveyed to the community, and supervision must also be carried out so that the community is educated and has the ability to operate technology. In fact, digital marketing launched by Tiyuh Pulung Kencana has a large commercial impact on business if it is implemented through various targeted assistance and socialization. In addition, essentially in Islam the muamalah system is based on permissibility/permissibility. However, the low willingness and understanding of the SME group in the use of information technology as a means to market their products is one of the obstacles faced when carrying out this socialization.

Efektivitas Sosialisasi Lapak Desa terhadap Pemasaran Online (E-Commerce) Berbasis Syariah

Socialization of activities is carried out by visiting the community or business owners directly and providing information related to this village website. Evaluation of activities, visiting the community and digging up information about community knowledge in conducting information and education must be continuously conveyed to the community, and supervision must also be carried out so that the community is educated and has the ability to operate technology. In fact, digital marketing launched by Tiyuh Pulung Kencana has a large commercial impact on business if it is implemented through various targeted assistance and socialization. In addition, essentially in Islam the muamalah system is based on permissibility/permissibility. However, the low willingness and understanding of the SME group in the use of information technology as a means to market their products is one of the obstacles faced when carrying out this socialization.