Advances in Zero-Sum Dynamic Games

International audienceThe survey presents recent results in the theory of two-person zero-sum repeated games and their connections with differential and continuous-time games. The emphasis is made on the following(1) A general model allows to deal simultaneously with stochastic and informational aspects.(2) All evaluations of the stage payoffs can be covered in the same framework (and not only the usual Cesàro and Abel means).(3) The model in discrete time can be seen and analyzed as a discretization of a continuous time game. Moreover, tools and ideas from repeated games are very fruitful for continuous time games and vice versa.(4) Numerous important conjectures have been answered (some in the negative).(5) New tools and original models have been proposed. As a consequence, the field (discrete versus continuous time, stochastic versus incomplete information models) has a much more unified structure, and research is extremely active

Effective teaching of tertiary learners : strategies and faculty development implications

vi, 137 p. ; 29 cm. --Opportunities for tertiary researchers to engage in professional growth episodes of a purely academic and curricular nature may be abundant and effective. Not so common, however, are opportunities through which university teachers may participate in long term, nonthreatening professional development initiatives to examine, compare, and improve their skills of instruction. The Teaching In Focus Project at The University of Lethbridge was a three-year project intended to facilitate an interfaculty educative dialogue specific to present and potential teaching effectiveness. This paper studies a variety of teaching characteristics contributing to optimum learning in a tertiary environment, and then examines the experiences of several University of Lethbridge professors as they attempt to parallel their own teaching habits with these characteristics of effectiveness. In addition, it links their experiences during the Teaching In Focus process with conditions highlighted in other effective professional development initiatives, and uses this comparison as a basis for the consideration of several facilitative conditions necessary for effective teaching-focused professional development at the tertiary level. Links are formed between research findings and reviewed literature in order to suggest conclusions regarding the question, "In what way is university teaching effectiveness impacted by participation in faculty development programs that promote professional self-examination, collaboration, and action research?

The Integration of Three Factors That Lead to a Project Manager’s Success

The purpose of this multi case positivistic study was to determine if the combination, rather than any individual skill or competency, of project management technical skills, communication skills, and emotional intelligence is what makes a project manager successful. While numerous studies have been conducted on the importance of individual project management technical skills, communication skills, and emotional intelligence, it is the combination of these three skills and competencies that differentiate this case study. This multi case positivistic case study relied on interviews with five project managers (as well as four or five peers for each project manager) to explore the importance of the combined skills contributing to the success of five project managers. Findings included: (a) project managers needed project management technical skills; (b) communication skills were important, although having strength in one area (verbal, written, and listening communication skills) compensated for gaps in other areas; (c) emotional intelligence competence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management) was valued by team members. Research was not found that specifically delineated communication skills as verbal, written, and listening skills so this combination and breakdown of communication skills as including all three is also new

Quality in Education: Perspectives Regarding Baldrige-based Practices and Instructional Leadership in Middle Schools

School systems nationwide confront declines in the number of principal applicants while facing increasing student accountability concerns. The idiosyncrasies of adolescent development and the social nature of the educational environment reflect the declines in applicants and impact student accountability. Using a three-tiered case study, the present research inquiry identified perspectives of superintendents, middle school principals, and middle school teachers regarding Baldrige-based practices in the four Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning school districts in the United States. This study\u27s data illuminated how a non-prescriptive framework such as the Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) combined with Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (BECPE) assessment instrument, were utilized by the superintendents and middle school principals in the award-winning schools to address the issues of both instructional leadership and student achievement. Perspectives from targeted superintendents, middle school (grades 6-8) principals, and middle school teachers regarding Baldrige-based practices as they relate to instructional leadership in middle level education were investigated. Research participants from Chugach School District in Anchorage, Alaska; Pearl River School District in Pearl River, New York; Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, Illinois; and Jenks Public Schools in Jenks, Oklahoma discussed the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the Baldrige National Quality Program, combined with the ongoing utilization of BECPE, in their middle schools. Respondents disclosed instructional leadership beliefs and practices utilized within their school and/or district. Utilizing information from the three interview protocols created for superintendents, middle school principals, and middle school teachers in the targeted districts, an analysis of themes emerged from the transcribed interviews and interview correspondences, providing insight about the gaps in research literature pertaining to the application of Baldrige-based practices in middle level education. These gaps substantiated the need for continued research that examines the role of instructional leadership in creating Baldrige environments in the middle school arena. Overall, the qualitative results of this exploratory study promoted understanding and informed efforts to build instructional leadership in other middle level educational institutions across the nation

Quality in Education: Perspectives Regarding Baldrige-based Practices and Instructional Leadership in Middle Schools

School systems nationwide confront declines in the number of principal applicants while facing increasing student accountability concerns. The idiosyncrasies of adolescent development and the social nature of the educational environment reflect the declines in applicants and impact student accountability. Using a three-tiered case study, the present research inquiry identified perspectives of superintendents, middle school principals, and middle school teachers regarding Baldrige-based practices in the four Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-winning school districts in the United States. This study\u27s data illuminated how a non-prescriptive framework such as the Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) combined with Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence (BECPE) assessment instrument, were utilized by the superintendents and middle school principals in the award-winning schools to address the issues of both instructional leadership and student achievement. Perspectives from targeted superintendents, middle school (grades 6-8) principals, and middle school teachers regarding Baldrige-based practices as they relate to instructional leadership in middle level education were investigated. Research participants from Chugach School District in Anchorage, Alaska; Pearl River School District in Pearl River, New York; Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine, Illinois; and Jenks Public Schools in Jenks, Oklahoma discussed the adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the Baldrige National Quality Program, combined with the ongoing utilization of BECPE, in their middle schools. Respondents disclosed instructional leadership beliefs and practices utilized within their school and/or district. Utilizing information from the three interview protocols created for superintendents, middle school principals, and middle school teachers in the targeted districts, an analysis of themes emerged from the transcribed interviews and interview correspondences, providing insight about the gaps in research literature pertaining to the application of Baldrige-based practices in middle level education. These gaps substantiated the need for continued research that examines the role of instructional leadership in creating Baldrige environments in the middle school arena. Overall, the qualitative results of this exploratory study promoted understanding and informed efforts to build instructional leadership in other middle level educational institutions across the nation

Where Hope Resides. A Qualitative Study of the Contextual Theory and Therapy of Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy and its Applicability for Therapy and Social Work

This thesis presents a qualitative research on contextual theory and therapy according to Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy. It encompasses a reconstruction of contextual theory, an analysis of contextual therapy practice and the development of a model for contextual therapy