Leveraging distance learning tools for broadbasing education in construction industry disciplines: The importance of a continuous social discourse

History of distance learning dates back to the late 1960’s. However with the advent of the Internet it was repositioned as a major tool for course delivery so that students who are physically prevented from attending class room settings can undertake learning within a setting of their choice aligned with a pace that they can easily cope with. Marketing of distance learning programmes is a diversified business activity in many universities and the School of Construction and property Management (SCPM)utilises the tool predominantly in delivering Masters Courses and PhD sessions over the Internet. Although structural and organisational aspects of DL courses facilitatedby computer mediated communication (CMC) have been dealt with in literature, the degree to which these tools satisfying social aspects of a classroom setting (e.g.guidance and support, body language, feedback, interactions with other learners etc.,)has not received adequate consideration in existing literature. This paper therefore investigates the extent to which the distant learning tools address the wider aspects of supporting a classroom situation during its operation so that appropriate improvements can be made in utilising these tools to attract more students for the relevant construction disciplines. The objective of the paper is to disseminate the preliminary findings out of literature review based on a Teaching and Learning Quality Improvement Scheme (TLQIS)project at SCPM

Building performance evaluation of higher education properties: towards a process model

The aim of this paper, as a continuation from an initial paper( Amaratunga & Baldry 1998) is to describe the research and the findings to date, including some of the outcomes of a pilot study. The paper also aims to provide a clear understanding of the perceived role of facilities management in higher education institutions and discusses the degree to which user based measurements are used and probes into relationships of satisfaction and dissatisfaction in higher education teaching facilities using content analytical methodologies. It also presents some of the results of statistical tests of association which details where there are relationships among functional performance and behavioural aspects of users whilst there are aspects of their facilities from which they derive some dissatisfaction. The paper concludes by identifying the need for further research before performance measurement in higher education properties may be promoted as an integral part of management practice

Theory building in facilities management research: case study methodology

This paper describes the process of theory building in performance measurement in facilities management through a study of the applications of some core principles of business performance context, and theory verification as it investigates the practical validity of a number of existing general theoretical propositions relating to business performance measurement in facilities management. In this reciprocal way, the present research helps to contribute to expanding the sphere of different disciplines where the theoretical propositions are valid. It further concerns case studies – from specifying the research questions to reaching closure. Some features of the process, such as epistemological foundation and selection of research method are described whi

Post-Occupancy Evaluation of Higher Education Teaching Spaces - A Methodological Approach

In the general facilities management literature, it is assumed that there is a causal link between facilities management practices and performance. The role of facilities management in facilitating organisational performance, and thereby in providing competitive advantage, is widely acknowledged. However, the mechanisms of how this happens in higher educational establishments are quite unclear, prompting performance evaluation researchers to question whether performance evaluation in fact does add value, and enhance organisational performance. Assessment of performance of buildings of institutions delivering higher educational services has become matter of particular interest to governments seeking to increase the effectiveness of educational provision and maximise value for money. This paper presents initial findings of the characteristics of important aspects of a performance evaluation approach related to higher education teaching spaces , and discusses the proposed methodology to be applied

Appraising the total performance of higher educational buildings : a participatory approach towards a knowledge-base system

particularly following a major building failure. These evaluations have resulted in regulations that historically have often been the only systematic and research-based source of direction to building design. Regulations evolved into building codes, which began to control critical aspects of buildings. Over the years, new building types emerged, construction grew more complex, and additional aspects of design were codified. When psychological and sociological considerations were linked to design, the study of environment and human behaviour became a new discipline and knowledge from this discipline was also applied to building evaluations. Assessment of the performance of buildings of institutions delivering higher educational services has become a matter of particular interest to the government seeking to increase the effectiveness of educational provision and maximise value for money. This paper presents initial findings of the study of Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) : the process of evaluating buildings in a systematic manner after they have been built and occupied for some time, including testing a methodology developed for use as a standardised POE method for evaluating in particular the teaching spaces of universities. The paper also highlights the potential of the development of a POE database

Sample view of current performance measurement practices in facilities managements

Measurement has always been of great importance in every realm of life. It is an area which has been discussed increasingly over the past few years, and the adages “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” and “what gets measured gets done” and “has never been so powerful a truth” (Peters, 1987) (cited in Stone, 1996) are an all too common element of many management texts. The above stated broad performance measurement need for management applies to management in a FM context when FM is considered as a subset of general management. A reasonable case for the need for and benefits of performance measurement systems in FM environments will be discussed in this paper together with some relevant trends in performance measurement literature which offer opportunities for identification of such systems. It further discusses the increasing trend towards performance measurement in FM organisations and shows that there is also a need for a new approach to performance measurement systems in FM organisations, by discussing problems with the existing approaches to performance measurement systems identified throughout a survey thus identifying a research need in the area of study

Cool gas accretion, thermal evaporation and quenching of star formation in elliptical galaxies

The most evident features of colour-magnitude diagrams of galaxies are the red sequence of quiescent galaxies, extending up to the brightest elliptical galaxies, and the blue cloud of star-forming galaxies, which is truncated at a luminosity L~L*. The truncation of the blue cloud indicates that in the most massive systems star formation must be quenched. For this to happen the virial-temperature galactic gas must be kept hot and any accreted cold gas must be heated. The elimination of accreted cold gas can be due to thermal evaporation by the hot interstellar medium, which in turn is prevented from cooling by feedback from active galactic nuclei.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in Astronomische Nachrichten (proceedings of Symposium 6 of the JENAM 2008, Vienna

The Efficacy of the Tabby Improved Prevention and Intervention Program in Reducing Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization among Students.

Background. This article presents results from the evaluation of the Tabby Improved Prevention and Intervention Program (TIPIP) for cyberbullying and cybervictimization. TIPIP is theoretically designed to address cyberbullying and cybervictimization. It is the first program in this field developed combining the Ecological System Theory and the Threat Assessment Approach. Method. The Tabby Improved program was evaluated using an experimental design with 759 Italian students (aged 10⁻17 years) randomly allocated via their classes to either the Experimental or Control Group. Results. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed a significant decrease both in cyberbullying and cybervictimization among students who received the intervention with a follow-up period of six months. The program was more effective for boys than for girls. Conclusions. Because cyberbullying is a cruel problem negatively affecting those involved, validated interventions that prove their efficacy in reducing the problem using experimental designs should be widely tested and promoted, paying particular attention to implementing a program fully to increase and guarantee its effectiveness