Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

The purpose of this paper is to provide educators with a course model and pedagogy to teach a computer information systems usability course. This paper offers a case study based on an honors student project titled "Web Usability: Phases of Developing an Interactive Event Database." Each individual phase--creating a prototype along with usability testing, defining a technical structure, and designing a usable interface--is equally valuable to the entire process of interactive web development. A distinct significance is present within each phase, which emphasizes the importance of completing every step in the development process. Unlike businesses that suffered when the Dot-com bubble burst, businesses that acknowledge the diverse levels of understanding and recognize that implementation of each phase directly affects the success of the business will prosper in this age of technology. This paper focuses primarily on the prototype and usability testing phase. With that in mind, an extensive background and explanation of phase one in developing an interactive event database is presented for the reader; the honors student paper did, however, present an all-encompassing understanding of web technologies. Additionally, this paper provides a method for developing the requirements to conduct and evaluate an honors project. Finally, this paper concludes by considering the study's limitations and suggestions for further research.

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert