Human Factors : The home of people-friendly technology

Georgia Southern University

Jim Bradford—Research
Text Box: I have two major research interests — one has a technical focus and the other has a teaching (pedagogy) focus. Technical Research This research focuses on the human factors of medical information systems. Although medical I.T. holds enormous promise, badly designed user interfaces often serve as a barrier to productivity. Worse yet, when the popular press reports on “human error” in the medical field, the true source of the problem can often be traced to design problems with the user interfaces associated with medical information systems. My research examines the good (and bad) in the medical I.T. area. I study the best practices (as well as the worst practices!) of existing systems and derive the design principles associated with the most highly effective user interfaces. I am also involved in the testing and quality assurance of medical information technologies. Pedagogical (Teaching and Learning) Research Over my many years working at a number of universities I have seen students thrive and I have seen students fail. Rarely, if ever, is their failure due to a lack of ability. Most often the student’s approach to goal setting, time management, self-motivation, engagement in the educational process, and self-expectation is the root of the problem. The modern university experience is often a family matter. Modern students interact with their families far more frequently than the students of past generations. Thus the family dynamic can help or hinder student performance. My pedagogical research identifies those factors in family interactions that promote student success. In the long term I hope to develop workshop materials that will help train parents on how to partner with their college age children to encourage and support a successful university experience.