Institutional Quality of a Higher Education Institution from the Perspective of Employers

The present paper proposes a theoretical model of institutional quality of a higher education institution (HEI) which, in addition to the internal dimensions of quality, incorporates also the external dimension, i.e. the outcomes dimension. This dimension has been neglected by the quality standards and models examined in our paper. Furthermore, the standards and models analyzed consider stakeholders as one of the quality factors of a HEI. The stakeholders’ perspective is seen as a lens through which stakeholders define, control and assess the quality of a HEI. The proposed model therefore gives stakeholders greater significance compared to the dimensions of institutional quality of a HEI. The model has been validated from the employers’ perspective. On the basis of 339 completed questionnaires or a 39.74 % response rate we concluded that outcomes constitute the most important dimension of institutional quality of a HEI from the perspective of employers in Slovenia. The outcomes dimension is followed, in descending order, by the non-financial resources and inputs, sustainable development, value chain, and, finally, the financial resources and inputs dimensions. The results of the study have shown that of the 44 quality factors of a HEI the following data are of key importance to employers: information on the participation of students in practical training, achievements of graduates at the workplace, implementation of a HEI’s research achievements in practice, graduate employability, and a HEI’s responsiveness to the demands and changes in the environment.     

Archeological excavation monitoring using dense stereo matching techniques

Several new tools to obtain three-dimensional information from unorganized image sets are now available for the public use. The main advantage of this software, which is based on dense stereo matching, is the possibility to generate 3D content without the need of high-cost hardware (e.g. 3D scanning devices). Nevertheless, their use in real-world application domains (like cultural heritage) is still not very diffused, due to the non-straightforward usability of the raw data produced. In this paper, we investigate the use of automatic dense stereo reconstruction tools for the monitoring of an excavation site. A methodology for the effective acquisition and processing of data is presented. In addition, the results of the data assessment demonstrate the repeatability of the data acquisition process, which is a key factor when qualitative analysis is performed. The use of three-dimensional data is integrated in an open source mesh processing tool, thus showing that a spatio-temporal analysis can be performed in a very intuitive way using off-the-shelf or free/open digital tools. Moreover, the use of peculiar rendering and the creation of snapshots from arbitrary points of view increase the amount of documentation data, and suggest a perfect integration of data produced with dense stereo matching in the future standard documentation for excavation monitoring.     

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the youth experience survey for sport (P-YES-S)

This study investigated adaptation and the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Youth Experience Survey for Sport (P-YES-S). Translators, professors, and athletes participated. Athletes between 14 and 18 years were recruited. The instrument was the P-YES-S. Content validity was assessed by coefficients of content and kappa, while Cronbach’s alpha was used for internal consistency analysis and intraclass correlation for temporal stability. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses were conducted to test the construct validity of the instrument. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) with the squared correlation between factors. Results showed acceptable levels for content validity, internal consistency, temporal stability, concurrent validity, and construct validity. The acceptable model was: X²/df = 1.54, GFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.92; AGFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, AIC = 414.63, BIC = 610.93, MECVI = 1.41 and RMSEA = 0.0.04, p = 0.03. The adaptation process produced an instrument with 22 items and the dimensions of Personal and Social Skills, Cognitive Skills, Initiative Experiences, and Negative Experiences.     

Some numerical tests for an alternative approach to optimal feedback control

We test a recently proposed approach to optimal feedback control of nonlinear systems leading to an iterative descending strategy [24]. We start by discussing the numerical implementation of this strategy, and propose a number of improvements that can speed up the computation process by up to two orders of magnitude. The resulting algorithm is then applied to a series of test problems of increasing complexity. Results seem to show that this can be a promising strategy to bear in mind for more realistic situations.     

天文学家能把星星数完吗?

好像每天的报纸都在报道天文学上的新发现:新的天体,新的物理过程,新的物质形式,等等.这种没完没了的发现哪天才到头呢?是否有一天天文学家会自信已经清点完了宇宙的全部资产?     

Advanced displays and natural user interfaces to support learning

Advanced displays and natural user interfaces (NUI) are a very suitable combination for developing systems to provide an enhanced and richer user experience. This combination can be appropriate in several fields and has not been extensively exploited. One of the fields that this combination is especially suitable for is education. Nowadays, children are growing up playing with computer games, using mobile devices, and other technological devices. New learning methods that use these new technologies can help in the learning process. In this paper, two new methods that use advanced displays and NUI for learning about a period of history are presented. One of the methods is an autostereoscopic system that lets children see themselves as a background in the game and renders the elements in 3D without the need for special glasses; the second method is a frontal projection system that projects the image on a table in 2D and works similarly to a touch table. The Microsoft Kinect^© is used in both systems for the interaction. A comparative study to check different aspects was carried out. A total of 128 children from 7 to 11 years old participated in the study. From the results, we observed that the different characteristics of the systems did not influence the children's acquired knowledge, engagement, or satisfaction. There were statistically significant differences for depth perception and presence in which the autostereoscopic system was scored higher. However, of the two systems, the children considered the frontal projection to be easier to use. We would like to highlight that the scores for the two systems and for all the questions were very high. These results suggest that games of this kind (advanced displays and NUI) could be appropriate educational games and that autostereoscopy is a technology to exploit in their development.     

Science Letters:Demonstration of a new biosensing concept for immunodiagnostic applications based on change in surface conductance of antibodies after biomolecular interactions

Electrical conductivity in biomolecules and other large polymeric systems has become an important topic of current research. Schlag et al.(2000a; 2000b) demonstrated that charge migration in proteins is highly efficient although the mechanistic origin is still debated and largely unknown even though various models have been proposed by Weinkauf et al.(1995; 1996; 1997). According to them, the charge transfer between amino acids takes place by hole hopping between local sites of lowest ionizati…     

Qualified Satisfaction: First‐Year Architecture Student Perceptions of Teamwork

Across disciplines, skills associated with collaboration are now ubiquitously considered requisite graduate attributes. Despite decades of studies on the various dimensions of academic teamwork, challenges for both students and staff remain. For this year‐long study at a UK school of architecture, we considered teamwork as a thread woven through the first‐year curriculum, traversing course modules and project types. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the collective impact of teamwork activities on the incoming cohort of 200+ undergraduate students and how the structuring and coordination of such activities might improve the holistic student experience. Across two rounds of online questionnaires and focus group sessions, student participants articulated the benefits of collaboration for learning, socialisation and professional development. However, resentment towards teamwork increased throughout the year, as frustration with disengaged cohort mates grew, and student sought greater structure and oversight from tutors. On the other hand, when given the chance to reflect on the multidimensional nature of teamwork in focus group discussions, many students adopted a productively nuanced perspective toward the topic. This implies that, whether students like or dislike certain aspect of collaborative projects, opportunities for critical conversation can promote or prompt an appreciation for the educational value of including teamwork projects in curricula. The results of this study should be relevant to educators seeking to improve the implementation and effectiveness of team‐based learning, particularly those in design‐based fields and those in higher and professional education contexts.