A framework for evaluating the user experience of digital moderation systems in the South African secondary school environment

The continued emphasis on education quality amidst the accelerating pace of technological developments, which create new opportunities, expectations, and challenges in the teaching and learning environment, requires evidence-based, robust, regulatory frameworks for monitoring standards. Innovative and dynamic approaches are required to quality assure assessment processes (moderation). The reviewed literature provided scant evidence of theorization on the concept of digital moderation (eModeration) and little empirical evidence on systems used in secondary schools. This deficiency in the literature in terms of digital moderation is problematic since it leaves educators, managers, and researchers without evidence-based guidance on how eModeration systems should be designed or evaluated. This deficit provides the rationale for an investigation into the components of a framework to evaluate the user experience of an eModeration system. This study draws on the extant eModeration literature and theories of technology acceptance, Information Systems success (IS) models, and constructs from the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) to create a theoretical framework that integrates constructs identified from the different literature streams to evaluate an eModeration system's user experience. A Design Science Research (DSR) approach guided the design, development, and evaluation of an eModeration evaluation framework. A Participatory Action Design Research (PADRE) approach was used to position the user within the iterative DSR cycles as a means of knowledge acquisition. Participatory Design (PD) was positioned as a data collection strategy during requirements gathering and the generation of design ideas for an eModeration prototype system. Qualitative and quantitative data collection was used to record perceptions of individuals interacting with the prototype. The theoretical contribution is the literature-based framework underpinning this study. This theoretical framework was used as input in determining the components of an eModeration evaluation framework, which is the main contribution of this study. This research has practical value in guiding the design of evaluation criteria for the user experience of an eModeration system for implementation in secondary schools.School of ComputingD. Phil. (Information Systems

Congenital Heart Disease among Down Syndrome Children at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital from 2008 to 2013

Background: Children with Down syndrome are more prone to congenital heart disease due to the consequences of trisomy chromosomal 21 on gene expression. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of congenital heart disease in children with Down syndrome. Methods: This was a retrospective study of reviewed children with Down syndrome from January 2008 to January 2013 at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital, Bandung, Indonesia. This study was conducted from August until October 2014. Patients under the age of 15 years and diagnosed having congenital heart disease from 2008 to 2013 were enrolled in this study by using the total sampling method. Incomplete medical records and children who had not performed an echocardiogram were excluded. Sex, age at diagnosis for congenital heart disease, nutritional status and other comorbidities were also examined. Results: Congenital heart disease occurred in 28 children with Down Syndrome. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) was the most common and found in 11 patients followed by a combination of congenital heart diseases in 5 patients. Other 3 patients had Atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), and Tetralogy of fallot (TOF) was found in 3 patients, 2 patients had Atrial septal defect (ASD) and 1 patient had miscellaneous cardiac defect. Conclusions: The most common CHD in Down syndrome is PDA

Research trends in the implementation of eModeration Systems: A Systematic Literature Review

The 2020 COVID-19 health pandemic has accelerated the trend towards digitizing education. Increased digitization necessitates a robust and regulatory framework for monitoring standards in a knowledge society, which requires adaptivity to the continuous changes in the quality assurance processes (moderation). This provides the rationale for an investigation into the literature trends in eModeration processes. This study draws on a systematic literature review as methodology to examine the extant literature on trends in eModeration research including the purpose of the research, methodologies and limitations regarding existing eModeration systems. The findings reveal that there is little, if any, empirical evidence of systems dedicated to online moderation of assessments specifically within the secondary school sector and that eModeration is mainly an emergent phenomenon with numerous adoption challenges, especially in resource constrained contexts

eModeration requirements: a case study in private secondary schools in South Africa

Despite the increasing importance of digitization in all facets of teaching and learning, digital moderation (eModeration) has received little attention in research and practice. No evidence-based requirements on the secondary school environment could be found for the development of a digital moderation system. This finding provided the rationale for an investigation into the requirements for an efficient eModeration system for IT and CAT assessments at grade 12 level in South Africa. A critical literature review was employed to explore eModeration and the requirements for a digital moderation system. This study is novel in exploring the applicability of post-adoption technology acceptance models to a pre-adoption system. The inquiry was guided by the overarching research question of: What are the requirements for an efficient eModeration system for IT and CAT SBA assessments at grade 12 level in SA? This dissertation concludes that there is currently no dedicated eModeration system in use in the secondary school environment. This study draws on the eModeration literature, the technology adoption literature and empirical research in the private secondary school environment of IT and CAT assessments at grade 12 level in South Africa to provide an evidence-based contribution to the requirements for an efficient eModeration system. The findings serve as a theoretical basis for future research into eModeration systems and can make a practical contribution to future practices and policies within schools and assessment bodies.School of ComputingM. Sc. (Computing

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) in Absa Group Limited South Africa

MBA thesis - WBSOrganisations are looking to Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) to help reduce costs and increase revenue in order to maintain a competitive edge and remain relevant in difficult economic conditions. Over the past few years, extensive research has been carried out concerning the critical role of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) in organisations across the world. It has been found that many large organisations have implemented SRM successfully, and have achieved significant benefits by doing so.. SRM has really evolved over the past years and is playing a significant role in organisations with regard to the way in which companies manage their suppliers effectively in order to achieve better relationships and reduce costs or increase profit. This research sought to assess how SRM was implemented in a financial industry context and to identify any benefits related to the implementation thereof. The research method used was a qualitative case study conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Data gathering consisted of semi-structured interviews with senior personnel involved in SRM within the case site. The research objective was broken down into two propositions derived from the literature review. The case site, Absa Group Limited (Absa), provided an opportunity to examine a contemporary phenomenon in a real-life business context. The study found that Absa implemented SRM, but focussed more on risk management as per their policy, rather than deriving value from their key relationships. The research also identified gaps in the way in which Absa implemented SRM, which can be addressed by the recommendations made. The research also identified that Absa did not achieve the reported cost reduction benefits, as identified in the literature review. The study will be useful to other organisations with similar challenges. In addition, as the study provides insight into Absa, it will be useful to Absa executives and Supplier Relationship Managers (SRM‘s) to iOrganisations are looking to Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) to help reduce costs and increase revenue in order to maintain a competitive edge and remain relevant in difficult economic conditions. Over the past few years, extensive research has been carried out concerning the critical role of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) in organisations across the world. It has been found that many large organisations have implemented SRM successfully, and have achieved significant benefits by doing so.. SRM has really evolved over the past years and is playing a significant role in organisations with regard to the way in which companies manage their suppliers effectively in order to achieve better relationships and reduce costs or increase profit. This research sought to assess how SRM was implemented in a financial industry context and to identify any benefits related to the implementation thereof. The research method used was a qualitative case study conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Data gathering consisted of semi-structured interviews with senior personnel involved in SRM within the case site. The research objective was broken down into two propositions derived from the literature review. The case site, Absa Group Limited (Absa), provided an opportunity to examine a contemporary phenomenon in a real-life business context. The study found that Absa implemented SRM, but focussed more on risk management as per their policy, rather than deriving value from their key relationships. The research also identified gaps in the way in which Absa implemented SRM, which can be addressed by the recommendations made. The research also identified that Absa did not achieve the reported cost reduction benefits, as identified in the literature review. The study will be useful to other organisations with similar challenges. In addition, as the study provides insight into Absa, it will be useful to Absa executives and Supplier Relationship Managers (SRM‘s) to iOrganisations are looking to Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) to help reduce costs and increase revenue in order to maintain a competitive edge and remain relevant in difficult economic conditions. Over the past few years, extensive research has been carried out concerning the critical role of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) in organisations across the world. It has been found that many large organisations have implemented SRM successfully, and have achieved significant benefits by doing so.. SRM has really evolved over the past years and is playing a significant role in organisations with regard to the way in which companies manage their suppliers effectively in order to achieve better relationships and reduce costs or increase profit. This research sought to assess how SRM was implemented in a financial industry context and to identify any benefits related to the implementation thereof. The research method used was a qualitative case study conducted in the interpretive paradigm. Data gathering consisted of semi-structured interviews with senior personnel involved in SRM within the case site. The research objective was broken down into two propositions derived from the literature review. The case site, Absa Group Limited (Absa), provided an opportunity to examine a contemporary phenomenon in a real-life business context. The study found that Absa implemented SRM, but focussed more on risk management as per their policy, rather than deriving value from their key relationships. The research also identified gaps in the way in which Absa implemented SRM, which can be addressed by the recommendations made. The research also identified that Absa did not achieve the reported cost reduction benefits, as identified in the literature review. The study will be useful to other organisations with similar challenges. In addition, as the study provides insight into Absa, it will be useful to Absa executives and Supplier Relationship Managers (SRM‘s) to implement measures which may aid in addressing gaps in order to ensure that SRM is implemented effectively so that Absa can reap the desired benefits

Induction Motor Stator Interturn Short Circuit Fault Detection in Accordance with Line Current Sequence Components Using Artificial Neural Network

The intention of fault detection is to detect the fault at the beginning stage and shut off the machine immediately to avoid motor failure due to the large fault current. In this work, an online fault diagnosis of stator interturn fault of a three-phase induction motor based on the concept of symmetrical components is presented. A mathematical model of an induction motor with turn fault is developed to interpret machine performance under fault. A Simulink model of a three-phase induction motor with stator interturn fault is created for extraction of sequence components of current and voltage. The negative sequence current can provide a decisive and rapid monitoring technique to detect stator interturn short circuit fault of the induction motor. The per unit change in negative sequence current with positive sequence current is the main fault indicator which is imported to neural network architecture. The output of the feedforward backpropagation neural network classifies the short circuit fault level of stator winding

Conformational Effects in Enzyme Catalysis: Reaction via a High Energy Conformation in Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase

Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations of fatty acid amide hydrolase show that reaction (amide hydrolysis) occurs via a distinct, high energy conformation. This unusual finding has important implications for fatty acid amide hydrolase, a key enzyme in the endocannabinoid system. These results demonstrate the importance of structural fluctuations and the need to include them in the modeling of enzyme reactions. They also show that approaches based simply on studying enzyme-substrate complexes can be misleading for understanding biochemical reactivity