Assessing Information Systems and Computer Information Systems Programs from a Balanced Scorecard Perspective

Assessment of educational programs is one of the important means used in academia for accountability, accreditation, and improvement of program quality. The assessment practices, guidelines, and requirements are very broad and vary widely among academic programs and from one institution to the other. In this paper, from the theoretical lenses of a strategic planning and management methodology, the Balanced Scorecard, we try to integrate various perspectives into a performance assessment framework for an educational assessment of computing and information systems. Particularly, based on the actual accreditation experience, we propose two assessment models: a conceptual model and a process model. This modeling approach addresses the critical conceptual elements required for educational assessment and provides practical guidelines to follow for a complete, smooth and successful assessment process. In addition, we present a set of robust tools and techniques, incorporated into the process steps, team work, and task-driven management process. We were successful in our accreditation efforts, and improved the quality of our computing and information systems programs by using these presented assessment methods. We share our views and thoughts in the form of lessons learned and suggested best practices so as to streamline program assessment and simplify its procedures and steps

A Study of an Outburst in the Classical Symbiotic Star Z And in a Colliding-Wind Model

Two-dimensional gas-dynamical modeling of the mass-flow structure is used to study the outburst development in the classical symbiotic star Z And. The stage-by-stage rise of the light during the outburst can be explained in the framework of the colliding winds model. We suggest a scenario for the development of the outburst and study the possible influence of the changes of the flow structure on the light of the system. The model variations of the luminosity due to the formation of a system of shocks are in good agreement with the observed light variations

Investigating technology implementation in a neurosurgical teleconsultation program: A case study in Hong Kong

Developments of telemedicine have proliferated in recent years. While healthcare organizations and individual professionals have become increasingly interested in and knowledgeable about telemedicine, its ultimate success as a viable alternative service delivery or collaboration mode requires adequate addressing of crucial issues pertaining to technological and organizational concerns. The current study examined the technology implementation that has taken place in a Hong Kong-based neurosurgical teleconsultation program. Using a fairly comprehensive stage-model framework, the study analyzed the major organizational and social change activities experienced or undertaken by the host clinical department, together with key factors and their principal stakeholders. Findings of the study suggest several implications for telemedicine management and research and are discussed as well.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Connectedness and life skills development workshop for gifted secondary students

Poster Presentatio

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) for Monitoring Network Design

In this paper we present a hydrologic application of a new statistical learning methodology called support vector machines (SVMs). SVMs are based on minimization of a bound on the generalized error (risk) model, rather than just the mean square error over a training set. Due to Mercer\u27s conditions on the kernels, the corresponding optimization problems are convex and hence have no local minima. In this paper, SVMs are illustratively used to reproduce the behavior of Monte Carlo–based flow and transport models that are in turn used in the design of a ground water contamination detection monitoring system. The traditional approach, which is based on solving transient transport equations for each new configuration of a conductivity field, is too time consuming in practical applications. Thus, there is a need to capture the behavior of the transport phenomenon in random media in a relatively simple manner. The objective of the exercise is to maximize the probability of detecting contaminants that exceed some regulatory standard before they reach a compliance boundary, while minimizing cost (i.e., number of monitoring wells). Application of the method at a generic site showed a rather promising performance, which leads us to believe that SVMs could be successfully employed in other areas of hydrology. The SVM was trained using 510 monitoring configuration samples generated from 200 Monte Carlo flow and transport realizations. The best configurations of well networks selected by the SVM were identical with the ones obtained from the physical model, but the reliabilities provided by the respective networks differ slightly