bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MOOC and Blended Learning Models
Authors: Torres-Coronas Teresa , Vidal-Blasco María-Arántzazu
Published: February 2018

Interest is growing in educational designs that blend MOOCs with on-campus teaching and researchers are seeking to incorporate the spirit of a MOOC into a hybrid model. This article reports on the current experience of a higher education institution embarking on blended learning models. The aim of this article is to present a case study and to discuss the strategic approach to integrating a MOOC at undergraduate level. The evaluation strategy of this experience uses surveys and focus groups to interpret the results and the perspective of the various stakeholders. The analysis synthesizes the opinion of the main stakeholders – the institution, the students and the academic staff – and shows that in addition to improving the financial viability of MOOCs, blended learning models improve the quality of students' education, strengthen students' academic performance, and encourage academic staff to constantly innovate their teaching and learning process.
Program Administration and Implementation of an Online Learning Initiative at a Historically Black College University
Authors: Harkness S. Suzan J.
Published: February 2018

In the pages to follow, this case study describes the organization, policy development, strategic initiatives, implementation, and assessment of establishing online learning initiatives at an urban land-grant historically black college university (HBCU). The chapter describes a collaborative effort by university administration and faculty to facilitate a strategically measured approach to online learning. In addition to institutional collaboration, this chapter discusses how an external partnership with Quality Matters provided structure and a best practices model. The chapter lays a blueprint for thought and action for establishing online learning at a small- to medium-size college or university. The case describes a strategic approach that spanned a period of four years (2009-2013), whereby online learning grew incrementally in a measured fashion through a collaborative approach among faculty, administrators, and external partners. The outcome provides a strong foundation upon which online learning may flourish, while at the same time describes complications of sustainability.
Creating Dialogical Spaces in Blended Environments
Authors: Ross Kristin C.
Published: February 2018

This chapter presents a case study of two English literature courses (one graduate course taught in the Spring 2010 semester and one undergraduate course in the Fall 2011 semester) at Troy University's Dothan, AL, campus analyzing student engagement in relation to the learning environment. Both of these courses presented challenges in facilitating classroom discussion inhibited by the physical design of the learning space. To compensate for these physical limitations, both courses incorporated blended learning. One course was moved outdoors, thereby blending the traditional classroom with a non-traditional learning space, while the other incorporated a blended learning approach that used an online discussion board. Although such “relocations” of the learning space overcame initial barriers to student engagement and success, even the blended approach suggests that further research and investment in classroom design would improve student engagement in both traditional and blended classes by promoting dialogism in the classroom.
Designing an Online Interactive Learning Program to Improve Chinese Migrant Children's Internet Skills
Authors: Li Yan , Guo Niki Y. , Ranieri Maria
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this chapter is to design and implement an online interactive learning program to improve migrant children's Internet skills. With the help of the Italian Association of Media Education, the authors designed an online program (http://yzj.edulife.eu/j/?lang=en) comprised of five interactive learning modules, including an array of practice activities to support students' development of retrieving, assessing, storing, producing, presenting, and exchanging information. During the 2011 spring semester, 143 fourth and fifth grade students from Minzhu Experimental School were invited to attend the program with the guidance of three ICT educators and two researchers. Pre- and post-tests and interviews examined the effectiveness of the program. Data analysis found that migrant children's Internet self-efficacy and Internet exploratory behavior were significantly improved by attending the program. Based on observed program limitations, suggestions for improvement are proposed in the last section of the chapter.
The Design and Implementation of English Instruction in Four High Schools With CSIEC System
Authors: Jia Jiyou
Published: February 2018

It is an important but complicated issue to investigate the long-term effect of the intelligent Web-based English instruction system CSIEC on students' learning performance with satisfying reliability and validity. This chapter introduces three years' process of the design and implementation of English instruction in four diverse high schools with the CSIEC system (i.e. the integration of CSIEC system into English instruction in four high schools: the project team organization, the survey and user needs analysis before the project implementation, system design, programming and test, the process of CSIEC's integration into English classes, and phase meetings). The management issues of the project were thought to guarantee its successful implementation in four different high schools located in distant provinces in China.
Familiar or Unfamiliar Context?
Authors: Mashhadi Amir , Khazaie Saeed
Published: February 2018

This chapter endeavored to devise a motivating way to engage learners in L2 English learning tasks presented through the mobile game (m-game). It started on the issue of whether types of a displayed picture on m-games had any significant relationship with learners' performance in the blended mode of L2 learning. To that end, a cellphone-based form of the non-English game of ‘Xane Bazi', modified as didactic ‘Xane Bazi' for English vocabulary learning, was grafted onto the face-to-face mode of content representation in the blended language learning module. 100 Iranian boys and girls within the age range of 10-13 were divided into two groups to learn English vocabulary items during 12 sessions of an academic semester: One group played a version of ‘Xane Bazi' with learner-made paintings and the other group played a version of the game filled with photos. The results hinted at the desired effect of utilizing m-games as applying learner-made painting condition to didactic ‘Xane Bazi' was proved to significantly ratchet up the participants' L2 learning.
A Model for Teacher Training to Improve Students' 21st Century Skills in Online and Blended Learning
Authors: Breddermann Julia , Martínez-Cerdá Juan-Francisco , Torrent-Sellens Joan
Published: February 2018

This chapter presents and develops a model of teacher training considering six socio-technical areas that are currently affecting the K-12 educational environment in both face-to-face, blended and online learning: 1) development of 21st century skills; 2) conducting social innovations; 3) appropriate knowledge management among educators; 4) a renovation of classrooms in pursuit of creative classrooms; 5) effective educational practices; and 6) all these issues under a formal educational context that has its own standard and curricular rules. In this context, a literature review on skills needed in the knowledge based society has been realized together with an analysis of possible film education scenarios for media and web-enhanced classrooms, and an exploratory qualitative research about actual ICT activities at school and their outcomes. The entire research regards teachers' lifelong learning with the aim to acquire regularly new competencies. These new abilities enable them to face new professional challenges.
Arranging and Rearranging Practice in Digital Spaces
Authors: Bristol Laurette S. M. , Childs Merilyn
Published: February 2018

The study that formed the basis of this chapter aimed to understand the practices mediating the quality of an online learning program from the perspective of educators in transition from face-to-face to online learning and teaching. A narrative community of enquiry was established for the period of the study, and seven academics from a single institution volunteered to participate in a six-month conversation about the sites for practice, challenges and curriculum decisions made while teaching online. A “practice architectures” perspective was adopted. The study found that “designing and redesigning” was not limited as supposed to a single transformation from face-to-face teaching to an online learning space. Rather, it was an ongoing professional practice, regardless of how novice or experienced and “tech savvy” the academic. The digital space is rapidly evolving, as are the professional learning demands of teacher educators. “Ambitious teacher practices” are permanently required.
Microblogging as an Assisted Learning Tool in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in Bahrain
Authors: Paliktzoglou Vasileios , Suhonen Jarkko
Published: February 2018

This chapter is part of a series of studies related to the use of social media tools in higher education. In particular, the authors investigate the students' level of familiarity, engagement, and frequency of use of social media technologies. They analyze the experiences of using the Edmodo tool to support PBL, and they relate participants' opinions regarding the use of the tool. The data was collected using two questionnaires and a focus group interview at the end of the course. The main findings of this study are comparable and somehow familiar to their previous study (Paliktzoglou & Suhonen, 2014). Moreover, with regards to the adoption of Edmodo as a learning tool to support PBL, although literature argues that cultural differences play an important role in the acceptance of learning tools (i.e., Cheung, Chiu, & Lee, 2011), the results indicate that Edmodo has a positive reception as learning tool in blended learning to support PBL.
Exploring the Experiences of Students and Professors in a Blended Learning Graduate Program
Authors: Taylor Maurice , Atas Sait , Ghani Shehzad
Published: February 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore the current experiences of students and professors in a Faculty of Education graduate program that has adopted blended learning. It was also intended to uncover some of the enablers and constraints faced by faculty administration in implementing a university wide blended learning initiative. Using a qualitative case study research design, a large faculty of education in a mid-sized university in Eastern Ontario, Canada was the site of the investigation. A constant comparative data analysis technique was used on three data sources, namely: key informant interviews, artefacts and field notes. Results indicated that the graduate student has specific learning requirements that necessitate attention to certain aspects of this new teaching method and that professors who teach in a blended learning format are working towards meeting the needs of such students. Enablers and constraints from an administrator's perspective in further developing blended learning are also addressed.
What Are Tutors' Experiences With Online Teaching?
Authors: Walter Cvetanka
Published: February 2018

This study seeks an understanding of how tutors perceived the online part of a blended learning course in the context of teaching English as a foreign language at a German university. To gain knowledge about the ways in which the tutors experienced the phenomenon, a phenomenographic methodological framework was employed. Identified were four different ways of conceiving the online course as: A) a one-way street of communication: to provide students with extra materials to practice individually and for asynchronous communication, B) an add-on to on-campus classes; C) a distant relationship between students and online tutors; and D) an opportunity for tutor's professional development and team communication. The phenomenographic approach allowed to reveal variations of tutors' perceptions of teaching online with a view of enhancing the university curriculum. The findings may have implications for university teachers and educational designers.
Effectiveness of Student's Note-Taking Activities and Characteristics of Their Learning Performance in Two Types of Online Learning
Authors: Nakayama Minoru , Mutsuura Kouichi , Yamamoto Hiroh
Published: February 2018

Aspects of learning behavior during two types of university courses, a blended learning course and a fully online course, were examined using note taking activity. The contribution of student's characteristics and styles of learning to note taking activity and learning performance were analyzed, and the relationships between the two types of courses were compared using causal analysis techniques. In addition, lexical analysis of the contents of notes taken was introduced. Features of notes taken, such as the number of terms, the word ratios of student's notes and the degree of coverage of the lecturer's notes were compared. The results of the evaluation of the two types of learning styles were summarized by determining the relationships between student's characteristics and metrics of the contents of notes taken. The metrics were significantly different between the two learning styles. The contributions of students' characteristics to learning performance were also different. These results provide points to consider for the design and organization of the two types of learning.
Laying the Ground for Online English as a Second or Foreign Language (ESL/EFL) Composition Courses and University Internationalization
Authors: Ene Estela
Published: February 2018

As universities internationalize and U.S. and Chinese universities become partners, there is growing demand for online English language courses for students seeking to improve their English prior to arriving to the U.S. Situated in the context of a partnership between a U.S. Midwest university and its Chinese partner, this chapter provides a methodological model for assessing (1) English as a Second Language (ESL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL) composition and online learning needs and resources prior to developing courses for a new population; (2) the potential for collaboration between partnering institutions; and (3) the effectiveness of an online English composition course. The chapter illustrates, in a step-by-step fashion, the decision-making process which shaped the needs assessment and the actions based on it. By doing so, it provides a realistic portrayal of the complexity of the Needs Assessment (NA) and curriculum development process.
Influencing Factors for Adopting Technology Enhanced Learning in the Medical Schools of Punjab, Pakistan
Authors: Iqbal Shazia , Ahmad Shahzad , Willis Ian
Published: February 2018

As the successful establishment of technology supported educational systems requires wide investment in terms of finances and faculty time, this study explores the influencing factors in the adoption of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) and the main barriers encountered during the use of TEL in Punjab, Pakistan. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with medical educators and thematic analysis was carried out using Nvivo-10. The study participants were well aware of educational technologies and stated that the influencing factors for adoption of TEL were self-effort, motivation, a personal positive approach and departmental policy. The institutions were well equipped with resources but the main problem was the lack of faculty training and institutional support. The study concludes that pedagogy is the main driver for the use of educational technologies. At the national level, it is suggested that governing bodies can provide definite polices and guidelines for the implementation of TEL. Therefore, it is advocated that recognizing online courses can enhance potential learners' interest to enroll for e-learning programmes. At the institutional level, it is proposed to encourage the establishment of institutional policies and the organization of workshops for faculty training. At an individual level, it is stressed that there is a basic requirement to develop a technology-oriented culture partly by sharing the power and expertise among the department heads and faculty members.
Social Presence and Student Engagement in Online Learning
Authors: Ngoyi Luka , Malapile L. J. Sandy
Published: February 2018

Effective online learning practices should incorporate an active social presence that provides space and technological support for students and instructors to engage in social activities, which are an integral part of the learning process. The focus of this chapter is the description of social presence, the forms in which it occurs, and how social presence enhances student engagement in the learning process, whether online or face-to-face. Based on various studies related to this topic, the authors argue that social presence has a significant impact on student engagement, especially in online classes. Finally, this chapter examines how social presence affects student engagement and offers various strategies for instructors to enhance social presence and student engagement in online learning.
Blended Learning in China
Authors: Wang Hanrong , Nuttall Harry
Published: February 2018

Sprouted in the late 1970s, with the direction and support of the Chinese government and the participation of private institutions, blended learning in China has developed quickly and massively. By reviewing the origin, evolution, and current practices of blended learning in the contexts of elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities in China, the authors examine the problems, controversies, and issues raised. While the Chinese government still may play an important role in blended learning in the future, private institutions' involvement, learners' motivation, and learning ideology could become more important in promoting and implementing blended learning. How best to use the current educational system and resources to further promote blended learning in China is a challenge to educational practitioners and policy makers. Blended education in china is at the crossroads.
Connecting Communication to Curriculum and Pedagogy in Online Environments
Authors: Boboc Marius
Published: February 2018

This chapter relies on the analysis of communicative patterns, discursive sequences, and instructional strategies featured in an entirely online graduate level course featuring a combination of compulsory and optional chat sessions. Findings emphasize the use of communication dynamics to promote social presence and socially-mediated learning in online learning communities, which, for the purpose of this research project, are represented by the required synchronous discussions used in class. Recommendations focus on employing a flexible pedagogy that takes into account student characteristics, appropriate instructional and technological tools and strategies, course cadence or pace, creating and maintaining an online learning community, as well as clear and engaging communication. Further considerations relate to ensuring the identification of specific purposes for online chat sessions, their integration into the entire set of instructional strategies and resources, clear procedures for online discussion topic selection, and the associated grading policy.
Experiences of an Online Doctoral Course in Teacher Education
Authors: Varnava-Marouchou Despina , Minott Mark A.
Published: February 2018

This chapter outlines the benefits and challenges experienced by two students who had completed an online doctoral programme at a popular United Kingdom university. Benefits include accessing courses from anywhere in the world, engaging in synchronous and asynchronous communication, and the development of creative thinking and reflective skills. The most important benefit was the fact that the online programme allowed the students to fulfill the dream of achieving a doctoral degree in teacher education while maintain family and work commitments. Some challenges of online learning include feelings of isolation, balancing family commitment with study, managing time, and coping with additional workload brought on by course requirements. The conclusion was made that the online environment is an excellent way of placing students at the centre of the learning experience, allowing them to have total control of their time and the process of learning. This, however, required an alteration in their thinking and a willingness to change certain attitudes about learning.
A Distributed Community of Practice to Facilitate Communication, Collaboration, and Learning Among Faculty
Authors: Coto Mayela
Published: February 2018

Recent research suggests that professional development initiatives within the framework of a community of practice are more likely to have an effective result than traditional forms of professional development. The overall objective of this chapter is to present a study that aims to improve the understanding of how a distributed community of practice approach affects communication, collaboration, and professional development of faculty, and whether this leads to promote a transformation in teaching practices. The results indicate that a community approach to professional development in higher education is feasible but requires careful design if it is to work with a wide range of faculty staff. Findings also show that while the approach has been successful in many areas, there are aspects that require further work and research.
Using Blended Learning and Emerging Technologies to Transform the Adult Learning Experience
Authors: Cordie Leslie , Witte Maria Martinez , Witte James E.
Published: February 2018

Faculty are increasing the use of emerging technologies in their classrooms and are recognizing the value of blending face-to-face and online learning to meet educational needs. Blended learning is defined as combining face-to-face and online learning formats. This chapter discusses the definition of blended learning and how it is affecting adult learning experiences and classroom settings. This chapter also addresses faculty and instructional design practices that can be used for blended learning and to continue promoting a positive teaching and learning environment for both face-to-face and online learners. Future research efforts can be focused on faculty development and academic support to continue fostering blended learning and meeting the needs of today's learners.
The Ball Is in Your Court
Authors: Mattera Marina , Baena Verónica
Published: February 2018

This chapter conducts an in-depth study regarding a European football club's marketing strategy and brand management approach in order to evaluate customers' perceived ethicality and how consumers value corporate social responsibility activities. Specifically, the cases of Real Madrid and Barcelona FC (also named Barça) are analyzed. These two football teams are considered as they are two of the most successful sports teams in terms of worldwide supporters and revenues. The findings highlight how European football clubs should incorporate corporate social responsibility into their marketing strategy through the evaluation of consumer's perceived corporate social responsibility values and ethicality.
Driving Tourism Through Sport Event in the Lipno Region
Authors: Studnička Petr , Attl Pavel
Published: February 2018

Olympic Games have already been the top worldwide followed sporting event for 120 years. Until recently the Olympic Games were in terms of tourism associated exclusively with visitors' passive follow up. That status started to change with the emergence of an entirely new phenomenon called the Olympic parks. Based on this phenomenon is a research focusing on establishing an Olympic Park 2016 in Lipno nad Vltavou, Czech Republic. Part of the research was to analyze the impact of the Olympic Park it had on the region and the authors evaluated both positive and negative effects. The result of this research was to determine the main impacts of the Olympic Park on the destination, in the short and long terms. The authors concluded that the construction of the Olympic Park was a major impulse for the development of tourism in the area.
Those Who Rarely Attend Alone
Authors: Hedlund David P. , Biscaia Rui , Leal Maria do Carmo
Published: February 2018

Sport fans rarely attend sporting events alone. While traditional consumer and sport fan behavior research frequently segmented fans based on demographic characteristics, recent advances in understanding how sport fans co-create and co-consume sporting events provides substantial evidence that sports fans should be examined as tribal groups. In this chapter, seven dimensions of sport fan tribalism are proposed and tested (membership; geographic sense of community; social recognition; shared rivalry; and shared knowledge of symbols, rituals and traditions, and people) with samples from top-level American college football (Division I American football) and the top level of professional Portuguese soccer (Primeira Liga). The results provide reliability and validity evidence in support of the seven-dimension scale. In addition, the structural testing of the scale highlights differences between tribal fans and their teams (relative to other teams) in terms of five behavioral intentions and two commitment- related outcome variables. The implications of labeling sports fans at tribal, the use of the seven-dimension scale and the structural results are all discussed.
Perceptual Processes and Multisensoriality
Authors: Leote Rosangella
Published: February 2018

Perception seems to be an overly discussed subject in theories of Art, giving us the impression that there is nothing new to add. So much research and so many conceptions have been developed on the subject. Nevertheless, many holes can be perceived in these theories with regard to the mental process that operates in the perception phenomena. We have chosen to look to neuroscience for possible answers to these holes. In this paper, based on the knowledge of Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and António Damásio, among others, we focus on that which we are emphasizing as “perceptual processes”. We will restrict ourselves herein to the perceptual processes of a multisensory nature that take place in the perceivers' relationship with the artworks, which contain multimodal stimuli, promoted by physical and digital interfaces of an assistive nature. Said perceivers, however, are both people with severe motor and vocal disabilities as well as those without these restrictions.
A Strategic Perspective on Using Symbolic Transformation in STEM Education
Authors: Rappaport Jack M. , Richter Stephen B. , Kennedy Dennis T.
Published: February 2018

This paper describes and implements an innovative model for teaching Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) that enhances the decision making process of students considering a major or a career in STEM fields. The model can also be used as a decision making tool for educators interested in stressing the importance of STEM for career enhancement and for society as a whole. The model creates analogies and metaphors for various STEM topics using the contents of popular music videos. Theories of neuroscience, the interdisciplinary study of the nervous system, are used to describe and validate our decision making model. Concepts such as, embodied cognition, mirror neurons and the connection between emotion and cognition, are used to explain how the brain processes the information and multi-modal stimuli generated by our model. The model was implemented using the topic of automated decision processes in robotics and automation with a group of university and high school students and teachers. The impact of the model was evaluated using the National Science Foundation (NSF) frameworks for evaluating informal science projects. The results indicate that the model using symbolic transformation to teach STEM can have a significant impact on students' attitude towards STEM and the decision making process about their careers.
Assessing Consumer Reactions with Neuroscientific Measurements
Authors: Rumpf Christopher , Breuer Christoph
Published: February 2018

Positive consumer reactions to corporate marketing activities are regarded a key driver of business success. Since consumer reactions occur to a large extent on non-conscious levels, traditional market research approaches provide limited insights into the consumer's perceptions and intentions. This chapter demonstrates how neuroscientific measurements can contribute to a deeper understanding about critical processes in the consumer's “black box”. Two generic approaches will be outlined: Whereas brain imaging techniques create pictures reflecting brain activity in response to marketing stimuli, psychophysiological methods assess body signals as correlates of neural activity. The chapter provides a general understanding about the meaningful application of neuroscientific measurements in consumer research and presents a critical reflection on the opportunities and challenges of different neuroscientific measurements.
Organizational Culture and Organizational Performance
Authors: Bashayreh Anas M.
Published: February 2018

Organizational cultures can have varying impacts on organization performance. Oftentimes, employees work harder to achieve organizational goals if they consider themselves to be part of the corporate culture. Different cultures operating in one company can also impact organization performance. Organizational culture is an important part to be considered by dynamic organizations in order to develop some competitive advantage to ensure enhanced organizational performance. This chapter aims to close the gap between understanding the role of organizational culture and the effect on organizational performance among the employees in insurance companies.
A Knowledge Creation Model for Graduate Research
Authors: Nakamori Yoshiteru , Sun Jing , Wu Jianguo , Tian Jing , Huynh Van-Nam
Published: February 2018

This chapter proposes a model of knowledge creation and knowledge validation for the research of postgraduate students, and then introduces an evaluation method on research ability and research environment based on this model. The chapter reports the results of statistical analysis, using the data obtained by a questionnaire survey at a graduate school of computer science and technology. Among several discoveries, the great differences in the evaluation of research environment between teachers and students, and in the self-evaluation of research ability between female students and male students are noteworthy. It was confirmed that the proposed model and the evaluation method are effective for supporting research of graduate students.
Integration Between Knowledge Management and Total Quality Management in Jordanian Universities
Authors: Shehabat Issa Mahmoud , Berrish Mohammad
Published: February 2018

Resulting from the development of management theory in the past few years, knowledge management has emerged, which is identifying information of value and how to use it well, as well as understanding cognitive assets of an organization and how to exploit them. Knowledge management is important and necessary for the survival of an organization and its superiority. It can be integrated into the philosophy of total quality management to play a role in the development of the basis of performance of modern organizations. The total quality management philosophy seeks to achieve customer satisfaction through the commitment of the leadership of an organization and its workers by a process of continuous improvement of the quality of performance in various aspects of an organization. This chapter aims to identify the integration between knowledge management and total quality management, when applied to public Jordanian universities as a sample for the study. The chapter found the presence of integrity and a strong correlation between knowledge management and total quality management.
Integrating Case Study Methodology to Analyze Intra- and Inter-Institutional Comparisons of Service-Learning Within the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Framework
Authors: Plante Jarrad D. , Cox Thomas D.
Published: February 2018

Service-learning has a venerable history in higher education and includes three pillars: community service, academic learning, and civic knowledge. An elective classification system by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching called the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification (CCEC) created a framework for higher education institutions for fidelity and accountability of community engagement. This chapter examines data from three different colleges and universities to understand the institutionalization of service-learning—a private teaching university, a private liberal arts college, and a public research university situated in the same metropolitan locale—offering varying approaches to completing the CCEC applications from the three vantage points. Using case study methodology, this chapter highlights intra- and inter-institutional comparisons of three institutions of higher learning to inform higher education institution administrators seeking to enhance service-learning experiences that benefit students, higher education practitioners, scholars in the higher education and service-learning fields, as well as community leaders.
The Encore Chapter
Authors: Gordon Kimberley , Auten Jill
Published: February 2018

As tens of thousands of Baby Boomers leave the workplace each month, the stark reality of retirement is often accompanied by an overwhelming sense of dread. Retiring from employment at the age of 65 is often not practical for those without ample financial resources. Many will retire outright while others seek employment in an encore career in roles that are fulfilling and typically require less of a time commitment. Identifying plans for the final chapter in life is essential for contentment and critical for staving off declining physical and mental health. When senior adults understand the nuances of adult learning and the myriad theories associated with lifespan development, they are equipped with fundamental tools to help them navigate the golden years. This chapter provides readers with essential tools to aid adults experiencing significant life changes especially those embarking on their encore chapter.
Kindling Research Interest in Undergraduate Business Students
Authors: Starr-Glass David
Published: February 2018

Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) provide a means of encouraging, engaging, and supporting students in the co-production of relevant and legitimate knowledge. Research-centered experiences can be designed as capstones at the conclusion of the undergraduate degree, integrated into single courses or sequence of interrelated courses, or form an element of internships, community-based projects, service-learning experiences, and practicums. UREs have a high impact on student engagement and learning, and can serve as vehicles for establishing the student's distinctive personal signature on his or her learning. However, despite their value, UREs are underutilized in business education. This chapter explores some of the reasons for this, suggests ways through which undergraduates might be introduced to research, and argues that an involvement in relevant scholarly endeavor plays a significant part in the future success of business graduates.
Using Student Feedback to Help Improve Teaching in the College Classroom
Authors: Mariano Gina J. , Hammonds Frank , Chambers Sheridan , Ammons Gracie , Sippel Katie
Published: February 2018

There are a wide range of attitudes toward student evaluations of teaching or SETs, from complete rejection to acceptance and use. SETs results are widely used not only for administrative decision-making, but also for improving learning and building student-teacher rapport. For this reason, it is important to investigate faculty motives and reasoning for using or not using SETs. There is also a need for more information about which aspects of the SETs process faculty members view as useful and which parts are viewed negatively. More information about faculty perceptions of certain aspects could warrant important modifications to the SET process. The purpose of this chapter is to gain insight into how faculty view SETs and how they utilize the feedback received from them. The authors also hope to highlight the importance of engaging students in curriculum development to improve teaching effectiveness.
Towards Realizing Twenty-First Century Skills
Authors: Torrisi-Steele Geraldine
Published: February 2018

Metacognitive capabilities are the core of the “soft skills” we have come to know as twenty-first century skills. However, there is good evidence, both empirical and anecdotal, that metacognitive capabilities are not well developed even in university graduates. Given the recognition of the necessity of such skills in enabling full participation of individuals in modern society, and in enabling humankind as a whole to continue to move forward in positive ways, the need to better nurture the development of metacognitive capabilities is pressing. The massification of education and the widening participation of people in higher education means that formal education can more greatly influence and shape people's learning capabilities. Given appropriate instructional design of experiences, education has thus great potential for setting people up to continue effective learning throughout their lifespan. Developing metacognition requires designing instructional experiences targeting not only discipline requirements but also deliberately scaffolding the development of metacognitive capabilities as an integral component of the discipline.
Constructing Investment Open Data of Chinese Listed Companies Based on Read-Write Linked Data
Authors: Li Hongqin , Zhai Jun
Published: February 2018

This article describes how China's capital market development has had a big disparity compared with developed countries, which creates many problems: investors cannot get effective decision-making information; enterprises must report information in different forms to separate regulators; and that role confusion among institutions may lead to financial market risk. An efficient solution of above problems relies on cross-border information sharing among institutions. Linked Data is key factor to improve supervision of capital market. Furthermore Read-write Linked Data can implement cooperation among institutions. This article drew lessons from foreign linked data in the research of data source selection and financial data integration. Through selecting data from listed company, China securities regulatory commission and stock exchange, the article constructed investment open data of Chinese listed companies based on Read-write Linked Data. This work could provide accurate insight for investors, meanwhile contributing to reducing the administrative burdens of enterprise, realize the effective supervision of financial regulators.
Promoting Indigenous Financial Inclusion
Authors: D'Rosario Michael
Published: February 2018

This article describes how the majority of Australia's indigenous communities live within isolated regions and are typically characterized by levels of disadvantage not evidenced within mainstream Australian society. While there are a number of reasons for the evidenced disadvantages, access to financial services and social services are acknowledged as key contributors. The article outlines the role of banking sector competition and changing banking structures on the exclusion of indigenous people from banking services. It is claimed herein that access, marketing, price, and self-exclusion all serve to promote financial exclusion. It is posited that forms of access exclusion such as bank branch access and geographic dispersion have served as the key structural impediments to indigenous financial inclusion. Specifically, this article considers the potential role of adaptive cellular technologies and community telecentres in addressing financial exclusion within indigenous communities. Detailing successful ‘social banking' models adopted in several developing countries, it is asserted that m-banking could serve as a powerful tool for inclusion.
Impact of Retailer Generated Online Content on the Perceived Helpfulness of Product Reviews
Authors: Dash Anupama , Shaikh Nazrul I.
Published: February 2018

This article quantifies the impact of retailer generated content, such as information, comparisons, and reviews, which may not be helpful to the consumer. The article uses 42,636 reviews spanning 44 products that offer different combinations of the three-aforementioned retailer generated content to isolate the impact of each. Our results indicate that such content cannot replace the utility of the review but can make a significant contribution towards satisfying the consumers need for information and help. The results also indicate that the information contained in such retailer generated content is more important for search and less so for experience goods. These results have important implications for an online retailer or review platform investing in content creation and management.
Evaluation of Classification Algorithms vs Knowledge-Based Methods for Differential Diagnosis of Asthma in Iranian Patients
Authors: Safdari Reza , Rezaei-Hachesu Peyman , Marjan GhaziSaeedi  , Samad-Soltani Taha , Zolnoori Maryam
Published: February 2018

Medical data mining intends to solve real-world problems in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. This process applies various techniques and algorithms which have different levels of accuracy and precision. The purpose of this article is to apply data mining techniques to the diagnosis of asthma. Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of K-nearest neighbor, Support Vector Machine, naive Bayes, Artificial Neural Network, classification tree, CN2 algorithms, and related similar studies were evaluated. ROC curves were plotted to show the performance of the authors' approach. Support vector machine (SVM) algorithms achieved the highest accuracy at 98.59% with a sensitivity of 98.59% and a specificity of 98.61% for class 1. Other algorithms had a range of accuracy greater than 87%. The results show that the authors can accurately diagnose asthma approximately 98% of the time based on demographics and clinical data. The study also has a higher sensitivity when compared to expert and knowledge-based systems.
Resources in Parks and Police Management Applying Decision Utility to Solve Problems with Limited Resources
Authors: Ozgur Ceyhun
Published: February 2018

This is the first research article that attempts to relate public service to managing an organization and explains systems with realistic yet simplistic examples. This article is the first of its kind to relate public service to managing organizations that relate public service such as parks and police. It measures and implements maximin value functions. A maximin value function applies when the criteria are totally non-substitutable: a decrease in a critical criterion cannot be compensated for by an increase in another criterion. This article illustrates situations where a maximin value function is an appropriate model, develops a method to measure a decision maker's maximin value function, and demonstrates how a maximin value function can be used in applications such as park and police systems. The measurement technique is easy to understand and most decision makers can complete the process in a short period of time. For quantitative scheduling techniques found in journals, their wider use in applications has been declining due to a variety of obstacles. This article will first list a number of these obstacles and then suggest ways to overcome them. Parks and Police departments are government agencies that both have limited and competing resources. In these circumstances, it is an ideal situation to share the resources as much as possible. In this article, examples are shown of where the limited resources may occur in both agencies, and how the manager may overcome these problems by sharing the resources. Examples of affective and just sharing of resources are given for both parks and police departments. In Parks Management, affective trade-offs are shown among trim mowing, tractor mowing, garbage collection and ball-field dragging. In Police departments affective trade-offs are shown among foot patrol, car patrol, detective analysis and office work.
Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process to Examine a Travel Destination for a Parent-Child Trip
Authors: Huang Han-Chen , Hou Cheng-I , Chang I-Ying , Wu Su-Ling , Chen Tsai-Li
Published: February 2018

This article aims to determine married women's decision criteria for choosing a travel destination for a parent-child trip and find the relative weights of these decision criteria. A literature review was conducted to construct a preliminary structure of decision criteria for choosing a travel destination. Furthermore, two rounds of Delphi questionnaire surveys involving seven experts in the tourism industry were conducted through email correspondence. A analytic hierarchy process questionnaire survey was carried out upon the structure of decision criteria for choosing a travel destination. This survey found that the 18 key decision criteria for choosing a travel destination for a parent-child trip could be categorized into the following four categories: psychological needs, recreational resources, human and cultural elements, and travel costs. Based on the research results, this article proposes implications on planning a parent-child trip and suggestions for future research as a reference for relevant authorities and future researchers.
Accounting and the ERP Systems
Authors: Machado Maria João , Gomes João
Published: February 2018

This article has the following specific objectives: to identify the reasons for implementing SAP ERP; to identify the main benefits and problems resulting from its adoption; to understand in what way accounting is integrated in SAP ERP; to analyse how SAP ERP influences the accountants' role. The chosen method of investigation was the descriptive case study, with recourse to various sources of data collection. These were: semi-structured interviews as the main method of data collection; direct observation; and document collection. This article's main contributions are the following: the resistance to change phenomenon, suggested by theory as a major problem in ERPs implementation, was not found; SAP ERP does not allow all of the accounting objectives to be achieved, making the use additional software a necessity due to its lack of flexibility and the need for specialized technicians when any changes have to be made.
A Conceptual Framework for an Extension Access Control Models in Saudi Arabia Healthcare Systems
Authors: Shaqrah Amin , Noor Talal
Published: February 2018

This article aims to develop an extension access control models framework in Saudi Arabian healthcare systems. The conceptual framework acts as an ascendency structure to organize and support the efforts of several health care standards which reflect on the coherent of confidentiality; integrity; and availability triads in order to achieve the strategic business objectives of Saudi Arabian healthcare institutions. It is considered to be three common access control models developed by ACM institute and extended to other criteria identified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. While literature explains that an easy-to-use access control model can lead to success healthcare system, understanding the extension of access control systems is vital for Saudi Arabian healthcare institutions to protect resources against unauthorized use. This article has taken a step in this direction.