CHARLES E. DOWNING
Operations
Management and Information Systems Department
Northern
Phone: (815) 753-6381
Fax: (815) 753-7460
e-mail: cdowning@niu.edu
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
NORTHERN
Dean’s Distinguished
Professor, (2016
– Present).
Presidential Teaching
Professor, (2010 - Present).
Walmart Professor in
Professor, (2006
- 2007).
Associate Professor, (2000
- 2006).
Research
Interests: Big Data Analytics; Information Technology as
a business process integrator (Supply Chain and portals); Business
Intelligence; the implementation and evaluation of Decision Support Systems
which employ advanced analytical techniques; measuring the effectiveness of
information systems; Information Technology choices in dissimilar cultures.
Courses
Taught: OMIS
259 “Introduction to Business Information Systems” (undergraduate)
OMIS 351
“Information Systems in Organizations” (undergraduate)
OMIS 462
“Business Systems Analysis, Design, & Devel.”
(undergraduate)
OMIS
651 “Business Systems Analysis & Design” (MS)
OMIS 661
“Business Decision Support Systems” (MS)
OMIS 665 “Big Data
Analytics” (MS)
Associate Professor, with
tenure (2000). Taught and researched Management Information
Systems for the Operations and Strategic Management Department of the
Assistant Professor (1994-2000).
Courses
Taught: MC
240 / MC 340 “Management Information Systems” (undergraduate)
MD
021 “Management and Operations” (undergraduate)
MM
720 “Information Management and Analysis” (full time MBA)
MC
707 “Computing and Information Systems” (evening MBA)
MD
851 "Information Systems for Financial Services" (MBA)
Information Technology
Management for Electronic Commerce (executive)
Spreadsheet
Modeling for Decision Analysis (executive)
EDUCATION
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
1991
to 1994
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, June 1994
Major and dissertation in
Systems Analysis and Design, concentration in Information Systems Management
Dissertation Title: "Meta-Monitoring Systems: Tools in the Effectiveness Determination of
Information Systems"
Minors in Statistics and
Organization Theory
Teaching Assistant for the
courses "Systems Analysis and Design", "Business Research
Methods", "Engineering Management" and "Industrial
Psychology". Responsibilities
included lecturing, grading, tutoring and organizing between 15 and 160
students.
Outstanding Teaching
Assistant for 1993-1994 school year, awarded by Northwestern Chapter of
Institute of Industrial Engineers
Significant consulting
experience in Information Systems Management to supplement dissertation
1991
to 1992
Master of Science Degree in
Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences, June 1992
Cumulative grade point
average 3.67/4.00
1982
to 1986
Bachelor of Arts Degree in
Mathematics, June 1986
Cumulative grade point
average 3.58/4.00, Dean's List
INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE
Independent Consultant. Designed, programmed, and
implemented a 12-line telephone interactive voice response system responsible
for managing the Savings and Profit Sharing Plan informational needs of 10,000
internal employees. Created and managed
the interface between this system and the corporate Client/Server network. Trained staff in the use and manipulation of
the system, and directed evaluation of the system. Managed the roll out of interactive voice
response to 250 external benefits clients.
ERNST AND YOUNG (1989 to 1991)
Senior Consultant. National Director of
microcomputer systems, networks and telecommunications for the Defined
Contribution Group. Directed,
programmed, and maintained the networked (Novell NetWare) personal computer
environment. Pioneered interactive voice
response technology within the benefits group.
Formally instructed colleagues in software packages and programming
languages.
THE NORTHERN TRUST CORPORATION (1987 to 1989)
Allocation Specialist. Managed Defined Contribution plans for large
corporate clients. Developed expertise
in the management and administration of the COBOL-based computer information
systems responsible for running the business.
Educated bank officers in Lotus 1-2-3 and other software packages.
Mathematics Teacher. Performed full-time secondary teaching
responsibilities. Served as freshmen
baseball coach and ticket manager for the athletic department.
REFEREED JOURNAL
PUBLICATIONS
Downing, Charles E. (2020). Technology
and Higher Education: What Works and what is the Future? The
International Journal of Business Management and Technology, 4 (6), 7-20.
Downing, Charles E. (2020). Best
Practices In Online Education, International
Journal of Information, Business and Management, 12 (3), 64-78.
Downing, Charles E., & Liu, Chang (2019). Data Analytics Education: A Longitudinal View, International Journal of Information, Business and Management, 11 (4), 8-19.
Downing, Charles E. (2017).
Examining Student Retention with Data Analytics, International
Journal of Advanced Research, 5(12).
Downing, C. E. (2016).
Privacy and the information age: A longitudinal view. Journal of
International Technology and Information Management, 25(2), 3.
Downing, C. E., Spears, J.,
& Holtz, M. (2014). Transforming a course to blended learning for student
engagement. Education Research International, 2014.
Downing, C. E., & Liu, C.
(2014). Assessing Web Site Usability in Retail Electronic Commerce, Journal of International Technology and
Information Management, 23(1).
Liu, C., & Downing, C.
(2013). Grouping Attribute Values in a Dimensional Table Design: A Customized
Approach for Teaching Business Analytical Applications Using Microsoft Business
Intelligence Tools. Journal of Information Technology and Application
in Education, 2(2), 80-84.
Downing, C., & Liu, C.
(2012). Getting students to teach each other: doing more with less in IS
education. Journal of Information Technology and Application in
Education, 1(4), 195-206.
Downing, C. E. (2010). Is
web-based supply chain integration right for your company?. Communications
of the ACM, 53(5), 134-137.
Liu, C., & Downing, C.
(2010). Using cascading style sheets to design a fly-out menu with Microsoft
visual studio. Journal of Information Systems Education, 21(3),
275.
Downing, C. E., & Liu, C.
(2009). Does web site usability correlate with web site usage?. Journal
of International Technology and Information Management, 18(3),
10.
Field, J. M., Ritzman, L.
P., Safizadeh, M. H., & Downing, C. E. (2006).
Uncertainty reduction approaches, uncertainty coping approaches, and process
performance in financial services. Decision Sciences, 37(2),
149-175.
Gallaugher, J. M., &
Downing, C. E. (2005). Portal Combat Revisited: Success Factors and Evolution
in Consumer Web Portals. In Web Portals: The New Gateways to Internet
Information and Services (pp. 40-63). IGI Global.
Downing, C. E. (2004).
The Effects of IT Usage in the Supply Chain on Process Performance: A Field Study, Communications of the IIMA, 4(3).
Mackie, B. G.,
& Downing, C. E. (2004). Viability of electronic service offerings: user
satisfaction in the business-to-employee market. International Journal
of Services Technology and Management, 5(1), 14-24.
Downing, C. E., Gallaugher,
J., & Segars, A. H. (2004). Culture, information technology choice and
empowerment: Revisiting the interplay. In Advanced Topics in Global
Information Management, Volume 3 (pp. 72-91). IGI Global.
Downing, C. E.
(2003). Examining the Present and
Looking to the Future of DSS and Intelligent Systems, Communications of the IIMA, 3(2).
Downing,
C. E. (2003). The value of outsourcing: A field study. Information
systems management, 19(4), 84-89.
Downing,
C. E., Gallaugher, J., & Segars, A. H. (2003). Information technology
choices in dissimilar cultures: Enhancing empowerment. Journal of
Global Information Management (JGIM), 11(1), 20-39.
Downing,
C. E. (2002). A simple and effective method for teaching information systems
vocabulary and concepts in a large lecture setting. Journal of
Information Systems Education, 13(3), 165.
Downing,
C. E., & Ringuest, J. L. (2002). Implementing and testing a complex
interactive MOLP algorithm. Decision Support Systems, 33(4),
363-374.
Downing,
C. E. (2002). Performance of traditional and Web-based EDI. Information Systems
Management, 19(1), 49-55.
Gallaugher,
J. M., & Downing, C. E. (2000). Portal combat: an empirical study of
competition in the web portal industry. Journal of information
technology management, 11(1-2), 13-24.
Downing, C. E. (1999). System usage behavior
as a proxy for user satisfaction: an empirical investigation. Information
& Management, 35(4), 203-216.
Downing,
C. E., & Clark, A. S. (1999). Groupware in practice. Information
systems management, 16, 25-31.
Downing,
C. E., & Ringuest, J. L. (1998). An experimental evaluation of the efficacy
of four multi-objective linear programming algorithms. European Journal
of Operational Research, 104(3), 549-558.
Downing,
C. E., & Safizadeh, M. H. (1997). Bringing
decision support to the customer level. Information systems management, 14(3),
23-28.
Clark, A. S., Downing, C. E., & Coleman, D.
(1997). Groupware at Big Six Consulting Firms: How Successful was it?. Groupware:
Collaborative Strategies for Corporate LANs and Intranets, ed. By D. Coleman,
Prentice Hall PTR, 533-561.
Ringuest,
J. L., & Downing, C. E. (1997). Multiobjective
linear programming with context-dependent preferences. Journal of the
Operational Research Society, 48(7), 714-725.
Downing,
C. E. (1997). Rhetoric or Reality?: The Professed Satisfaction of Older
Customers with Information Technology. Journal of Organizational and
End User Computing (JOEUC), 9(1), 15-27.
Downing,
C. E., & Rath, G. J. (1997). The Internet as Intranet: Moving toward the
electronic classroom. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 25(3),
273-291.
PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND
REFEREED PROCEEDINGS PUBLICATIONS
“Examining Student Retention With Data Analytics”, Proceedings of the Southern Association for
Information Systems (SAIS) Conference,
Saint Augustine, FL, March, 2016.
“Privacy and the Information Age: A
Longitudinal View”, Proceedings of the Southern Association for
Information Systems (SAIS) Conference,
Hilton Head, SC, March, 2015.
(with Chang Liu).
“Doing
More with Less in IS Education: Getting Students to Teach Each Other”, Proceedings
of the 2011 Americas Conference on Information Systems, Detroit, MI, August 2011,
http://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2011_submissions/139.
(with Chang Liu). "Assessing Web Site Usability in
Retail Electronic Commerce" Proceedings of the Computer Software and Applications Conference
(COMPSAC), 2011 IEEE 35th Annual, Munich,
Germany, 18-22 July 2011, pp. 144 – 151.
“Macros in Excel Made
Easy For You and Your Students”, Proceedings
of the Midwest Decision Sciences Institute Conference, Chicago, IL, April
13, 2007, Information Technology and e-Business Track.
“Performance Benefits of Web-Based Supply
Chain Integration”, Proceedings of
the Southern Association for Information Systems (SAIS) Conference,
Jacksonville, FL, March 9, 2007, pp. 75-80.
“Privacy, The Information Age, and Ethical
Practices: What is Important to
Consumers?”, Proceedings of the Midwest Business
Administration Association (MBAA) International Conference, “Privacy and
Security Issues”,
“The Effects of IT Usage in the Supply Chain
on Process Performance: A Field Study”, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the
IIMA, October 2004.
(with J. Field, L. Ritzman, & M. H. Safizadeh) "Does Customer
Type Matter? A Comparison of Financial Services Processes with Internal versus
External Customers", Proceedings of
the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November 2003.
“Examining the Present and Looking to the
Future of DSS and Intelligent Systems”, Proceedings
of the Annual Meeting of the IIMA, October 2003.
“Five Minutes to Learn with a Lifetime of Benefits: A Simple and Effective Method for Teaching Information Systems Vocabulary and Concepts in a Large Lecture Setting”, Proceedings of the Midwest Business Administration Association's Society for the Advancement of Information Systems and Quantitative Methods annual conference, February 2002, pp. 18-24.
“Viability of Electronic Service Offerings: User Satisfaction in the Business-to-Consumer Market”, Proceedings of the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November 2001, pp. 279-281.
(with J. Ringuest)
“Graphical Decision Support to the Rescue:
Testing a Complex Interactive MOLP Algorithm”, Proceedings of the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting,
November 2000, pp. 468-470.
(with J. Gallaugher) “An Empirical Investigation Of Market
Leadership In The Web Portal Industry”, Proceedings
of the 1999 Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems, Charlotte,
NC, December, 1999, pp. 8-13.
(with K. Irwin and A.
Segars) “Information Technology Choices
in Dissimilar Cultures: Achieving
Empowerment”, Proceedings of the Global
Information Technology Management and Global Electronic Commerce Mini Track of
the 1999
(with A. Clark) "Groupware in Practice: Accounting for Differences in Expected and
Realized Benefits", Proceedings of
the Northeast Decision Sciences Annual Meeting, March 1999, pp. 131-133.
“System Usage Behavior as a Proxy for User Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation”, Proceedings of the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November 1998, pp. 746-748.
(with Jeffrey L. Ringuest
and Samuel Graves) “Solving the
Stochastic MOMP Problem”, Proceedings of
the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November 1997, pp. 896-898.
"An Empirical Examination
of User Satisfaction With an Information System Implementation", Proceedings of the 1997
(with Jeffrey L.
Ringuest) “An Experimental Evaluation of
the Efficacy of Four Multiobjective Linear Programming Algorithms”, Proceedings of the Decision Sciences
Institute Annual Meeting, November 1996, pp. 966-968.
(with K. Irwin) “Empowerment Through IT: A Cross-Cultural Comparison”, Presented at the INFORMS Fall National Meeting, October, 1995. Revised work presented at The Wallace E. Carroll School of Management Works In Progress / Summer Seminar Series, August 1996.
“Toward a Practical
Methodology for Evaluating Users’ Satisfaction with Information Systems: An Empirical Investigation”, Proceedings
of the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November 1995, pg. 794.
(with Jeffrey L. Ringuest) “Multiobjective Linear Programming with Context-dependent Preferences: An Algorithm and a Decision Support System”, Presented at The Wallace E. Carroll School of Management Works In Progress / Fall Seminar Series, October 1995.
(with A. Segars) “Agora:
A Marketplace of Voice, Data, and Video Technologies”, Proceedings of the 1995
"Rhetoric or
Reality? The Professed Satisfaction of
Older Customers with Information Technology”,
Proceedings of the Northeast
Decision Sciences Institute 1995 Annual Meeting, March 1995, pp. 256-258.
GRANT SUPPORT
MIS Faculty Research Fellowship, 2015-2016
(OMIS Department, $15,000). "Privacy and The Information Age: A Longitudinal View". Published in Journal of International Technology and Information Management.
Weick Research Fellowship 2013-2014 (College
of Business, $10,000). “Assessing Web Site Usability in Retail
Electronic Commerce”. Published in Journal of International Technology and
Information Management.
Global Action Team Award 2011 (College of Busienss, $3,500). Presented “Assessing Web Site Usability in
Retail Electronic Commerce” (20% acceptance rate) at the conference “COMPSAC
2011 - The Computed World: Software Beyond the Digital Society” in Munich,
Germany.
Summer Research Grant (College of Business,
one-ninth summer salary), Summer 2005. Final report submitted to the
College of Business on September 28, 2005.
The paper, “Privacy, The Information Age, and Ethical Practices: What is Important to Consumers?”, was
presented and is published in the Proceedings of the Midwest Business
Administration Association (MBAA) International Conference, “Privacy and
Security Issues”, Chicago, March 15, 2006, pp. 40-49.
Summer Research Grant (College of Business, one-ninth
summer salary), Summer 2002. Final report submitted to the College of
Business on September 24, 2002. The
paper, “The value of outsourcing: A field study”, is published in the top-tier refereed journal
Information Systems Management, Volume 20, Number 1, Winter 2003, pp.
84-89.
Summer Research Grant (Graduate School, one-ninth
summer salary), Summer 2001. Final report submitted to the Graduate School
on September 26, 2001. The paper,
“Viability of Electronic Service Offerings:
User Satisfaction in the Business-to-Employee Market”, is published in
the Proceedings of the Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, November
2001, pp. 279-281. It is also published
in the refereed journal International Journal of Services Technology and
Management, Volume 5, Number 1, 2004, pp. 14-24.
TEACHING
Presidential Teaching Professor, Awarded
2010.
Received Lifetime Teaching Achievement
Award from Operations
Management and Information Systems Department, Spring 2005.
Operations Management and Information
Systems Undergraduate Faculty of the Year (2000-2001, 2001-2002, 2002-2003,
2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009, 2009-2010,
2010-2011, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2014-2015, 2015-2016)
Operations Management and Information
Systems Graduate Faculty of the Year (2003-2004).
Average section size: over 150 students per section
Average sections per semester: over 2
Average preparations per semester: over 2
Percentage of all students
choosing the top choice, “Excellent”, on a 5 point scale to the question
“Overall, the instructor’s performance in teaching this class was:”: over 75%
Percentage of all students
choosing one of the top two choices on a 5 point scale to the question
“Overall, the instructor’s performance in teaching this class was:”: over 95%
Supervised numerous Independent Study projects.
Served as Advisor on numerous Senior Honors Thesis /
Capstone projects, Research Rookies projects.
Coached the following
full-semester
Average section size: over
40 students
Average sections per
semester: 2
Average preparations per
semester: 1.2
Percentage of all students
choosing the top choice, “Excellent”, on a 5 point scale to the question
“Rating Instructor Deserves as a Teacher”:
69%
Percentage of all students
choosing one of the top two choices on a 5 point scale to the question “Rating
Instructor Deserves as a Teacher”: 95%
Remainder omitted for brevity. Listing comparable to
BOARD APPOINTMENTS
Board
of Advisors, Experiential Learning Center (2002-2012)
Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (1999-2011)
Board
of Advisors, Fiber and Wireless Connectivity Fund (1999-2002)
Board
of Advisors, Tresidder Networks (2000-2002)
MEMBERSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL
SOCIETIES
Association
for Information Systems (Charter Member)
Decision
Sciences Institute
INFORMS
Society
for Information Management
Numerous service activities to professional
societies, omitted for brevity. Contact
Professor Downing for complete list.
SERVICE TO NORTHERN
Member, University Council (2011-2014)
Member, University Council Personnel Committee (2013).
Member, University Affairs Committee (21012).
Member, Faculty Senate (2011-2016)
Member, Academic Policy Committee (2012-2014)
Member, University Council Steering Committee (2011-2014)
Member, Vision 20/20 (2011)
Member, Presidential Research Professorship Selection Committee
(2009-2014)
Member, University Press Board (2004-Present): The
University Press Board assures standards of high quality for all University
Press publications. Specifically, this includes:
1.
Making decisions
concerning the establishment and maintenance of quality in journals published
under University Press sponsorship;
2.
Making decisions
as to the acceptability of manuscripts to be published as books or monographs.
3.
Determining the
appropriateness of all other publications of the University Press.
Member, Committee on the Undergraduate Academic Environment (2009-2012).
Member, Undergraduate
Coordinating Council (2001-2004): Committee met
monthly with one Sunday half-day retreat per year.
SERVICE TO NORTHERN
Faculty Advisor, Delta Sigma Pi ,
Professional Business Fraternity (2015-present).
Committee Chair, OMIS IS Faculty Search
Committee (2011-present).
Member, OMIS Personnel Committee,
(2004-2005, 2009-Present).
Member, Experiential
Chair, Graduate Faculty Committee,
(2003-2006).
OMIS Curriculum Committee, (2001-2008,
Chair 2003-2004, 2005-2008).
Member, Journal Quality Committee,
(2003-2005).
Member, Grade Appeals Committee,
(2003-Present).
Member, Assessment Committee, (2003-2012).
Member, Branding Committee, (2004-2007).
Coordinator, Graduate Colloquium Lecture
and Seminar Series, (2001-Present).
Coordinator of OMIS 351, the core
Information Systems class for all undergraduate Business majors,
(2001-Present).
Coordinator of OMIS 259, the core
Information Systems tools class for all undergraduate Business majors,
(2010-Present).
Member, OSA Advisory Board (Department
student organization), (2001-2004)
Chair, OMIS Departmental Chair Search
Committee (2001, 2008).
Member, MIS Program Committee,
(2001-2007).
SERVICE TO
Omitted for brevity.
Listing comparable to