Ethics in eLearning

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In the United States, online education or eLearning is the fastest growing sector of the higher education. But ethical dilemmas are faced by online educational programs on the quality of the learning outcomes. Both the eLearning consumer and provider are faced with a host of moral challenges.

In a study for the American Council on Education, described early patterns of inappropriate behavior in eLearning. Some academic fraud categories were identified in the eLearning environment. For example: Improper use of academic resources, misuse of sources on paper and projects, writing assistance and  other inappropriate tutoring, disrespecting the work of others, lack of adherence to copyright and copy protection, inappropriate assistance on examinations, and lack of adherence to academic regulations. These categories of academic fraud in the eLearning setting would be equivalent to cheating in academics. What leads to academic fraud in eLearning is also comparable to the incentive for cheating in the on campus setting: pressure for grades, and lack of knowledge on the academic regulations.

Academic providers or eTeachers also face the important moral challenge of maintaining the quality of educational process. The provider must be considerate to new ways of transmitting information and assuring reliable communication, because simply publishing the academic catalog on a website may just not be enough. In this process of communicating, the provider must assure that it is the actual eLearner who is in the communication and that no fraud is being committed.

It has to be recognized that the basic purpose of eLearning is a moral good. No one can’t argue that is not a moral good to make education available to those who have been deprived from it because of many circumstances. However there are ethical vulnerabilities and risks that must be addressed in the process.

Sources:

http://www.elearningap.com/eLAP2006/Proceeding/p7.1-6-fin-51-keynote-Kuldeep%20Nagi.pdf

How to get America Online

Alongside the National Broadband Plan, there are other ideas going around on how to bring better internet across the country. In January, President Obama stated that during his second term there needed to be changes to make America more competitive through its use of the internet. He stated that we need to work together to “build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores” 

The problem with his statement is that the love of capitalism is quite prevalent and no one in a position of power wants to do anything about it. There are a few key points that would begin to allow more businesses and ideas into these markets.


1. The federal government must remove barriers to investment in local fiber networks.
There are many places within the country that want to begin work on their own high-speed networks. Cities need to be given the right to develop their own systems so they can be competitive on their own and not have to rely on companies with the highest market share.
2. The F.C.C. must make reasonably priced high-speed access available to everyone. 
Giving money set aside to promote expansion should not be given to the communication powerhouses. They should be given to the smaller companies that are trying to come up and compete where the big companies are not occupying yet. When the F.C.C. is distributing their Connect America fund to promote growth, it should be given to the small businesses that are actually looking for ways to connect everyone faster and cheaper, unlike the larger businesses, who are not fit to provide services to everyone that subscribe to them.
3. The F.C.C. must foster more competition by changing the rules that keep the status quo in place.
There are currently many rules in communication regulation that give the advantage to the incumbents and keep away all the smaller businesses that are trying to be the upcoming star in the world of communication. If the regulations for the market were taken down, it could release a wave of new innovations from competition. This would bring the country to a much higher level of communication, meaning cheaper, faster, and more reliable services than what is currently in place.




http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/24/opinion/how-to-get-high-speed-internet-to-all-americans.html

Government-to-Citizen Interaction: Changing the way we communicate

The government's interaction with citizens is increasingly utilizing technology and the Internet.    Many citizens have already gotten to experience this type of communication  - through receiving anything from traffic updates to information of school closings.  According to an article in 'Government Technology', the CEO of the public sector alert notifications company, GovDelivery, has goals in place to help improve the relay of information to citizens.  Some of these include:  updating email contact lists and trying to reduce redundancy,  using multiple channels to deliver the information (email, texts to mobile devices, social media), and using online communities to help with group coordination.
Another interesting and unique way that some local governments are involving citizens is through video games!  One example of this is a local government in Manor, Texas who is using a video game to encourage citizens' to submit suggestions for improvement of government services.  The people in this town are rewarded with points to use at an 'online store'.  Using games as a way to reach people and get their input on issues locally or nationally could be very effective for the government as it works to improve communities and listen to citizens' ideas and concerns.
The future for the communication between government and citizens is potentially enormous!  With so many people having access to a mobile device at all times, the government can send information in 'real-time' and help make information readily available at any point in time.  The government must effectively use its' investments in technology and IT employees to ensure that its' ideas don't become obsolete by the time they are put into practice.
What do you think about the changing face of communication between citizens and the government?  Have you ever heard of games and incentives being used to encourage citizen participation and do you think this can be effective?

http://media2.govtech.com/images/shutterstock_citizen_engagement_online.jpg

http://www.govtech.com/e-government/How-to-Improve-Government-to-Citizen-Communication.html
http://www.govtech.com/e-government/Column-Using-Video-Games-to-Engage-Citizens.html

Electronic Medical Records

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Nowadays you will find many hospitals, health professionals, and pharmacists using electronic devices to record patient’s data. But some disadvantages have been found from using electronic medical records.

One disadvantage is the cost of implementing these projects. Highly expensive equipment has to be bought to record patient’s data, which is more expensive than using paper and filing cabinets. This process also involves the time used to convert all paper charts to electronic forms. Converting to electronic record also involves additional costs from paying people to be trained to use these software’s and trainers teaching the practitioners.

Most people creating medical records are nurses and sometimes doctors, who most of the times are not familiar with technology. Trying to work with unfamiliar equipment takes away the attention and time that could be given to the patient. Also medical care can sometimes be delayed if technology is not reliable.

There are many different electronic medical record systems used by each group, which makes it difficult to transfer data from a primary care physician to a hospital or vice versa from hospital to the physician. Only when the same system is used by both groups, streamlining data could be accomplished properly.

One last disadvantage is the security of the medical records. Hackers may be able to gain access to confidential information and release it to others. This brings concerns to people on relying on technology to safely store their medical records. Would you feel comfortable using technology for medical purposes or you rather have your information shared the old way with pen and paper?

Sources:

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-are-the-disadvantages-of-electronic-medical-records.htm

E-stonia leads way with e-government

Estonia is a state located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe and Saskatchewan is a province in Canada. Both are similar in population size as well as both are economically strong despite the recession that Europe is experiencing and the fact that the US is still in recovery. The difference is that Estonia has implemented measures to maintain long term prosperity most notable through the use of e-government. Estonia is the birthplace of companies like Skype, PayPal and Kazza. The country's three main features of the e-government is the use of a network that connects more than 100 municipal and national databases so that users do not have to repeatedly provide the same information. Estonia uses country-wide electronic ID which enables easy access to all e-services and enables citizens and businesses to access hundreds of e-services from one website.

Estonia holds world records in the speed in which someone can establish a business or file taxes. The country has connect their health care system and education system to create better efficiency and reduce cost. Estonia is a great example of how e-government can lead to an effective communication between the government, its citizen, and business. Many countries that have an e-government in place face problems like small number of e-services and their minimal integration of the information collect from citizens. Through the use of effectively integrated E-government, countries such as Saskatchewan to maximize the use of resources which will help their economy grow and become successful in the world market.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/E-stonia-leads-way-with-e-government-199919991.html

From eGovernment to mGovernment

https://www.itu.int/ITU-D/cyb/images/m-government1.png

Connecting with its people is important for the government. The government has benefited from the Internet to connect with their citizens, businesses, and employees through the process of eGovernment. Although eGovernment allows the government to connect with many people, the government is constantly looking for ways to connect with even more people. The government saw an increasing trend in Internet use through mobile phones and wireless technologies. Thus, mobile government (mGovernment) was created.

Mobile Government can be defined "as a strategy and its implementation involving the utilization of all kinds of wireless and mobile technology, services, applications and devices for improving benefits to the parties involved in eGovernment including citizens, businesses and all government units" (Kushchu and Kuscu, 2003) Some of the early adopters of mGovernment services include law enforcement, fire fighting, emergency medical services, education, health and transportation. For example, mobile technologies are used to support the activities of state officials that are on the move. These officials can communicate among each other and access various information sources through the wireless network. Mobile technologies also help fire fighters to know more about critical data related to a fire incident before arriving.

Adopting mGovernment services has many benefits both for the government and to the people using these services. Some of these benefits include cost reduction, efficiency, transformation of public sector organizations, added convenience and flexibility, better services to citizens, and the ability to reach a larger number of people through mobile devices than would be possible using wired internet only. As with anything that has many benefits, there are also challenges to mGovernment. Some of these challenges include: wireless and mobile networks and related infrastructure, as well as software must be developed, to increase citizen participation and provide citizen-oriented services, governments need to offer easy access to mGovernment information in alternative forms, mobile phone numbers and mobile devices are relatively easily hacked and wireless networks are vulnerable because they use public airwaves to send signals, and many countries have not yet adopted legislation for data and information practices that spell out the rights of citizens and the responsibilities of the data holders (government). Government wants to connect with every citizen and business in their respective nation. eGovernment services already allow the government to connect with many people but the future of eGovernment will involve mobile phones and wireless technologies, which is known as mGovernment.

Sources:

http://topics.developmentgateway.org/egovernment/rc/filedownload.do~itemId=396584

Cybersecurity Issues on the Rise

Cybersecurity is a huge concern for the developing e-government in the US.  The estimated budget for information security in 2013 is between 3 and 4 billion dollars.  However, it seems that many industries in the private sector aren't as concerned about the cyber threat, as they are financial crimes.  More of their time and money is being spent on protecting actual infrastructures and trying to hinder a criminal from actually breaking into a bank or other building.  Private sectors argue that they need more information on cyber threats and the steps that need to be taken to protect information online.  George Wilshushen, who is the director of information securities at the Government Accountability Office said that, 'there often are competing demands for cybersecurity investments' for the private sector.   President Obama is attempting to address these problems through the his Cyberspace Policy Review.  This is expanding on George Bush's 'Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative'.  Details of the initiative have been released by the government to the public to increase their knowledge and encourage transparency.  Obama has focused on enhanced information sharing in his Policy Review.  Another key component of the initiative is the focus on Cyber Education.  Even with all of the tools and the money in the world to combat cybersecurity, the government still needs people who can implement the new strategies and technologies.  Another new strategy will be the focus on developing deterrence strategies.  These include creating warning signals and accurately describing roles of the private sector.  Another initiative they are taking is to deploy an intrusion detection system of sensors across the federal enterprise.  What are your thoughts on cybersecurity and the billions of dollars that are being invested into it?  Do you think the government needs to change their approach, or continue with what they are doing?




http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2012/August/PublishingImages/cyber_crime_082012_revised2.jpg

Sources: http://www.whitehouse.gov/cybersecurity/comprehensive-national-cybersecurity-initiative
http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/archive/2012/August/Pages/CybersecurityLegislationSolutionorDistraction.aspx