Dr. Alavi’s research on this topic started while she was at the University of Maryland at College Park and was motivated by two major grants awarded to the university by AT&T and IBM Corporations in 1993 and 1994 respectively. She served on the research proposal committees for these two grants and subsequently became involved in conduct of the proposed research. Both of these grants involved an investigation of the enabling role of information technologies in support of learning and pedagogy. Her work in this area has lead to significant innovations in her teaching approach (see the segment on teaching activities) and resulted in the following insights:
Sample Publications in the area of Technology-Mediated Learning
M. Alavi," Computer Mediated Collaborative Learning: An Empirical Evaluation," MIS Quarterly, Volume 18, No. 2, June 1994.
M. Alavi, B. Wheeler, and J. Valacich, "Using IT to Reengineer Business Education: An Exploratory Investigation of Collaborative Telelearning," MIS Quarterly, Volume 19, No. 3, September 1995.
B. Shneiderman, M. Alavi, K. Norman, E. Yu, "Windows of Opportunity in Electronic Classrooms, Communication of the ACM, Volume 38, No. 11, November 1995.
M. Alavi, Y. Yoo, and D. R. Vogel, "Using Information Technology to Add Value to Management Education," Academy of Management Journal, Volume 40, No. 6, December 1997.
B, Shneiderman, , E. Borkowski, M. Alavi, and K. Norman, "Emerging Patterns of Teaching/Learning in Electronic Classroom," Education Technology Research & Development, Volume 46, No. 4, December 1998.
M. Alavi, and B. Gallupe, " The transformation of Business Education," G. Dickson and G. Desanctis (eds.) Creating Value Networks: Managing IT in the 21st Century, Prentice Hall, New York, 2000.
M. Alavi, and D. Leidner " Technology-Mediated Learning: A Call for Greater Depth and Breadth of Research," Information Systems Research, 2001, Forthcoming.
M. Alavi, and D. Leidner, "Virtual Learning Systems", working paper, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 2002.
Knowledge Management Systems Research
A more recent expansion of Dr. Alavi’s work has been in the area of knowledge management systems. Research in the area of knowledge management systems is a natural and logical extension of her work in the area of technology-mediated learning, since learning is the process by which information is converted into knowledge. Her research in the area of knowledge management is motivated by the emerging theories and practices that view knowledge creation and learning as the principle source of sustainable competitive advantage. A topic of particular interest to her knowledge management research is investigation of the role of information and communication technologies in development and implementation of knowledge management strategies.
Publications in the Area of Knowledge Management Systems
M. Alavi, KPMG Peat Marwick U.S.: One Giant Brain, Harvard Business School Case Publishing, Boston, MA, 1997 (A Harvard Business School Publishing Best- Seller Case).
M. Alavi, and D., Leidner, " Knowledge Management Systems: Issues, Challenges, and Benefits," Communication s of the Association for Information Systems, Volume, 1, No 2, 1999.
M. Alavi, " Organizational Knowledge Management," in R. W. Zmud (ed.) Framing the Domains of IT Management Research: Glimpsing the Future through the Past, Pinneflex Publishing, 2000.
M. Alavi, and D. Leidner " Knowledge Management and Knowledge Management Systems: Conceptual Foundations and Research Issues," MIS Quarterly, 2001, Forthcoming.