scholarly journals Students’ Perspectives on Satisfaction with Distance Education in Ghana: A Cluster Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 365-391
Author(s):  
Kingsley Agyapong
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Distance Education Program ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Center ◽  
Squared Euclidean Distance

This study sought to categorise students based on the preferences that influenced their choice of distance education program in Ghana.  Questionnaires were used to collect data from 120 students taking part in the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) distance education (DE) programme at the Kumasi Girls Senior High School [SHS] Study Center. Respondents were segmented into three clusters (highly, moderately, and least satisfied) based on four preferences (price, quality, packaging, and social boding) that influenced their satisfaction with the distance education programme. Results from both hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis with squared Euclidean distance and Ward’s method showed that the highly satisfied cluster was driven by the quality of service and the competitive fees structure of the UEW distance education programme. Further analysis of the differences between the clusters indicated that satisfaction with the UEW distance programme significantly differs across the three segments.

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ PERSPECTIVES ON SATISFACTION WITH DISTANCE EDUCATION IN GHANA: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Mensah ◽  
Kingsley Agyapong ◽  
Augustine Acheampong
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Education Programme ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Education Market ◽  
Education In Ghana

Purpose: The study sought to categorise students based on the preferences that influence their choice of distance education in Ghana.  Methodology: Questionnaires were used to collect data from 120 students taking part in the UEW distance education programme at the Kumasi Girls SHS Study Center. Respondents were segmented into three clusters (highly, moderately, and least satisfied) based on four preferences (price, quality, packaging, and social boding) that influenced their satisfaction with the distance education programme. Result: Findings from both hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis with squared Euclidean distance and Ward’s method showed that the highly satisfied cluster was driven by quality of service and the fees (i.e. price) of the UEW distance education programme. A further analysis of the differences between the clusters indicated that satisfaction with the UEW distance programme significantly differs across the three segments. Unique Contribution to theory and practice: UEW must take advantage of the significant impact of service quality and price factors on customer satisfaction that runs through all the segments to develop and implement strategic decisions in order to achieve a competitive advantage in the distance education market

scholarly journals Features of recording practices and communication during nursing handover: a cluster analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Rikos ◽  
Manolis Linardakis ◽  
Michael Rovithis ◽  
Anastas Philalithis
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Clinical Environment ◽  
Nursing Clinical Practice ◽  
Evidence Based Nursing

ABSTRACT Objective: To record and identify the characteristics of nursing handovers in a tertiary hospital. Method: Observational study. Twenty-two nurses participated in 11 nursing handovers in 2015/16, using a recorded audio system and an unstructured observation form. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. Results: Thirty characteristics were identified. The nursing handovers were based on the clinical status of patients, and all nurses obtained specialized scientific knowledge specific to the clinical environment. The information used was not based on nursing diagnoses and not in accordance with best nursing clinical practice. The following four clusters emerged among the 30 characteristics: 1) the use of evidence-based nursing practice, 2) the nonuse of evidence-based nursing practice and its correlation with strained psychological environment, 3) patient management and the clinical skills/knowledge of nurses, and 4) handover content, quality of information transferred and specialization. Conclusion: Multiple characteristics were observed. The majority of characteristics were grouped based on common features, and 4 main clusters emerged. The investigation and understanding of structural relations between these characteristics and their respective clusters may lead to an improvement in the quality of nursing health care services.

A Model for Distance Delivery in Personnel Preparation

1990 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
pp. 445-450
Author(s):  
A.S. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Personnel Preparation ◽  
Alternative Scheduling ◽  
Distance Education Program ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Handicapped People ◽  
Distance Delivery ◽  
Visually Handicapped ◽  
The University

A model for delivery of a personnel-preparation program in education of visually handicapped people via distance-education formats is described. Critical shortages in personnel in the field of blindness and visual impairment are addressed through the description of the University of South Carolina's innovative distance-education program, delivered via telecommunications instruction, videocassettes, and alternative scheduling. Suggestions for transferring the content of traditional teacher-preparation curricula into instruction via distance-education formats are presented, as are future developments in distance education.

scholarly journals Analysis of yield stability of strawberry varieties and hybrids

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 02014
Author(s):  
Vadim Lapshin ◽  
Valentina Yakovenko ◽  
Sergey Shcheglov
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Yield Stability ◽  
Environment Interaction ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Genotype Environment Interaction ◽  
Yield Structure ◽  
Biological Yield ◽  
Factor Of Influence

The profitability of strawberry cultivation is largely determined by the capacity and quality of the yield, depended on the features of the variety genotype. The aim of this work was to estimate the yield stability of varieties and hybrids by the methods of multivariate statistical analysis and identify the best genotypes. To solve this problem, we have used the two-factor analysis of variance and hierarchical cluster analysis according to the Ward’s method as well as the integral estimate of the differences between the values of yield. The results of the studies have shown that the genotype of the variety (hybrid) are makes a decisive factor of influence for variability of the yield structure signs from 17,1% (number of inflorescences) to 32,2% (number of berries). The «genotype × environment» interaction is comparable with the genotype influence, the share of influence of the year conditions of the year is insignificant. Cluster analysis according to complex of economic valuable signs allows us to identify the eight forms that the most adapted to the conditions of the Krasnodar Territory as 13-1-15, Florence, Roxana, 18-1-15, Asia, Onda, Kemia, Nelli from which the Roxana, Florence, 18-1-15, 13-1-15 have a high and steadily rising biological yield.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Cup Profile for Postharvest in Coffee Variety Castillo from Cauca Department

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Felipe Solis Pino ◽  
Carlos Andres Anacona Bambague ◽  
Bibiana Montoya ◽  
Efren Venancio Ramos Cabrera
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Sensory Evaluation ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis ◽  
Coffea Arabica ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Statistical Techniques ◽  
Fermentation Condition ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Post Harvest

It is widely accepted that the post-harvest processes of coffee are key factors in determining the final quality of the product. In the department of Cauca in Colombia, this stage is carried out empirically by the farmers of the region, using old methods that do not assure consistent quality. We propose a study to determine the best conditions of temperature and time in post-harvest for the coffee produced in the region. For this purpose, we carried the fermentation and honey process out on different samples of coffee of the Coffea Arabica species of the Castillo variety. Subsequently, the quality of the samples was determined through sensory evaluation by experts. Finally, descriptive statistical techniques applied to the resulting data, and component and hierarchical cluster analysis to find similarities between the samples. The results suggest that the honey process gets better evaluations in the cup profile over any fermentation condition.

Quality Processes in Distance Education

2011 ◽  
pp. 1728-1733
Author(s):  
Alistair Inglis
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Teaching Staff ◽  
Failure Rates ◽  
Broadcast Media ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The University

Practitioners and providers in distance education owe a great debt to the founders of the UK Open University (UKOU). The history of distance education can be broken into two eras, each separated by the successful establishment of the UKOU. The UKOU had as strong an incentive as any institution to improve quality — its very survival is dependent on its success. Prior to the establishment of the UKOU, distance education (or correspondence education, or extramural studies or external studies, as it was then known) was characterized by high attrition and high failure rates (White, 1974). The UKOU planners recognized this fact. They realized that, for the University to succeed, the causes of the high attrition and high failure rates had to be addressed. The fact that the University continues to this day is testament to its success. The way in which the UKOU tackled the issue of quality, carries some lessons for distance education providers today. It did so, not by targeting one key area, but by tackling the range of factors that affect the quality of a student’s experience of studying at a distance: by investing heavily in the presentation quality of materials; by making innovative use of media, (particularly the broadcast media); by putting in place a new type of organisational structure to support teaching staff in the work of course design, teaching, and assessment; and by building up a range of other support functions: establishing local study centres, employing local tutors, and instituting a program of residential schools.

scholarly journals Variability and character association in cinnamon germplasm

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-564
Author(s):  
SN Mozumder ◽  
N Nath ◽  
N Akter ◽  
S Akter ◽  
BR Banik
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
Main Stem ◽  
Bark Thickness ◽  
Stem Height ◽  
High Coefficient ◽  
Character Association ◽  
Lateral Branches

The experiment was conducted at the Regional Spices Research Center, BARI during May 2014 to April 2015 to study the variability and character association in cinnamon germplasm taking the characters - tree growth, leaf characteristics, bark thickness, specific bark weight and quality of bark of cinnamon plants. Range, variance and coefficient of variation of 30 different characters showed variations in 53 cinnamon accessions. High coefficient of variation was found for base girth, main stem height, number of tertiary branches/plant, tree volume, fresh and dry bark weight of tertiary branches. Bark thickness and specific bark weight gradually declined from main stem to lateral branches. The hierarchical cluster analysis with single scaled dendrogram showed eight clusters due to variation among the germplasm. Cluster III contained maximum 14 genotypes followed by cluster I and cluster VII, each having 12 genotypes. Association analysis revealed that significant correlation of base girth with tree volume, and secondary branches/plant had also significant correlation with leaf thickness and tree volume. It also revealed that significant correlation of fresh bark thickness of main stem with fresh bark thickness of primary, secondary and tertiary stems, also with fresh and dry bark weight of main, primary, secondary and tertiary stems. Specific bark weight had also significant correlation with fresh and dry bark weight of main, primary, secondary and tertiary barks.Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 41(3): 555-564, September 2016

scholarly journals Development of a groundwater quality index: GWQI, for the aquifers of the state of Bahia, Brazil using multivariable analyses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
José Barbosa Filho ◽  
Iara Brandão de Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Groundwater Quality ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster Analysis ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Hierarchical Cluster ◽  
The State ◽  
Groundwater Quality Index ◽  
Multivariable Analyses

AbstractThis work elaborated a groundwater quality index—GWQI, for the aquifers of the state of Bahia, Brazil, using multivariable analyses. Data from 600 wells located in the four hydrogeological domains: sedimentary, crystalline, karstic, and metasedimentary, were subjected to exploratory statistical analysis, and 22 out of 26 parameters were subjected to multivariable analysis using Statistica (Version 7.0). From the PCA, 5 factors were sufficient to participate in the index, due to sufficient explanation of the cumulative variance. The matrix of factorial loads (for 1–5 factors) indicated 9 parameters related to water quality and 4 hydrological, with factor loads above ± 0.50, to be part of the hierarchical cluster analysis. The dendrogram allowed to choose the 5 parameters related to groundwater quality, to participate in the GWQI (hardness, total residue, sulphate, fluoride and iron). From the multivariable analyses, three parameters from a previous index—NGWQI, were not selected for the GWQI: chloride (belongs to the hardness hierarchical group); pH (insignificant factor load); and nitrate (significant factor load only for 6 factors), also, not a regionalized variable. From the set of communality values (5 factors), the degree of relevance of each parameter was extracted. Based on these values, were determined the relative weights (wi) for the parameters. Using similar WQI-NSF formulation, a product of quality grades raised to a power, which is the weight of importance of each variable, the GWQI values were calculated. Spatialization of 1369 GWQI values, with the respective colors, on the map of the state of Bahia, revealed good correlation between the groundwater quality and the index quality classification. According to the literature on water quality indexing, the GWQI developed here, using emerging technologies, is a mathematical tool developed as specific index, as it was derived using limits for drinking water. This new index was tailored to represent the quality of the groundwater of the four hydrogeological domains of the state of Bahia. Although it has a regionalized application, its development, using, factor analysis, principal component analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis, participates of the new trend for WQI development, which uses rational, rather than subjective assessment. The GWQI is a successful index due to its ability to represent the groundwater quality of the state of Bahia, using a single mathematical formulation, the same five parameters, and unique weight for each parameter.

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