Constantinos K. Coursaris Ph.D.

Constantinos Coursaris

Associate Chairperson, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Professor - Department of Media and Information; Associate Professor -Department of Advertising and Public Relations

Department
coursari@msu.edu
517-353-3122

Bio

Dr. Constantinos K. Coursaris is an Associate Chairperson, Director of Graduate Studies, and Associate Professor in the Department of Media and Information, as well as Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. He is also Professor by Courtesy, Usability / Accessibility Research & Consulting in MSU Outreach and Engagement.

His formal training consists of a B.Eng. in Aerospace, an MBA in e-Business, and a Ph.D. in Information Systems with a concentration on electronic business (e-Business) and mobile commerce (m-Commerce). His doctoral dissertation focused on “Contextual Usability: The Impact of Distraction on User Performance, Satisfaction, and Adoption of Mobile Devices for Wireless Data Services.” During his academic career he has received many accolades in business analysis and e-Business research and development. Constantinos has been involved in the instruction of over 40 university courses over the last 7 years. He has also gained consulting experience in the private sector, focusing on Web content management, Website development and event organizing. Constantinos has also held management positions in retail, hospitality, and information technology (IT). Constantinos studies user motivations, expectations, and experiences with new media and the consequent design implications with a focus on social systems. His current research interests lie in the intersection of usability and mobile technologies for the purpose of health and/or commercial applications. He supplements his research expertise with consulting on social media for governance and/or marketing, and has trained diverse organizations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Follow him @DrCoursaris.

Roles

College Representative, Academic Council, MSU 2009 – present | College Representative, Faculty Council, MSU 2009 – present | Member, Scholarship Committee 2009 – present | Faculty Advisor, ASCOT – TISM’s undergraduate student association 2008 – present | Committee Member, MA Degree Comprehensive Exam review Committee, Department of Telecommunication 2007 – present | Information Studies, and Media, Michigan State University, Fall, 2009. | Member, IT Specialization Committee, College of CAS, MSU 2006 – present | Event Organizer, World Usability Day @ MSU 2005 – present | Search Committee Chair, TISM (Social Media position) 2013 – present

Research and Teaching

I am interested in the scientific approach to designing experiences and exploring/confirming their associated outcomes. On the one hand, I study the design of I.T. artifacts with a focus on design implications for usability and accessibility. On the other hand, I research new media effects with a focus on social media message development. In sum, I am intrigued by the symbiotic relationship between the medium AND the message.

Recent Publications

Deconstructing Strategic Marketing Communications on Social Media: Enabling Structuration, Socialization, and Crisis Management. Leo Burnett Detroit, 2013-2014, Principal Investigator, $65,000. Research Activities. Project Scope: A ground-up investigation of multi-channel, multi-sector, multi-brand social media marketing messaging to produce contextually relevant and generalizable recommendations for strategic communications. | Role of Internet in Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Management and Public Participation in Outdoor Recreation: Continuation No. 1, $248,810, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Co-PI (with Dennis Propst PI from Forestry Dept.). RC064240 / 2009-39478-20071; USDA/CSREES. Research Activities. Project Scope: The Corps team has approved a mobile usability pilot project to conduct a user needs analysis for park visitors and to develop a mobile website/application for Corps Lakes Gateway. | Text Messaging to Improve Adherence to Oral Chemotherapy Agents. McKesson Foundation. 2012-2013, Co-PI (with Sandra Spoelstra from College of Nursing). RC102392. Research Activities. Project Scope: A SMS-based intervention aimed at improving adherence to prescribed medication and symptom self-management.

Awards, Honors and Recognitions

2012: Received the Best Paper Award, AIS SIGHCI pre-ICIS Workshop on HCI Research, International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), for Van Osch, W., and Coursaris, C.K. (2012). The Duality of Social Media: Enabling Structuration and Socialization through Organizational Communication. Orlando, Florida, December 15, 2012. | 2010: Inducted in Phi Beta Delta (Alpha Alpha Chapter) Honor Society for International Scholars | 2010: Nominated for the best paper award, AIS SIGHCI pre-ICIS Workshop on HCI Research, International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), for Coursaris, C.K., Yun, Y., and Sung, J. Understanding Twitter’s adoption and use continuance: the Synergy between Uses and Gratifications and Diffusion of Innovations. St. Louis, U.S.A., Dec. 12-15. | 2010: Received the Outstanding Faculty Award by MSU’s Senior Council for his commitment to and achievements in undergraduate education | 2009: Received the ITERA Innovative Course Award at the 2009 ITERA Conference in Atlanta (note: ITERA is the International Telecommunication Education and Research Association) | 2007: Nominated for the best paper award, European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), for Coursaris, C.K., Hassanein, K, Head, M., and Bontis, N. The Impact of Distractions on the Usability and Adoption of Mobile Devices for Wireless Data Services. | 2007: People’s Choice Poster award, World Usability Day, for Coursaris, C.K., Swierenga, S., and Watrall, E. (2007). Effects of Aesthetics on Website Usability.

Courses

Graduate

  • Social Media Marketing
  • Advertising and Promotion Management
  • Design and Development of Media Projects

Undergraduate

  • HCI and Experience Design
  • I.T. Project Management
  • Wireless Networks and Applications
  • Human-Computer Interaction and Web Design
  • Undergraduate Research Seminar – New Media Marketing
  • (Annually in early May) Study Abroad in Japan: Technology and Culture – Communication and Games
  • (Annually in late May) Study Abroad in Korea: Technology and Culture – Communication and Games
  • (Annually in July) American Semester Program on New Media for Digital Business and Marketing (MSU for Universita’ Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Italy – and AIM Overseas Australia)
  • (Annually in July) American Semester Program on Big Data and Social Network Analysis (MSU for AIM Overseas Australia)
Project, Title and Source

Deconstructing Strategic Marketing Communications on Social Media: Enabling Structuration, Socialization, and Crisis Management. Leo Burnett Detroit, 2013-2014, Principal Investigator, $65,000. Research Activities. Project Scope: A ground-up investigation of multi-channel, multi-sector, multi-brand social media marketing messaging to produce contextually relevant and generalizable recommendations for strategic communications. | Role of Internet in Knowledge Transfer, Knowledge Management and Public Participation in Outdoor Recreation: Continuation No. 1, $248,810, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Co-PI (with Dennis Propst PI from Forestry Dept.). RC064240 / 2009-39478-20071; USDA/CSREES. Research Activities. Project Scope: The Corps team has approved a mobile usability pilot project to conduct a user needs analysis for park visitors and to develop a mobile website/application for Corps Lakes Gateway. | Text Messaging to Improve Adherence to Oral Chemotherapy Agents. McKesson Foundation. 2012-2013, Co-PI (with Sandra Spoelstra from College of Nursing). RC102392. Research Activities. Project Scope: A SMS-based intervention aimed at improving adherence to prescribed medication and symptom self-management.

Favorite Quotation

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet” – Aristotle

Q&A

Describe in one sentence what you hope your students learn from you, your scholarly work or teaching:
A professional mindset.

Describe yourself in five words or less:
Global citizen, workaholic, maven-meets-connector-meets-salesperson, fun. :-)

Contact Information

404 Wilson Road, Room 414
Communication Arts and Sciences Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824