scholarly journals Institutional design and utilisation of evaluation results in Uganda’s public universities: Empirical findings from Kyambogo University

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kabuye ◽  
Benon C. Basheka
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
The University

Background: The need for evidence-based decision-making scaled up the need for monitoring and evaluation systems in Africa. The education sector has received increasing scrutiny, owing to its centrality in promoting the national agenda of countries. The higher education sub-sector has expanded in its drive to increase accessibility, albeit with numerous challenges and doubts, especially about the quality of education. Numerous evaluations in this sub-sector in Uganda have been carried out, but their results have not been used for effective decision-making. In this regard, the non-utilisation trend of evaluation findings is attributable to the design of the institutions where these evaluations are carried out.Objectives: The study examined the relationship between institutional design (procedural rules, evaluation processes and institutional capacity) and utilisation of evaluation results at Kyambogo University.Methodology: This was a cross-sectional survey involving a sample of 118 respondents whose views were obtained through the use of questionnaires and key informant interviews triangulated with documentary analysis.Results: The study found that procedural rules, evaluation processes and evaluation capacity had a positive (0.459, 0.486 and 0.765, respectively) and a statistically significant (sig. = 0.000) effect on utilisation of evaluation results. This means that the dimensions of institutional design were important predictors of utilisation of evaluation results by a public sector agency.Conclusion: Strengthening of the evaluation competences and capacity of the university by empowering the Directorate of Planning and Development to coordinate and harmonise all evaluations and be charged with the follow-up of utilisation of the results is an emerging recommendation from this study.

Understanding of Prognosis Among Parents of Children With Cancer: Parental Optimism and the Parent-Physician Interaction

2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1357-1362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer W. Mack ◽  
E. Francis Cook ◽  
Joanne Wolfe ◽  
Holcombe E. Grier ◽  
Paul D. Cleary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Functional Outcome ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Children With Cancer ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Dana Farber Cancer Institute ◽  
Unrealistic Expectations

Purpose Patients often overestimate their chances of surviving cancer. Factors that contribute to accurate understanding of prognosis are not known. We assessed understanding of likelihood of cure and functional outcome among parents of children with cancer and sought to identify factors that place parents at risk for overly optimistic beliefs about prognosis. Patients and Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 194 parents of children with cancer (response rate, 70%) who were treated at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital in Boston, MA, and the children's physicians. Parent and physician expectations for likelihood of cure and functional outcome were compared. In 152 accurate or optimistic parents, we determined factors associated with accurate understanding of likelihood of cure compared with optimism. Results The majority of parents (61%) were more optimistic than physicians about the likelihood of cure. Parents' beliefs about other outcomes of cancer treatment were similar (quality-of-life impairment, P = .70) or more pessimistic (physical impairment, P = .01; intellectual impairment, P = .01) than physicians' beliefs. Parents and physicians were more likely to agree about chances of cure when physicians had confidence in knowledge of prognosis (odds ratio [OR] = 2.55, P = .004) and allowed parents to take their preferred decision-making role (OR = 1.89, P = .019). Conclusion Parents of children with cancer are overly optimistic about chances of cure but not about other outcomes of cancer therapy. Parents tend to be overly optimistic about cure when physicians have little confidence and when the decision-making process does not meet parents' preferences. These findings suggest that physicians are partly responsible for parents' unrealistic expectations about cure.

scholarly journals Geography Teacher as an Effective Classroom Manager

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-25
Author(s):  
Bethel T Ababio
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Classroom Setting ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Instructional Goals ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Lesson Evaluation ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
Teaching Learning

The Geography Teacher in the classroom setting is confronted on a daily basis with situations which require effective decision-making. By and large, the quality of the decision s/he makes daily determines the attainment of her/his instructional goals. But unfortunately, some teachers are unable to attain their instructional goals due to their poor decision-making skills. This article is an attempt to educate teachers in general and geography teachers in particular on the decision-making skills that they have to demonstrate in the teaching learning process. The article deals with issues such as the functional roles of the Geography Teacher as regards lesson planning, lesson implementation and lesson evaluation. In performing these functions, the Geography Teacher will have to demonstrate her/his decision-making skills with regard to what to teach, when to teach, how to teach and how to evaluate.

scholarly journals Governing the Nexus for Sustainability

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Marx
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Global Dynamics ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Effective Governance ◽  
Governance Challenges ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Making

AbstractThis report summarizes the challenges of and requirements for effective governance of the water, energy and food nexus. With global dynamics such as climate change, urbanization and changing consumption patterns, governing resources in a coherent manner becomes both more complex and more relevant for sustainable development. Governance challenges include nexus economics (costs and benefits of different approaches to resource management), institutional design (like questions of how decision-making should be best distributed) and good governance (how to make sure that nexus governance adheres to certain agreed upon principles and values). In terms of economics, a balance between sector specific actions and nexus governance is required. For effective decision-making it is important that power among different institutions is both distributed and coordinated. Good nexus governance requires targets that can be monitored to make sure that basic principles are followed and to examine whether progress toward sustainable development is being made.

scholarly journals Small-Group Interaction among Professional Librarians

1997 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen R. Tower
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Group Interaction ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Decision Performance ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
Alternative Solutions

Libraries are using small groups to make decisions, and it is important that the decisions these groups make are effective. Small-group scholars argue that group processes and interactions play an important role and influence effective decision-making. Randy Y. Hirokawa developed a theory called Vigilant Interaction Theory which maintains that group interaction affects decision-making performance by directly shaping the quality of vigilance that leads to a final choice. Small groups consisting of professional librarians were used to test Hirokawa’s theory, and the results showed that group decision performance is directly related to the group’s efforts to perform critical vigilant decision-making functions. Specifically, groups that show a pattern generating more alternative solutions are more likely to develop effective decisions.

scholarly journals Executive Branch Self-Policing in Times of Crisis: The Challenges for Conscientious Legal Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Shane
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Executive Branch ◽  
Public Confidence ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Military Operations ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Public Scrutiny ◽  
Effective Decision Making ◽  
Presidential Advisers

The essay considers the limits to executive branch capacity to provide reliable legal analysis in times of emergency, including covert military operations. It highlights the special risks government faces when the circle of presidential advisers narrows because of highly classified operations and there is less opportunity for senior advisors, including attorneys, to review pending initiatives. Executive unilateralism legitimates secrecy, and secrecy promotes effective decision making only in exceptional circumstances: subjecting an administration’s performance to public scrutiny will improve both the quality of the performance and public confidence in the executive branch.

scholarly journals Shared decision making, physicians’ explanations, and treatment satisfaction: a cross-sectional survey of prostate cancer patients

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuhiro Nakayama ◽  
Wakako Osaka ◽  
Nobuaki Matsubara ◽  
Tsutomu Takeuchi ◽  
Mayumi Toyoda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Hormone Therapy ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Shared Decision Making ◽  
Treatment Satisfaction ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Decision ◽  
Effective Decision Making

Abstract Background Hormone therapy is one option for some types of prostate cancer. Shared decision making (SDM) is important in the decision making process, but SDM between prostate cancer patients receiving hormone therapy and physicians is not fully understood. This study tested hypotheses: “Patients’ perception of SDM is associated with treatment satisfaction, mediated by satisfaction with physicians’ explanations and perceived effective decision making” and “The amount of information provided to patients by physicians on diseases and treatment is associated with treatment satisfaction mediated by patients’ perceived SDM and satisfaction with physicians’ explanations.” Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online panel via a private research company in Japan. The participants in this study were patients registered with the panel who had received or were currently receiving hormone therapy for prostate cancer and physicians registered with the panel who were treating patients with prostate cancer. Measures used in this study included a nine-item Shared Decision Making Questionnaire, levels of satisfaction with physicians’ explanations and treatment satisfaction, and effective decision making for patients (feeling the choice is informed, value-based, likely to be implemented and expressing satisfaction with the choice), and a Shared Decision Making Questionnaire for Doctors. The hypotheses were examined using path analysis. Results In total, 124 patients and 150 physicians were included in the analyses. In keeping with our hypotheses, perceived SDM significantly correlated with the physicians’ explanations and perceived effective decision making for patients, and satisfaction with physicians’ explanations and perceived effective decision making for patients were both related to treatment satisfaction. Although the amount of information provided to patients was correlated with the perceived SDM, it was indirectly related to their satisfaction with physicians’ explanations. Conclusions When physicians encourage patients to be actively involved in making decisions about treatment through the SDM process while presenting a wide range of information at the start of hormone therapy, patients’ effective decision making and physicians’ explanations may be improved; consequently, the patients’ overall treatment satisfaction may be improved. Physicians who treat patients with prostate cancer may have underestimated the importance of SDM before starting hormone therapy, even greater extent than patients.

scholarly journals Context of Vignettes and Ethical Sensitivity in Decision-Making Among Undergraduate Business Studies Learners at University of Nairobi, Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 151
Author(s):  
Prisca Mary Oluoch ◽  
Paul Amollo Odundo ◽  
John Kamau Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Business Ethics ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Educational Communication ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Ethical Sensitivity ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Business Studies ◽  
The University

Vignettes have been applied to train professionals in various fields, which has contributed to significant improvements in learning outcomes, ethical sensitivity and learners’ ethical decision-making. At the University of Nairobi’s Department of Educational Communication and Technology, most instructors have been slow to embrace experiential learning and inconsistent in applying vignettes to deliver business ethics lessons that emphasise ethical sensitivity in decision-making, with far reaching effects on the quality of graduates. This study responded to the information gap about the relationship between the use of vignettes and learners’ ethical sensitivity in decision-making at the University of Nairobi. Cross-sectional survey design guided the research process, and primary data were sourced in 2018 from 116 learners. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques were applied. Key results show that learners who agreed strongly that the context of vignettes influences ethical sensitivity in decision-making were about 3.9 times as likely to make ethically sensitive decisions as colleagues who disagreed strongly. Those who agreed that the context of vignettes influences ethical sensitivity in decision-making had about 2.3 times the odds of making ethically sensitive decisions as colleagues who indicted strong disagreement. This means that the more the learners appreciated that the context of vignettes influences ethical sensitivity in decision-making, the higher the chances of them making ethically sensitive decisions, and vice-versa. This brings to the fore the need for instructors to consistently apply the context of vignettes to deliver business ethics lessons to improve learners’ ethical sensitivity and propensity to make ethical decisions. The study recommends that for practice, vignettes business contexts should be integrated in teacher training business studies ethics lessons.

Evaluation of the Academic Setting in Spain 1This study was financed by the University of Oviedo.

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Fernández ◽  
Miguel A. Mateo ◽  
José Muñiz
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Climate ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Academic Setting ◽  
Teaching And Research ◽  
Evaluation Questionnaire ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
The University

The conditions are investigated in which Spanish university teachers carry out their teaching and research functions. 655 teachers from the University of Oviedo took part in this study by completing the Academic Setting Evaluation Questionnaire (ASEQ). Of the three dimensions assessed in the ASEQ, Satisfaction received the lowest ratings, Social Climate was rated higher, and Relations with students was rated the highest. These results are similar to those found in two studies carried out in the academic years 1986/87 and 1989/90. Their relevance for higher education is twofold because these data can be used as a complement of those obtained by means of students' opinions, and the crossing of both types of data can facilitate decision making in order to improve the quality of the work (teaching and research) of the university institutions.

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