An investigation of assessment practices in the MBA degree program in a Chinese university

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.The Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was introduced into mainland China in 1982 and Renmin University of China was one of the first Chinese business schools to start MBA education. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for the MBA degree programs for Chinese career managers. However during this time in mainland China, international accreditation of MBA degree programs was not in place and there was no evaluation model utilized for quality assurance of those programs especially their assessment practices. Thus the situation merited further research to develop such a model. This study initially investigated the assessment practices of a 2-year part-time MBA degree program in China. To complete this program, the candidates had to study 17 core subjects plus 3-out-of-6 elective subjects and conduct an action research project leading to a master thesis and a viva. The assessment practices of these subjects, theses and viva were analyzed both from the perspectives of the candidates and the examiners and this formed the basis of the research and evaluative data. In this research, the Student Learning Experiences (SLE) and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) of the MBA candidates were collected as well as the perceptions and views of the internal and external examiners. The “quality” of the subject program through the study of the candidates’ theses and performance in the viva against the criteria of the Asia International Open University (Macau) and the assessments made by its examiners were also investigated. A pilot study by means of Pearson and ANOVA Analysis revealed that the students (n = 1,074) of the subject program had favorable Student Learning Experiences on the learning and research processes but less favorable Student Learning Experiences on the appraisal process. From 2007 to 2008, the author further sampled 331 candidates from 20 higher education institutions within mainland China. Those candidates, who attended the viva, had the Student Learning Experiences that was studied in this research. From the perspectives of the candidates, the subject program provided favorable Student Learning Experiences particularly the action research and the viva voce. The author explored the candidates’ Student Learning Experiences on the research or assessment processes and analyzed their Student Learning Outcomes through the thesis supervisors and examiners. In the sampling period, the author held 23 focus group interviews with all the available examiners and the registrars. To add value to the interpretive part of this study, the author further analyzed the sampled candidates’ Student Learning Experiences and Student Learning Outcomes (n = 331) with the aid of Pearson’s Analysis, ANOVA, Dunnett’s tD Test, S-N-K Test and Tukey HSD Test (n = 67). Qualitative and quantitative data analysis disclosed that the less favorable Student Learning Experiences of the candidates was partially attributed to the marking variances of the thesis supervisors and the thesis examiners. The former regarded the assessment task of marking the thesis as a norm-referenced assessment while the latter regarded it as a criteria-referenced or an objective-referenced assessment. Findings of the statistical tests on the marking variances showed that the thesis supervisors were more lenient than the examiners in the assessment task. Focus group interviews revealed that the examiners wished to maintain key characteristic of formative and summative as well as diagnostic assessment in the marking processes. It is difficult for any assessment to have three characteristics. Nevertheless, it might not be impossible for a management education program to have an integrated assessment program that could do the work of these types of assessment. This study identified nine areas for improvements. They included (1) Scope of Action Research, (2) Compilation of Thesis, (3) Reflection of Candidates, (4) Pre-Notification of Assessments, (5) Elimination of Marking Variances, (6) Change of Assessment Process, (7) Transformation of Students, (8) Benchmarking of Student Learning Outcomes, and (9) Development of Management Learning Styles. Based on the results of this research, a program evaluation model for quality assurance of an MBA program is proposed. This model is based on the identified needs to assure the quality of a management education program through robust assessment practices that measure whether the program can achieve the desired Student Learning Outcomes. This model also includes quality assurance tools to measure the Student Learning Experiences in the program. With due consideration of Student Learning Outcomes and Student Learning Experiences, the assessment practices should give a more holistic view of the educational quality of the program. However, such a model should be applied in an integrated manner. Recommendations for its application are detailed in the last chapter of this dissertation. The proposed model contributes to the wide body of knowledge in “program evaluation”; and also enhances the knowledge base of educators who wish to cultivate effective career managers in mainland China. Thus, this research also makes an important contribution to the professional practices of management education

Child and adolescent psychiatric patients and later criminality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sweden has an extensive child and adolescent psychiatric (CAP) research tradition in which longitudinal methods are used to study juvenile delinquency. Up to the 1980s, results from descriptions and follow-ups of cohorts of CAP patients showed that children's behavioural disturbances or disorders and school problems, together with dysfunctional family situations, were the main reasons for families, children, and youth to seek help from CAP units. Such factors were also related to registered criminality and registered alcohol and drug abuse in former CAP patients as adults. This study investigated the risk for patients treated 1975–1990 to be registered as criminals until the end of 2003.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A regional sample of 1,400 former CAP patients, whose treatment occurred between 1975 and 1990, was followed to 2003, using database-record links to the Register of Persons Convicted of Offences at the National Council for Crime Prevention (NCCP).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Every third CAP patient treated between 1975 and 1990 (every second man and every fifth woman) had entered the Register of Persons Convicted of Offences during the observation period, which is a significantly higher rate than the general population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results were compared to published results for CAP patients who were treated between 1953 and 1955 and followed over 20 years. Compared to the group of CAP patients from the 1950s, the results indicate that the risk for boys to enter the register for criminality has doubled and for girls, the risk seems to have increased sevenfold. The reasons for this change are discussed. Although hypothetical and perhaps speculative this higher risk of later criminality may be the result of lack of social control due to (1) rising consumption of alcohol, (2) changes in organisation of child social welfare work, (3) the school system, and (4) CAP methods that were implemented since 1970.</p

D2D-based V2V Communications with Latency and Reliability Constraints

Direct device-to-device (D2D) communication has been proposed as a possible enabler for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) applications, where the incurred intra-cell interference and the stringent latency and reliability requirements are challenging issues. In this paper, we investigate the radio resource management problem for D2D-based V2V communications. Firstly, we analyze and mathematically model the actual requirements for vehicular communications and traditional cellular links. Secondly, we propose a problem formulation to fulfill these requirements, and then a Separate Resource Block allocation and Power control (SRBP) algorithm to solve this problem. Finally, simulations are presented to illustrate the improved performance of the proposed SRBP scheme compared to some other existing methods

Radio Resource Management for D2D-based V2V Communication

Direct device-to-device (D2D) communication has been proposed as a possible enabler for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) applications, where the incurred intra-cell interference and the stringent latency and reliability requirements are challenging issues. In this paper, we investigate the radio resource management problem for D2D-based V2V communications. Firstly, we analyze and mathematically model the actual requirements for vehicular communications and traditional cellular links. Secondly, we propose a problem formulation to fulfill these requirements, and then a Separate Resource Block allocation and Power control (SRBP) algorithm to solve this problem. Finally, simulations are presented to illustrate the improved performance of the proposed SRBP scheme compared to some other existing methods

Programmable logic circuits for functional integrated smart plastic systems

In this paper, we present a functional integrated plastic system. We have fabricated arrays of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and printed electronic components driving an electrophoretic ink display up to 70mm by 70mm on a single flexible transparent plastic foil. Transistor arrays were quickly and reliably configured for different logic functions by an additional process step of inkjet printing conductive silver wires and poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) resistors between transistors or between logic blocks. Among the circuit functions and features demonstrated on the arrays are a 7-stage ring oscillator, a D-type ip-flop memory element, a 2:4 demultiplexer, a programmable array logic device (PAL), and printed wires and resistors. Touch input sensors were also printed, thus only external batteries were required for a complete electronic subsystem. The PAL featured 8 inputs, 8 outputs, 32 product terms, and had 1260 p-type polymer transistors in a 3-metal process using diode-load logic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a PAL concept with organic transistors has been demonstrated, and also the first time that organic transistors have been used as the control logic for a flexible display which have both been integrated on to a single plastic substrate. The versatility afforded by the additive inkjet printing process is well suited to organic programmable logic on plastic substrates, in effect, making flexible organic electronics more flexibleRCUK, OtherThis is the final published version. It is also available from Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119914003607#

Challenges in Developing Great Quasi-Monte Carlo Software

Quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) methods have developed over several decades. With the explosion in computational science, there is a need for great software that implements QMC algorithms. We summarize the QMC software that has been developed to date, propose some criteria for developing great QMC software, and suggest some steps toward achieving great software. We illustrate these criteria and steps with the Quasi-Monte Carlo Python library (QMCPy), an open-source community software framework, extensible by design with common programming interfaces to an increasing number of existing or emerging QMC libraries developed by the greater community of QMC researchers

Programmable logic circuits for functional integrated smart plastic systems

In this paper, we present a functional integrated plastic system. We have fabricated arrays of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and printed electronic components driving an electrophoretic ink display up to 70 mm by 70 mm on a single flexible transparent plastic foil. Transistor arrays were quickly and reliably configured for different logic functions by an additional process step of inkjet printing conductive silver wires and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) resistors between transistors or between logic blocks. Among the circuit functions and features demonstrated on the arrays are a 7-stage ring oscillator, a D-type flip-flop memory element, a 2:4 demultiplexer, a programmable array logic device (PAL), and printed wires and resistors. Touch input sensors were also printed, thus only external batteries were required for a complete electronic subsystem. The PAL featured 8 inputs, 8 outputs, 32 product terms, and had 1260 p-type polymer transistors in a 3-metal process using diode-load logic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a PAL concept with organic transistors has been demonstrated, and also the first time that organic transistors have been used as the control logic for a flexible display which have both been integrated on to a single plastic substrate. The versatility afforded by the additive inkjet printing process is well suited to organic programmable logic on plastic substrates, in effect, making flexible organic electronics more flexible. Crown Copyright (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.X113426Ysciescopu