ONLINE VS. BLENDED LEARNING: DIFFERENCES IN INSTRUCTIONAL OUTCOMES AND STUDENT SATISFACTION

Satisfaction of delivery models between online and blended doctor of education courses were examined. Graduate students were generally satisfied in online and blended courses in relation to the instructor and the course, but the blended model was preferred and statistically significant compared to the fully online model. No relationship was found between cumulative grade point average and student satisfaction with the instructor, the course, and delivery models; however, cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs) were found to be high for both delivery models. When overall student satisfaction and instructor ratings were compared from blended and online courses, significant differences were found in relation to the course, the instructor, and delivery models. There was a statistically significant difference between overall student satisfaction with the course for the blended model and no significant difference was found between the overall student satisfaction with the instructor. Together, these findings reveal that doctorate students are generally satisfied in online and blended courses which suggest both student satisfaction in the program as well as persistence and success

The limits of expectations vs. assessment questionnaire-based surveys on simultaneous interpreting quality: the need for a gestaltic model of perception

This paper deals with a literature review on Interpreting Studies on the evaluation of quality in simultaneous interpreting. The analysis has been made in function of a proposal for a gestaltic evaluation, and the studies have been divided into two categories: quality expectations surveys (ideal expression of preferences) and quality assessment surveys (judgments after a real experience). Conclusions are drawn from the comparison of results of quality expectations and quality assessment surveys, and the interrelation and interdependence of quality criteria. Conclusions lead to the need for a model to elicit a gestaltic perception of simultaneous interpreting quality. Such a model has already been developed and has been applied to a proposal for a new questionnaire for a gestaltic quality assessment of TV broadcast simultaneous interpreting (De Gregoris, submitted)

Collaboratively Assessing Information Quality on the Web

The Web has become a large repository of information with varying qualities. Many users often consume information without knowing its quality. Although automatic methods can be used to obtain measurements of certain aspects of quality, they are not reliable and cannot measure all aspects of quality. Users can detect errors and reliably assess aspects of quality that cannot be measured by automatic methods. However, there is a lack of technology support for users to record and share their feedback. This research aims to develop technologies to allow users to collaboratively assess information quality on the Web. The solution combines the capabilities of machines and humans to obtain comprehensive, reliable, and scalable measurements of information quality. In this paper, the crucial user interaction component of the solution is presented. It uses a browser plug-in to allow users to rate and annotate any Web page and share ratings and annotations with other users

From Large Urban to Small Rural Schools: An Empirical Study of National Board Certification and Teaching Effectiveness Final Report

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a professional organization that provides national certification to teachers who apply for and meet the Board's standards of performance for "accomplished" educators. This study responds to a request from the NBPTS to analyze National Board certification among high school teachers in understudied subject areas and locales to help fill gaps in the research literature. The research team selected two new locales for this analysis, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Chicago public schools. Chicago, a racially and ethnically diverse city with a population of more than 2.8 million, has one of the largest urban school districts in the country. Kentucky, by contrast, is a largely rural state with some suburban and urban areas, including the Louisville/Jefferson County metro area, population 750,000. Together, these two locales encompass a full range of public school settings

Communicating personalized risks from COVID-19: guidelines from an empirical study.

As increasing amounts of data accumulate on the effects of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the risk factors that lead to poor outcomes, it is possible to produce personalized estimates of the risks faced by groups of people with different characteristics. The challenge of how to communicate these then becomes apparent. Based on empirical work (total n = 5520, UK) supported by in-person interviews with the public and physicians, we make recommendations on the presentation of such information. These include: using predominantly percentages when communicating the absolute risk, but also providing, for balance, a format which conveys a contrasting (higher) perception of risk (expected frequency out of 10 000); using a visual linear scale cut at an appropriate point to illustrate the maximum risk, explained through an illustrative 'persona' who might face that highest level of risk; and providing context to the absolute risk through presenting a range of other 'personas' illustrating people who would face risks of a wide range of different levels. These 'personas' should have their major risk factors (age, existing health conditions) described. By contrast, giving people absolute likelihoods of other risks they face in an attempt to add context was considered less helpful. We note that observed effect sizes generally were small. However, even small effects are meaningful and relevant when scaled up to population levels

Risk-return Efficiency, Financial Distress Risk, and Bank Financial Strength Ratings

This paper investigates whether there is any consistency between banks' financial strength ratings (bank rating) and their risk-return profiles. It is expected that banks with high ratings tend to earn high expected returns for the risks they assume and thereby have a low probability of experiencing financial distress. Bank ratings, a measure of a bank's intrinsic safety and soundness, should therefore be able to capture the bank's ability to manage financial distress while achieving risk-return efficiency. We first estimate the expected returns, risks, and financial distress risk proxy (the inverse z-score), then apply the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to obtain the risk-return efficiency score for each bank, and finally conduct ordered logit regressions of bank ratings on estimated risks, risk-return efficiency, and the inverse z-score by controlling for other variables related to each bank's operating environment. We find that banks with a higher efficiency score on average tend to obtain favorable ratings. It appears that rating agencies generally encourage banks to trade expected returns for reduced risks, suggesting that these ratings are generally consistent with banks' risk-return profiles.bank ratings; risk-return efficiency; stochastic frontier analysis

Communicating personalized risks from COVID-19: guidelines from an empirical study.

As increasing amounts of data accumulate on the effects of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and the risk factors that lead to poor outcomes, it is possible to produce personalized estimates of the risks faced by groups of people with different characteristics. The challenge of how to communicate these then becomes apparent. Based on empirical work (total n = 5520, UK) supported by in-person interviews with the public and physicians, we make recommendations on the presentation of such information. These include: using predominantly percentages when communicating the absolute risk, but also providing, for balance, a format which conveys a contrasting (higher) perception of risk (expected frequency out of 10 000); using a visual linear scale cut at an appropriate point to illustrate the maximum risk, explained through an illustrative 'persona' who might face that highest level of risk; and providing context to the absolute risk through presenting a range of other 'personas' illustrating people who would face risks of a wide range of different levels. These 'personas' should have their major risk factors (age, existing health conditions) described. By contrast, giving people absolute likelihoods of other risks they face in an attempt to add context was considered less helpful. We note that observed effect sizes generally were small. However, even small effects are meaningful and relevant when scaled up to population levels

Disclosure measurement in the empirical accounting literature: A review article

This is the first study to provide an extensive and critical review of different techniques used in the empirical accounting literature to measure disclosure. The purpose is to help future researchers to identify exemplars and to select suitable techniques or to develop their own techniques. It also provides in depth discussion of current measurement issues related to disclosure and identifies gaps in the current literature which future research may aim to cover