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Dr. Michael P. O'Brien

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Biography

Dr. Michael P. O'Brien is a lecturer in Information Management in the Department of Management & Marketing at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick. He teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate modules in the area of Information and Knowledge Management. Michael is Course Director for the MA in Business Management programme. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Limerick and both an honours BSc degree in Information Systems and an MSc degree in Computer Science (by research & thesis). His research interests include inter alia, data analytics, cognitive and educational psychology, software comprehension strategies, empirical studies of programmers and software evolution. His award-winning research has been published at international conferences, workshops & seminars in this domain. Michael, a past winner of the prestigious 'AGB Dwyer Memorial Award for Excellence in Education' is a Member of the Irish Learning Technology Association, the Psychology of Programming Interest Group and the Computer Science Education Research Network.

Research Interests

* Data Analytics
* Cognitive and Educational Psychology
* Software Evolution
* Software Comprehension Strategies
* Empirical Studies of Programmers
* Technical Communication
* Instructional Design

Current Projects:


* Learning Analytics (Ongoing since 2016): Received seed funding in 2017 from the Kemmy Business School to examine Sakai engagement analytics with a view to detecting at-risk students (collaborators: Dr. John Walsh & Dr. Darina Slattery).

* Flipped Classrooms (2017-Present): Collaborating on a project to explore the benefits of the flipped classroom for improving the learning experiences of international students. This project also received seed funding from the Kemmy Business School (collaborators: Dr. John Walsh & Dr. Darina Slattery).

Teaching Interests

* Information & Knowledge Management
* Software Engineering
* Computer Programming
* Information Systems
* Instructional Design
* Technical Communication

Current Modules:

MI4007 : Business Information Management
IM6101 : Information Management
MI6303 : Business Analytics Simulation
MG3521 : Management Information Systems (Healthcare)
MG6113 : Confirmation Paper

Previously Taught Modules:

MP6013: Business Simulation
MP6061 : Information Management for Small & Medium Enterprises
IM6102 : Knowledge Management
MI4408 : Strategy & Knowledge Management
MI4407 : Social and Economic Perspectives of Information Management
MI4305 : Data and Decision Making in Organisations
EL6041 : Instructional Design
TW4115 : Principles of Professional & Technical Communication & Information Design
TW4116 : Workplace Issues in Technical and Professional Communication
TW4118 : Content Development and Information Management
TW5211 : Principles of Professional & Technical Communication & Information Design (Distance)
TW5222 : Content Development and Information Management (Distance)
CS2911 : Introduction to Information Technology (Distance)
CS4001 : Computer Applications for Scientists 1

Recent Postgraduates

Masters Supervision:


2020/21

Arkadeep Chatterjee: Cloud Computing and Big Data Analytics: Realising the Benefits, Challenges and security Issues in an Organisational Settings.
Da Man: Big Data's Influence on Strategic Decision-Making in E-commerce: A Case Study of
Alibaba Group.
Paras Oberoi: Smart Grocery Management Systems: Management and Implementation.
Naveen Revanna: A Study on How Business Operations (Identity Management, Supply Chain Management and Financial Management) Can Reduce Uncertainties and Increase Transparency Using Blockchain Technology.


2019/20


Sreejith Pallathana Santhosh: Big Data Analytics and its Impact on Supply Chain Management
Jack O'Donoghue: Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Discover and Design of Drugs in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Hao Guan: Blockchain Technology in Finance
Gerard Anand Dhanasekaran: Review on Online Journalism based on Traffic of Popular News Websites
Sena Olalekan Tonato: Business Intelligence Among SMEs

2018/19
Kelly Flaherty: Cloud Computing: Security and Risk Management Issues for SMEs
 Darragh Lawlor: Big Data Security and Privacy: A Social Media ContextEoin Maye: Artificial Intelligence as a Force of Creative Destruction: The Threat it poses to the Human Workforce
Joseph Geary: Blockchain and its Implications for International Business
Nuomin Bao: The Analysis of the E-Commerce Model based on Cloud Computing Platform
Danyang Li: How Big Data Brings Opportunities and Challenges for SMEs
Noelle Leahy: Digital Media Marketing: The Value of Blogging/Vlogging in Business

2017/18

Kieran Carroll: The Impact of Government Intervention on the Private Rented Housing Market.
Shiyu Li: An Analysis of Culture Differences on Advertising and Marketing.

2016/17

Robert Kirwan: Wearable Technology: The Potential for the Health Industry
Evelyn S. de Oliveria: Design, Motivation and Engagement in MOOCs - a Blueprint for Best Practice
Rong Fan: An Examination of the E-Commerce Ecosystem and its Marketing Mechanism - A Case Study of Alibaba Group
Yuanyuan Cui: An Examination of Mobile Commerce in Today's Web 3.0: An Exploratory Study in Relation to Strategic Planning of WeChat in China.
Samson Adekunle Oyadeji: The Role of Leadership in Motivation and Effective Decision-Making in Small & Medium Enterprises.
Lorraine Hickey: MUSEO - Software for the Music Industry

2012/13

Tuli, Madhu: Towards the Making of an E-Learning Course: Identifying Tasks and Writing Objectives.
Xu, Jing: After Effects CS3 Basic Training.
Gilleran-Wall, Pamela: E-Government 2012-2015 – From Policy Document to Framework for Heuristic Evaluation.
Costello, Diarmuid: An E-Learning Course in Freehand Sketching.
Gough, Pearse: Dropbox E-Learning Course.
2011/12

Tierney, David: Learning Styles and Strategies: Designing Online Advice for Students.
Gaffney, Kevin: Reference Point - An e-Learning Course.
Leahy, Dermot: An Introduction to Search Engine Optimisation e-Learning Course.
Power, John-Paul: Puppet-Making: An E-Learning Course.

External Examiner:
Thompson, Brian: FlowZone: The Application of Edutainment to Learning Computer Programming. (M.Sc - I.T. Carlow)

2010/11

O'Neill, Emily: Technical Communication in Virtual Teams: The Effects of Culture, Tools and the Development Lifecycle on the Building and Maintenance of Trust.
McGovern, Michael: Sitting with Students at Recess: Facebook as a Classroom Support.
Slammon, Cathriona: Introduction to Visual Merchandising: An E-Learning Course for Fashion Retail Employees.
Rainsford, John: Fact or Fallacy? E-Learning Paradigms And The Vocational Integration Of People With Disabilities in Ireland.
Nyamakaz, Lidiolo: English for Medical People.
Murray, Maureen: Technical Communication Section Website Development Project.
O'Donnell, Sherona; Rice, Susan; Seery, Avril: University of Limerick Practicum Development Project - Online Development for the Dissemination of Findings from Stage One of the Ennus Hub Plan.

Professional Activities

Committee

  • MA in International Entrepreneurship Management Course Board,
  • MA in Business Management Course Board,
  • KBS Postgraduate Forum,
  • The Student Journey & Student Engagement working group,

Association

  • Member, Institution of Analysts & Programmers
  • Member, Irish Learning Technology Association
  • Member, Psychology of Programming Interest Group
  • Fellow, Irish Guild of Organists & Choristers
  • Member, Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Other

  • Dr. Michael P. O'Brien is President and Co-founder of Limerick Choral Festival. Limerick Choral Festival (in association with the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick) aims to promote the development of choral music with special emphasis on the realm of sacred music in the city, wider region and throughout the country. The event takes places annually over the first weekend of March attracting over 50 choirs to the city.

Research Collaborators

  • Prof. Vaclav Rajlich - Wayne State University -USA

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

2021

Investigating student engagement with intentional content: An exploratory study of instructional videos
Walsh, J.N. , O'Brien, M.P., Costin Y.
(2021) Investigating student engagement with intentional content: An exploratory study of instructional videos
In The International Journal of Management Education ;
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2021.100505
[ULIR]

2019

Developing Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Entrepreneurial Competences through Business Simulation Games
Costin, Y., O'Brien, M.P., Hynes, B.
(2019) Developing Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Entrepreneurial Competences through Business Simulation Games
In Journal of Enterprising Culture; pp. 471-498
DOI: 10.1142/S0218495819500171

2019

Video Viewing Patterns Using Different Teaching Treatments: A Case Study Using YouTube Analytics
Walsh, J. N., O'Brien, M. P., and Slattery, D. M.
(2019) Video Viewing Patterns Using Different Teaching Treatments: A Case Study Using YouTube Analytics
In REALIA Research in Education and Learning Innovation Archives; University of Valencia, Spain : pp. 77-95
DOI: 10.7203/realia.22.15389

2018

Using Simulation to Develop Entrepreneurial Skills and Mind-Set: An Exploratory Case Study
Costin, Yvonne; O'Brien, Michael P.; Slattery, Darina M.
(2018) Using Simulation to Develop Entrepreneurial Skills and Mind-Set: An Exploratory Case Study
In International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education; pp. 136-145
[ULIR]

2014

Using Service Learning and Virtual Team Projects to Broaden the Curriculum and Enhance the Student Experience
Slattery, D. M. and O'Brien, M. P.
(2014) Using Service Learning and Virtual Team Projects to Broaden the Curriculum and Enhance the Student Experience
In Currents in Teaching and Learning ; pp. 42-54

2014

Information Seeking & Documentation as Communication: A Software Engineering Perspective
O'Brien, M. P.
(2014) Information Seeking & Documentation as Communication: A Software Engineering Perspective
In Communication and Language at Work - Bridging Theory and Practice; pp. 26-37

2004

Expectation-based, inference-based, and bottom-up software comprehension
O'Brien, MP; Buckley, J; Shaft, TM
(2004) Expectation-based, inference-based, and bottom-up software comprehension
In Journal of Software Maintenance and Evolution: Research and Practice; pp. 427-447
DOI: 10.1002/smr.307

Conference Publications

2020

19th European Conference on E-Learning
O'Brien, M.P., Walsh, J.N., Costin, Y.
(2020) 19th European Conference on E-Learning
Prof. Dr. -lng. Carsten Busch, Martin Steinicke, Prof. Dr. Tilo Wendler(Ed.) pp. 388-396 Berlin, Germany
DOI: 10.34190/EEL.20.078

2019

42nd Annual Conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Keane, C., Costin, Y., Hynes, B., O'Brien, M.P.
(2019) 42nd Annual Conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Newcastle, UK

2019

42nd Annual Conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Costin, Y., O'Brien, M.P., Hynes, B.
(2019) 42nd Annual Conference of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
Newcastle, UK

2019

18th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
O'Brien, M., Slattery, D., & Walsh, J.
(2019) 18th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
R. Orngreen, M. Buhl, & B. Meyer(Ed.) pp. 428-436 Copenhagen, Denmark
DOI: 10.34190/EEL.19.081

2018

17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
O'Brien M.;Slattery D.;Hyland P.
(2018) 17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
pp. -438

2008

3rd Annual Conference on Student Retention
O'Brien, M. P. and Twomey, T.
(2008) 3rd Annual Conference on Student Retention
Limerick, Ireland.

2007

1st Symposium on Research & Writing Practices
Farrell, V. and O'Brien, M. P.
(2007) 1st Symposium on Research & Writing Practices
Limerick, Ireland.

2005

Proceedings - IEEE Workshop on Program Comprehension
O'Brien M.;Buckley J.
(2005) Proceedings - IEEE Workshop on Program Comprehension
pp. 125-134

2005

IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance, ICSM
O'Brien M.;Buckley J.;Exton C.
(2005) IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance, ICSM
pp. 433-442
DOI: 10.1109/ICSM.2005.44

2002

10th International Software Quality Management (SQM) Conference (British Computer Society)
O'Brien, M. P.
(2002) 10th International Software Quality Management (SQM) Conference (British Computer Society)
Limerick, Ireland.

2001

1st Irish National Software Ergonomics Research Institute (INSERC) Conference on Software Ergonomics
O'Brien, M. P.
(2001) 1st Irish National Software Ergonomics Research Institute (INSERC) Conference on Software Ergonomics
Twomey, T., O'Brien, M. P., Donovan, J.(Ed.) Limerick, Ireland.

2001

9th International Workshop on Program Comprehension
O'Brien, M. P. and Buckley, J.
(2001) 9th International Workshop on Program Comprehension
pp. 71-78 Toronto, Canada.
DOI: 10.1109/WPC.2001.921715

2000

5th Science & Computing Research Conference
O'Brien, M.P., Buckley, J.
(2000) 5th Science & Computing Research Conference
Athlone, Ireland

Conference Contributions

2020

19th European Conference on E-Learning (ECEL)
O'Brien, M.P.
(2020) 19th European Conference on E-Learning (ECEL)
Berlin, Germany

2019

18th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
O'Brien, M.P.
(2019) 18th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
Copenhagen, Denmark

2018

17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
O'Brien, M.P.
(2018) 17th European Conference on e-Learning (ECEL)
Athens, Greece

2001

9th IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension
O'Brien, M.P.
(2001) 9th IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension
Toronto, Canada

Workshopss

2016

Building a Model of the Information Search & Retrieval Processes of Industrial Software Practitioners
O'Brien, M.P., Buckley J.
(2016) Building a Model of the Information Search & Retrieval Processes of Industrial Software Practitioners
12th Annual SIG Cognitive Research Workshop, Dublin, Ireland :

2006

Empirically Refining a Model of Programmers' Information-Seeking Behaviour during Software Maintenance
Buckley, J., O'Brien, M. P. and Power, N.
(2006) Empirically Refining a Model of Programmers' Information-Seeking Behaviour during Software Maintenance
In Proceedings of the 18th Annual Psychology of Programming Interest Group Workshop;

2001

An Open-Source Analysis Schema for Identifying Software Comprehension Processes
O'Brien, M. P., Shaft, T. M. and Buckley, J.
(2001) An Open-Source Analysis Schema for Identifying Software Comprehension Processes
In Proceedings of the 13th Annual Psychology of Programming Interest Group Workshop; pp. 129-146

Manuals

2008

Teaching for Diverse Learning Styles: Active Learning Strategies to Use in the Classroom
O'Brien, M. P.
(2008) Teaching for Diverse Learning Styles: Active Learning Strategies to Use in the Classroom

Thesiss

2007

Empirically Evolving a Model of the Information-Seeking Behaviour of Industrial Programmers
O'Brien, M. P.
(2007) Empirically Evolving a Model of the Information-Seeking Behaviour of Industrial Programmers
University of Limerick

Technical Publications

2003

Software Comprehension – A Review & Research Direction
O'Brien, M. P.
(2003) Software Comprehension – A Review & Research Direction
In Technical Report UL-CSIS-03-3;

2000

The GIB Talk-Aloud Classification Schema. Technical Report 2000-IT-1.
O'Brien, M.P., Buckley, J.
(2000) The GIB Talk-Aloud Classification Schema. Technical Report 2000-IT-1.
Limerick Institute of Technology, Limerick, Ireland. :

Articles

2001

Identifying Software Comprehension Processes
O'Brien, M. P. and Buckley, J.
(2001) Identifying Software Comprehension Processes
The Irish Scientist Year Book

2000

Software Comprehension of Familiar Systems
O'Brien, M. P.
(2000) Software Comprehension of Familiar Systems
The Irish Scientist Year Book (Millennium Edition)