University of Wollongong Thesis Collections

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection

University of Wollongong Year 

Campus portals : a framework for

development accommodating end-users’
online activities
Tharitpong Fuangvut
University of Wollongong

Fuangvut, Tharitpong, Campus portals : a framework for development accommodating

end-users’ online activities, PhD thesis, School of Economics and Information Systems,
University of Wollongong, 2005. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/431

This paper is posted at Research Online.

 Campus Portals:
a Framework for Development
Accommodating End-users’ Online Activities

A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of the degree of

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

from

THE UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG

by

THARITPONG FUANGVUT
B.BA (Business Computer),
M.Com (Business Information Systems)

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

2005
CERTIFICATION

I, Tharitpong Fuangvut, declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in Information Systems
Discipline, School of Economics and Information Systems, University of Wollongong,
is wholly my own work unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document
has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution.

Tharitpong Fuangvut

30 August 2005

II
ABSTRACT

A Campus Portal is an exciting recent phenomenon forming part of the new generation
of online services for all stakeholders in institutions of higher education. Conceptually
the general notion of a Portal should be to be distinguished from that of other Web-
based applications and the traditional Intranet of the institution. The literature review in
Phase One of this research indicates that the major distinguishing characteristics of a
Campus Portal are: (i) personalisation, by which end-users are only able to access
information and online services pertinent to their activities, and (ii) customisation, by
which end-users are able to select their preferred information channels and optional
online services.

The major objective of this research is to propose a development methodology

specifically suitable for Campus Portal projects. While there are many accepted
development methodologies for traditional and Web-based Information Systems, no
clear body of knowledge on the development of Campus Portals has yet been
recognised. Additionally, as this is a new area, the definitions, terms, concepts and
important issues agreed to by academic researchers and practitioners, are still evolving.
This research, therefore, needs to clarify and identify some important issues regarding
Campus Portals and their development, prior to composing the development
methodology. In the second and third phases of the research, two studies were carried
out, a preliminary study and a case study. These generated more understanding of the
issues and extended the body of knowledge on Campus Portals, especially concerning
their development.

The preliminary study explored and investigated the online services and Campus
Portals of 40 higher education institutions’ sites in Australia, New Zealand, the USA,
the UK and Canada. The findings of the preliminary study show that there are no
standard patterns in the function of personalisation and customisation in Campus
Portals. A set of research questions were then put forward to drive further investigation
into design and implementation issues regarding the personalisation and customisation
functions of Campus Portals.

III
The case study was conducted in an Australian university among the major stakeholder
groups, namely, the development team and the end-users (students and academic staff).
For the study of the development team, interviews were used to gather information on
their current practices and their vision for the future direction of the Campus Portal.
Students were the primary focus of the end-user study, from whom data was collected
using a survey to build up usage patterns of their online activities. In addition, a group
of academic staff were interviewed to obtain data from their perspective to identify and
clarify some important issues. The results and findings in this phase of the research
contribution to the body of knowledge on Campus Portals and their development.

In the final phase of the research, the review of existing development methodologies
was continued filtering them through a set of identified criteria based on the findings of
the two studies. Finally, the most appropriate development methodology was selected
and modified in order to support the requirements identified in this research as critical
for the development of a Campus Portal. The result was proposed as a Campus Portal
Development Methodology (CPDM) fulfilling the main objective of the research.

IV
PUBLICATION FROM THE RESEARCH

1. Fuangvut, T. and Hasan, H. (2005) 'Accommodating Inter-generational

Stakeholders in a Campus Portal', European and Mediterranean Conference on
Information Systems (EMCIS2005), Cairo, Egypt, June 7-8, 2005.

2. Fuangvut, T. and Hasan, H. (2005) 'A Campus Portal Development

Methodology to match Stakeholder Activity', ACIS2005, Sydney, Australia,
November 30 - December 2, 2005.

3. Fuangvut, T. and Hasan, H. (2006) 'A Framework for Development Campus

Portal Accommodating End-users’ Online Activities', Encyclopaedia of Portal
Technology and Applications, Idea Group Inc (Proposal Accepted -
Forthcoming)

V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis has been made possible by the generous contributions from both people and
groups whom I wish to acknowledge and for whose assistance I am indebted. Without
their supports, this thesis will never be completed.

First and foremost, I am totally indebted to my supervisor, Associate Professor Helen

Hasan, who has been very supportive at every stage of this thesis throughout my study.
I would express my deepest appreciation and gratitude on her kindness, invaluable
guidance and supportive that has made me feel more confident during the PhD program
period. I dedicate my PhD thesis to you.

I would also sincerely thank to Professor Joan Pierson, a visiting Professor on the
Information Systems discipline at the University of Wollongong, for advice on the
questionnaire design which was provided me with an extremely useful feedback.
Additionally, I would express my appreciation and thank to Professor Graham Winley,
former Head of Department of Information Systems, for his initial guidance on my PhD
topic when I was in Thailand.

Importantly, I wish to express my appreciation and gratitude to the Dhurakij Pundit

University (DPU) in Thailand, especially the DPU scholarship committee, for a
graceful supporting on the full scholarship throughout the years of the study.

I would also sincerely thank to Professor Boonserm Weesakul, the former president of
the DPU, and Associate Professor Varakorn Samakoses, the president of the DPU for
their kindly supportive on my studying. Additionally, I would like to thank Associate
Professor Tatree Nonthasak, the Director of the International Networking Division of
the DPU, and his team for their supportive during my study in Australia. I would also
thank to Associate Professor Nucharee Premchaisawat, the Dean of the Faculty of
Information Technology, for her guidance and supportive on my study.

Most importantly, my family, I would like to thank my wife, Palita, and my son, Salute,
who supported me throughout the thesis and whose always love, patience, and
confident in me. Additionally, I would deeply express gratitude to my parents,
Suwannapoom and Sumalee, who provided a fully supportive and taking care since the

VI
first day of my life. I would also express my appreciation and thank to my parents in
law, Prakit and Punnee Kongsak, who always trusted in me since we have met. Also, I
would like to thank my brother, Kornkit, and my sister in law, Achiraya Kongsak, who
always kindly taking care of me.

Unforgettably, I would like thank to Grant, Sharon and Jared Stuart, and also Margaret
and Victor Ossington for their thoughtfulness and friendship. I will always remember
all of you.

Finally, I would like to thank all the participants who kindly took part in this research
for their valuable time, cooperation and assistance.

VII
TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................II

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................ III

PUBLICATION FROM THE RESEARCH ..........................................................................................V

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................... VI

TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................................... VIII

LIST OF TABLES............................................................................................................................ XVIII

LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................. XXI

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1

1.1 BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH PROBLEMS ........................................................................................1

1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES AND QUESTIONS ..........................................................................................4

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH ......................................................................................................6

1.4 THE RESEARCH APPROACH AND DESIGN ...........................................................................................7

1.4.1 The Nature of Information Systems and System Development Research ..................................7

1.4.2 Research Approach, Paradigms and Methods ..........................................................................9

1.4.3 Research Procedures ..............................................................................................................12

1.4.3.1 Phase One: Literature Review......................................................................................................... 13

1.4.3.2 Phase Two: Preliminary Study ........................................................................................................ 16

1.4.3.3 Phase Three: the Case Study ........................................................................................................... 16

1.4.3.4 Phase Four: the Composition of the Development Methodology for the Campus Portal ................ 17

1.5 ORGANISATION OF THIS THESIS .......................................................................................................18

CHAPTER 2 ALL ABOUT PORTALS ................................................................................................22

2.1 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................22

2.2 BACKGROUND OF THE PORTAL CONCEPT ........................................................................................23

2.3 PORTAL TERMINOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATIONS ..............................................................................23

2.3.1 Perspectives on the Portal Environment.................................................................................26

2.3.1.1 Public Portals .................................................................................................................................. 26

2.3.1.2 Private Portals ................................................................................................................................. 27

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 2.3.2 Perspective on Data Management ..........................................................................................28

2.3.3 Perspective on Market Segments ............................................................................................29

2.3.3.1 Information Portals.......................................................................................................................... 30

2.3.3.2 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Portals................................................................................... 30

2.3.3.3 Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce) Portals ................................................................................. 30

2.3.3.4 Employee Portals ............................................................................................................................ 30

2.3.3.5 Corporate Interest Portals................................................................................................................ 31

2.3.3.6 Internet Hosting Portals................................................................................................................... 31

2.3.3.7 Collaborative Portals....................................................................................................................... 31

2.3.3.8 Expertise Portals.............................................................................................................................. 31

2.3.3.9 Knowledge Portals .......................................................................................................................... 32

2.3.4 Perspective of Intended Users.................................................................................................32

2.3.5 Perspective on Information Seeking........................................................................................32

2.3.5.1 Horizontal Enterprise Portals .......................................................................................................... 32

2.3.5.2 Vertical Enterprise Portals............................................................................................................... 33

2.4 THE POSITION OF CAMPUS PORTALS ...............................................................................................33

2.5 THE DEFINITION OF A CAMPUS PORTAL ..........................................................................................35

2.6 CHARACTERISTICS AND FUNCTIONALITIES OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL ..............................................35

2.6.1 Personalisation .......................................................................................................................36

2.6.2 Customisation .........................................................................................................................36

2.6.3 User and Role Centric.............................................................................................................37

2.6.4 Balance of Pull and Push Information....................................................................................37

2.6.5 Easy to Use .............................................................................................................................38

2.6.6 Categorisation.........................................................................................................................38

2.6.7 Single Point Authentication and Access..................................................................................38

2.6.8 Powerful and Unified Search Engine......................................................................................38

2.6.9 Unified Presentation of Information .......................................................................................39

2.6.10 Communication and Collaboration.......................................................................................39

2.6.11 Security .................................................................................................................................39

2.6.12 Integration and Extensibility.................................................................................................39

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 2.7 GENERATIONS OF CAMPUS PORTALS ...............................................................................................39

2.8 CAMPUS PORTAL STAKEHOLDERS AND BENEFITS ...........................................................................42

2.9 CAMPUS PORTAL ARCHITECTURE....................................................................................................44

2.9.1 Business Information Directory ..............................................................................................46

2.9.2 Publishing Facility..................................................................................................................47

2.9.3 Import and Export Interfaces ..................................................................................................47

2.9.4 Search Engine and Metadata Crawlers ..................................................................................47

2.9.5 Subscription Facility ...............................................................................................................47

2.9.6 Web Browser Information Assistant........................................................................................47

2.10 PORTAL PITFALLS ..........................................................................................................................47

2.11 THE GLOBAL TREND OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL ..............................................................................50

2.12 COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON CAMPUS PORTAL ISSUES ...............................................50

2.13 UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF CAMPUS PORTALS .........................................................................51

2.14 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................51

CHAPTER 3 INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND WEB DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES .53

3.1 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................53

3.2 THE DEFINITION OF A METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................54

3.3 CLARIFICATION OF A POSITION OF CAMPUS PORTAL DEVELOPMENT ..............................................55

3.3.1 Technological Shift .................................................................................................................55

3.3.2 Position of Campus Portal in System Development................................................................55

3.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT (ISD)................................................................................57

3.4.1 What is Information Systems?.................................................................................................57

3.4.2 Stakeholders of Information Systems ......................................................................................58

3.4.3 What is Information Systems Development Methodology? .....................................................59

3.4.4 Generation of Information Systems Development Methodology.............................................61

3.4.4.1 Pre-methodology Era ...................................................................................................................... 62

3.4.4.2 Early-methodology Era ................................................................................................................... 63

3.4.4.3 Methodology Era............................................................................................................................. 63

3.4.4.4 Post-methodology Era ..................................................................................................................... 63

3.4.5 Information Systems Development Methodologies .................................................................64

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 3.4.5.1 Traditional System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)..................................................................... 64

3.4.5.2 Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM).......................................................... 65

3.4.5.3 Jackson System Development (JSD)............................................................................................... 66

3.4.5.4 Soft System Methodology (SSM) ................................................................................................... 67

3.4.5.5 Effective Technical and Human Implementation of Computer-based Systems (ETHICS) ............. 69

3.4.5.6 Multiview........................................................................................................................................ 71

3.5 WEB SITE DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................73

3.5.1 Terminology of Web development...........................................................................................75

3.5.2 Characteristics of Static Web Development............................................................................75

3.5.3 Needs for Web Design.............................................................................................................76

3.5.3.1 Information Architecture Design..................................................................................................... 77

3.5.3.2 User-Interface and Graphic Design ................................................................................................. 77

3.5.4 Static Web Development Methodologies.................................................................................78

3.6 WEB-BASED INFORMATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT (WIS OR WBIS)...........................................79

3.6.1 Characteristics of Web-based Information Systems Development..........................................80

3.6.2 Web-based Information Systems Development Methodologies...............................................82

3.6.2.1 Relationship Management Methodology (RMM) ........................................................................... 82

3.6.2.2 Object-Oriented Hypertext Design Method (OOHDM) .................................................................. 83

3.6.2.3 Web Information Systems Development Methodology (WISDM) ................................................. 85

3.6.2.4 Web Site Design Method (WSDM) ................................................................................................ 86

3.6.2.5 Internet Commerce Development Methodology (ICDM) ............................................................... 87

3.6.2.6 Lowe-Hall’s Hypermedia and Web Engineering Approach ............................................................ 89

3.6.2.7 Takahashi-Liang’s Web-based Information Systems Analysis and Design .................................... 90

3.6.2.8 Howcroft-Carroll’s Methodology for Web Development ............................................................... 91

3.6.2.9 Intranet Design Methodology (IDM) .............................................................................................. 92

3.7 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................................94

CHAPTER 4 EXPLORATION OF THE CURRENT PRACTICES OF CAMPUS PORTAL

DEVELOPMENT....................................................................................................................................96

4.1 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................96

4.2 AIM OF THE STUDY ..........................................................................................................................96

4.3 SETTING OF THE PRELIMINARY STUDY ............................................................................................97

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 4.4 RESEARCH APPROACH AND DESIGN ................................................................................................99

4.4.1 Data Collection Techniques....................................................................................................99

4.4.1.1 Physical Artefacts.......................................................................................................................... 100

4.4.1.2 Documents .................................................................................................................................... 102

4.4.2 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................103

4.4.3 Overview of the Procedure ...................................................................................................103

4.4.4 Design of an Physical Artefacts’ Study Form .......................................................................104

4.4.4.1 Section 1 (Close-ended Questions) ............................................................................................... 104

4.4.4.2 Section 2 (open-ended question) ................................................................................................... 110

4.5 RESULT AND FINDING ....................................................................................................................110

4.5.1 Current Stage and Position of Campus Portal......................................................................110

4.5.1.1 A Trace of a Campus Portal .......................................................................................................... 110

4.5.1.2 Type of Campus Portal.................................................................................................................. 111

4.5.1.3 Portal’s URL Location .................................................................................................................. 112

4.5.2 Supported Groups of Stakeholders........................................................................................114

4.5.3 Implemented Functionalities.................................................................................................115

4.5.3.1 Common Functionalities ............................................................................................................... 116

4.5.3.2 Availability of the Systems ........................................................................................................... 116

4.5.4 Implementation of the Campus Portal’s Unique Characteristics .........................................117

4.5.5 General Issues on Personalisation and Customisation.........................................................118

4.6 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................119

CHAPTER 5 CASE DESCRIPTION AND DESIGN.........................................................................121

5.1 OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................121

5.2 THE BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY ................................................................................................121

5.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................................122

5.4 SELECTION OF CASE STUDY ..........................................................................................................123

5.5 THE INSTITUTION ...........................................................................................................................125

5.6 DESIGN OF THE STUDY ..................................................................................................................126

5.6.1 Overview of the Procedure ...................................................................................................126

5.6.2 Data Collection Techniques..................................................................................................127

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 5.6.2.1 Interviews...................................................................................................................................... 127

5.6.2.2 The Student Survey Questionnaire................................................................................................ 132

5.6.3 Study of Development Team..................................................................................................133

5.6.4 Study of the Major End-users................................................................................................133

5.6.4.1 Students......................................................................................................................................... 133

5.6.4.2 Academic Staff.............................................................................................................................. 138

5.7 DATA ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................138

5.8 RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY ..........................................................................................................139

5.8.1 Reliability..............................................................................................................................140

5.8.2 Validity..................................................................................................................................140

5.9 ETHICAL ISSUES AND CONFIDENTIALITY .......................................................................................142

5.10 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................142

CHAPTER 6 RESULT OF THE CASE STUDY: DEVELOPMENT TEAM ................................143

6.1 OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................143

6.2 HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL AND ONLINE SERVICES ......................143

6.3 PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THE CAMPUS PORTAL AND ONLINE SERVICES DEVELOPMENT ....................145

6.4 ADOPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY .......................................................................147

6.5 DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL AND ONLINE SERVICES ..................................148

6.6 INVOLVEMENT OF THE EXECUTIVE MEMBERS ...............................................................................150

6.7 IT DEVELOPMENT AND THE ORGANISATION’S POLICY ..................................................................152

6.8 CURRENT STAGES OF THE ONLINE SERVICES AND SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURES .....................152

6.9 PROBLEMS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL AND ONLINE SERVICES DEVELOPMENT ..154

6.10 VISION ON THE FUTURE CAMPUS PORTAL AND ONLINE SERVICES DEVELOPMENT .....................155

6.11 SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................................159

CHAPTER 7 RESULT OF THE CASE STUDY: END-USERS.......................................................160

7.1 OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................160

7.2 OVERALL INFORMATION ON PARTICIPANTS...................................................................................161

7.2.1 Age Range .............................................................................................................................162

7.2.2 Educational Levels................................................................................................................163

7.2.3 Work Experiences .................................................................................................................164

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 7.2.4 Current Year of Study and Enrolled Faculty ........................................................................165

7.3 COMPUTER AND INTERNET LITERACY OF THE PARTICIPANTS ........................................................166

7.3.1 Computer Literacy ................................................................................................................166

7.3.2 Personal computer ................................................................................................................167

7.3.3 Time and Place for using a Computer ..................................................................................168

7.3.4 Purpose and Length of Time using a Computer....................................................................171

7.3.4.1 For Studying Purposes .................................................................................................................. 171

7.3.4.2 Going Online for Non-Academic Activities.................................................................................. 173

7.3.4.3 For Entertainment Purposes .......................................................................................................... 174

7.3.5 Internet Connection...............................................................................................................176

7.3.6 Length of Time Spent Online.................................................................................................179

7.3.7 Internet Literacy....................................................................................................................183

7.3.8 Comments from the Participants...........................................................................................184

7.4 ONLINE ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................................................185

7.4.1 Usage Pattern of Online Activities for General Purposes ....................................................185

7.4.1.1 Email ............................................................................................................................................. 185

7.4.1.2 Instant Messaging Service............................................................................................................. 187

7.4.1.3 Discussion group........................................................................................................................... 189

7.4.1.4 Search Engine ............................................................................................................................... 190

7.4.1.5 Online Newspaper......................................................................................................................... 192

7.4.1.6 Entertainment ................................................................................................................................ 194

7.4.1.7 Downloading and Evaluating New Software ................................................................................ 195

7.4.1.8 Online Shopping ........................................................................................................................... 196

7.4.1.9 Job Searching ................................................................................................................................ 197

7.4.1.10 Internet Banking.......................................................................................................................... 199

7.4.2 Usage Pattern of Online Activities for Academic Purposes..................................................200

7.4.2.1 Viewing Course/Subject Description and Outline......................................................................... 200

7.4.2.2 Viewing Marks and Grades for Each Subject................................................................................ 201

7.4.2.3 Viewing Course Materials............................................................................................................. 202

7.4.2.4 Using Online Communication Tools for Discussion with Classmates and Academic staff .......... 204

7.4.2.5 Submitting Assignments and Papers ............................................................................................. 205

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 7.4.2.6 Taking Quizzes and Exams ........................................................................................................... 206

7.4.2.7 Accessing Full-text Articles and Online Databases....................................................................... 208

7.4.2.8 Accessing the Library Catalogue................................................................................................... 209

7.4.2.9 Holding books in the Library ........................................................................................................ 211

7.4.2.10 Using Email to Contact Classmates and Academic staff............................................................. 213

7.4.2.11 Viewing Examination Timetable................................................................................................. 214

7.4.3 Usage Pattern of Online Activities for Administrative Purposes ..........................................215

7.4.3.1 Viewing and/or Updating Personal Information............................................................................ 216

7.4.3.2 Enrolling and/or Withdrawing Subjects ........................................................................................ 217

7.4.3.3 Viewing Financial Issues .............................................................................................................. 219

7.5 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................220

CHAPTER 8 FINDING AND DISCUSSION OF THE CASE STUDY............................................221

8.1 OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................221

8.2 SUMMARY OF RESEARCH FINDINGS ...............................................................................................221

8.3 USAGE PATTERN OF ONLINE ACTIVITIES .......................................................................................222

8.3.1 General Purpose Activities ...................................................................................................223

8.3.2 Academic Purpose Activities.................................................................................................225

8.3.3 Administrative Purpose Activities .........................................................................................226

8.3.4 Supportive Findings from the Academic Staff.......................................................................227

8.3.4.1 Kinds of Online Activities............................................................................................................. 228

8.3.4.2 Problems on the Current Online Services...................................................................................... 229

8.3.5 Discussion of Patterns of Online Activities...........................................................................230

8.4 THE DEVELOPMENT TEAM.............................................................................................................231

8.4.1 Philosophy of the Development.............................................................................................232

8.4.2 Inconsistency of the Current Development ...........................................................................233

8.4.3 Viewpoints on the Development of a Portal..........................................................................235

8.5 CLARIFICATION OF THE PERSONALISATION AND CUSTOMISATION CHARACTERISTICS AND ROLES

............................................................................................................................................................237

8.6 A BREAKDOWN OF THE ORGANISATION’S LEVELS ........................................................................238

8.7 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS..........................................................................................................241

8.8 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................................243

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CHAPTER 9 A DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR CAMPUS PORTALS......................245

9.1 OVERVIEW .....................................................................................................................................245

9.2 IDENTIFICATION OF THE CRITICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CAMPUS PORTALS ................................245

9.3 THE TRADITIONAL DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES VS. AGILE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES

............................................................................................................................................................247

9.4 THE BUILD OR BUY DEBATE .........................................................................................................249

9.5 THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE METHODOLOGY FOR CAMPUS PORTAL DEVELOPMENT ..........250

9.5.1 A Change in the Development Environment .........................................................................251

9.5.2 A Web Development Crisis ...................................................................................................252

9.5.3 An Awareness of the Campus Portal Development Crisis ....................................................254

9.6 A SELECTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR A CAMPUS PORTAL ............................254

9.6.1 Criteria for the Selection.......................................................................................................255

9.6.2 Comparison of Existing Development Methodologies ..........................................................256

9.6.2.1 Philosophy..................................................................................................................................... 257

9.6.2.2 Scope............................................................................................................................................. 260

9.6.3 Filtering the Development Methodologies through the Criteria...........................................262

9.7 SELECTED DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR CAMPUS PORTAL PROJECTS ................................265

9.8 A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY FOR CAMPUS PORTAL ............................................268

9.9 SUMMARY .....................................................................................................................................270

CHAPTER 10 GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .....................................................272

10.1 OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................................................272

10.2 WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED? .....................................................................................................272

10.2.1 Understanding the Current Practice of the Practitioners...................................................272

10.2.2 An In-Depth Case Study of Campus Portal Developers and End-Users’ Online Activities 273

10.2.3 Proposing the Campus Portal Development Methodology (CPDM) ..................................275

10.3 CONTRIBUTION OF THE RESEARCH ..............................................................................................276

10.3.1 Direct Contributions ...........................................................................................................276

10.3.1.1 Practitioners ................................................................................................................................ 276

10.3.1.2 Academic Researchers ................................................................................................................ 277

10.3.2 Indirect Contribution ..........................................................................................................278

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 10.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE RESEARCH ..................................................................................................278

10.5 FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS .................................................................................................279

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................281

APPENDIX A STUDENTS’ ONLINE ACTIVITIES ........................................................................311

APPENDIX B QUESTIONNAIRE......................................................................................................324

APPENDIX C OBSERVATION SHEET............................................................................................332

APPENDIX D PHYSICAL ARTEFACTS STUDY FORM ..............................................................333

APPENDIX E ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS ...................................................................................334

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 2-1 GENERATION OF PORTAL (ECKERSON 1999B IN STEIN AND HAWKING 2005 P.173) .................40

TABLE 2-2 EXTENDED VERSION PORTAL GENERATION BY DIAS (2001 P.277) ............................................41

TABLE 2-3 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CORPORATE PORTAL (COLLINS 2001 P.53) .....................................41

TABLE 2-4 SDSU PORTAL: BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS (FRAZEE, FRAZEE AND SHARPE 2003 P.137)43

TABLE 3-1 COMPUTER SYSTEM VS. ISDM PERSPECTIVE, ADAPTED FROM UNOLD (2002) .........................62

TABLE 3-2 TWO BROAD TRADITIONS VERSIONS OF WHICH UNDERPIN MUCH IS WORK ...............................68

TABLE 3-3 CATEGORIES OF WEB APPLICATIONS (GINIGE AND MURUGESAN 2001B P.14)..........................81

TABLE 4-1 DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPING OF THE INSTITUTIONS STUDIED .......................................................97

TABLE 4-2 SIX PRIMARY SOURCES OF EVIDENCE (YIN 1994 P.80)..............................................................99

TABLE 4-3 TRACE OF CAMPUS PORTAL....................................................................................................111

TABLE 4-4 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN TYPE OF PORTAL AND ANY TRACE OF PORTAL ......................111

TABLE 4-5 DOMAIN LEVEL OF CAMPUS PORTAL ......................................................................................113

TABLE 4-6 SUPPORTED GROUPS OF STAKEHOLDER..................................................................................114

TABLE 4-7 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN TYPE OF CAMPUS PORTAL AND GROUPS OF STAKEHOLDER ...114

TABLE 4-8 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN IMPLEMENTED LEVEL OF UNIQUE FUNCTIONS AND TYPE OF
PORTAL ...........................................................................................................................................117

TABLE 5-1 DEVELOPMENT TEAM'S RESPONSIBILITIES .............................................................................131

TABLE 7-1 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN GENDER AND STUDENT CATEGORY .......................................162

TABLE 7-2 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN STUDENT CATEGORY AND AGE RANGE ..................................163

TABLE 7-3 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND AGE RANGE OF STUDENTS ...........163

TABLE 7-4 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN STUDENT CATEGORY AND EDUCATIONAL LEVEL ..................164

TABLE 7-5 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND YEAR OF STUDY ..........................165

TABLE 7-6 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN GENDER AND YEAR OF EXPERIENCE ......................................166

TABLE 7-7 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN STUDENT CATEGORY AND YEAR OF EXPERIENCE ..................166

TABLE 7-8 CROSS TABULATION BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL AND YEAR OF EXPERIENCE .................167

TABLE 7-9 BROADBAND PRICING IN AUSTRALIA (OPTUS) .......................................................................178

TABLE 7-10 BROADBAND PRICING IN AUSTRALIA (BIGPOND) .................................................................178

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TABLE 7-11 LOAN INFORMATION (SOURCE: THE CASE’S LIBRARY HOME PAGE).......................................211

TABLE 8-1 A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BASED ON ONLINE ACTIVITIES FOR GENERAL PURPOSES .............223

TABLE 8-2 A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BASED ON ONLINE ACTIVITIES FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES ...........225

TABLE 8-3 A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BASED ON ONLINE ACTIVITIES FOR ADMINISTRATIVE PURPOSES .226

TABLE 8-4 GENERATION OF PORTAL ........................................................................................................243

TABLE 9-1 ADAPTED FROM AVISON AND FITZGERALD (2003A P.568) .....................................................261

TABLE A-1 EMAIL ....................................................................................................................................311

TABLE A-2 ONLINE MESSAGING SERVICE ...............................................................................................311

TABLE A-3 WEB BOARD & DISCUSSION GROUP ......................................................................................312

TABLE A-4 SEARCH ENGINE ....................................................................................................................312

TABLE A-5 ONLINE NEWS........................................................................................................................313

TABLE A-6 ENTERTAINMENT ...................................................................................................................313

TABLE A-7 DOWNLOADING AND EVALUATING SOFTWARES ....................................................................314

TABLE A-8 ONLINE SHOPPING .................................................................................................................314

TABLE A-9 JOB SEARCHING .....................................................................................................................315

TABLE A-10 INTERNET BANKING.............................................................................................................315

TABLE A-11 TO VIEW COURSE, SUBJECT DESCRIPTION AND OUTLINE ......................................................316

TABLE A-12 TO VIEW MARKS AND GRADES FOR EACH SUBJECTS .............................................................316

TABLE A-13 TO VIEW COURSE MATERIALS ..............................................................................................317

TABLE A-14 TO DISCUSS WITH CLASSMATES, TUTORS, AND LECTURERS..................................................317

TABLE A-15 TO SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS AND PAPERS ................................................................................318

TABLE A-16 TO TAKE QUIZ AND EXAMS ..................................................................................................318

TABLE A-17 TO ACCESS FULL-TEXT ARTICLES AND ONLINE DATABASES .................................................319

TABLE A-18 TO ACCESS TO LIBRARY CATALOGUE ...................................................................................319

TABLE A-19 TO HOLD BOOKS IN LIBRARY................................................................................................320

TABLE A-20 TO USE EMAIL TO CONTACT CLASSMATES, TUTORS, AND LECTURERS ..................................320

TABLE A-21 TO CONDUCT RESEARCH ......................................................................................................321

TABLE A-22 TO VIEW EXAM TIMETABLE ..................................................................................................321

TABLE A-23 TO VIEW AND UPDATE PERSONAL INFORMATION .................................................................322

TABLE A-24 TO ENROLL OR WITHDRAW SUBJECTS ..................................................................................322

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TABLE A-25 TO VIEW FINANCIAL ISSUES .................................................................................................323

XX
LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1-1 INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH APPROACHES ..................................................................12

FIGURE 1-2 A SPIRAL PROCESS TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING FOR BUILDING A CAMPUS PORTAL
DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................14

FIGURE 1-3 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS .....................................................................................................18

FIGURE 2-1 POSITIONING OF PUBLIC PORTAL.............................................................................................26

FIGURE 2-2 POSITIONING OF CORPORATE AND ENTERPRISE PORTAL .........................................................28

FIGURE 2-3 CORPORATE PORTAL MARKET SEGMENT (COLLINS 2001, COLLINS 2003) ...............................30

FIGURE 2-4 POSITIONING OF CAMPUS PORTAL ...........................................................................................34

FIGURE 2-5 CORPORATE PORTAL FRAMEWORK (RAOL ET AL. 2002) ..........................................................36

FIGURE 2-6 STUDENT GROUP’S LIFE CYCLE ..............................................................................................42

FIGURE 2-7 ADAPTED FROM PEOPLESOFT (2004) ......................................................................................44

FIGURE 2-8 SECURE ARCHITECTURE (UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK 2001)....................................................45

FIGURE 2-9 ENTERPRISE INFORMATION PORTAL (SHILAKES AND TYLMAN 1998 P.8)................................45

FIGURE 2-10 ENTERPRISE PORTAL ARCHITECTURE BY WHITE (1999B) .....................................................46

FIGURE 3-1 ENVIRONMENT OF SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT DIAGRAM ............................................................56

FIGURE 3-2 RANGE OF WEB SITE (POWELL 2000 P.11)...............................................................................74

FIGURE 3-3 DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES WITHIN WEB SITE DESIGN (NEWMAN AND LANDAY 2000 ) ...............77

FIGURE 8-1 PERSONALISATION (PUSH) AND CUSTOMISATION (PULL).......................................................237

FIGURE 8-2 A BREAKDOWN OF A PERSON INTO ORGANISATION'S LEVEL ...................................................238

FIGURE 8-3 ORGANISATION LEVELS OF CAMPUS PORTAL ........................................................................240

FIGURE 8-4 THE CHANGE IN CUSTOMERS AS A TECHNOLOGY MATURES, (NORMAN 1998 P.33)................241

FIGURE 9-1 MULTIVIEW2 (AVISON ET AL. 1998)......................................................................................267

FIGURE 9-2 WISDM (VIDGEN ET AL. 2002).............................................................................................267

FIGURE 9-3 A CAMPUS PORTAL DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY (CPDM) .............................................268

FIGURE 9-4 ORGANISATION LEVEL OF THE CAMPUS PORTAL ..................................................................269

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