Gathering Stakeholders Research Articles

Winter Storm Severity Index in Alaska: Understanding the Usefulness for Impact-Based Winter Weather Severity Forecast Information

Abstract There is growing interest in impact-based decision support services to address complex decision-making, especially for winter storm forecasting. Understanding users’ needs for winter storm forecast information is necessary to make such impact-based winter forecasts relevant and useful to the diverse regions affected. A mixed-method social science research study investigated extending the winter storm severity index (WSSI) [operational for the contiguous United States (CONUS)] to Alaska, with consideration of the distinct needs of Alaskan stakeholders and the Alaskan climate. Data availability differences suggest the need for an Alaska-specific WSSI, calling for user feedback to inform the direction of product modifications. Focus groups and surveys in six regions of Alaska provided information on how the WSSI components, definitions, and categorization of impacts could align with stakeholder expectations and led to recommendations for the Weather Prediction Center to consider in developing the WSSI Alaska product. Overall, wind (strength and direction) and precipitation are key components to include. Air travel is a critical concern requiring wind and visibility information, while road travel is less emphasized (contrasting with CONUS needs). Special Weather Statements and Winter Storm Warnings are highly valued, and storm trajectory and transition (between precipitation types) information are the important contexts for decision-makers. Alaska is accustomed to and prepared for winter impacts but being able to understand how components (wind, snow, and ice) contribute to overall impact enhances the ability to respond and mitigate damage effectively. The WSSI adapted for Alaska can help address regional forecast needs, particularly valuable as the climate changes and typical winter conditions become more variable. Significance Statement Impact-based support services can assist decision-makers in prioritizing preparedness and mitigation actions related to winter storm events. The winter storm severity index adapted for specific considerations in Alaska (such as including wind and visibility components) can extend winter weather impact-based forecasting’s utility. Additionally, lessons learned from the process of adapting a national product to specific regional needs may inform best practices for gathering stakeholder input and feedback.

Implementing a systemic approach to water management: piloting a novel multi-level collaborative integrated water management framework in east London

ABSTRACT To address urban growth, resource competition, and environmental degradation, effective integrated water planning is crucial. In the UK, policy frameworks like the 25-Year Plan for the environment and the National Framework for Water Resources stress the need for a systemic approach. Despite efforts in stakeholder engagement and meta-models, integrating physical and human aspects in water management remains a challenge. This paper introduces a multi-level framework for regional water planning, demonstrated through London's Sub-Regional Integrated Water Management Strategy (SIWMS). The framework, depicted as an inverted triangle, starts with conceptual analysis, gathering stakeholder insights and data. Integrated modelling creates a baseline for scenario assessment, providing evidence through metrics and simulations. Integrated planning focuses on collaboration for option selection and implementation. Results show the framework's effectiveness for systems-level analysis at the river basin scale. The logical progression facilitates stakeholder engagement, enhancing shared understanding. The Water Systems Integration Modelling (WSIMOD) Framework allows simultaneous assessment of interventions on various indicators, aiding in prioritising multi-benefit schemes and identifying potential negative impacts. The study supports the prioritisation of schemes like Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) and emphasises the importance of a multi-level collaborative approach for robust, stakeholder-supported regional water planning to achieve effective implementation of planning and environmental policies.

Health challenges and facilitators of arbaeen pilgrimage: a scoping review

BackgroundThe Arbaeen Pilgrimage, a momentous religious journey drawing millions of participants annually, presents a profound spiritual experience. However, amidst its significance lie various health challenges that pilgrims encounter along the way. Addressing these challenges is vital to ensure the well-being of participants and the success of this extraordinary event. In light of this, the aim of this study is to examine the health challenges of the Arbaeen Pilgrimage, identify facilitators for solving these challenges, and propose effective solutions to enhance the overall pilgrimage experience for all involved.MethodsThe scoping review was performed by searching databases such as Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar search engine with a focus on the keywords “Arbaeen”, “Arbaeen walk” and “Arbaeen pilgrimage”. The search was not constrained by a specific time limitation in the databases. Data from studies were extracted using a data extraction form consisting of 9 fields. The selection of articles and data extraction were carried out by two researchers, adhering to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Any disagreements were resolved through consultation with a third researcher. The study was reported following the PRISMA checklist.ResultsOut of 1619 retrieved articles, 9 were finally included in this study. All these studies were published since 2017 and conducted in Iraq and Iran. In total, 101 health challenges and facilitators were identified, comprising 61 challenges and 40 facilitators. The challenges with the highest frequency included “infectious disease outbreaks” (n = 7), “Poor management of Iraq’s health system in waste collection and disposal” (n = 4), “Rising incidence of walking injuries among pilgrims (e.g., burns, fractures, lacerations, wounds, and blisters)” (n = 4), and “Insufficient knowledge about personal and public health“(n = 4). The most important facilitators to solving the challenges were: “Customized pilgrim training and addressing their issues, with a focus on vital practices” (n = 6), “Coordinating mass gathering stakeholders, including health ministries and organizations” (n = 4), and “Implementing an agile syndromic system for rapid surveillance and identification of contagious illnesses” (n = 4).ConclusionThe article discusses health challenges faced during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage and proposes facilitative measures for participants’ well-being. It emphasizes the significance of addressing health risks in large gatherings and suggests incorporating measures for a safer and enjoyable pilgrimage experience. Overall, understanding and managing these health factors can lead to a successful execution of the Arbaeen Pilgrimage, benefiting the physical and spiritual well-being of all involved.

Mitigating risks of online engagement; considering the contexts and mechanisms of cybercrime among older adults

AbstractBackgroundThis talk will explore how benefits of remote interventions can be realised for older people with cognitive impairments alongside risk mitigation, drawing on a realist review of how and in what circumstances older people become victims of cybercrime. We aimed to identify factors leading to older adults' victimisation, and review theory and evidence for interventions to reduce victimisation risks.MethodWe conducted a realist review synthesising published literature and gathering stakeholder experiences via an online workshop to understand how, why and in what circumstances older adults are at risk of financial cybercrime victimisation. We used the evidence to develop a programme theory and Context, Mechanism, Outcome Configurations (CMOCs) to explain the mechanisms by which older adults become victims of financial cybercrime in different contexts, and to inform the development of interventions to produce desired outcomes of reducing and preventing cybercrime.ResultWe analysed 52 primary and secondary data sources and consulted with 21 stakeholders from across health, social, legal, and financial sectors. Our programme theory comprised 16 CMOCs describing how social isolation, cognitive decline, physical and mental health problems; wealth status, limited cyber security skills or awareness, societal attitudes and content of scams led to increased risk of victimisation. Only evidence for interventions to enhance cyber security awareness and skills of potential older victims was identified. Targeting offender motivation, redesign of security software to increase usability by older people and training programmes for professionals and family members are rational, yet untested interventions. A shift in societal attitudes, conveying positive messages, of older people’s rights to be safely active online, is needed too.ConclusionProtection from cybercrime is instrumental to supporting ageing in a digital world. Incorporating cyber security awareness into future interventions that promote social connectedness, cognition and healthy lifestyles, alongside legal structural protections, and measures to improve societal attitudes towards financial cybercrime victimisation will help older adults navigate online spaces safely. Training programmes targeting older adults, or their supporters should be deliverable by a range of professionals for greatest reach; and be co‐designed with end users to ensure that if they are useful, they are acceptable and used.

Vaping control in Nova Scotia: using research to catalyze change.

The tobacco, and now vaping, industries are skilled at creating falsification campaigns that leave policymakers and the public confused and distracted. As Nova Scotia saw youth vaping rates rise, a non-profit conducted a youth and young adult survey to discover why, what, and how often youth and young adults vape. They discovered that almost 96% of youth prefer flavours, and 48% believed they would quit if flavours were removed. This research was pivotal in capturing the voices of youth, gathering stakeholders, and countering industry opposition. On April 1, 2020, the Nova Scotian government implemented Canada's first ban on flavoured vaping products. This was followed by a nicotine cap of 20 mg/ml and a revamped taxation structure. The survey allowed non-profits to band together and align messages. It also provided government with information to take actions that reduce the prevalence and potential harms of vaping among youth. This commentary describes the advocacy process and opposition faced when advocating for vaping control measures. This approach can serve as a guide for assisting other jurisdictions in advocating for policy changes.

Adapting Safety Check as a Universal Suicide Prevention Strategy in Pediatric Primary Care

The presence of unlocked firearms in the home is associated with increased risk of suicide and unintentional injury in youth. We adapted an evidence-based program for promoting safe firearm storage, Safety Check, to enhance its acceptability as a universal suicide prevention strategy in pediatric primary care. We applied ADAPT-ITT, an established adaptation framework, to guide iterative program adaptation with ongoing input from key stakeholders. The present study describes 2 phases of ADAPT-ITT: the Production phase (generating adaptations) and the Topical Experts phase (gathering stakeholder feedback on adaptations). After generating proposed program adaptations based on 3 inputs (stakeholder feedback collected in a prior study, the behavioral science literature, and best practices in pediatric medicine), we elicited feedback from stakeholders with firearm expertise. The adaptations included changes such as clarifying firearm ownership will not be documented in the medical record and offering follow-up reminders. We also crowdsourced feedback from 337 parents to select a new name and program logo. Saturation was reached with 9 stakeholders. Feedback confirmed the value of adaptations that: 1) considered context (eg, reason for ownership), 2) promoted parent autonomy in decision-making, and 3) ensured privacy. The most preferred program name was Suicide and Accident prevention through Family Education (SAFE) Firearm. Guided by an established adaptation framework that prioritized multistage stakeholder feedback, adaptations to the original Safety Check were deemed acceptable. We plan to test the SAFE Firearm program as a universal suicide prevention strategy in pediatric primary care via a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial.

Using technology to encourage a healthier lifestyle in people with Down’s syndrome

This article reports on the development of a mobile app developed to encourage healthier lifestyles, with emphasis on food intake, by people with Down’s syndrome. The system started by considering generic guidelines on designing technology for people with Down’s syndrome investigated by a previous European project. Then, it developed the product using the User-centred Intelligent Environments Development Process, an iterative method of gathering stakeholders’ views to involve them in co-designing the product. The project produced a mobile app which was validated with the intended final users and gathered positive feedback. The experience also provides further insights which can inform developers of future similar technological solutions.

The use of focus groups to foster stakeholder engagement in intercity passenger rail planning

Recent changes in the United States (U.S.) passenger rail policies have affected a number of National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) corridors. One of the major changes is that, since the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act (PRIIA) of 2008 was passed, all short-distance Amtrak corridors should become state-supported. Stakeholder and public involvement is strongly advocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a fundamental component of the transportation planning process and an important step to keep the public informed and engaged in decision making. Thus, states should attempt to engage the public in any funding decisions that might affect passenger rail service changes (such as line discontinuance). In addition, states should seek the input of the stakeholder and public to evaluate the alternative transportation investment options available in case such service changes occur. Nevertheless, both literature and practice of stakeholder engagement on policy making and planning of strategic operational changes and/or other broader decision making is scarce.This article presents a case study of stakeholder engagement in transportation decision making pertaining to decisions of investments in passenger rail and state and local fund allocation, using a focus group approach. This engagement aimed to (1) consult stakeholders in a group setting in an attempt to produce shared knowledge and (2) explore how the transportation investment decision-making process can incorporate public preferences and community values in a participatory manner via the assessment of potential investment directions. The goals of the study are to explore whether stakeholder engagement at a smaller-size projects and/or broader policy and planning decision making can be beneficial, and whether focus groups are suitable to facilitate such engagement.The findings verify that stakeholder involvement can provide states and other decision-makers with valuable insights on several topics supporting future policy and funding decisions. For example, in the case explored, the engagement of the stakeholders revealed that public investments towards the continuation and potentially improvement of the intercity passenger rail services are in line with the communities’ goals and are viewed as more beneficial than alternative transportation investments that can enable mobility in the area. In addition, the findings suggest that the benefits of engaging stakeholders in transportation decision making go beyond the act of gathering stakeholders’ input; focus groups or similar dynamic forums can facilitate the production of innovative ideas and shared knowledge while fostering collegiality among stakeholders. Finally, the findings of the case study also verify that focus groups can be a suitable approach to engage and consult a small group of stakeholders for higher-level transportation investment decision making. Overall, the case study results indicate that stakeholder engagement can benefit smaller-size projects and/or broader policy and planning decision making, such as decisions involving the financing of an intercity passenger rail line and investment directions towards operational changes of the line and/or alternative transportation modes and infrastructure.

ASTA — A method for multi-criteria evaluation of water supply technologies to Assess the most SusTainable Alternative for Copenhagen

Utilities in larger cities have to make complex decisions planning future investments in urban water infrastructure. Changes are driven by physical water stress or political targets for environmental water flows e.g. through the implementation of the European water framework directive. To include these environmental, economic and social sustainability dimensions we introduce a novel multi-criteria assessment method for evaluation of water supply technologies. The method is presented and demonstrated for four alternatives for water supply based on groundwater, rain- & stormwater or seawater developed for augmenting Copenhagen's current groundwater based water supply. To identify the most sustainable technology, we applied rank order distribution weights to a multi-criteria decision analysis to combine the impact assessments of environment, economy and society. The three dimensions were assessed using 1) life-cycle assessment, 2) cost calculations taking operation and maintenance into account and 3) the multi-criteria decision analysis method Analytical hierarchy process. Specialists conducted the life-cycle assessment and cost calculations and the multi-criteria decision analyses were based on a stakeholder workshop gathering stakeholders relevant for the specific case. The workshop reached consensus on three sets of ranked criteria. Each set represented stakeholder perspectives with first priority given to one of the three sustainability dimensions or categories. The workshop reached consensus and when the highest weight was assigned to the environmental dimension of sustainability then the alternative of ‘Rain- & stormwater harvesting’ was the most sustainable water supply technology; when the highest weight was assigned to the economy or society dimensions then an alternative with ‘Groundwater abstraction extended with compensating actions’ was considered the most sustainable water supply technology. Across all three sets of ranked weights, the establishment of new well fields is considered the least sustainable alternative.

Experiences of three states implementing the Medicaid health home model to address opioid use disorder—Case studies in Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont

PurposeThe United States is facing an unprecedented opioid epidemic. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included several provisions designed to increase care coordination in state Medicaid programs and improve outcomes for those with chronic conditions, including substance use disorders. Three states—Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont – adopted the ACA's optional Medicaid health home model for individuals with opioid use disorder. The model coordinates opioid use disorder treatment that features opioid agonist therapy provided at opioid treatment programs (OTPs) and Office-based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) with medical and behavioral health care and other services, including those addressing social determinants of health. This study examines state approaches to opioid health homes (OHH) and uses a retrospective analysis to identify facilitators and barriers to the program's implementation from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders. MethodsWe conducted 28 semi-structured discussions with 70 discussants across the three states, including representatives from state agencies, OHH providers (OTPs and OBOTs), Medicaid health plans, and provider associations. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using NVivo. In addition, we reviewed state health home applications, policies, regulatory guidance, reporting, and other available OHH materials. We adapted the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) model as a guiding framework to examine the collected data, helping us to identify key factors affecting each stage of the OHH implementation. ResultsOverall, discussants reported that the OHH model was implemented successfully and was responsible for substantial improvements in patient care. Contextual factors at both the state level (e.g., legislation, funding, state leadership, program design) and provider level (OHH provider characteristics, leadership, adaptability) affected each stage of implementation of the OHH model. States took a variety of approaches in designing and implementing the model, with facilitators related to gathering stakeholder input, receiving guidance and technical assistance, and tailoring program design to build on the state's existing care coordination initiatives and provider infrastructure. The OHH model constituted a substantial change for almost all OHH providers in the study, who reported that facilitators to implementation included having goals and workplace culture that were compatible with the OHH model, and having technical support from the state or non-governmental organizations. Some of the main barriers to implementation reported by OHH providers include shortages of primary care providers, dentists, and other providers willing to accept referrals of patients with opioid use disorder; limited community resources to address social determinants of health; challenges related to state-specific program design, such as staffing requirements and reimbursement methodology; care coordination limitations due to confidentiality restrictions and technological barriers; and internal capacity of providers to adopt the new model of care. ConclusionsThe OHH model appears to have the potential to effectively address the complex needs of individuals with opioid use disorder by providing whole-person care that integrates medical care, behavioral health, and social services and supports. The experiences of Maryland, Rhode Island, and Vermont can guide development and implementation of similar OHH initiatives in other states.

An application profile for research collaboration and information management

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to design an application profile that will enable interoperability among research management systems, support research collaboration, and facilitate the management of research information.Design/methodology/approach– The approach is based on the Singapore Framework for Dublin Core Application Profile, a framework for designing metadata schemas for maximum interoperability. The application profile is built from gathering stakeholders’ requirements in research community and integrates four types of research information, i.e., information on researchers, research projects, research outputs, and research reports, which benefits researchers, research managers, and funding agencies.Findings– The resultant application profile is evaluated against widely used similar metadata schemas and requirements; and is found to be more comprehensive than the existing schemas and meets the collected requirements. Furthermore, the application profile is deployed with a prototype of research management system and is found works appropriately.Practical implications– The designed application profile has implications for further development of research management systems that would lead to the enhancement of research collaboration and the efficiency of research information management.Originality/value– The proposed application profile covers information entire the research development lifecycle. Both schema and information can be represented in Resource Description Framework format for reusing purpose and linking with other information. This enables users to share research information, co-operate with others, funding agencies and the community at large, thereby allowing a research management system to increase collaboration and the efficiency of research management. Furthermore, researchers and research information can be linked by means of Linked Open Data technology.

Incorporating stakeholder input into marine research priorities for the Aleutian Islands

Resource management agencies are required to consider stakeholder input in the selection of preferred alternatives for proposed actions. Not only do stakeholders contribute unique perspectives on the impact of alternative actions and the desirability of various policy objectives, including stakeholders in the decision process adds to the perceived legitimacy of those decisions. However, gathering stakeholder input and incorporating it into decisions can be difficult. We solicited public input on research needed to improve marine resource management decision-making for the Aleutian Islands region. Stakeholders and an expert panel were asked to use the analytical hierarchy process to rank those research needs. Spearman rank correlation tests were used to search for statistically significant differences in the rank orderings between stakeholders and the expert panel. A high level of association was found between rankings by an expert panel and those by stakeholders. Moreover, the rank orderings were robust to the inclusion or exclusion of interest-group subsets of the stakeholders and expert panel. The expert panel and stakeholders assigned highest priority to new research designed to increase basic knowledge of the Aleutian Islands marine ecosystem. Agreement between stakeholder and expert panel rankings was closest for the most and least important research needs; most substantial differences in the rankings involved research needs identified as moderately important. These results suggest that an expert panel may provide input comparable to that which could be obtained from engaging in a more extensive stakeholder process. Furthermore, these results suggest that the analytical hierarchy process can serve as a useful mechanism for organizing stakeholder input for environmental planning and resource management.

Early failure prediction in feature request management systems: an extended study

Online feature request management systems are popular tools for gathering stakeholders’ change requests during system evolution. Deciding which feature requests require attention and how much upfront analysis to perform on them is an important problem in this context: too little upfront analysis may result in inadequate functionalities being developed, costly changes, and wasted development effort; too much upfront analysis is a waste of time and resources. Early predictions about which feature requests are most likely to fail due to insufficient or inadequate upfront analysis could facilitate such decisions. Our objective is to study whether it is possible to make such predictions automatically from the characteristics of the online discussions on feature requests. This paper presents a study of feature request failures in seven large projects, an automated tool-implemented framework for constructing failure prediction models, and a comparison of the performance of the different prediction techniques for these projects. The comparison relies on a cost-benefit model for assessing the value of additional upfront analysis. In this model, the value of additional upfront analysis depends on its probability of success in preventing failures and on the relative cost of the failures it prevents compared to its own cost. We show that for reasonable estimations of these two parameters, automated prediction models provide more value than a set of baselines for many failure types and projects. This suggests automated failure prediction during requirements elicitation to be a promising approach for guiding requirements engineering efforts in online settings.

Improving Patient Flow Through a Better Discharge Process

Hospitals are now facing a dramatic challenge: improve the quality of care while simultaneously lowering costs. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 will add an estimated 32 million additional patients to the system (CBO 2011), and hospitals will need to improve efficiency so that capacity be expanded while still providing quality care.One way hospitals improve efficiency is to increase patient throughput, and many hospitals have a strategic goal to do just that. Yet, short of spending capital to expand facilities, hospitals struggle to sustain gains in this area. Patient throughput is complex, and many factors must be considered when balancing quality of care and speed through the system. The key to improving throughput is to focus on patient flow. Hospitals that succeed in improving patient flow realize that this complex process must include a disciplined and proven process improvement methodology. Patient flow must be viewed as a system, and the issues causing obstacles to smooth flow must be identified and eliminated or mitigated. Exhibit 1 shows some of the interconnected processes within a hospital. By systematically addressing key aspects of this system through rigorous analysis and redesign of the system and its interactions, effective patient flow be achieved.The patient flow improvement process has many stakeholders, so garnering senior leadership support is a critical first step toward developing a better process. Next, make sure the improvement activities are clearly defined and manageable. Most organizations don't have massive resources to dedicate for such a large, complex project; therefore, you need to break patient flow into essential parts. Covithen's Customer Excellence group emphasizes that an organization must embrace a Kaizen (continuous improvement) philosophy. Kaizen involves always improving and promotes a spirit of can do, breaking even huge problems into smaller components to make improvement efforts more manageable. Exhibit 1 is an example of breaking patient flow into six major subprocesses. Each of these subprocesses holds opportunities for improvement; one of the best opportunities involves improving the inpatient discharge process, the last subprocess within the hospital setting.While this column will focus on improving the inpatient discharge process, the first step involves understanding the patient flow process - also referred to as the patient flow value stream - in great detail. A value stream is an end-to-end series of activities that create or achieve a result for a customer (in this case, the patient). Analyzing the patient flow value stream involves gathering stakeholders from each process step from admitting to discharge and from a wide range of hospital functions: registration, lab, imaging, transport, nursing, physicians, housekeeping, and more. This extended team focuses on mapping the flow of a patient through the entire system (this process is shown in Exhibit 2). The value stream mapping allows team members to see the real process and always reveals variation and wasteful activities that create inefficiencies and reduce the quality of care. Once the key stakeholders have analyzed the interconnected system, clear goals for the desired future be established. Typical roadblocks to improved throughput include lack of collaboration between key functions, lack of effective communication systems and methods, and lack of standard work methodology. Lean Six Sigma methodologies and value stream analysis tools promote significant employee engagement and result in sustainable models for improvement.As the team maps the current state value stream and begins to analyze opportunities for improvement, they often discover a need to focus on the discharge process. As the last step in the value stream, discharge is a significant constraint on patient flow, because newly admitted patients cannot move into a bed until a bed is available for them. Thus, the discharge process becomes the flow regulator, and efficiency of the discharge process have significant impact on overall patient flow. …

Mediating consultation: insights from private sector consultants involved in air quality consultations

Environmental consultants act as intermediaries between clients (public and private sector) and stakeholders (both statutory and non-statutory), presenting information and arguments on behalf of clients to stakeholders and gathering stakeholders' views. This research explores environmental consultants’ perceptions of the processes of consultation about air quality issues with a view to analysing their role in the process and the tensions they face. The study used a mixed-methods approach: a survey of 150 environmental consultants, two focus groups and three in-depth semi-structured interviews. The results show that consultants are conservative in their choice of consultation methods, choosing approaches that minimise the risk to clients’ desired outcomes. Resource and time constraints further limit the scope of many consultations. Consultants typically make little effort to evaluate the consultation process, relying on outcome measures (such as a successful planning application) and process measures (numbers attending meetings) rather than considering the outcome in relation to participants. However, environmental consultants were aware of issues such as raising the expectations of participants and the need to be transparent about the extent to which participants can influence decisions. Given the widespread use ofenvironmental consultants to manage the consultation process, the research raises questions about the purpose of consultation (is it to improve outcomes, to comply with regulations or to build consensus?).

IThink: A Game-Based Approach Towards Improving Collaboration and Participation in Requirement Elicitation

Requirements are the heart of Information Systems development because they determine how the system will operate. There- fore, requirements elicitation is a critical activity of the information systems development life cycle. Recognizing the im- portance of collaborative work and the huge difficulty of gathering stakeholders at the same time and place, researches have been proposing web collaborative tools to elicit requirements. In this article we present a game-based collaborative tool called iThink that aims at improving the participation in a requirement elicitation process. iThink takes advantage of the associa- tion between “gamification” concepts and the six hats of thinking method for collecting both new requirements and feedback about existing ones and for presenting the requirement elicitation process in a form of a collaborative game. Two case-studies, involving several stakeholders, are also presented with the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness and acceptance of this tool.

Evaluation of a school‐linked program for children with cancer

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that the “Back on Track” program is designed to support students with a chronic illness (usually cancer) to maintain contact with their school and peers whilst undergoing treatment, to promote socio‐emotional wellbeing and to facilitate the ease of return to school when they are well. An evaluation of the program occurred in its first year.Design/methodology/approachA clarificative evaluation approach was used. This involved collecting data about the elements of the program design and implementation to understand and make explicit the logic of the program. It comprised three stages: documenting the program design; gathering stakeholder feedback about the experiences in the program; and reviewing the program logic of the design and implementation approaches.FindingsThe program (“Back on Track”) actively engaged teachers, parents, students and Program staff in negotiating strategies to keep the students (patients) connected with their school and peers whilst undergoing hospital‐based treatment for their chronic condition, in this case cancer, and when recovering at home before a full return to school. Difficulties emerged with the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) as one of the key program components in keeping the students connected. There were also differences in views between the Program staff, schoolteachers and some of the students and their parents about the ongoing role of the Program once students had returned to school.Originality/valueThe paper indicates what is needed to enhance the implementation and success of programs such as “Back on Track” for this group of young people who have significant chronic illnesses, which necessitate prolonged absences from school and separation from peers.

A Model For Gathering Stakeholder Input For Setting Research Priorities At The Land-Grant University

The American public is demanding higher accountability from land-grant universities as evidenced by declining financial support for higher education where the majority of agricultural research is conducted. Reasons for declining financial support may be a perception of disenfranchisement and concern by stakeholders that public dollars spent on research only benefits a narrow segment of the economy. In light of declining public support for publicly funded research, the 1998 Farm Bill (Public Law 105-185) stated that stakeholder input must be collected when setting research priorities. This paper advances a model for collecting and implementing stakeholder input into setting research priorities at land-grant universities that is grounded in Guba and Lincoln's Fourth Generation Evaluation theoretical model (1989). The proposed model describes a process that will streamline and facilitate gathering stakeholder input in a direct and user-friendly manner. This model should be tested and further refined at other land-grant institutions to meet the current and pressing need for greater public accountability. Implications of this study include a discussion of the importance of collecting stakeholder input and consequences of operating without community participation.