Elements of Successful Universal Student Transit Pass Programs from Planning to Implementation: A Benchmark Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2673 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dahai Han ◽  
Jie Yu ◽  
Edward Beimborn ◽  
Zihao Jin ◽  
Weijie Tan
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Benchmark Study ◽  
Program Success ◽  
Pass Program ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
Cooperative Research Program ◽  
Insight Into

Key elements in developing a successful universal college student transit pass program (U-Pass program) are investigated from the perspectives of three involved parties of interest: transit agencies, university administrations, and students. By collecting information from online surveys, case examples, literature, and other useful online resources, a generalized procedure of a U-Pass program is proposed, broken down into three phases: planning, launching, and implementation. In each phase, key elements and actions that lead to successful programs are investigated from the perspectives of the three involved parties. The roles of the three parties as well as how they interact with each other are also examined. Furthermore, some of the underlying factors that lead to program success are explored in the context of different built environment settings. As a benchmark study, this paper extends work from a Transit Cooperative Research Program synthesis to gain insight into how U-Pass programs have been planned, launched, and implemented. The research findings could assist responsible transit agencies and educational institutions in enhancing their current U-Pass programs or launching new programs in the future.

scholarly journals Podcasts as a tool to engage broader audiences

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Scriven ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Critical Discussion ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Academic Discourses ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Dissemination System

This paper examines how audio podcasts can be deployed by universities and other educational institutions to engage with a broader range of audiences and encourage critical discussion of contemporary issues. Using the case study of a podcast I produced, I consider how the medium is an accessible and user-friendly format that enables the generation of content aimed at a general listenership. Insight into how this approach can bring teaching and research materials to new groups of people is created by reflecting on the process of making and distributing a series (Hacker 2017). Since their emergence in the early 2000s, podcasts - as a form of internet on-demand radio – have been used by universities as an additional dissemination system. Departments and universities were early adaptors to help spread knowledge, research findings, and commentary on topics of public interest (Open Culture 2006). One of the main deployments has been to augment student learning through the recording of podcasts as an alternative or supplement to lectures or as a revision or feedback tool (Fernandez et al. 2015; Kidd 2011; Lonn and Teasley 2009). More recently, within the discipline of geography, podcasts are being recognised as a distinct tools for more inclusive research that can reach groups who do not usually follow academic discourses (Kinkaid, Brain, and Senanayake 2019). Building on these strands, this paper focuses on how a podcast can be used as an educational mechanism both for general audiences and undergraduates, which recognises diverse forms of learning and the importance of accessible materials (Ambrose et al. 2010; Towler, Ridgway, and McCarthy 2015).

TCRP A-40 Manual to Improve Rail Transit Safety at Platform/Train Interfaces: Summary of Platform-Train Interface Incidents

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dylan Anderson ◽  
Kate Hunter-Zaworski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Rail Transit ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Safety Studies ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
Cooperative Research Program

The overall goal of the project is to develop a manual for the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) that will allow practitioners to improve safety at rail public transportation platform/train and platform/guideway interfaces. Specific objectives include expanding upon previous safety studies and providing recommendations for mitigation strategies. Key factors that affect safety in relation to the platform-vehicle interface (PTI) have been identified through data collection. For the purpose of this study PTI refers to incidents related to the interface between the train and platform also known as gap incidents. Factors were analyzed to determine appropriate measures that would allow transit agencies to both prevent and minimize consequences of these incidents. This paper focuses primarily on platform vehicle interface incident data that were collected from four large transit operators in the United States.

scholarly journals Investigating the user experience of customer service chatbot interaction: a framework for qualitative analysis of chatbot dialogues

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asbjørn Følstad ◽  
Cameron Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Practical Relevance ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe uptake of chatbots for customer service depends on the user experience. For such chatbots, user experience in particular concerns whether the user is provided relevant answers to their queries and the chatbot interaction brings them closer to resolving their problem. Dialogue data from interactions between users and chatbots represents a potentially valuable source of insight into user experience. However, there is a need for knowledge of how to make use of these data. Motivated by this, we present a framework for qualitative analysis of chatbot dialogues in the customer service domain. The framework has been developed across several studies involving two chatbots for customer service, in collaboration with the chatbot hosts. We present the framework and illustrate its application with insights from three case examples. Through the case findings, we show how the framework may provide insight into key drivers of user experience, including response relevance and dialogue helpfulness (Case 1), insight to drive chatbot improvement in practice (Case 2), and insight of theoretical and practical relevance for understanding chatbot user types and interaction patterns (Case 3). On the basis of the findings, we discuss the strengths and limitations of the framework, its theoretical and practical implications, and directions for future work.

scholarly journals Combining Multiple Organizational-level Databases: An Empirical Evaluation of Different Matching Methods

2021 ◽  
pp. 004912412098618
Author(s):  
Tim de Leeuw ◽  
Steffen Keijl
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Random Errors ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Matching Methods ◽  
Matching Process ◽  
Significant Relationships ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Insight Into

Although multiple organizational-level databases are frequently combined into one data set, there is no overview of the matching methods (MMs) that are utilized because the vast majority of studies does not report how this was done. Furthermore, it is unclear what the differences are between the utilized methods, and it is unclear whether research findings might be influenced by the utilized method. This article describes four commonly used methods for matching databases and potential issues. An empirical comparison of those methods used to combine regularly used organizational-level databases reveals large differences in the number of observations obtained. Furthermore, empirical analyses of these different methods reveal that several of them produce both systematic and random errors. These errors can result in erroneous estimations of regression coefficients in terms of direction and/or size as well as an issue where truly significant relationships might be found to be insignificant. This shows that research findings can be influenced by the MM used, which would argue in favor of the establishment of a preferred method as well as more transparency on the utilized method in future studies. This article provides insight into the matching process and methods, suggests a preferred method, and should aid researchers, reviewers, and editors with both combining multiple databases and describing and assessing them.

Usage, Impacts, and Benefits of Innovative Transit Pass Program

1998 ◽  
Vol 1618 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Meyer ◽  
Edward A. Beimborn
Keyword(s):  
Transit System ◽  
University Of Wisconsin ◽  
Milwaukee County ◽  
Successful Program ◽  
Pass Program ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
The University

An evaluation of an innovative transit program, UPASS, is summarized. UPASS provides unlimited use of the Milwaukee County Transit System at any time and any place and for any purpose for all students enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The pass program, paid for by a special fee attached to students’ tuition, was implemented in fall 1994 and was extensively evaluated to determine its impact on ridership and other factors and to determine whether the concept has the potential for transfer to other organizations and employers. Benefits and disbenefits to transit users, nonusers, employers, and transit agencies are described. In addition, elements of a successful program are outlined.

The Youth Pass

2017 ◽  
Vol 2652 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Thistle ◽  
Laurel Paget-Seekins
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Attrition Rate ◽  
Massachusetts Bay ◽  
Local Municipalities ◽  
Pass Program ◽  
Transit Agencies ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Transportation Agencies ◽  
Adequate Data

Public transportation agencies provide reduced fares to seniors, students, and disabled people, but only infrequently provide discounts to low-income members of the general population. A major reason for this is that it is difficult and labor-intensive for transit agencies to determine who is of low income. To address societal need and pilot the feasibility of such a program, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) piloted a program for young people who were unable to receive reduced fares in another way. The MBTA partnered with local municipalities, and applicants proved their eligibility for the program through partner offices. The research requirements in the program provided adequate data to evaluate the effects of the program, but the requirements themselves negatively affected participation and attrition in the pilot. The ways the research affected participation are explored in detail, particularly the attrition rate of subjects throughout the study. It was found that the research requirements disproportionately affected those of very low income as well as African-American and Hispanic participants. Using the data from the pilot, the MBTA decided to implement a full youth pass program benefiting those populations without the barriers of the pilot.

scholarly journals The New Perceptions on Life of Iranian Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Shahba ◽  
Reza Jafari-Shakib ◽  
Mahdi Mahmoudi ◽  
Ahmadreza Jamshidi ◽  
Mahdi Vojdanian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Chronic Inflammatory Disease ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
First Time ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Gaining Insight

Various studies suggest that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) as a chronic inflammatory disease with many disabilities can have impacts on different aspects of patients’ life. Despite many quantitative studies, only few qualitative studies have thus far been published on this subject. For the first time, the present study aims at gaining insight into the life experience of Iranian AS patients. We performed a content analysis through semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight patients diagnosed with AS, including three females and twenty-five males with an average age of 38.5 years, to gain insight into their experiences. Whatever the patients expressed was written and transcribed verbatim. Then, we did analysis of the results after each interview. The detailed information completely extracted from the interviews was classified as sub-themes and main themes. Three main themes were identified by the analysis: (i) “Always with pain” describing the effects were found in regard to pain on patients’ life, (ii) “The perceived limitation” describing many difficulties that people may face in the society as a result of their disease, and (iii) “Fearing the unknown future” which implies to both patients and their families have concerns about the future and what will happen. Our research findings in line with other qualitative studies showed that AS disease puts a heavy and intolerable burden on patients and their family. It seems that the experiences of people living with AS can be useful to meet challenges caused by the disease and it can enhance their coping with the disease.

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