Search results for: performances of higher educational institutes

Authors: Khlifa El Atrash, Gabriel Assaf

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Most developing countries use volumetric analysis in designing asphalt mixtures, which can also be upgraded in hot arid weather. However, in order to be effective, it should include many important aspects which are materials, environment, and method of construction. The overall intent of the work reported in this study is to test different asphalt mixtures while taking into consideration the environment, type and source of material, tools, equipment, and the construction method. In this study, several tests were conducted on many samples that were carefully prepared under the expected traffic loads and temperatures in a dry hot climate. Several asphalt concrete mixtures were designed using two different binders. These mixtures were analyzed under two types of tests - Complex Modulus and Rutting test - to evaluate the hot mix asphalt properties under the represented temperatures and traffic load in Libya. These factors play an important role to improve the pavement performances in a hot climate weather based on the properties of the asphalt mixture, climate, and traffic load. This research summarized some recommendations for making asphalt mixtures used in hot dry areas. Such asphalt mixtures should use asphalt binder which is less affected by pavement temperature change and traffic load. The properties of the mixture, such as durability, deformation, air voids and performance, largely depend on the type of materials, environment, and mixing method. These properties, in turn, affect the pavement performance. Therefore, this study is aimed to develop a method for designing an asphalt mixture that takes into account field loading, various stresses, and temperature spectrums.

Keywords: volumetric analysis, pavement performances, hot climate, asphalt mixture, traffic load

Procedia PDF Downloads 309

Authors: Shaleeza Sohail

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Self, and peer evaluations are some of the main components in almost all group assignments and projects in higher education institutes. These evaluations provide students an opportunity to better understand the learning outcomes of the assignment and/or project. A number of online systems have been developed for this purpose that provides automated assessment and feedback of students’ contribution in a group environment based on self and peer evaluations. All these systems lack a progressive aspect of these assessments and feedbacks which is the most crucial factor for ongoing improvement and life-long learning. In addition, a number of assignments and projects are designed in a manner that smaller or initial assessment components lead to a final assignment or project. In such cases, the evaluation and feedback may provide students an insight into their performance as a group member for a particular component after the submission. Ideally, it should also create an opportunity to improve for next assessment component as well. Self and Peer Progressive Assessment and Feedback System encourages students to perform better in the next assessment by providing a comparative analysis of the individual’s contribution score on an ongoing basis. Hence, the student sees the change in their own contribution scores during the complete project based on smaller assessment components. Self-Assessment Factor is calculated as an indicator of how close the self-perception of the student’s own contribution is to the perceived contribution of that student by other members of the group. Peer-Assessment Factor is calculated to compare the perception of one student’s contribution as compared to the average value of the group. Our system also provides a Group Coherence Factor which shows collectively how group members contribute to the final submission. This feedback is provided for students and teachers to visualize the consistency of members’ contribution perceived by its group members. Teachers can use these factors to judge the individual contributions of the group members in the combined tasks and allocate marks/grades accordingly. This factor is shown to students for all groups undertaking same assessment, so the group members can comparatively analyze the efficiency of their group as compared to other groups. Our System provides flexibility to the instructors for generating their own customized criteria for self and peer evaluations based on the requirements of the assignment. Students evaluate their own and other group members’ contributions on the scale from significantly higher to significantly lower. The preliminary testing of the prototype system is done with a set of predefined cases to explicitly show the relation of system feedback factors to the case studies. The results show that such progressive feedback to students can be used to motivate self-improvement and enhanced team skills. The comparative group coherence can promote a better understanding of the group dynamics in order to improve team unity and fair division of team tasks.

Keywords: effective group work, improvement of team skills, progressive feedback, self and peer assessment system

Procedia PDF Downloads 187

Authors: Shima Nikanjam, Badiossadat Hassanpour, Adi Irfan Che Ani

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The design process in architecture education is based upon the Learning-by-Doing method, which leads students to understand how to design by practicing rather than studying. First-year design studios, as starting educational stage, provide integrated knowledge and skills of design for newly jointed architecture students. Within the basic design studio environment, students are guided to transfer their abstract thoughts into visual concrete decisions under the supervision of design educators for the first time. Therefore, introductory design studios have predominant impacts on students’ operational thinking and designing. Architectural design thinking is quite different from students’ educational backgrounds and learning habits. This educational challenge at basic design studios creates a severe need to study the reality of design education at foundation year and define appropriate educational methods with convenient project types with the intention of enhancing architecture education quality. Material for this study has been gathered through long-term direct observation at a first year second semester design studio at the faculty of architecture at EMU (known as FARC 102), fall and spring academic semester 2014-15. Distribution of a questionnaire among case study students and interviews with third and fourth design studio students who passed through the same methods of education in the past 2 years and conducting interviews with instructors are other methodologies used in this research. The results of this study reveal a risk of a mismatch between the implemented teaching method, project type and scale in this particular level and students’ learning styles. Although the existence of such risk due to varieties in students’ profiles could be expected to some extent, recommendations can support educators to reach maximum compatibility.

Keywords: architecture education, basic design studio, educational method, forms creation skill

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: B.J. Khoza, B. Kembo

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Global socioeconomic developments and ever-growing technological advancements of the art and design industry indicate the pivotal importance of lifelong learning. There exists a discrepancy between competencies, personal ambition, and workplace requirements. There are few , if at all, institutions of higher learning in South Africa which offer Short Learning Programmes (SLP) in Art and Design Education. Traditionally, Art and Design education is delivered face to face via a hands-on approach. In this way the enduring perception among educators is that art and design education does not lend itself to online delivery. Short Learning programmes (SLP) are a concentrated approach to make revenue and lure potential prospective students to embark on further education study, this is often of weighted value to both students and employers. SLPs are used by Higher Education institutions to generate income in support of the core academic programmes. However, there is a gap in terms of the translation of art and design studio pedagogy into SLPs which provide quality education, are adaptable and delivered via a blended mode. In our paper, we propose a conceptual framework drawing on secondary research to analyse existing research to SLPs for arts and design education. We aim to indicate a new dimension to the process of using a design-based research approach for short learning programmes in art and design education. The study draws on a conceptual framework, a qualitative analysis through the lenses of Herrington, McKenney, Reeves and Oliver (2005) principles of the design-based research approach. The results of this study indicate that design-based research is not only an effective methodological approach for developing and deploying arts and design education curriculum for 1st years in Higher Education context but it also has the potential to guide future research. The findings of this study propose that the design-based research approach could bring theory and praxis together regarding a common purpose to design context-based solutions to educational problems.

Keywords: design education, design-based research, digital literacies, multi-literacies, short learning programme

Procedia PDF Downloads 164

Authors: Guermache Ahmed Chafik, Khelfellah Ismail, Ait-Ali Takfarines

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The Savonius vertical axis wind turbine is characterized by sufficient starting torque at low wind speeds, simple design and does not require orientation to the wind direction; however, the developed power is lower than other types of wind turbines such as Darrieus. To increase these performances several studies and researches have been developed, such as optimizing blades shape, using passive controls and also minimizing power losses sources like the resisting torque due to friction. This work aims to estimate the performance of a Savonius wind turbine introducing a User Defined Function to the CFD model analyzing resisting torque. This User Defined Function is developed to simulate the action of the wind speed on the rotor; it receives the moment coefficient as an input to compute the rotational velocity that should be imposed on computational domain rotating regions. The rotational velocity depends on the aerodynamic moment applied on the turbine and the resisting torque, which is considered a linear function. Linking the implemented User Defined Function with the CFD solver allows simulating the real functioning of the Savonius turbine exposed to wind. It is noticed that the wind turbine takes a while to reach the stationary regime where the rotational velocity becomes invariable; at that moment, the tip speed ratio, the moment and power coefficients are computed. To validate this approach, the power coefficient versus tip speed ratio curve is compared with the experimental one. The obtained results are in agreement with the available experimental results.

Keywords: resistant torque modeling, Savonius wind turbine, user-defined function, vertical axis wind turbine performances

Procedia PDF Downloads 156

Authors: Sheraz Akhtar

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In recent years, a massive influx of refugees into developing countries has placed significant constraints on the host government’s capacities to provide social services, including education, to all. As a result, the refugee communities often find themselves deprived of their rights to education in these host countries, particularly for those who to live outside camps in urban locations. While previous research has examined the educational experiences of refugees who have resettled in developed nations, there remains a dearth of research on the educational experiences of urban refugees in developing nations. This study examines this issue through a case study of Pakistani Christian refugees living in urban settings in Thailand. Using a combination of observations within community learning centres set up by international non-government organisations (INGOs) working with these communities, and interviews with young Pakistani Christian refugees and their families, the research aims to give greater voice to the Pakistani Christian refugee community living in Thailand, and better understand their educational aspirations.

Keywords: Education, Developing Countries , INGOs, Urban Refugees

Procedia PDF Downloads 125

Authors: Jaballah Jamil

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KLD (Peter Kinder, Steve Lydenberg and Amy Domini) research & analytics is an independent intermediary of social performance information that adopts an investor-pay model. KLD rating agency does not have an explicit monitoring on the rated firm which suggests that KLD ratings may not include private informations. Moreover, the incapacity of KLD to predict accurately the extra-financial rating of Enron casts doubt on the reliability of KLD ratings. Therefore, we first investigate whether KLD ratings affect investors' perception by studying the effect of KLD rating changes on firms' financial performances. Second, we study the impact of the Enron scandal on investors' perception of KLD rating changes by comparing the effect of KLD rating changes on firms' financial performances before and after the failure of Enron. We propose an empirical study that relates a number of equally-weighted portfolios returns, excess stock returns and book-to-market ratio to different dimensions of KLD social responsibility ratings. We first find that over the last two decades KLD rating changes influence significantly and negatively stock returns and book-to-market ratio of rated firms. This finding suggests that a raise in corporate social responsibility rating lowers the firm's risk. Second, to assess the Enron scandal's effect on the perception of KLD ratings, we compare the effect of KLD rating changes before and after the Enron scandal. We find that after the Enron scandal this significant effect disappears. This finding supports the view that the Enron scandal annihilates the KLD's effect on Socially Responsible Investors. Therefore, our findings may question results of recent studies that use KLD ratings as a proxy for Corporate Social Responsibility behavior.

Keywords: KLD social rating agency, investors' perception, investment decision, financial performance

Procedia PDF Downloads 439

Authors: Yaroslav Pavlov

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In the modern world, ensuring quality has become increasingly important in various fields of human activity. One universal approach to quality management, proven effective in the food industry, is the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) concept. Based on principles of preventing potential hazards to consumers at all stages of production, from raw materials to the final product, HACCP offers a systematic approach to identifying, assessing risks, and managing critical control points (CCPs). Initially used primarily for food production, it was later effectively adapted to the food service sector. Implementing HACCP provides organizations with a reliable foundation for improving food safety, covering all links in the food chain from producer to consumer, making it an integral part of modern quality management systems. The main principles of HACCP—hazard identification, CCP determination, effective monitoring procedures, corrective actions, regular checks, and documentation—are universal and can be adapted to other areas. The adaptation of the HACCP concept is relevant for continuing professional education (CPE) with certain reservations. Specifically, it is reasonable to abandon the term ‘hazards’ as deviations in CCPs do not pose dangers, unlike in food production. However, the approach through CCP analysis and the use of HACCP's main principles for educational services are promising. This is primarily because it allows for identifying key CCPs based on the value creation model of a specific educational organization and consequently focusing efforts on specific CCPs to manage the quality of educational services. This methodology can be called the Analysis of Critical Points in Educational Services (ACPES). ACPES offers a similar approach to managing the quality of educational services, focusing on preventing and eliminating potential risks that could negatively impact the educational process, learners' achievement of set educational goals, and ultimately lead to students rejecting the organization's educational services. ACPES adapts proven HACCP principles to educational services, enhancing quality management effectiveness and student satisfaction. ACPES includes identifying potential problems at all stages of the educational process, from initial interest to graduation and career development. In ACPES, the term "hazards" is replaced with "problematic areas," reflecting the specific nature of the educational environment. Special attention is paid to determining CCPs—stages where corrective measures can most effectively prevent or minimize the risk of failing educational goals. The ACPES principles align with HACCP's principles, adjusted for the specificities of CPE. The method of the learner's journey map (variation of Customer Journey Map, CJM) can be used to overcome the complexity of formalizing the production chain in educational services. CJM provides a comprehensive understanding of the learner's experience at each stage, facilitating targeted and effective quality management. Thus, integrating the learner's journey map into ACPES represents a significant extension of the methodology's capabilities, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the educational process and forming an effective quality management system focused on meeting learners' needs and expectations.

Keywords: quality management, continuing professional education, customer journey map, HACCP

Procedia PDF Downloads 37

Authors: Zarah M. Bello, Nathan Baddoo, Mariana Lilley, Paul Wernick

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In this paper, we present findings from a multi-part study to evaluate candidate elements reflecting the level of digital capability maturity (DCM) in higher education and the relationship between these elements. We will use these findings to propose a model of DCM for educational institutions. We suggest that the success of learning in higher education is dependent in part on the level of maturity of digital capabilities of institutions as well as the abilities of learners and those who support the learning process. It is therefore important to have a good understanding of the elements that underpin this maturity as well as their impact and interactions in order to better exploit the benefits that technology presents to the modern learning environment and support its continued improvement. Having identified ten candidate elements of digital capability that we believe support the level of a University’s maturity in this area as well as a number of relevant stakeholder roles, we conducted two studies utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the first of these studies, 85 electronic questionnaires were completed by various stakeholders in a UK university, with a 100% response rate. We also undertook five in-depth interviews with management stakeholders in the same university. We then utilized statistical analysis to process the survey data and conducted a textual analysis of the interview transcripts. Our findings support our initial identification of candidate elements and support our contention that these elements interact in a multidimensional manner. This multidimensional dynamic suggests that any proposal for improvement in digital capability must reflect the interdependency and cross-sectional relationship of the elements that contribute to DCM. Our results also indicate that the notion of DCM is strongly data-centric and that any proposed maturity model must reflect the role of data in driving maturity and improvement. We present these findings as a key step towards the design of an operationalisable DCM maturity model for universities.

Keywords: digital capability, elements, maturity, maturity framework, university

Procedia PDF Downloads 143

Authors: Hailah Alballaa, Azeddine Chikh

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Several challenges impede the adoption of Recommender Systems for Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL): to collect and identify possible datasets; to select between different recommender approaches; to evaluate their performances. The aim is of this paper is twofold: First, it aims to introduce a survey on the most significant work in this area. Second, it aims at identifying possible research directions.

Keywords: datasets, content-based filtering, recommender systems, TEL

Procedia PDF Downloads 244

Authors: Nobuyuki Takemoto, Ai Koyanagi, Masanori Yasuda, Hiroshi Yamamoto

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Background: Fluorescence imaging (FI) is one of the methods to identify sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). However, the procedure is technically complicated and requires procedural skills, as SLN biopsy must be conducted in dim light conditions. As an improved version of this method, we introduced a combined method (Combined mixed dye and fluorescence; CMF) consisting of indigo carmine blue dye and FI. The direct visualization of SLNs under shadowless surgical light conditions is facilitated by the addition of the blue dye. We compared the SLN detection rates of CMF with that of the indocyanine green (ICG) dye method (ICG-D). Methods: A total of 202 patients with stage ≤ IIA breast cancer who underwent breast conservative therapy with separate incision from January 2004 to February 2017 were reviewed. Details of the two methods are as follows: (1) ICG-D: 2ml of ICG (10mg) was used and the green-stained SLNs were resected via a 3-4cm axillary incision; (2) CMF: A combination of 1ml of ICG (5mg) and 1-3ml of indigo carmine (4-12mg) was used. Using Photodynamic Eye (PDE), a 1.5-2 cm incision was made near the point of disappearance of the fluorescence and SLNs with intermediate color of blue and green were resected. Results: There were 92 ICG-D and 110 CMF cases. CMF resulted in a significantly higher detection rate than ICG-D (96.4% vs. 83.7%; p=0.003). This difference was particularly notable in those aged ≥ 60 years (98.3% vs. 74.3%) and individuals with BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 (90.3% vs. 58.3%). Conclusion: CMF is an effective method to identify SLNs which is safe, efficient, and cost-effective. Furthermore, radiation exposure can be avoided, and it can be performed in institutes without nuclear medicine facilities. CMF achieves a high SLN identification rate, and most of this procedure is feasible under shadowless surgical light conditions. CMF can reliably perform SLN biopsy even in those aged ≥ 60 years and individuals with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2.

Keywords: sentinel lymph node biopsy, identification rate, indocyanine green (ICG), indigocarmine, fluorescence

Procedia PDF Downloads 171

Authors: Alive Ntunja, Wilma ten Ham-Baloyi, June Teare, Oyedele Opeoluwa, Paula Melariri

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Sanitation workers are also known as “garbage workers” who play a significant role in the sanitation chain. For many generations sanitation workers’ level of knowledge regarding hygiene practices remains low due to a lack of educational programs on hygiene. As a result, they are widely exposed to hygiene-related diseases such as cholera, skin infections and various other diseases, increasing their risk of mortality to 40%. This review aimed to explore the global impact of educational programs on the hygiene knowledge and practices of sanitation workers. The systematic literature search was conducted for studies published between 2013 and 2023 using the following databases: MEDLINE (via EBSCOHost), PubMed, and Google Scholar to identify quantitative studies on the subject. Study quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Evaluation Instruments. Data extracted from the included articles was presented using a summary of findings table and presented graphically through charts and tables, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA assessed the pooled effect of the intervention on mean scores across studies. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Office 365 (2019 version), with significance set at p<0.05. The PRISMA flow diagram was used to present the article selection process. The systematic review included 15 eligible studies from a total of 2 777 articles. At least 60% (n=9) of the reviewed studies found educational program relating to hygiene to have a positive impact on sanitation workers’ hygiene knowledge and practices. The findings further showed that the stages (pre-post) of knowledge intervention used lead to statistically significant differences in mean score obtained [F (1,7) = 22.166, p = 0.002]. Likewise, it can be observed that the stages of practice intervention used lead to statistically significant differences in mean score obtained [F (1,7) = 21.857, p = 0.003]. However, most (n=7) studies indicated that, the efficacy of programs on hygiene knowledge and practices is indirectly influenced by educational background, age and work experience (predictor factors). Educational programs regarding hygiene have the potential to significantly improve sanitation workers knowledge and practices. Findings also suggest the implementation of active and intensive intervention programs, to improve sanitation workers hygiene knowledge and practices.

Keywords: educational programs, hygiene knowledge, practices, sanitation workers

Procedia PDF Downloads 21

Authors: Melissa C. LaDuke

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The purpose of this literature review was to identify the use of online communities of practice (CoPs) within e-learning environments as a method to build social interaction and student-centered educational experiences. A literature review was conducted to survey and collect scholarly thoughts concerning CoPs from a variety of sources. Data collected included best practices, ties to educational theories, and examples of online CoPs. Social interaction has been identified as a critical piece of the learning infrastructure, specifically for adult learners. CoPs are an effective way to help students connect to each other and the material of interest. The use of CoPs falls in line with many educational theories, including situated learning theory, social constructivism, connectivism, adult learning theory, and motivation. New literacies such as social media and gamification can help increase social interaction in online environments and provide methods to host CoPs. Steps to build and sustain a CoP were discussed in addition to CoP considerations and best practices.

Keywords: community of practice, knowledge sharing, social interaction, online course design, new literacies

Procedia PDF Downloads 92

Authors: Seungchul Lee, Minjeong Kim, Iman Janghorban Esfahani, Jeong Tai Kim, ChangKyoo Yoo

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It is hard to maintain the effluent quality of the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) under with fixed types of operational control because of continuously changed influent flow rate and pollutant load. The aims of this study is development of multi-loop multi-objective control (ML-MOC) strategy in plant-wide scope targeting four objectives: 1) maximization of nutrient removal efficiency, 2) minimization of operational cost, 3) maximization of CH4 production in anaerobic digestion (AD) for CH4 reuse as a heat source and energy source, and 4) minimization of N2O gas emission to cope with global warming. First, benchmark simulation mode is modified to describe N2O dynamic in biological process, namely benchmark simulation model for greenhouse gases (BSM2G). Then, three types of single-loop proportional-integral (PI) controllers for DO controller, NO3 controller, and CH4 controller are implemented. Their optimal set-points of the controllers are found by using multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). Finally, multi loop-MOC in BSM2G is implemented and evaluated in BSM2G. Compared with the reference case, the ML-MOC with the optimal set-points showed best control performances than references with improved performances of 34%, 5% and 79% of effluent quality, CH4 productivity, and N2O emission respectively, with the decrease of 65% in operational cost.

Keywords: Benchmark simulation model for greenhouse gas, multi-loop multi-objective controller, multi-objective genetic algorithm, wastewater treatment plant

Procedia PDF Downloads 503

Authors: Mohanaad Talal Shakir

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This paper tries to propose educational design by using multimedia technology for Engineering of computer Technology, Alma'ref University College in Iraq. This paper evaluates the acceptance, cognition, and interactiveness of the proposed model by students by using the statistical relationship to determine the stage of the model. Objectives of proposed education design are to develop a user-friendly software for education purposes using multimedia technology and to develop animation for 3D model to simulate assembling and disassembling process of high-speed flow.

Keywords: CAL, multimedia, shock tunnel, interactivity, engineering education

Procedia PDF Downloads 623

Authors: Ngan Nguyen

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The study analyses adjectives collocating with the word ‘education’ in the American language of the Corpus of Global Web-based English using a combination of corpus linguistic and discourse analytical methods to examine not only language patterns but also social political ideologies around the topic. Significant conclusions are deduced: (1) there are a large number of adjectival collocates of the word education which have been identified and classified into four categories representing four different aspects of education: level, quality, forms and types of education; (2) education, as in combination with three first categories, carries the meaning as the act and process of teaching and learning while with the last category having the meaning of a particular kind of teaching or training; (3) higher education is the topic that gains most concerns from the American public; (4) five most significant ideologies are discovered from the corpus: higher education associates with financial affairs, higher education is an industry, monetary policy of the government on higher education, people require greater accessibility to higher education and people value higher education. The study contributes to the field of developing meanings of words through corpus analysis and the field of discourse analysis.

Keywords: adjectival collocation, American context, corpus linguistics, discourse analysis, education

Procedia PDF Downloads 346

Authors: Franklin Nantui Mabe, Samuel A. Donkoh, Seidu Al-Hassan

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Rice yields among agro-ecological zones are heterogeneous. Farmers, researchers and policy makers are making frantic efforts to bridge rice yield gaps between agro-ecological zones through the promotion of improved agricultural technologies (IATs). Farmers are also modifying these IATs and blending them with indigenous farming practices (IFPs) to form farmer innovation systems (FISs). Also, different metafrontier models have been used in estimating productivity performances and their drivers. This study used the two-step stochastic metafrontier model to estimate the productivity performances of rice farmers and their determining factors in GSZ, FSTZ and CSZ. The study used both primary and secondary data. Farmers in CSZ are the most technically efficient. Technical inefficiencies of farmers are negatively influenced by age, sex, household size, education years, extension visits, contract farming, access to improved seeds, access to irrigation, high rainfall amount, less lodging of rice, and well-coordinated and synergized adoption of technologies. Albeit farmers in CSZ are doing well in terms of rice yield, they still have the highest potential of increasing rice yield since they had the lowest TGR. It is recommended that government through the ministry of food and agriculture, development partners and individual private companies promote the adoption of IATs as well as educate farmers on how to coordinate and synergize the adoption of the whole package. Contract farming concept and agricultural extension intensification should be vigorously pursued to the latter.

Keywords: efficiency, farmer innovation systems, improved agricultural technologies, two-step stochastic metafrontier approach

Procedia PDF Downloads 268

Authors: Abimbola Mobolanle Adu, Marcus Tayo Akinlade

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This comprehensive study systematically dissects the intricate interplay between the removal of fuel subsidy and its multifaceted repercussions on Nigeria's educational system. Originating in the 1970s, the fuel subsidy policy initially conceived to curtail fuel costs and faced financial unsustainability. In 2023, President Bola Tinubu's administration announced its cessation. The resultant escalation in petroleum product prices precipitated challenges within the education sector, manifesting as heightened administrative costs, increased student fees, amplified dropout rates, and others. Employing a qualitative research methodology, grounded in Critical Theory, the study draws from diverse secondary sources and employs content analysis to unravel the intricate layers of this issue. Critical Theory provides a lens through which the power dynamics, socio-economic structures, and ideological influences shaping policy decisions can be critically examined, offering a deeper understanding of the multifaceted impact. Findings underscore the imperative for strategic interventions, advocating for investments in technology and the exploration of alternative energy sources. The paper concludes by emphasizing the pivotal role of education, advocating for nuanced policies to alleviate the impact on both private and public educational institutions. In essence, this research contributes nuanced insights into the labyrinthine dynamics between fuel subsidy policies and the educational sector, underscoring the exigency for meticulous interventions to fortify the nation's educational foundation.

Keywords: administration, education, fuel subsidy, policy, multilayered impact

Procedia PDF Downloads 59

Authors: Gulbakhyt Sultanova

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Business education institutions assess the progress of their students by giving them grades for courses completed and calculating a Grade Point Average (GPA). Whether the participation in these courses has led to the development of competences enabling graduates to successfully compete in the labor market should be measured using a new index: Employment Readiness Assessment (ERA). The higher the ERA, the higher the quality of education at a business school. This is applied, empirical research conducted by using a method of linear optimization. The aim of research is to identify factors which lead to the minimization of the deviation of GPA from ERA as well as to the maximization of ERA. ERA is composed of three components resulting from testing proficiency in Business English, testing work and personal skills, and job interview simulation. The quality of education is improving if GPA approximates ERA and ERA increases. Factors which have had a positive effect on quality enhancement are academic mobility of students and staff, practical-oriented courses taught by staff with work experience, and research-based courses taught by staff with research experience. ERA is a better index to measure the quality of business education than traditional indexes such as GPA due to its greater accuracy in assessing the level of graduates’ competences demanded in the labor market. Optimizing the educational process in pursuit of quality enhancement, ERA has to be used in parallel with GPA to find out which changes worked and resulted in improvement.

Keywords: assessment and evaluation, competence evaluation, education quality, employment readiness

Procedia PDF Downloads 445

Authors: Haohao Wang

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Technology, multimedia in Open Educational Resources, can contribute positively to student performance in an online instructional environment. Student performance data of past four years were obtained from an online course entitled Applied Calculus (MA139). This paper examined the data to determine whether multimedia (independent variable) had any impact on student performance (dependent variable) in online math learning, and how students felt about the value of the technology. Two groups of student data were analyzed, group 1 (control) from the online applied calculus course that did not use multimedia instructional materials, and group 2 (treatment) of the same online applied calculus course that used multimedia instructional materials. For the MA139 class, results indicate a statistically significant difference (p = .001) between the two groups, where group 1 had a final score mean of 56.36 (out of 100), group 2 of 70.68. Additionally, student testimonials were discussed in which students shared their experience in learning applied calculus online with multimedia instructional materials.

Keywords: online learning, open educational resources, multimedia, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 377

Authors: Davut Disci

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Objective: to measure the factors affecting expectations and intentions of using mobile phone in educational contexts by university students, using advanced equations and modeling techniques. Design and Methodology: According to the literature, Mobile Addiction, Parental Surveillance- Safety/Security, Social Relations, and Mobile Behavior are most used terms of defining mobile use of people. Therefore these variables are tried to be measured to find and estimate their effects on expectations and intentions of using mobile phone in educational context. 421 university students participated in this study and there are 229 Female and 192 Male students. For the purpose of examining the mobile behavior and educational expectations and intentions, a questionnaire is prepared and applied to the participants who had to answer all the questions online. Furthermore, responses to close-ended questions are analyzed by using The Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) software, reliabilities are measured by Cronbach’s Alpha analysis and hypothesis are examined via using Multiple Regression and Linear Regression analysis and the model is tested with Structural Equation Modeling(SEM) technique which is important for testing the model scientifically. Besides these responses, open-ended questions are taken into consideration. Results: When analyzing data gathered from close-ended questions, it is found that Mobile Addiction, Parental Surveillance, Social Relations and Frequency of Using Mobile Phone Applications are affecting the mobile behavior of the participants in different levels, helping them to use mobile phone in educational context. Moreover, as for open-ended questions, participants stated that they use many mobile applications in their learning environment in terms of contacting with friends, watching educational videos, finding course material via internet. They also agree in that mobile phone brings greater flexibility to their lives. According to the SEM results the model is not evaluated and it can be said that it may be improved to show in SEM besides in multiple regression. Conclusion: This study shows that the specified model can be used by educationalist, school authorities to improve their learning environment.

Keywords: education, mobile behavior, mobile learning, technology, Turkey

Procedia PDF Downloads 421

Authors: Davut Disci

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Objective: to measure the factors affecting expectations and intentions of using mobile phone in educational contexts by university students, using advanced equations and modeling techniques. Design and Methodology: According to the literature, Mobile Addiction, Parental Surveillance-Safety/Security, Social Relations, and Mobile Behavior are most used terms of defining mobile use of people. Therefore, these variables are tried to be measured to find and estimate their effects on expectations and intentions of using mobile phone in educational context. 421 university students participated in this study and there are 229 Female and 192 Male students. For the purpose of examining the mobile behavior and educational expectations and intentions, a questionnaire is prepared and applied to the participants who had to answer all the questions online. Furthermore, responses to close-ended questions are analyzed by using The Statistical Package for Social Sciences(SPSS) software, reliabilities are measured by Cronbach’s Alpha analysis and hypothesis are examined via using Multiple Regression and Linear Regression analysis and the model is tested with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique which is important for testing the model scientifically. Besides these responses, open-ended questions are taken into consideration. Results: When analyzing data gathered from close-ended questions, it is found that Mobile Addiction, Parental Surveillance, Social Relations and Frequency of Using Mobile Phone Applications are affecting the mobile behavior of the participants in different levels, helping them to use mobile phone in educational context. Moreover, as for open-ended questions, participants stated that they use many mobile applications in their learning environment in terms of contacting with friends, watching educational videos, finding course material via internet. They also agree in that mobile phone brings greater flexibility to their lives. According to the SEM results the model is not evaluated and it can be said that it may be improved to show in SEM besides in multiple regression. Conclusion: This study shows that the specified model can be used by educationalist, school authorities to improve their learning environment.

Keywords: learning technology, instructional technology, mobile learning, technology

Procedia PDF Downloads 452

Authors: Blen Telayneh Melese

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Rural development, the unending quest of a developing country, cannot be succeeded in deprived of human capital development. Human capital, the economic pillars of a country's development, appeals a policy-based supports while fulfilling what is expected. Ethiopia, one of the rural countries with untouched and forgotten land and human force, owes historical experiences of educational policy intending for mobilization of its citizen for the advancement of the overall economy. Rural Ethiopia as well has been the focus of those educational policies, considering the economic resources entrenched with in. In this literature review paper, Ethiopian educational policy and its contribution to human capital development, as well as its role in generating quality human labor force, is assessed concisely. The author argues that the foundation of rural development such as technology, knowledge, infrastructure, market chain, communication and etc., can only be achieved through enhanced education policy that conciliates the existing reality of rural communities. Ethiopia still needs an education policy that enables it to generate a human capital that is oriented with the rural areas economic opportunities and challenges.

Keywords: Ethiopia, rural development, human capital development, education policy

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Authors: Alejandra Yanez, Teresa Benavides, Zita Lopez

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Even before COVID-19, one of the most important challenges that Higher Education faces today is the need for innovative educational methodologies and flexibility. We could all agree that one of the objectives of Higher Education is to provide students with a variety of intellectual and practical skills that, at the same time, will help them develop competitive advantages such as adaptation and critical thinking. Among the strategic objectives of Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM) has been to provide flexibility and satisfaction to students in the delivery modes of the academic offer. UDEM implemented a methodology that combines face to face with synchronous and asynchronous as delivery modes. UDEM goal, in this case, was to implement new technologies and different teaching methodologies that will improve the students learning experience. In this study, the experience of students during courses implemented in new delivery mode was compared with students in courses with traditional delivery modes. Students chose openly either way freely. After everything students around the world lived in 2020 and 2021, one can think that the face to face (traditional) delivery mode would be the one chosen by students. The results obtained in this study reveal that both delivery modes satisfy students and favor their learning process. We will show how the combination of delivery modes provides flexibility, so the proposal is that universities can include them in their academic offer as a response to the current student's learning interests and needs.

Keywords: flexibility, new delivery modes, student satisfaction, academic offer

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Authors: Alfalah Tasneem, Abdallah Bataineh, Falah Jannat, Alfalah Salsabeel

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The term emotional intelligence has been unnoticed by a number of scholars in the early 1990s, which was then a major factor that many business managers became interested in understanding its meaning, functions and how it could be integrated in their business life, emotional intelligence is very important for the top managers, to operate in emotionally intelligence way to meet the needs of their employees. Speaking of emotional intelligence success is influenced by personal qualities such as self-awareness, motivation, empathy and relationship skills. The aim of this research is to critically evaluate the potential contribution of emotional intelligence for the Jordanian universities on the level of job satisfaction and the performance of faculty as well as its positive impact on the educational standards.

Keywords: emotional intelligence, higher education, job performance, job satisfaction

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Authors: Zunnu Raen Akhtar, Farhan Ali, Muhammad Saeed-Ur-Rehman

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Jassids are considered as serious sucking pests in eggplants. Jassids can be controlled using imidacloprid, but it can also result in non-target ecological impacts on eco-system. It can also result in reduced population of predators of jassids in the field. An experiment was conducted on jassids, Amrasca sp. reared on eggplant leaves were treated with insecticide imidacloprid at lower, recommended and higher doses including 1L, 2L, 3L respectively. 3rd instar larvae and adults of jassids were exposed to lower, recommended, higher doses. Mortality tests were repeated three times for each dose and insect growth stage. Imidacloprid was sprayed on the leaves followed by drying. Data was recorded for 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 hours after spraying insecticide on the leaves. Results showed that higher mortality was observed in higher and recommended doses, while slow mortality was observed in the case of lower dose. It can be asserted that higher and recommended doses causing immediate mortality of insects are better to control Amrasca sp. in the field, it will not cause immediate resistance development in insects against imidacloprid.

Keywords: Amrasca sp., imidacloprid, egg plant, efficacy

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Authors: Dechao Meng, Yongqi Dong, Qiyuan Feng, Zhangzhang Cui, Xiang Hu, Haoliang Huang, Genhao Liang, Huanhua Wang, Hua Zhou, Hawoong Hong, Jinghua Guo, Qingyou Lu, Xiaofang Zhai, Yalin Lu

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Great efforts have been taken to reveal the intrinsic origins of emerging ferromagnetism (FM) in strained LaCoO₃ (LCO) films. However, some macro magnetic performances of LCO are still not well understood and even controversial, such as magnetic anisotropy. Determining and understanding magnetic anisotropy might help to find the true causes of FM in turn. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) was the first time to be directly observed in high-quality LCO films with different thickness. The in-plane (IP) and out of plane (OOP) remnant magnetic moment ratio of 30 unit cell (u.c.) films is as large as 20. The easy axis lays in the OOP direction with an IP/OOP coercive field ratio of 10. What's more, the PMA could be simply tuned by changing the thickness. With the thickness increases, the IP/OOP magnetic moment ratio remarkably decrease with magnetic easy axis changing from OOP to IP. Such a huge and tunable PMA performance exhibit strong potentials in fundamental researches or applications. What causes PMA is the first concern. More OOP orbitals occupation may be one of the micro reasons of PMA. A cluster-like magnetic domain pattern was found in 30 u.c. with no obvious color contrasts, similar to that of LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ films. And the nanosize domains could not be totally switched even at a large OOP magnetic field of 23 T. It indicates strong IP characters or none OOP magnetism of some clusters. The IP magnetic domains might influence the magnetic performance and help to form PMA. Meanwhile some possible nonmagnetic clusters might be the reason why the measured moments of LCO films are smaller than the calculated values 2 μB/Co, one of the biggest confusions in LCO films.What tunes PMA seems much more interesting. Totally different magnetic domain patterns were found in 180 u.c. films with cluster magnetic domains surrounded by < 110 > cross-hatch lines. These lines were regarded as structure domain walls (DWs) determined by 3D reciprocal space mapping (RSM). Two groups of in-plane features with fourfold symmetry were observed near the film diffraction peaks in (002) 3D-RSM. One is along < 110 > directions with a larger intensity, which is well match the lines on the surfaces. The other is much weaker and along < 100 > directions, which is from the normal lattice titling of films deposited on cubic substrates. The < 110 > domain features obtained from (103) and (113) 3D-RSMs exhibit similar evolution of the DWs percentages and magnetic behavior. Structure domains and domain walls are believed to tune PMA performances by transform more IP magnetic moments to OOP. Last but not the least, thick films with lots of structure domains exhibit different electrical transport behaviors. A metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) and an angular dependent negative magnetic resistivity were observed near 150 K, higher than FM transition temperature but similar to that of spin-orbital coupling related 1/4 order diffraction peaks.

Keywords: structure domain, magnetic anisotropy, magnetic domain, domain wall, 3D-RSM, strain

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Authors: Adebisi Moruf Ademola

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Hematite (Fe2O3),commonly known as ‘rust’ which usually surfaced on metal when exposed to some climatic materials. This emerges as a promising candidate for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting due to its favorable physiochemical properties of the narrow band gap (2.1–2.2 eV), chemical stability, nontoxicity, abundance, and low cost. However, inherent limitations such as short hole diffusion length (2–4 nm), high charge recombination rate, and slow oxygen evolution reaction kinetics inhibit the PEC performances of a-Fe2O3 photoanodes. As such, given the narrow bandgap enabling excellent optical absorption, increased charge carrier density and accelerated surface oxidation reaction kinetics become the key points for improved photoelectrochemical performances for a-Fe2O3 photoanodes and metal ion doping as an effective way to promote charge transfer by increasing donor density and improving the electronic conductivity of a-Fe2O3. Hematite attracts enormous efforts with a number of metal ions (Ti, Zr, Sn, Pt ,etc.) as dopants. A facile deposition-annealing process showed greatly enhanced PEC performance due to the increased donor density and reduced electron-hole recombination at the time scale beyond a few picoseconds. Zr doping was also found to enhance the PEC performance of a-Fe2O3 nanorod arrays by reducing the rate of electron-hole recombination. Slow water oxidation reaction kinetics, another main factor limiting the PEC water splitting efficiency of aFe2O3 as photoanodes, was previously found to be effectively improved by surface treatment.

Keywords: deposition-annealing, hematite, metal ion doping, nanorod

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Authors: Justice Dadzie, Stacy H. Surman, Ruth K. Annan-Brew, Ifesinachi J. Ezugwu, Evans Addison

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This study aimed to explore the correlation between students' performance in educational statistics and research methods in education, as well as investigate potential differences in performance based on their undergraduate programs. A cross-sectional design was employed, and data was collected from 170 students enrolled in master of philosophy programs in the department of education and psychology. The correlation analysis revealed a strong positive correlation between students' performance in intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education. This indicates a close relationship between the two domains. The MANOVA analysis showed no significant differences in the linear combination of intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education scores across the different undergraduate programs. The tests of between-subjects effects further confirmed that the student's performance in intermediate statistics in education and research methods in education did not differ significantly across the different undergraduate programs. These findings contribute to the existing literature by providing insights into the correlation between educational statistics and research methods, and the influence of undergraduate program backgrounds on students' performance in these domains. The strong positive correlation between intermediate statistics and research methods highlights the importance of a solid foundation in statistics for understanding and applying research methods. Moreover, the consistent relationship across different academic backgrounds emphasizes the need for targeted interventions and support systems to enhance graduate students' competencies in these critical areas.

Keywords: educational statistics, research methods, undergraduate programs, students performance

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Authors: Camille Intson

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This paper endeavors to explore the opportunities, challenges, and ethics of reconstructing and re-enacting archives of memory through virtual reality (VR) performance, using Jordan Tannahill’s Draw Me Close as an exemplary case study. Draw Me Close is a 1:1 virtual reality (VR) performance in which the artist’s childhood memories, experiences, and interactions with his mother are reconstructed in the wake of her passing. Solo audience members are positioned as Jordan (the subject and character) and taken through a series of narratives, (virtual) spaces, and interactions with his “mother,” played by a live actor. Piece by piece, audiences are brought into the world of the “shifting” archive, inhabiting Jordan’s reconstructed virtual world from his early explorations of queer sexuality through to his mother’s cancer diagnosis and passing. This paper will explore how the world of Draw Me Close represents a “touching” and/or “queering” of time within its archive, blurring and transgressing the boundaries between the animate and the inanimate, life and death. On a philosophical level, considering foundational queer performance scholarship and archival theory, it will also examine how performance’s ephemerality rewards its artists with the dual advantages of visibility and protection, allowing for an ethical exploration of traumatic memory and loss within a disappearing medium. Finally, this provocation will use Draw Me Close as a point of departure from which to outline future possibilities for performance and emerging technologies’ engagements with archival theory and practice. By positioning virtual reality (VR) as an archive-constructing medium, it aims to move beyond the question of how we can take performances seriously as archives towards how personal archive construction is itself a performative act.

Keywords: intermedial theatre, new media arts, queer performance, virtual reality

Procedia PDF Downloads 88