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Towards the Reconstruction and Evaluation of Conceptual Model Quality Discourses – Methodical Framework and Application in the Context of Model Understandability

  • Conference paper
Enterprise, Business-Process and Information Systems Modeling (BPMDS 2012, EMMSAD 2012)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 113))

Abstract

Within the information systems (IS) discipline conceptual models have gained tremendous importance in the past years. Different approaches for systematic model quality evaluation have emerged. However, these approaches are based on different understandings, definitions as well as operationalizations of the term “model quality”. In this article we refrain from conceptualizing and operationalizing model quality a priori. In contrast, assuming that the determination of model quality and appropriate criteria are negotiated in a discourse between modelers and model users based on their different perspectives, we develop a methodical framework for the critical reconstruction and evaluation of conceptual model quality discourses in order to identify relevant model quality criteria and understandings. Our method is exemplarily applied for the reconstruction of the discourse on the quality criterion model understandability based on relevant laboratory experiments. This application shows that many research results on model understandability are hardly comparable due to their different basic assumptions and should preferably be interpreted based on a methodical reconstruction of underlying understandings.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Information Systems (IWi), at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Saarland University, Campus, Building D32, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany

    Peter Fettke, Constantin Houy, Armella-Lucia Vella & Peter Loos

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  1. Peter Fettke
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  2. Constantin Houy
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  3. Armella-Lucia Vella
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  4. Peter Loos
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. IbisSoft AB, Stockholm, Box 19567, SE-10432, Stockholm, Sweden

    Ilia Bider

  2. LogicBlox, Australia, and INTI International University, Malaysia

    Terry Halpin

  3. Department of Computer and Information Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Sem Sælands Vei 7-9, 7491, Trondheim, Norway

    John Krogstie

  4. University Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, Paris, France

    Selmin Nurcan

  5. Erik Proper, PRC Henri Tudor, Luxembourg-Kirchberg, Luxembourg

    Erik Proper

  6. Aalen University, Aalen, Germany

    Rainer Schmidt

  7. University of Haifa, Carmel Mountain, 31905, Haifa, Israel

    Pnina Soffer

  8. Department of Business Informatics, University of Gdansk, ul. Piaskowa 9, 81-864, Sopot, Poland

    Stanisław Wrycza

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Fettke, P., Houy, C., Vella, AL., Loos, P. (2012). Towards the Reconstruction and Evaluation of Conceptual Model Quality Discourses – Methodical Framework and Application in the Context of Model Understandability. In: Bider, I., et al. Enterprise, Business-Process and Information Systems Modeling. BPMDS EMMSAD 2012 2012. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 113. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31072-0_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-31072-0_28

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-31072-0

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