1,720,990 research outputs found
Computer Clubs and the Competency Based Curriculum: An Examination of the Current State of Computer Clubs in Kenyan High Schools
No full textFULL TEXTComputer clubs are extracurricular activities established in some Kenyan High Schools
with varying objectives but primarily meant to generate interest in Information and
Communication Technologies through activities and lessons outside of regular class hours.
This work focused on establishing the current state of computer clubs in some selected high
schools in Kenya with respect to their value in the schools as well as for the purposes of
performance of students in the computer studies subject. The issues examined were the
existence of the clubs, existing guidelines and support structures for these clubs, their
perceived impact on the delivery of the curriculum, student interest and participation, as
well as the challenges they face and how they can be resolved. The study was undertaken
by means of a brief survey and a focus group discussion with computer studies teachers in
selected schools in Nakuru County. It was established that not all schools that offer
computer studies as an examinable subject have these clubs and vice versa, that these clubs
are generally appreciated and valued but not primarily as a means to better performance in
the computer studies subject, and that they do not have consistent support from key
stakeholders such as the school administration and the Ministry of Education. The study
recommends the development of a framework to guide the activities of these clubs in order
to ensure that they meet their objectives of creating interest and competencies in
Information and Communication Technology as is envisaged in the Competency Based
Curriculum.1. National Research Fund
2. Sentimental Energy Lt
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
An SMS and USSD Model for Location-Based Mobile Advertising in Microenterprises
No full textTechnological and financial limitations have hampered the effective advertisement of products
and services by microenterprises thus limiting their contribution towards national economic
growth. Recent advances in mobile technologies makes the use of location based mobile
advertising (LBMA) a viable option in addressing this challenge. However, a majority of
LBMA are developed for use on smart and feature phones with inbuilt positioning and program
execution capabilities thus leaving out a majority of microenterprises who use basic phones.
This study therefore examined the use of alternative positioning methods, namely symbolic
and network based geo-location, and device independent system access methods; SMS and
USSD, for the development of LBMA for use by microenterprises. Functional decomposition
and rapid prototyping methodologies were utilized to develop a suitable LBMA application
model and system prototype respectively. The prototype utilizing network based geo-location
proved to be successful in delivering LBMA services to microenterprises. The delivery of
LBMA services to microenterprises using network based geo-location, SMS and USSD was
therefore found to be feasible and practical. It is therefore recommended that this approach be
scaled up and commercialized whilst addressing emergent adoption issues such as cost and
security concerns occasioned by the use of user’s real time locations
Data breach challenges facing Kenyan Ecommerce
No full textFull textE-commerce in Kenya continues to grow in leaps and bounds mainly driven by increased
affordability of smartphones, greater internet penetration and affordability and the very
extensive automation of government services at the national and county government levels.
The success stories and positive impacts in the form of greater convenience, efficiency,
increased business revenues and improved revenue collections among others are well
known. However, the practice has experienced a great number of challenges most of which
have gone unreported and undocumented making it difficult for eCommerce practitioners
to learn from the challenges of their counterparts. This study sought to develop a structured
body of knowledge on the specific aspect of data breaches in the eCommerce practice in
Kenya and examined the occurrences of these breaches, their impacts and further proposes
actions for consideration by the practitioners in the sector
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Practices, Challenges and Approaches for Software Project Risk Management in Kenyan County Governments
No full textFULL TEXTIn the recent past the county governments in Kenya have embarked on an aggressive drive to
automate their processes and systems in an effort to improve service delivery to their citizens,
improve revenue collection and better management of resources. Part of these efforts have been
the initialization of software projects that have either required the development of bespoke
software or acquisition and customization of existing products from vendors. However, it has not
always been smooth sailing for these projects as they often delayed, experience cost overruns
and experience scope creep occasioned by the materialization of various risks in the projects.
This study examined the practice of risk management at the Nakuru county government ICT
department in order to establish the specific risks facing software projects at the county level, the
challenges faced in managing them and proceeds to make specific recommendations for risk
management at the county level for software projects risk management.National Research Fun
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