A case-based system for lesson plan construction

Planning for teaching imposes a significant burden on teachers, as teachers need to prepare different lesson plans for different classes according to various constraints. Statistical evidence shows that lesson planning in the Malaysian context is done in isolation and lesson plan sharing is limited. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether a case-based system can reduce the time teachers spend on constructing lesson plans. A case-based system was designed SmartLP. In this system, a case consists of a problem description and solution pair and an attributevalue representation for the case is used. SmartLP is a synthesis type of CBR system which attempts to create a new solution by combining parts of previous solutions in the adaptation. Five activities in the CBR cycle retrieve, reuse, revise, review and retain are created via three types of design: application, architectural and user interface. The inputs are the requirements and constraints of the curriculum and the student facilities available, and the output is the solution, i.e. appropriate elements of a lesson plan. The retrieval module consists of five types of search advanced search, hierarchical, Boolean, basic and browsing. Solving a problem in this system involves obtaining a problem description, measuring the similarity of the current problem to previous problems stored in a database, retrieving one or more similar cases and attempting to reuse the solution of the retrieved cases, possibly after adaptation. Case adaptation for multiple lesson plans helps teachers to customise the retrieved plan to suit their constraints. This is followed by case revision, which allows users to access and revise their constructed lesson plans in the system. Validation mechanisms, through case verification, ensure that the retained cases are of quality. A formative study was conducted to investigate the effects of SmartLP on performance. The study revealed that all the lesson plans constructed with SmartLP assistance took significantly less time than the control lesson plans constructed without SmartLP assistance, although they might have access to computers and other tools. No significant difference in writing quality, measured by a scoring system, was noticed for the control group, who constructed lesson plans on the same tasks without receiving any assistance. The limitations of SmartLP are indicated and the focus of further research is proposed. Keywords: Case-based system, CBR approach, knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation, case representation, evaluation, lesson planning

Six Sigma

In the new millennium the increasing expectation of customers and products complexity has forced companies to find new solutions and better alternatives to improve the quality of their products. Lean and Six Sigma methodology provides the best solutions to many problems and can be used as an accelerator in industry, business and even health care sectors. Due to its flexible nature, the Lean and Six Sigma methodology was rapidly adopted by many top and even small companies. This book provides the necessary guidance for selecting, performing and evaluating various procedures of Lean and Six Sigma. In the book you will find personal experiences in the field of Lean and Six Sigma projects in business, industry and health sectors

Systems Engineering

The book "Systems Engineering: Practice and Theory" is a collection of articles written by developers and researches from all around the globe. Mostly they present methodologies for separate Systems Engineering processes; others consider issues of adjacent knowledge areas and sub-areas that significantly contribute to systems development, operation, and maintenance. Case studies include aircraft, spacecrafts, and space systems development, post-analysis of data collected during operation of large systems etc. Important issues related to "bottlenecks" of Systems Engineering, such as complexity, reliability, and safety of different kinds of systems, creation, operation and maintenance of services, system-human communication, and management tasks done during system projects are addressed in the collection. This book is for people who are interested in the modern state of the Systems Engineering knowledge area and for systems engineers involved in different activities of the area. Some articles may be a valuable source for university lecturers and students; most of case studies can be directly used in Systems Engineering courses as illustrative materials

AN INNOVATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING LEAN CONSTRUCTION MATURITY

This thesis integrates Lean construction (LC) with the organisational assessment method ofmaturity models (MM) and delivers an original contribution to knowledge in the form of avalidated innovative organisational framework to measure the current state of LC maturity,which is called Lean Construction Maturity Model (LCMM). This framework provides andsupports organisations towards the development of greater maturity and subsequentlyenhances the awareness and understanding of LC. The aim of this research was to enableorganisations to measure the gap between their current state and where they want to be interms of embedding LC. Accordingly, the research addressed this aim further by providingbusinesses with support and guidance in their LC maturation process in particular inmeasuring sought improvement in their journey towards greater maturity in LC. The studywas conducted as a qualitative mixed-method design in order to discover and achieve a richunderstanding of the phenomenon of LC maturity from LC key informants and best fulfil theresearch aim. Consequently, a phenomenological approach was utilised, with focus groups(FGs) as the primary study, combined with a group interview as well as individual interviewsas supplementary components. To ensure validity, three different approaches weredeployed: first the triangulation of three different methods to collect the data, second a richand thick-description, and finally the validation of the developed framework by memberchecks in the form of interviews and a FG. The major findings of this research are: thesuccessful integration of MMs and LC achieved through the development of the proposedframework, and the simplification of LC into 11 Key Attributes that explain LC in a simplerand better way than before. This framework defined a LC maturity assessment methodutilising five maturity levels, 11 Key Attributes, which have been described through 60Behaviours, Goals & Practices, and 75 Ideal Statements that more mature organisations willexemplify. Finally, the most important consequence of this work is the enabling oforganisations to obtain a systemic and holistic overview of their current state of LC maturityand providing them with support in their maturation

Variable autonomy assignment algorithms for human-robot interactions.

As robotic agents become increasingly present in human environments, task completion rates during human-robot interaction has grown into an increasingly important topic of research. Safe collaborative robots executing tasks under human supervision often augment their perception and planning capabilities through traded or shared control schemes. However, such systems are often proscribed only at the most abstract level, with the meticulous details of implementation left to the designer\u27s prerogative. Without a rigorous structure for implementing controls, the work of design is frequently left to ad hoc mechanism with only bespoke guarantees of systematic efficacy, if any such proof is forthcoming at all. Herein, I present two quantitatively defined models for implementing sliding-scale variable autonomy, in which levels of autonomy are determined by the relative efficacy of autonomous subroutines. I experimentally test the resulting Variable Autonomy Planning (VAP) algorithm and against a traditional traded control scheme in a pick-and-place task, and apply the Variable Autonomy Tasking algorithm to the implementation of a robot performing a complex sanitation task in real-world environs. Results show that prioritizing autonomy levels with higher success rates, as encoded into VAP, allows users to effectively and intuitively select optimal autonomy levels for efficient task completion. Further, the Pareto optimal design structure of the VAP+ algorithm allows for significant performance improvements to be made through intervention planning based on systematic input determining failure probabilities through sensorized measurements. This thesis describes the design, analysis, and implementation of these two algorithms, with a particular focus on the VAP+ algorithm. The core conceit is that they are methods for rigorously defining locally optimal plans for traded control being shared between a human and one or more autonomous processes. It is derived from an earlier algorithmic model, the VAP algorithm, developed to address the issue of rigorous, repeatable assignment of autonomy levels based on system data which provides guarantees on basis of the failure-rate sorting of paired autonomous and manual subtask achievement systems. Using only probability ranking to define levels of autonomy, the VAP algorithm is able to sort modules into optimizable ordered sets, but is limited to only solving sequential task assignments. By constructing a joint cost metric for the entire plan, and by implementing a back-to-front calculation scheme for this metric, it is possible for the VAP+ algorithm to generate optimal planning solutions which minimize the expected cost, as amortized over time, funds, accuracy, or any metric combination thereof. The algorithm is additionally very efficient, and able to perform on-line assessments of environmental changes to the conditional probabilities associated with plan choices, should a suitable model for determining these probabilities be present. This system, as a paired set of two algorithms and a design augmentation, form the VAP+ algorithm in full

A study of the impact of technological innovations on the social sustainability of facilities management employees in South Africa

This research investigates the impact of technological innovations (TIs) on the social sustainability of facilities management (FM) employees in South Africa. The rationale for the study is that no empirical evidence shows how the adoption of TIs impacts the social sustainability of FM employees. The study adopts the sequential mixed-methodology approach. The quantitative phase makes use of a questionnaire survey which formed the foundation for the qualitative interview phase. The relative importance index (RII) is used to analyse different questions, such as (1) the factors influencing the adoption of TIs in FM organisations (2) the impact of the TIs on FM practice, (3) the localisation of the employee social sustainability factors and (4) the determination of the impact of TIs on the social sustainability of FM employees. An Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) approach is used to determine which social sustainability factor(s) should be prioritised while promoting the social sustainability of the FM employees. The findings of this study show that cloud-based TIs, ICT-based TIs and sensor-based TIs are the most popular in FM organisations in South Africa. Furthermore, the impact of TIs on the core business factors in FM organisations have a mean score of between 3.00 to 3.19 depending on the factor of interest. The RII analysis led to the development of the initial FM employee social sustainability framework which identified “job security”, “remuneration” and “professional status” as the three most important FM employee social sustainability factors. However, the ISM analysis which considered hierarchy, driving power and dependence of the factors identified “organisation policy” as main factor in level five that drives other employee social sustainability factors. Furthermore, “overwork”, “autonomy”, “interpersonal relationship”, “work and home-life balance” and “retirement development plan” were the root factors in level four that must be prioritised by facilities managers to promote employee social sustainability. The study contributes to knowledge by identifying the most popular TIs that are adopted by FM organisations in South Africa, and determining the interrelationship, hierarchical importance and dependences of the various employees’ social sustainability factors in FM organisations. Through the development of the framework for FM employee social sustainability, facilities managers have the knowledge of the factors to prioritise when they need to promote the social sustainability of their employees. The study recommends that FM organisation policies on TI adoption must align with the overall socio-economic wellbeing program to contribute to social sustainability in South Africa

An integrated study of earth resources in the state of California using remote sensing techniques

The author has identified the following significant results. The effects on estimates of monthly volume runoff were determined separately for each of the following parameters: precipitation, evapotranspiration, lower zone and upper zone tension water capacity, imperviousness of the watershed, and percent of the watershed occupied by riparian vegetation, streams, and lakes. The most sensitive and critical parameters were found to be precipitation during the entire year and springtime evapotranspiration

Collective learning in strategic Public Private Partnership (PPP) procurement systems for social infrastructure

This thesis explores how organisations involved in temporary joint ventures established for strategic Public Private Partnership (PPP) procurement systems arrange themselves and learn collectively so as to deliver a portfolio of social infrastructure, in terms of meeting or exceeding agreed performance criteria for whole-life value for money and environmental sustainability. This PhD research fulfils a gap in theory about the systematic way in which organisations involved in strategic partnerships can learn collectively and how this affects their performance. Theories and tools that underpin organisational learning and collective learning affiliated to temporary organisations are considered. The research also examines insights into the principles of value for money and partnering in construction, risks and benefits in complex procurement, project-based environments, total quality management, systems thinking and performance improvement inherent to strategic PPP procurement systems. The novel and unique contribution to theory made by this thesis is the exploration of how the parties to this complex form of PPP learn collectively. How learning can reveal itself in permanent construction organisations has been well researched by scholars, as has how learning can take place in temporary organisations that are often seen in the construction sector. However, what is lacking is a common understanding of how this learning occurs in a complex hybrid form of organisation, one where multiple permanent public and private sector organisations are working together strategically to form new long-term temporary organisations on a repeating basis. This research tries to understand how learning can take place in this specific hybrid organisational structure. It is a relatively rare and complex organisation type that can be proposed by governments to attempt to procure projects in a more systematic way instead of piecemeal, and taking a whole-life value approach to projects. The critical evaluation takes the case of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) in England, a highly ambitious capital programme that commenced in 2003, and was summarily cancelled in July 2010. Its aim was to transform all English secondary (and later also primary) schools into shining examples of 21st-century education provision, setting new norms for the schools estate. The work comprises a critical evaluation of strategic PPP procurement systems for the delivery of social infrastructure under BSF, called Local Education Partnerships (LEPs). The exploratory research is based on a mixed method comprising both quantitative and qualitative elements to identify, by taking a phenomenological approach, what the key objects studied (key LEP participants and LEP-built schools) share in common. Of the 44 LEPs that were established, 12 have been investigated as a form of strategic PPP procurement in England, as well as 600 schools worth approximately £9bn delivered by all LEPs between 2006 and 2015 as part of the legacy BSF programme. Any LEPs that had reached financial close prior to the programme termination date were analysed, especially those that had reached high levels of maturity. Performance parameters of schools procured through LEPs for value for money and environmental sustainability are identified and analysed across the procurement stages: design, build, maintain and operate. Further data is obtained from a major survey of 72 participants involved in 12 operational LEPs, along with information about their contractual and financial PPP and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) development and delivery structures. The theoretical base is drawn from management science domains of organisational learning. Based on the analysis and findings, learning collectively in PPPs appears to be a crucial factor for improvement in getting better whole-life value for money and environmentally sustainable assets. For that reason, a learning framework called the Asset Value Enhancement Model (AVEM) is introduced and discussed using elements of systems thinking, continuous improvement and total quality management. It embeds collective learning over time from organisations involved in a long-term strategic partnership, as the underlying assets travel through their lifecycle. The circular nature of the model (double-loop learning and Plan-Do-Check-Act) calls for a joint commitment, shared culture and aligned communication to cultivate ongoing value to the public and steady returns to the private sector, beyond merely project-specific improvement. After applying the AVEM in the context of LEPs, the research study concludes that the collective learning from eight contract performance mechanisms is diverse. The achievement of these performance requirements can be a good basis upon which to measure the success of the public private partnership in BSF. The results steer a wider discussion on interpolated theories of organisational learning, and especially how to achieve collective learning in strategic PPP procurement systems for social infrastructure. The research does not intend to promote nor criticise the legacy policy of BSF. Neither does it intend to make a political statement regarding the current and/or previous government. It does critically monitor, analyse and evaluate the complex procurement method using LEP companies that underpin the legacy BSF policy, and appraise the assets they have created. In particular, it looks at how learning collectively emerges between projects within a LEP (project-based) and the organisations involved in and between LEPs (inter-organisational). The procurement method is similar to that for the Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) companies in healthcare and the hub companies for social infrastructure in Scotland, and not too dissimilar to other forms of bundled PFIs in the UK and worldwide. Beyond its academic value, this research might encourage understanding of and collective learning in a long-term strategic PPP when thinking about future innovations in procurement policy, both in the UK and abroad. The results may also inform the future policy and practice of strategic PPP procurement systems about how to deliver and manage infrastructure portfolios better, based on hard metric asset-level data