29 research outputs found
The association between supervisor characteristics and program assistant motivation and success
The association between specific leader characteristics and motivation/success of
employees was investigated for the Nutrition Programs Supervisor position of the NC
Cooperative Extension. A combination of leader self assessment, stakeholder rankings of
competencies for leader positions, and workload data of employees was used to
determine what, if any, association could be made between Supervisor characteristics and
Nutrition Program Assistant success. Results showed a general agreement in regards to
the importance of particular characteristics to the position. A priority ranking of
competencies by importance to the position of Nutrition Programs Supervisor however
showed disagreement between positions asked to complete the instrument. All Nutrition
Programs Supervisors were found to possess some motivational leadership
characteristics, however differences in performance existed in Nutrition Program
Assistants in the 10 supervision areas studied. Findings support continued research to
determine the impact of specific leader characteristics on employee performance and
motivation
The smell of death:Development of detection methods and applications for « cadaver dogs » training
Bat echolocation-inspired algorithms for global optimisation problems
Optimisation according to the definition of Merriam-Webster Dictionary is an act, process, or methodology of making
something (as a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible. In general, optimisation is the process of obtaining either the best minimum or maximum result under specific circumstance. The optimisation process engages with defining and examining objective or fitness function that suits some parameters and constraints. Nowadays, a vast range of business, management and engineering applications utilise the optimisation approach to save time, cost and resources while gaining better profit, output, performance and efficienc
Collaborative management and school effectiveness in Malaysian primary schools.
The thesis investigates variations in effectiveness of six Malaysian primary schools in three kinds of geographical sites: urban, rural and resettlement areas. It also focuses on the perceptions of headteachers, deputy headteachers, and teachers about school effectiveness, leadership/ management style of headteachers and collaborative management culture. The research explores the tensions that exist between the ingrained assumptions of Malaysian education and the practices and attitudes of headteachers, deputies and teachers. Detailed interview research on effectiveness and managerial collaboration is highly significant in enhancing understanding of education in Malaysia. The findings also make a further contribution towards international and cross-cultural perspectives of `school effectiveness' and `collaborative management'. Although generally the understandings of what constitutes collaborative management and what constitute the effectiveness of schools are still in their infancy in Malaysia, however, this does not mean that they are not important to the Malaysian educators. The need for collaborative management in Malaysian primary school is getting greater as the country moves towards `Vision 2020' and obviously this need is not adequately provided for in the present education system despite the Ministry's directive. More emphasis on policy making, awareness, commitment and training are needed for better application of the collaborative management. At the same time better communication and relationship between headteachers, teachers, DEDs, SEDs and the Ministry should be enhanced. This research also suggests ways in which training for headteachers in the area of collaborative management may be helpful for the more effective function of the schools. For collaborative management to be a success, artistry is required, to know when and how to exercise the various components of leadership so that a collaborative culture that brings success can be developed and maintained in schools. Although there is relatively little disagreement concerning the belief that headteacher's management styles have an impact on the lives of teachers and students, both the nature and degree of that impact continue to be open to debate
Advances in Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a very dynamic area in terms of theory and application. This book brings together many different aspects of the current research on several fields associated to RL which has been growing rapidly, producing a wide variety of learning algorithms for different applications. Based on 24 Chapters, it covers a very broad variety of topics in RL and their application in autonomous systems. A set of chapters in this book provide a general overview of RL while other chapters focus mostly on the applications of RL paradigms: Game Theory, Multi-Agent Theory, Robotic, Networking Technologies, Vehicular Navigation, Medicine and Industrial Logistic
Educational Considerations, vol. 18 (2) Full Issue
Educational Considerations, vol. 18 (2) Spring - Full issu