Abandono no processo de RVCC: o caso do CNO de Cuba

Dissertação de mest., Educação e Formação de Adultos, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Univ. do Algarve, 2012A presente investigação, no âmbito do Mestrado em Ciências da Educação/Área de especialização em Formação de Adultos, assumiu, como principal objetivo, conhecer as causas e as consequências do abandono do processo de Reconhecimento, Validação e Certificação de Competências (RVCC) ocorrido no CNO de Cuba, no período 2006-2010. Para a realização deste projeto de intervenção, foi adotada uma metodologia de caráter qualitativo baseada nas informações obtidas através da aplicação de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Por conseguinte, realizaram-se entrevistas a nove adultos que desistiram do processo de RVCC, no período 2006-2010, do Centro Novas Oportunidades de Cuba. O trabalho de projeto está dividido em duas partes: uma parte que sustenta os principais contributos teóricos, centradas na Educação Permanente/Educação de Adultos/Aprendizagem ao Longo da Vida/Abandono/Processo de RVCC em Portugal – perspetiva histórica e na contextualização da pesquisa; uma parte prática, que comporta o desenho da investigação, análise e interpretação da informação recolhida. A análise dos resultados permitiu-nos concluir que foram várias as razões para a não conclusão do processo. No entanto, as que mais se destacaram foram: o horário em que decorriam as sessões, que não era compatível com os horários profissionais, o desagrado com a forma como o processo se desenvolvia e, também, as questões pessoais e profissionais

Utilização de ferramentas informáticas na gestão de projectos

A gestão de projectos tem-se tornado uma disciplina fundamental nas organizações, na medida em que o mercado está cada vez mais competitivo. Com a crescente preocupação em entregar os projectos dentro dos prazos estipulados, com qualidade e dentro do orçamento previsto, é fundamental a utilização de ferramentas informáticas. Actualmente, é praticamente impensável gerir um grande projecto sem o apoio de um suporte informático, quer devido à sua dimensão, quer à sua complexidade. Mesmo para projectos mais simples, fazer alterações e actualizar toda a rede, é algo difícil de ser feito sem o apoio de ferramentas informáticas. Neste artigo serão apresentadas algumas ferramentas informáticas que são actualmente usadas no apoio à gestão de projectos e é feita a sua análise no que diz respeito a benefícios que estas possam trazer, de forma a conduzirem a um melhor desempenho na gestão global de um projecto.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

A robust version of the FGLS estimator for panel data

Panel or longitudinal data sets are frequent in financial and economic studies. This type of data combines cross-sectional with time series data, providing extra information and allowing to evaluate and measure statistical effects that would otherwise keep unknown. Different degree of restrictions upon the structure of the data leads to different ap proaches with least squares methodology. This results in estimators that can be highly affected by a violation of those assumptions. The Feasible Generalized Least Squares estimator (FGLS) is an estimator that pre serves good properties without requiring strong distribution requisites. In spite of this, it is highly affected with the presence of observations too much different from all the rest. These are known as atypical ob servations or outliers. Economical and financial real data often present this type of data and the FGLS estimator may be seriously affected by those observations. This might be avoided if a robust option is chosen. Although robustness is a main concern in recent econometric modelling, there is still much to do in this field. Recent studies in those fields point to the advantage of using robust estimators. With this work we want to contribute to the use of robust methodologies in the estimation of panel data models and present a robust version of FGLS, the RFGLS (Robust Feasible Generalized Least Squares). In this paper, the performance of the proposed estimator is compared with the FGLS using a real data previously analysed by some authors.publishe

Moodle tests: not so much of a fuss when you have R

One of the least motivating parts of the teaching-learning process is evaluation. It is a task done with some periodicity and one of the aspects that teachers seek to improve. In higher education institutions, evaluation consolidates the learning process and it is an important tool that permits the accountability and certification of the results. During that process teachers aim to achieve equity, suitability, reliability, and efficiency. The preparation of different components of evaluation is one of the most time-consuming activities and so it is highly desirable to reduce the time used in that process, namely, in the preparation of written exams. All over the world, educational institutions of all degrees have adopted some mixed models of communications between the agents of the process of learning-teaching. The digital way is largely spread using suitable platforms. One of the top preferences among a great part of those institutions is Moodle. Moodle provides some tools to perform formative as well as summative evaluation. We've seen how Pandemic disease increased the need for the use of such tools. Recent studies show new problems raised with home evaluation tests, one of which is the easier possibility of fraud. As a response to this problem, one can increase the number of different questions presented to different students. With particularly advantages to statistics teachers (familiarized with R), the R package exams is a powerful tool that provides some answers to those problems: it produces questions that can be exported directly to Moodle quiz format (as well as in paper format) and it allows for random generation of parametrized questions. This way, one rapidly obtain a number of multiple questions, all of them with the same level of difficulty and related to the same topics, ready to include in the Moodle bank of questions. This paper aims to show how these tools combined with latex and markdown environments may contribute to help Statistics teacher's activity.publishe

Guerrilla marketing on Facebook: a mixed-method study on the effects on brand image and content sharing intentions

Guerrilla marketing suggests using creative and unexpected messages and channels to stand out in the marketing communication crowd. Despite practitioners' growing interest in the topic, the contributions in the literature are still scarce. This study aims to explore the impacts of guerrilla marketing campaigns on Facebook on brand image and content sharing intentions. Mixed-method research was adopted. The first phase was more exploratory and used focus groups to analyze consumers' perceptions and responses to guerrilla marketing campaigns. It was followed by a quantitative study of 256 Portuguese consumers that answered an online survey after being exposed to a guerrilla marketing campaign on Facebook. Results suggest that customer interaction with guerrilla marketing on Facebook depends on content's characteristics, namely the message appeal. While humour appeal enhances the relationship with customers by increasing the level of interaction, negative appeals (e.g., perceived as offensive) generate adverse reactions. This study also shows that frequent Facebook users are more predisposed to interact with guerrilla marketing content.publishe

Comparing the content of instruments assessing environmental factors using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

Purpose: To describe and compare the content of instruments that assess environmental factors using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL and PEDro databases was conducted using a pre-determined search strategy. The identified instruments were screened independently by two investigators, and meaningful concepts were linked to the most precise ICF category according to published linking rules. Results: Six instruments were included, containing 526 meaningful concepts. Instruments had between 20% and 98% of items linked to categories in Chapter 1. The highest percentage of items from one instrument linked to categories in Chapters 2–5 varied between 9% and 50%. The presence or absence of environmental factors in a specific context is assessed in 3 instruments, while the other 3 assess the intensity of the impact of environmental factors. Discussion: Instruments differ in their content, type of assessment, and have several items linked to the same ICF category. Most instruments primarily assess products and technology (Chapter 1), highlighting the need to deepen the discussion on the theory that supports the measurement of environmental factors. This discussion should be thorough and lead to the development of methodologies and new tools that capture the underlying concepts of the ICF

Evaluation of cardiovascular disease risk factors with Propensity Score Matching and Coarsened Exact Matching: Nepalese post-seismic observational data

With observational data, an important step of the research process is skipped, resulting in some restrictions to make inferences concerning the treatment effects. Some methodologies have been developed in order to reduce the imbalance in the samples of treated and control units. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) is still one of the most common approaches applied but coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) appears to produce better results, most of the times in which it is used. This work illustrates the application of each of the two techniques to a set of data from the Nepal population. Our aim is to compare the two methodologies and evaluate in what way their use adds information about the prevalence of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) risk. Data refers to a remote village population that was separated into two groups after the incidents of the May 2015 earthquake. The study was carried out during a humanitarian mission in Nepal, aimed to provide medical care to the people of Sindhupalchok, a northern Nepalese region, with approximately 1200inhabitants. With the seismic event, this population got separated into groups of dislodged individuals: victims that stayed nearby village areas and those who went towards Kathmandu looking for support in temporary settlements. Both these populations were supported by the medical mission. Cross-sectional data were collected approximately 18 months after the earthquake and included demographic data, anthropometric data, previous medical history, CVD risk factors, and health behaviors. The assessment of CVD risk factors and health behaviours was based on a question-by-question guide provided by the WHO. In order to compare both approaches, we computed two imbalance measures, L1 and Percent Bias Reduction (PBR). The results show that CEM dominates PSM. From the application of the two approaches, we find that the results are generally in agreement but CEM methodology allowed to highlight some data features not seen before with PSM.publishe

Perceptions and intentions of adopting the Internet of Things by Generation Z

The Internet of Things (IoT) represents a new technological revolution expected to impact all aspects of our daily lives in the future. Generation Z is foreseen as playing a fundamental role in the adoption of this type of technology, namely because of their growing importance as a consumer segment, their global role in the society, and in particular their close relationship with technology. However, extant literature on the adoption of IoT disregarded this segment. This paper aims to fulfill this gap, by exploring their knowledge, perceptions, and intentions of adopting IoT. After considering the main contributions in the consumer behavior literature regarding IoT, a qualitative approach was adopted, and 7 semi-structured interviews were conducted with Portuguese consumers aged 18-22. Content analysis was performed following the recommendations by Bardin (1977). The results showed that although Generation Z is not familiar with the concept of the IoT, they expressed a strong desire to integrate IoT technology in their lives, being open to its adoption in all fields of application, including for personal use, at home, and for work. One of the conclusions is that in order to foster the IoT adoption by this Generation, the functional benefits (performance, price, comfort, and safety) should be emphasized, so that the main risks perceived are weakened, namely the financial, performance, and physical risks.publishe

Robust versus traditional methods for outlier detection in the simultaneous equations model

The Simultaneous Equation Model (SEM) is used for modelling real problems aris ing from Econometrics, Finance and other fields (see, for example, Greene [2003], Chen et al. [2007] or Lee et al. [2017]). The model is caracterized by a system of dependent equations whose coefficients can be estimated by methods like the Three Stages Least Squares (3SLS) or the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). The corresponding estimators have nice properties but, unfortunately, they are not ro bust. Besides, outlier observations are particularly difficult to detect and interpret in the SEM and the use of non-robust estimators in the process reduces the confi dence on potential outlier detection analysis. We present a study that illustrates the use of a robust outlier detection method. The estimation of the coefficients of the model is performed with a robust version of the GMM. Outliers are interpreted and considered as outliers in the residuals, for the response variables, or as outliers in the explanatory variables. Identification of outlying points is based on the distribution of the robust Mahalanobis distances, computed with Minimum Covariance Determinant estimates and using a generalized inverse. The method is compared with outlier detection based on traditional non robust procedures, namely using Mahalanobis distances with the 3SLS, since the latter is a very popular estimator for the SEM parameters. A real data example with Econometric Portuguese data and a simulation study show the advantages of the robust proposal.publishe