The development of a framework for evaluating e-assessment systems

Academics encounter problems with the selection, evaluation, testing and implementation of e-assessment software tools. The researcher experienced these problems while adopting e-assessment at the university where she is employed. Hence she undertook this study, which is situated in schools and departments in Computing-related disciplines, namely Computer Science, Information Systems and Information Technology at South African Higher Education Institutions. The literature suggests that further research is required in this domain. Furthermore, preliminary empirical studies indicated similar disabling factors at other South African tertiary institutions, which were barriers to long-term implementation of e-assessment. Despite this, academics who are adopters of e-assessment indicate satisfaction, particularly when conducting assessments with large classes. Questions of the multiple choice genre can be assessed automatically, leading to increased productivity and more frequent assessments. The purpose of this research is to develop an evaluation framework to assist academics in determining which e-assessment tool to adopt, enabling them to make more informed decisions. Such a framework would also support evaluation of existing e-assessment systems. The underlying research design is action research, which supported an iterative series of studies for developing, evaluating, applying, refining, and validating the SEAT (Selecting and Evaluating an e-Assessment Tool) Evaluation Framework and subsequently an interactive electronic version, e-SEAT. Phase 1 of the action research comprised Studies 1 to 3, which established the nature, context and extent of adoption of e-assessment. This set the foundation for development of SEAT in Phase 2. During Studies 4 to 6 in Phase 2, a rigorous sequence of evaluation and application facilitated the transition from the manual SEAT Framework to the electronic evaluation instrument, e-SEAT, and its further evolution. This research resulted in both a theoretical contribution (SEAT) and a practical contribution (e-SEAT). The findings of the action research contributed, along with the literature, to the categories and criteria in the framework, which in turn, contributed to the bodies of knowledge on MCQs and e-assessment. The final e-SEAT version, the ultimate product of this action research, is presented in Appendix J1. For easier reference, the Appendices are included on a CD, attached to the back cover of this Thesis..ComputingPhD. (Information Systems

The relationship between work-family conflict, psychological distress and physical symptoms of illness among office workers within the South African Police Service.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The aim of this study is to investigate the experience of work-family conflict and well-being among office workers within the South African Police Services (SAPS). The balance between individuals’ work and family domains has been a point of increasing concern in recent time. This is due to a multitude of factors. Firstly, there has been an increase in gender equity within the workplace, i.e. there are now more women in the workplace (Statistics South Africa, 2017). This has resulted in work-family conflict being experienced on a larger scale than in past years, and research has indicated that women experienced a higher rate of work being interrupted by family matters than men (Graaf, 2007). Secondly, there has been an increase in workplace diversity in South Africa (which refers to aspects other than gender, such as race, disability, etc.) which result in certain cultural factors needing to be taken into account. The issue of work-family conflict can affect the well-being of employees negatively, both psychologically and physically. This is evidenced in the findings from studies conducted by Winefield, Boyd and Winefield, (2014) and Drummond, O’Driscoll, Brough, Kalliath, Siu,Timms and Lo, (2017), which indicate that work-family conflict results in stress, anxiety and depression, which manifests in different forms of physical illness such as insomnia, weight loss/gain, headaches, as well as more serious effects such as coronary heart disease, which can be fatal. This can also impact the functioning and productivity of employees, as employees who are ill stay away from work, with over 156 working days being lost per annum. In addition, presenteeism poses a challenge as employees who attend work, may not engage in tasks due to psychological distress and physical illness (The South African Depression and Anxiety Group, 2015). Work-family conflict and well-being can be conceptualised through the use of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) Ecological Systems Theory, Role Theory, which was posited by Kahn, Goode, Wolfe and Rosenthal in the 1960’s, Boundary Theory (Ashforth, Kreiner & Fugate, 2000) as well as Well-Being Theory (Seligman, 2011). This is due to each of the first three theories mentioned above positing that individuals can be understood through the different roles they play within the various systems in their lives (i.e. work, family, community, etc.), as well as the consequent impact of their conflicting duties and responsibilities on their well-being, conceptualised by Seligman’s (2011) Well-Being Theory. The study fell within the quantitative research paradigm and followed a cross-sectional design, which was used on a sample of office workers within the SAPS (N=202). A biographical questionnaire, the Work-Family Conflict Scale (Carlson, Kacmar & Williams, 2000), the General Well-Being Schedule (Dupuy, 1978) and the Physical Symptoms Inventory (Spector & Jex, 1998) were administered. For the purpose of this study, statistical analysis was conducted via the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM Corp., 2017). Additionally, in order to determine the construct validity and Cronbach’s alpha of the instruments used, statistical analysis was conducted, which revealed Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from a=0.85 to a=0.87. The results of the study revealed positive relationships between work-family conflict and physical symptoms of illness, age and physical symptoms of illness, number of children one has and work-family conflict as well as children under the age of six years old and work-family conflict. Furthermore, the results of the research yielded negative relationships between the number of children one has and general well-being as well work-family conflict and general well-being. Additionally, the results of the research conducted portrayed that work-family conflict is a predictor of general well-being as well as physical symptoms of illness. The present study paves the way for further research into the phenomenon. These studies should focus on further examining the relationship between the variables mentioned above. This is due to the fact that an increased focus on the above factors is a step toward alleviating work-family conflict and high levels of psychological distress and physical illness

An Evaluation Framework and Instrument for Evaluating e-Assessment Tools

e-Assessment, in the form of tools and systems that deliver and administer multiple choice questions (MCQs), is used increasingly, raising the need for evaluation and validation of such systems. This research uses literature and a series of six empirical action research studies to develop an evaluation framework of categories and criteria called SEAT (Selecting and Evaluating e-Assessment Tools). SEAT was converted to an interactive electronic instrument, e-SEAT, to assist academics in making informed choices when selecting MCQ systems for adoption or evaluating existing ones