Speaker Name/Affiliation: Alan
R. Hevner/NSF/CISE

Date/Time: Tuesday October 23 2007 3:00 p.m.

Location: ACES 2.402

Host: Jim Browne

Talk Title:

Design Science Research and the Software for
Real-World Systems (SRS) P

rogram at NSF

Talk Abstract:
Two paradigms characterize much of t

he research in the
Information Systems discipline: behavioral science a

nd
design science. Behavioral research seeks to develop and
verify

theories that explain or predict human or organizational
behavior. Desi

gn research seeks to extend the boundaries of
human and organizational

capabilities by creating new and
innovative artifacts. Both paradigms

are foundational to the
IS discipline. In this presentation I will de

scribe the
performance of design science research in Information
Sy

stems via a concise conceptual framework and clear
guidelines for under

standing executing and evaluating
the research. I then analyze design
science research as
an embodiment of three closely related cycles of a

ctivities
- the Relevance Cycle the Rigor Cycle and the central
D

esign Cycle. The recognition of these three cycles in a
research projec

t clearly positions and differentiates design
science research from oth

er research paradigms. I will
conclude my presentation with a discussio

n of a new
NSF program on Software for Real-World Systems (SRS).
Th

e SRS Program calls for researchers to discover define
and apply new

scientific principles engineering processes
and methods and education

al pedagogy to the design
development and use of software for real-wo

rld systems.
How can software for real-world systems be designed
b

uilt and analyzed in elegant and powerful new ways?
Bold rethinking of
the science and engineering of software
for real-world systems from th

e basic concepts of design
evolution and adaptation to the integratio

n of human
capabilities – is needed. Emerging technologies such
as
multi-core processors and pervasive computing heighten
the urg

ency for new thinking as we build software for future
systems. SRS is

looking for multi-investigator teams or single
investigators who will i

ntegrate diverse ideas and novel
approaches to the design development
and use of software
for real-world systems. Reference: A. Hevner S.
March
J. Park and S. Ram “Design Science Research in Informat

ion
Systems ” Management Information Systems Quarterly Vol. 28

No. 1 March 2004 pp. 75-105.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Hevner receiv

ed a Ph.D. in Computer Science from
Purdue University. He has held fac

ulty positions at the
University of Maryland and the University of Minn

esota.
Dr. Hevner is a member of ACM IEEE AIS and INFORMS.
He

is currently on an assignment at the National Science
Foundation as a p

rogram manager in the Computer and
Information Science and Engineering