Search results

To apply the concept of ill‐structured problems and learner expertise to the reference consultation.

Research literature from the 1960s forward regarding ill‐structured problems and learner expertise in a variety of disciplines was surveyed. Resulting characteristics of expert problem‐solvers were used to suggest applications to the reference consultation.

Librarians can structure the reference consultation to better meet students' needs as information problem solvers.

The method described appears to have sound basis in research into cognitive development and reflective thinking, but it has not been empirically demonstrated in the reference environment. Empirical research with reference librarians and students would be a logical next step.

Research into ill‐structured problems and learner expertise is ongoing in information retrieval systems. It has not been applied to the reference consultation.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a set of generic prompting principles and a framework of prompts that have the potential to foster learning and skill acquisition among adult novices when performing complex, ill-structured problems.

Relevant research in the literatures surrounding problem structure, sensemaking, expertise, metacognition, scaffolding, and cognitive load were reviewed and synthesised in order to derive generic prompting principles and guidelines for their implementation.

A framework of generic principles and prompts is proposed. Differentiation between prompts supporting cognition either within, or after an ill-structured problem-solving task was supported.

Prompts such as those proposed in the framework developed presently can be designed into technology-enhanced learning environments in order to structure and guide the cognitive processes of novices. In addition, prompts can be combined with other learning support technologies (e.g. research diaries, collaborative discourse) in order to support learning. Empirical testing will be required to quantify the potential benefits (and limitations of) the proposed prompting framework.

The prompts developed constitute a framework for structuring and guiding learning efforts in domains where explicit, actionable feedback is often unavailable. The proposed framework offers a method of tailoring the scaffolding of prompts in order to support differing levels of problem structure and may serve as the basis for establishing an internalised and adaptive learning approach that can be transferred to new problems or contexts.

Many organizational problems are poorly defined, emotionally laden, and ambiguous. These types of problems rarely have one right answer and the criteria for evaluating the appropriateness of solutions is likely to be context dependent. Further, although cognitive skills are important to effective problem solving, the nature of these problems may also require emotional skills as well. This chapter presents a study which set out to determine whether emotional intelligence as an ability contributes above and beyond cognitive intelligence to the quantity, flexibility, and quality of solutions generated to ill-structured problems. Although support was not found for the notion that emotional intelligence explains the indices of solution generation beyond that of cognitive intelligence, the findings did show that emotional intelligence was a significant predictor of one of the solution metrics, namely the average resolving power of solutions across the two problems. The findings demonstrate that emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence are separate constructs and suggest that caution be used in proposing the pervasive effects of emotional intelligence. In particular, the results of this study suggest that emotional intelligence may not equally influence all activities, highlighting the need to investigate which steps of the problem-solving process it does indeed impact.

The purpose of this paper is to examine when auditors' decision behavior is rigid and adaptive in the going‐concern judgment. Because rigid behavior has been found to produce inappropriate outcomes, understanding when decision behavior is rigid or adaptive can lead to improved decision making.

An experiment is conducted using cases based on real companies to produce information search traces as dependent measures that are studied in the ill‐structured and structured parts of the going‐concern task.

Auditors are adaptive in ill‐structured tasks and rigid in structured tasks as predicted by theory. Evidence of flawed decision making commonly found in studies of fixation and related concepts was not found.

The findings suggest the importance of explicitly accounting for task structure when studying decision behavior in situated contexts. Future research could assess whether task structure similarly impacts behavior in non‐auditing contexts.

Researchers and practitioners have long been concerned about inappropriate rigid behavior. This paper helps practitioners better understand when rigid or adaptive behavior is likely to occur to improve decision making.

Taking a novel approach to reconcile two well established but conflicting bodies of literature by focusing on “when” not “whether” people are rigid or adaptive, this paper resolves a long‐standing paradox. The implication for the literature is that reframing the question and directly measuring behavior demonstrates that individuals are neither rigid nor adaptive, but can be both as they follow behavior that is consistent with the demands of the task when the demands are defined in terms of task structure.

An important question facing business scholars is whether and how organizations may best adapt their investments, resource profiles, and strategies to the demands of their particular environments. While a broad literature describes organizational design principles that may assist in this regard, more recent work builds on Kauffman's (1993) NK model of biological evolution to explore how selection mechanisms and adaptive principles promote firms' exploitation and exploration efforts. This research stream has made contributions regarding the importance and efficacy of various internal adaptive factors in particular environmental settings. For instance, Levinthal (1997) shows that, despite extensive adaptation efforts, the influence of imprinting persists in complex environments with many local peaks. Rivkin (2000) demonstrates that NK complexity degrades the efficacy of search, compelling imitators to rely on search heuristics rather than adaptation via local learning. Rivkin and Siggelkow (2003) explore the tradeoffs between exploration and stability, and describe how particular organizational attributes, such as vertical hierarchy and group- or firm-level incentive systems, influence the flow of information throughout the organization. These as well as other contributions have added precision to the conceptualization of environments and sharpened understanding of organization by describing precisely how interdependencies across investment choices and/or resource profiles affect adaptation efforts.

It is argued that problem‐based learning (PBL) is a valuable approach to teaching operations management, as it allows learners to apply their knowledge and skills in an environment that is close to real‐life. In fact, many simulations currently exist in the teaching of operations management. However, these simulations lack a connection to real‐life, as they are typically turn‐based and do not use real‐life IT support. The current paper seeks to address this issue by presenting an innovative pedagogical approach designed to provide learners with an authentic problem‐solving experience in operations management within an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

The paper proposes a simulation game called ERPsim whereby students must operate an enterprise in a simulated economic environment using in real time a real‐life ERP system, namely SAP. Based on a survey with instructors, it assesses the extent to which this proposed simulation is aligned with the five characteristics of the PBL approach.

Survey respondents confirm that significant improvements in student evaluations, learner motivation, attendance, and engagement, as well as increased learner competence with the technology can be achieved by using the proposed approach.

For more than five years this pedagogical approach has been used by more than 250 professors, lecturers, and professional trainers in over 160 universities worldwide. Between September 2009 and June 2011, more than 3,000 simulations games were played by over 16,000 university student teams.

Results and observations on using the proposed pedagogical approach are presented and compared to the main characteristics of the PBL approach (authenticity, ill structured problems, student‐centered, small group settings and facilitator dimensions).

This study aims at determining the factors that favor a systematic approach to deal with complex operational and strategic problems. Management literature on problem-solving makes a clear distinction between either fixing a problem temporarily by eliminating its symptoms or solving it by diagnosing and altering underlying causes. Adopting a cognitive perspective of the dual-processing theory, this study labels these two approaches intuitive problem-solving and systematic problem-solving (SPS). While the superior effectiveness of SPS in fostering organizational learning is widely documented, existing literature fails to provide an overview of the conditions that support the adoption of SPS.

This paper presents a systematic literature review to shed light on the main supporting factors of SPS in operational as well as strategic domains.

Seven supporting factors of SPS (namely, nature of the problem, time availability, information availability, collaborative culture, transformational leadership, organizational learning infrastructure and environmental dynamism) are first identified and then discussed in an integrative model.

This work is an original attempt to inclusively address organizational, environmental and problem nature-related factors that favor SPS adoption. By determining the SPS supporting factors, this study highlights why many organizations fail or struggle to implement and sustain SPS over time.

Structuring the outline for an architectural design studio experience has a significant role in students’ meaningful design experiences. Meaningful experience is related with students’ receptivity and idea generation for the ill-structured problems of architectural design. This identification influences the study, which investigates the application of a model for structuring the design studio experience, organized to occur in two phases; problem reception and problem solving. The model employs a combination of two different techniques with a special focus on reflexivity. It completes the extensions level required for the ICE Approach with the C-Sketch ideation technique by employing their adapted versions for architectural design studio practice. The common features of these techniques are their adaptability to any problem, explication centered and process oriented natures, focus on effective brainstorming and suitability on design teamwork studies. There is a remarkable potential to correlate the results of the two techniques.

The model was processed within a vertical design studio at Gazi University, Department of Architecture. It enabled getting use of diverse backgrounds within a design team by structuring the collective design process and optimizing the contribution rates of the team members. The method was employed to guide the design study of the experimental group of two teams with ten members in total. The control group was the randomly selected two teams from other teams that did not apply the model, with eleven members in total. The members of the two groups were applied a semi-structured questionnaire at the end of the semester, with a special focus on the internal consistency within the answers of the members of a single team. The results of the qualitative study indicated that the explication based structuring of the design studio experience has had a positive impact on achieving consistency and coherency in the design processes of the experimental groups.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of question prompts on student learning in relation to their learning styles. The context of the study is technology‐enhanced learning in an ill‐structured domain.

The study conditions were the same for all the students in the four learning style groups. Student learning style was the independent variable, while students' attitudes and task performance were the dependent variables of the study. Pre‐test treatment post‐test method was used. Students studied in a web‐based learning environment during treatment.

The integration of question prompts as student supporting tool in technology‐enhanced learning environments might not improve learning for all students alike independent of their learning styles.

Small uneven groups because the researcher has no control over the student distribution across the different learning style profiles.

The suggestion for designers is to consider combining prompting with other scaffolding methods, in order to effectively support all students independent of their learning styles.

The paper combines learning in ill‐structured domains through cases and a scaffolding method based on question prompts focusing on contextual elements. The results of the study inform the designers of TELEs that although prompting can be generally helpful, parameters such as the students' learning style are able to limit the cognitive benefit emerging from the prompting intervention.

This chapter discusses two instructional designs that sought to leverage the multiuser virtual environment Second Life to support learning and instruction with both undergraduate and graduate students at two different universities. We examine each of these curricular developments in depth and provide findings from research conducted with each. Using data collected from students and faculty, we describe 11 research-based virtual world design principles that emerged from each experience that include such suggestions as Create opportunities for sustaining virtual community beyond a task and Expect your learners to go off-task. These principles may be used by readers to guide future designs that use virtual worlds to support learning.