scholarly journals An Assessment-based Metamodel towards a Best Practice Assessment Model in Higher Education

Author(s):  
Rashidah Mokhtar ◽  
Azizah Abdul Rahman ◽  
Siti Hajar Othman
2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 709
Author(s):  
Patti McNulty ◽  
Mark Mathieson

The PNG LNG Project is a major resource project in Papua New Guinea that should double the GDP of PNG and provide significant benefits to numerous remote, regional and metropolitan communities. Through a commitment to providing optimal training and employment opportunities for PNG nationals, Esso Highlands Limited is recruiting candidates from all over PNG to take up training and employment opportunities. One opportunity for PNG candidates is the Operations and Maintenance Technician Traineeship Program. This involves 18 months of preparatory training in Port Moresby and 12 months at advanced technical training facilities overseas followed by up to 24 months on the job training at the actual facility; either the Hides gas conditioning plant in the Southern Highlands or at the LNG plant outside Port Moresby in PNG. This program is structured to establish a highly-trained workforce of more than 150 technicians for key operational roles in the PNG LNG Project. A nationwide recruitment drive attracted more than 8,000 applicants. Although the scale of this response—in a country with poor socio-economic conditions and limited paid employment opportunities—was anticipated, the linguistic and cultural diversity of the candidates provided a major challenge for Esso Highlands. The challenge involved how to appropriately and fairly assess and select the required number of trainees from this massive pool of candidates. To address some of the assessment and selection needs, Esso Highlands Limited commissioned ValueEdge Consulting in light of their experience and expertise in delivering similar culturally appropriate assessment programs throughout Australia and southeast Asia. This presentation will provide an overview of the staged assessment model used to select the 76 most suitable candidates from the original 8,000 applicants for the first traineeship program, which commenced in Port Moresby in July 2010. The success of this recruitment program in a culturally, linguistically and educationally diverse country is highlighted by the fact that another significant-sized group of the candidates were retained by Esso Highlands Limited in internship positions—this is in addition to the 76 candidates selected for trainee positions. Due to the high-calibre talent pool attracted by this opportunity and assessed through this program, the extended pool of retained candidates enabled Esso Highlands Limited to meet their needs for the traineeships and also to identify suitable candidates to fulfill a range of their other training and employment opportunities. This presentation will outline details of the selection methods and tools used for the assessment of: training potential, technical aptitude, interpersonal skills, technical knowledge, team work, and individual competencies. The presentation also outlines a model for other green-field sites in countries where traditional recruitment methodologies are ineffective or culturally and linguistically biased against the local population.


SIMULATION ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (8) ◽  
pp. 641-653
Author(s):  
Jonathan Larson ◽  
Paul Isihara ◽  
Gabriel Flores ◽  
Edwin Townsend ◽  
Danilo R. Diedrichs ◽  
...  

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has asserted that risks in deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within disaster response must be reduced by careful development of best-practice standards before implementing such systems. With recent humanitarian field tests of cargo UAVs as indication that implementation may soon become reality, a priori assessment of a smart-navigated (autonomous) UAV disaster cargo fleet via simulation modeling and analysis is vital to the best-practice development process. Logistical problems with ground transport of relief supplies in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (2017) pose a compelling use scenario for UAV disaster cargo delivery. In this context, we introduce a General Purpose Assessment Model (GPAM) that can estimate the potential effectiveness of a cargo UAV fleet for any given response region. We evaluate this model using the following standards: (i) realistic specifications; (ii) stable output for various realistic specifications; and (iii) support of humanitarian goals. To this end, we discuss data from humanitarian cargo delivery field tests and feedback from practitioners, perform sensitivity analyses, and demonstrate the advantage of using humanitarian rather than geographic distance in making fleet delivery assignments. We conclude with several major challenges faced by those who wish to implement smart-navigated UAV cargo fleets in disaster response, and the need for further GPAM development. This paper proposes the GPAM as a useful simulation tool to encourage and guide steps toward humanitarian use of UAVs for cargo delivery. The model’s flexibility can allow organizations to quickly and effectively determine how best to respond to disasters.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenni Jones ◽  
Helen A. Smith

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate two coaching and mentoring programmes focused on the ever-increasingly important aim of enhancing the chances of professional level employment for undergraduate students, at two UK universities. In addition, to offer recommendations to enhance coaching and mentoring success within higher education (HE).Design/methodology/approachTwo similar programmes are compared; the first study is a coaching programme delivered in two phases involving over 1,500 students within the business school. The second study is a mentoring programme involving over 250 students over a ten-year period within the business school at a different institution.FindingsThe two programmes have been compared against the key success criteria from the literature, endorsed by coaching and mentoring experts. The results highlight the importance of integrating with other initiatives, senior management commitment, budget, an application process, clear matching process, trained coaches and mentors, induction for both parties, supportive material, ongoing supervision and robust evaluation and record keeping.Research limitations/implicationsThe research focuses on two similar institutions, with comparable student demographics. It would have been useful to dig deeper into the effect of the diverse characteristics of coach/mentor and coachee/mentee on the effectiveness of their relationships. In addition, to test the assumptions and recommendations beyond these two institutions, and to validate the reach and application of these best practice recommendations further afield.Practical implicationsThe results identify a number of best practice recommendations to guide HE institutions when offering coaching and mentoring interventions to support career progression of their students.Originality/valueThere are limited comparison studies between universities with undergraduate career-related coaching and mentoring programmes and limited research offering best practice recommendations for coaching and mentoring programmes in HE. The top ten factors offered here to take away will add value to those thinking of running similar programmes within HE.


Author(s):  
Jackie Street ◽  
Annette Braunack-Mayer ◽  
Stacy Carter ◽  
Tam Ha ◽  
Xiaoqi Feng ◽  
...  

IntroductionLarge administrative datasets are now being used for secondary purposes across a wide range of public sector organisations, including in health and higher education. However, governance, regulation and policy surrounding the use of these datasets are at different stages of development in these sectors. Our aim was to explore similarities and differences in the use of administrative data between the health and higher education sectors to inform policy development. Objectives and ApproachWe investigated views on the use of administrative data in both the health and higher education sectors. We conducted 18 qualitative in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, to provide insight into the ethical, social and legal issues associated with the use of big data in these settings. The interviews were transcribed and thematically coded. ResultsParticipants indicated the rapid pace of technological change and large volume of potentially sensitive data collected raises governance, infrastructure and ethical issues in both settings. Common challenges include communication, staff capabilities, delays in access, multiple policies and governance committees, and technical and operational issues. In the health sector, there was clear understanding of the issues and governance structures to address these issues, whereas this understanding was more variable in the higher education sector. Trust in government (to use responsibly and store securely) was raised in the health sector but not in universities. Conclusion / ImplicationsUnderstanding and use of administrative data are at quite different levels of development in the higher education and health sectors. Higher education needs policy and ethical guidance and higher level governance and greater consultation across the sector. Both sectors would benefit from a national approach to data governance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oran Doherty ◽  
Simon Stephens

PurposeThis paper explores the implications for higher education of the rapid development in technology used by the manufacturing sector. Higher education programmes change or new courses are introduced in attempts to match labour market demands. However, the pace of change in the manufacturing industry challenges the authors to reconceive how programmes and modules can and should be designed and delivered.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on interviews with 26 senior management representatives from manufacturing companies in Ireland. The 26 senior managers and their companies represent the wide diversity of Ireland's manufacturing sector. All the interviews were face to face, complimented by a short questionnaire. Follow-up interviews focussed on the emergent findings were carried out to aid the writing of recommendations for the best practice in programme design and delivery.FindingsWhat emerges from this study is that the manufacturing industry needs skills at three distinct levels. The authors define and classify the skill requirements at entry, competent and expert level. The authors place an emphasis on upskilling as an aid to movement between the three levels. In addition, and significantly, the desired time frame for delivery of these skills and/or upskilling is very short.Originality/valueAccelerated reskilling programmes with faster, shorter bursts of work-based learning (WBL) and experiential training are required. With a growing demand for those at competent and expert level, it is necessary to promote WBL to facilitate the upskilling of those employed in manufacturing roles, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).


Author(s):  
Collette Gavan

Research and experimentation is uncovering forms of best practice and possible factors on which to centre the analysis of students in an effective way, however learning analytics has yet to be comprehensively implemented country-wide in the United Kingdom. The chapter explores the current impact of learning analytics in higher education at mome discusses and observes the current vacancies with which a framework enabled to function with data visualisation could be utilised. The deliverable seeks to design an initial framework that has the potential to be utilised in a higher education setting for more effective and insightful decision making with regards to learner retention and engagement. This framework will combine the theory and scientific action of predictive analytics with a comparison of the most suitable data visualisation toolsets that are currently available in open-source software.


2011 ◽  
pp. 161-181
Author(s):  
Lalita Rajasingham

This chapter contributes to the ongoing discussion on current best practice and trends in e-learning and virtual classes in higher education. With the increasing importance of knowledge as competitive advantage and engine of economic growth in an increasingly interconnected, multicultural and multilingual world, modern universities based on building and transport technologies are assuming virtual dimensions to address the pressures of rising enrolments, increasing fiscal constraints and rapid technological advancements. The Internet and globalisation are changing how we bank, shop, play, and learn. Can universities adapt, or is e-learning going to be an educational fad like educational television of the 1970s? Based on international research, this chapter examines some signposts using pilot projects as a key pedagogical method in the journey from idea to execution and the factors leading to success or failure of e-learning initiatives. Will the e-learning phenomenon represent a new and sustainable university paradigm for the emerging knowledge society?


Author(s):  
Mark Kelly ◽  
Mark Costello ◽  
Gerard Nicholson ◽  
Jim O'Connor

The recent publication of the Roadmap to Digital Transition for Ireland's Construction Industry 2018-2021 clearly identified training and education as key priorities in the development of core BIM competences to stimulate the transition towards a more collaborative digital working environment. It identified an urgent need for a consistent and coherent digital experience for students in Irish education and industry to help grow capacity and maturity in the use of BIM and other innovative techniques. The higher education sector has a vital role to play. Key to this will be ensuring appropriate graduate knowledge, skills and competences, ongoing professional development and upskilling of higher education staff, and significant collaboration with industry. This chapter will present a best practice example of academic-industry collaboration, which resulted in the delivery of a flexible Level 8 programme for industry, the implementation of a BIM strategy within an academic context, and the establishment of a focused research group, which is currently engaged in ongoing applied research.


2017 ◽  
pp. 249-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Halliday ◽  
Mark Anderson

Learning analytics has vast potential as a tool to further unlock the effectiveness of education in a digital age. The amount of data that can be gathered from varying access points can provide new insight and knowledge into how learners are interacting with course materials, learning systems and even fellow classmates. Research and experimentation is uncovering forms of best practice and possible factors on which to centre the analysis of students in an effective way, however learning analytics has yet to be comprehensively implemented country-wide in the United Kingdom.


Author(s):  
Pat Jefferies ◽  
Roy Seden

This chapter details research into the use of asynchronous computer conferencing (ACC) within a campus-based higher education (HE) environment. Drawing from the literature, the chapter will firstly highlight some of the issues impacting implementation. It will then go on to outline some of the findings from a piece of action research that was conducted over a period of five years with final-year undergraduates studying ethics/professional issues in computing. The main objective of this research was to investigate and subsequently develop Salmon’s (2000) five-stage strategy forimplementing ACC. Finally, the chapter will not only develop the Salmon (2000) model but will also challenge the necessity for e-moderating online discussions within a campus-based HE environment. As such, it will give practitioners a greater understanding of how the learner, the learning task, and a particular technology (ACC) interact within a campus-based HE context and will provide guidelines for developing best practice.


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