About

Ronald J. Glotzbach is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Graphics Technology at Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus. His courses and research focus on web programming, development, and database integration. He leads the web programming area and has served as the Purdue football e-Stadium Application Manager and Project Manager for ITaP. Professor Glotzbach has been the Principal Investigator for several major web development projects involving hiring students as web developers, usability experts, and quality assurance testers. His research interests include expanding the boundaries of dynamic and interactive web content, web-enabling software, dynamic content delivery methods, programming graphics, and media integration into technological solutions. He has a background working with The Boeing Company in software engineering and technical publications, as well as experience at Microsoft Corporation as a Software Test Engineer. He holds a B.S. in Computer Graphics Technology, an M.S. in Technology, and plans to earn a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction. Glotzbach has received multiple teaching awards, including Outstanding Professor honors and the CGT Dwyer Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• World Wide Web
• Computer Security
• Law
• Engineering
• Engineering management
• Multimedia

Selected publications

• WIP: Considerations for Generative AI

  2025-11-02

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This work in progress research paper describes how generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool with seemingly limitless applications, likely to affect our society in any number of ways. It carries both promises and challenges that extend across economics, societies, states, morals, and very much seem to be part of the cultural realm. What effects and implications do generative AI have on society? Understanding the effects of generative AI on society requires an examination of its implications through a literature review. Generative AI is dramatically impacting industries and the economy. Sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and finance might harness significant efficiencies by adopting algorithms like those used in generative AI. While these efficiencies could increase productivity and benefit the economy, many fear the systems could cost people their jobs. Generative AI, like automation in the past, could displace workers. If companies that use the technology also cut costs by slashing personnel, the future may look worse. Every corner of creativity is being stirred by generative AI, and the content creation business is no different. Large language models are becoming the standard tool of use across many fields, and companies are blending these models with their proprietary data to create more unique forms of output. And yet, even as these models get better, there are still questions surrounding their efficacy for actual content creation, especially when used authentically. Nonetheless, as we plunge into the generative AI universe, we must take stock of the ethical issues. The development and deployment of these technologies raise essential questions about privacy, bias, and accountability. One especially alarming concern is the emergence of deepfake technology, a type of generative AI that jeopardizes the very foundation of credible information. It is now possible to create something that looks unquestionably real. Generative AI is evolving into something truly significant, and along with it comes profound changes for society. These changes will bring us benefits, for sure, but they will also come with payoffs and pitfalls that we need to examine more closely. Collaboration among all parties concerned is the only way to work through these issues. They must establish ethical guidelines, promote transparency, and make necessary education and reskilling investments to prepare the public for the new jobs that will be created, as well as the old jobs that will be recreated by generative AI.

  PublisherDOI

• INSTRUCTOR CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGN PROTOTYPING USING GENERATIVE AI

  EDULEARN proceedings · 2025-06-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• EXPERIENCE USING THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL FOR WEB DEVELOPMENT COURSES

  EDULEARN proceedings · 2025-06-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Web Enabling Software For Real Time Online Automated Services

  2020-09-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  The Web has seen its share of trends come and go, but now it is evolving into a centrally located collaboration tool for all professions. The focus is shifting to harnessing the Web's usefulness to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace. This paper assesses the purposes, usefulness, advantages, and disadvantages of web-enabling desktop application-based software packages. Web-enabling software packages allows users from around the world to perform operations from any location that previously needed a user sitting at a specific computer running specific software applications. It also provides a means to perform operations on the server completely unannounced to the user. The necessary steps for web-enabling software are outlined and explained in this paper. The versatility that this concept offers provides businesses and academia alike with a realm of possibilities that would increase productivity, save time, and save money.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Implementation Of A Multi User Online Geometry Collaboration Tool

  2020

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • World Wide Web

  While the majority of CAD systems today have the ability to engage in online collaboration, most systems emphasize engineer-to-engineer collaboration and have little features for creating highly polished interactive presentations for general collaboration. Some of the systems do have web centric collaboration tools, which allow general collaboration, but like all browser-based web-systems, they lack the level of interaction that can be achieved with a dedicated interactive multimedia tool. The author presents a methodology for creating fully interactive 3D multi-user collaborative presentations through the extraction of 3D geometrical data from a CAD source. The data is then assembled and scripted using shockwave 3D studio. The end result is an on-line experience with accurate models and engaging multimedia content.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• E Stadium: Real Time Game Statistics, Highlights, And Entertainment

  2020-09-03

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• The Database Imperative In Computer Graphics Projects

  2020-09-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Applications of ideas and projects in Computer Graphics Technology have developed more and more into requiring a database to drive some or all of it on the back-end. Is an imperative developing where universities are more in need of producing students with database development or administration capabilities? This paper focuses on engineering projects with database involvement, attempting to determine the level of knowledge students should have and in what areas. Web-development projects in particular typically require at least one database on the server. In addition, many multimedia and manufacturing projects require databases, anything from Product Data Management systems on a company intranet to collaborative multimedia in a classroom. What requisite knowledge does a student need to competently work with a database that comprises only a portion of a larger project? Which database management system(s) should a student learn and does one provide an advantage over the others?

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Complete Strategy For Web Application Security

  2020

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Security
  • Computer Science

  This paper is intent to develop a complete strategy to secure Web applications. The strategy is intended to improve the practices of the professionals associated with the development and operations of Web applications. Web application security is about protecting confidentiality, integrity, and availability of an organization's Web assets as well as the organization's reputation. The solution to Web application security is more than technology. It also involves policies, procedures, laws, people, and practices. Also, security is not a one-time effort. It should be an ongoing process integrated into the application development lifecycle. Security, like other Web application components, is best managed if planned at the initial phase of the application lifecycle. This strategy will help project managers and security professionals establish security policies, conduct risk assessment, and address potential risks in a cost-effective manner. It ensures system architects design secure application infrastructure. It makes sure application

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The effects of parallax scrolling on user experience in web design

  Journal of Usability Studies archive · 2015-02-01 · 19 citations

  articleSenior author

  Parallax scrolling is becoming an increasingly popular strategy in web design. This scrolling technique creates the illusion of depth on a webpage by making the background images move slower than the foreground images. In addition to its ability to engage users with a website, advocates of parallax scrolling claim that it improves user experience. Researchers attribute this pleasurable user experience to the fulfillment of the following variables: usability, satisfaction, enjoyment, fun, and visual appeal. We hypothesized that parallax scrolling would positively influence each of these five variables and subsequently the overall user experience. Eighty-six individuals from a large Midwestern university participated in the research. One group of participants (N = 43) interacted with the parallax scrolling website, whereas the second group (N = 43) interacted with the non-parallax scrolling website. An independent samples t-test revealed significant differences between the two groups in regards to perceived fun. Participants believed that the parallax scrolling website was more fun than the non-parallax scrolling website. The results of the study also showed parallax scrolling to be more effective when used in a hedonic and fun context. In spite of these benefits two of the participants suffered motion sickness and experienced significant usability issues while interacting with the parallax scrolling website. As a result, this potential risk to participants raises some ethical issues that UX practitioners and web designers should consider when planning to implement parallax scrolling.

  Publisher

• Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) – Mapping a New Approach to Teaching and Learning Soil Science

  Purdue e-Pubs (Purdue University System) · 2014-01-01

  articleOpen access

  The purpose of the Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences project is to develop the ability of our students to use digital maps: (1) to learn how and why soils and landscapes vary spatially at scales ranging from fields, to counties, states, and globally and (2) to learn how the spatial distribution of soils and landscapes impacts the distributions of land use, and environmental and ecosystem services across various scales. Our immediate audience is undergraduate students in soil, crop, natural resource, and environmental science curricula in colleges and universities, but the products created by this project will have broader uses for outreach to other clientele. Products to support teaching and learning include: (1) a revised and expanded Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences (Isee) web site, (2) maps of soil properties for Indiana, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Texas, (3) a community of practice dedicated to Integrating Spatial Educational Experiences in soil science education on STEMEdhub.org, and (4) lessons, worksheets, exercises, and experiences shared with the Isee community of practice.

  PublisherOA PDF

Frequent coauthors

• James L. Mohler

  Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  8 shared

• Jaime E. Radwan

  Purdue University West Lafayette

  4 shared

• Nishant Kothary

  Microsoft Research (United Kingdom)

  4 shared

• Laura A. Kocur

  Purdue University System

  4 shared

• Nathan Hartman

  Purdue University System

  4 shared

• Hua Xu

  4 shared

• Dorina A. Mordkovich

  Purdue University System

  3 shared

• Terry Burton

  Purdue University System

  2 shared

Labs

• Ronald Glotzbach's Web Programming and Data Integration LabPI

Awards & honors

• Outstanding Professor (2003)
• Outstanding Professor (2004)
• CGT Dwyer Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching (2005…
• CGT Outstanding Un-Tenured Faculty Award (2008)