Use Of Electronic Voting Systems Research Articles

Adoption and use of electronic voting system as an option towards credible elections in Nigeria

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the adoption and use of electronic voting (e-voting) system as an option to credible elections in Nigeria, as well as the factors that could influence the readiness of Oyo state citizens in Nigeria to use the system.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts the survey research design, while the Technology Readiness Acceptance Model provides the theoretical framework. A two-stage sampling procedure (random and convenience) was used to select 500 Nigerian citizens, who are of voting age, while data were collected with a structured questionnaire.FindingsFindings reveal that the citizens are ready to use the e-voting system if adopted by the Nigerian Government. Optimism and innovativeness are positively correlated, and perceived discomfort and perceived insecurity are negatively correlated, with readiness to use e-voting system by Oyo state citizens. The Technology Acceptance Model constructs (perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use), as well as computer self-efficacy also have positive correlations with readiness to use of e-voting.Research limitations/implicationsThe population of the study was limited to only citizens in one state of the federation; hence, the results cannot be generalised to all citizens in Nigeria.Practical implicationsThe study contributes to existing knowledge on adoption and use of technology and confirms that optimism and innovativeness are motivators and discomfort and insecurity are inhibitors of intention to use and actual usage of technology. Hence, these constructs should be taken into account and promoted when Nigeria is planning to adopt the e-voting system.Social implicationsThis paper could assist the Nigerian Government on the factors to consider when implementing the e-voting system.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first pieces of empirical research that attempted to investigate the factors that could promote acceptance and use of the e-voting system in Nigeria.

INVESTIGATING THE MOST NEGLECTED STUDENT LEARNING DOMAIN IN HIGHER EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENT BEHAVIOUR AND EMOTIONS IN UNIVERSITY MATHEMATICS LEARNING

Do students’ emotions and behaviours influence their learning in mathematics classes, and if yes, how and why? Based on a qualitative research design, evidence on how the use of Electronic Voting Systems (EVS) has influenced students’ emotional and behavioural engagement with university mathematics learning is presented. The results show that the use of EVS enables students to diagnose their level of understanding of learning material, relative to the rest of the class. EVS use also helps, in real time, to stimulate, maintain, and re-focus student attention during mathematics instruction. A favourable perception of the learning environment as being altruistic appears to have influenced students to emotionally identify and align themselves with mathematics learning goals. There is enhanced interactivity in EVS-facilitated lectures, including positive student competitiveness, while the EVS anonymity utility also enhances increased student participation rates. However, a major disincentive to student engagement is the use of EVS-based mathematics questions with low cognitive demand. This research is a contribution to how specific educational technology-based interventions influence student engagement. Key words: emotional/behavioural engagement, digital natives, EVS/Clickers, engineering mathematics.

The use of electronic voting systems to engage students in outreach activities

This paper discusses the use of electronic voting systems specifically in a range of outreach contexts. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading and the School of Chemistry at the University of Southampton are actively involved in delivering outreach activities at primary and secondary school level with a view to inspiring a new generation of budding chemists. Voting systems are successful in engaging students across all age groups as demonstrated by our experiences with youngsters aged 4 to 18. They are especially effective at breaking down the barriers of non communication thrown up by students when faced with a difficult question and encouraging the participation of even the most reticent teenager.

Implementing and evaluating a software-independent voting system for polling station elections

In 2009 the German Federal Constitutional Court introduced the principle of “public nature of elections” (Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, March 2009). This principle requires that when using electronic voting systems it must be possible for the citizen to verify the essential steps in the election process and in the ascertainment of the results reliably and without special expert knowledge. Unfortunately, none of the existing systems complies with this principle. As a result, the use of electronic voting systems in Germany for parliamentary elections has stopped. Nevertheless, electronic voting systems are necessary and would improve the situation, especially for elections with complex ballots and voting rules, for example some local elections in Germany or parliamentary elections in Belgium and Luxembourg. The concept proposed by Volkamer et al. (Volkamer et al., 2011) was analyzed by a legal expert and evaluated to comply with the German legal requirements for local elections in the state of Hesse (Henning et al., 2012). In this paper we specify and concretize processes that were left open in the concept, and implement a prototype. We evaluated this prototype in a user study that was conducted alongside the university elections at the Technische Universtität Darmstadt in June 2013. The results of the study show that most of the participants were satisfied with the prototype and would support its use for the upcoming university elections. We also report some lessons learned.

Who Counts Your Votes?

Open and fair elections are paramount to modern democracy. Although some people claim that the pencil-and-paper systems used in countries such as Canada and UK are still the best method of avoiding vote rigging, recent election problems have sparked great interest in managing the election process through the use of electronic voting systems. It is a goal of this paper to describe a voting system that is secret and secure as well as verifiable and usable over an existing computer network.

‘Pretty Lights’ and Maths! Increasing student engagement and enhancing learning through the use of electronic voting systems

University classes in Mathematics are traditionally perceived to be uninspiring and devoid of active student–lecturer communication. Large undergraduate classes further compound the difficulty of engaging students and enabling viable student–lecturer feedback. At the Mathematics Education Centre, Loughborough University, some staff members have been using electronic voting systems (EVS) to enliven the classroom and enable large numbers of students to respond to questions in real time during class. In this paper, we present an evaluation case study, based on student perceptions, of the impact of EVS use on student learning and engagement. The results show that majority of students are hugely positive about the usefulness and overall advantageousness of EVS use in classes. Results also show that EVS use does increase the likelihood of students participating and engaging in class, as even students who do not view EVS as being particularly useful stated that they are more likely to participate in classes where EVS are used than otherwise. However, there seems to be no correlation between EVS use and improvement (or otherwise) in student grades.

The use of electronic voting systems to engage students in outreach activities

This paper discusses the use of electronic voting systems specifically in a range of outreach contexts. The Department of Chemistry at the University of Reading and the School of Chemistry at the University of Southampton are actively involved in delivering outreach activities at primary and secondary school level with a view to inspiring a new generation of budding chemists. Voting systems are successful in engaging students across all age groups as demonstrated by our experiences with youngsters aged 4 to 18. They are especially effective at breaking down the barriers of non communication thrown up by students when faced with a difficult question and encouraging the participation of even the most reticent teenager.

Electronic voting systems for lectures then and now: A comparison of research and practice

<span>Research and practice in the use of electronic voting systems has developed over the last five years. Electronic voting systems, also known as personal response systems, audience response systems or classroom communication systems, use handsets to elicit responses from students as part of structured teaching sessions, typically lectures. The use of this information has implications for pedagogy; they are associated with the introduction of interactive, discursive and more segmented approaches to teaching. The pedagogic and organisational implications of adopting such systems are summarised, along with the perceptions that staff and students hold. Comparisons are drawn between practice up to 2002 and between 2002 and 2006; these reveal how both practice and research on this topic has matured, highlighting (for example) the development of models that seek to abstract and share practice. The paper concludes by outlining the ways in which such tools can be used to improve lecturing, and identifies an agenda for future work in this area.</span>

The use of electronic voting systems in lectures within business and marketing: a case study of their impact on student learning

This article presents a case study of the impact on student learning of introducing an electronic voting system (EVS) into large-group lectures for first-year undergraduate students undertaking degrees in marketing and business systems. We discuss the potential for using EVS-style interactive lectures in marketing and business programmes. We then describe how we planned the session and selected and implemented the EVS system. We go on to present an evaluative research project, which was undertaken on the innovation using case-study methodology, and assess its impact on student learning. Data for the evaluation were collected through questionnaire and focus groups with a sample of students. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show how students perceived the use of EVS in large lectures and how their learning was affected. A ‘threefold typology’ emerged that explains how students related to the EVS and how their perceptions of EVS changed over time. The discussion links these findings to the literature on different paradigms of learning and teaching, using Renshaw’s framework, and examines how the EVS-style lectures promote deep and active learning within the constructivist, social constructivist and metacognitive learning paradigms identified in Renshaw’s model. The conclusions show how the use of a userfriendly EVS in large lectures motivates students, develops students’ cognitive and social learning skills, and improves learning effectiveness.DOI: 10.1080/09687760600837090

The use of electronic voting systems in lectures within business and marketing: a case study of their impact on student learning

This article presents a case study of the impact on student learning of introducing an electronic voting system (EVS) into large-group lectures for first-year undergraduate students undertaking degrees in marketing and business systems. We discuss the potential for using EVS-style interactive lectures in marketing and business programmes. We then describe how we planned the session and selected and implemented the EVS system. We go on to present an evaluative research project, which was undertaken on the innovation using case-study methodology, and assess its impact on student learning. Data for the evaluation were collected through questionnaire and focus groups with a sample of students. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show how students perceived the use of EVS in large lectures and how their learning was affected. A ‘threefold typology’ emerged that explains how students related to the EVS and how their perceptions of EVS changed over time. The discussion links these findings to the literature on different paradigms of learning and teaching, using Renshaw’s framework, and examines how the EVS-style lectures promote deep and active learning within the constructivist, social constructivist and metacognitive learning paradigms identified in Renshaw’s model. The conclusions show how the use of a userfriendly EVS in large lectures motivates students, develops students’ cognitive and social learning skills, and improves learning effectiveness.DOI: 10.1080/09687760600837090

The use of electronic voting systems in large group lectures: Challenges and opportunities

We describe pedagogical, technical and operational issues associated with the introduction of an electronic voting system into large first-year undergraduate lectures. The rationale for doing so is to transform the lecture experience from a one-way transmission of information in to a two-way conversation between lecturer and students, mediated by the technology. We discuss some of the logistics involved, such as choice of handset, cost and siting within a lecture theatre as well as the aspects of pedagogy, such as the requirements of a good question for these interactive episodes. We present a number of possible use scenarios and evaluate student and staff experiences of the process.

The use of electronic voting systems in large group lectures: challenges and opportunities

We describe pedagogical, technical and operational issues associated with the introduction of an electronic voting system into large first-year undergraduate lectures. The rationale for doing so is to transform the lecture experience from a one-way transmission of information in to a two-way conversation between lecturer and students, mediated by the technology. We discuss some of the logistics involved, such as choice of handset, cost and siting within a lecture theatre as well as the aspects of pedagogy, such as the requirements of a good question for these interactive episodes. We present a number of possible use scenarios and evaluate student and staff experiences of the process.

Efficient Identification of Bad Signatures in RSA-Type Batch Signature

As the use of electronic voting systems and e-commerce systems increases, the efficient batch verification of digital signatures becomes more and more important. In this paper, we first propose a new method to identify bad signatures in batches efficiently for the case when the batch contains one bad signature. The method can find out the bad signature using smaller number of modular multiplications than the existing method. We also propose an extension to the proposed method to find out two or more bad signatures in a batch instance. Experimental results show that our method yields better performance than the existing method in terms of the number of modular multiplications.