Evaluation is an important process in any language program curriculum to determine whether the program is meeting the needs of students, teachers and others who are involved in the program. The English Language Center (ELC) at Brigham Young University (BYU) is a unique institution that functions as 1) a language school for students from different backgrounds and with various purposes of learning English and 2) as a lab school for undergraduate and graduate students studying TESOL at BYU to have practical teaching experiences. Because of these two purposes, there are constant changes to the curriculum at the ELC. Evaluation is done to measure the effectiveness of such changes in the curriculum. This project is the development of a systematic evaluation model, specifically applies to the ELC context, which will provide organization and direction in conducting effective evaluations. The three major purposes of this project are to 1) increase awareness in evaluations, which leads to professional development in teachers and administrators, 2)reduce the time spent on evaluations with the proposed evaluation model, and 3) unify the evaluation projects at the ELC based on the ELC curriculum philosophy and principles. The main focus of this evaluation model is on the ELC Curriculum Philosophy and the guiding principles, which define what a successful curriculum should include. In-depth study of this philosophy, definitions and principles of the ELC curriculum, combined with the study of the evaluation models previously introduced in the field of language program evaluation were done to develop this ELC curriculum evaluation model. The process included the participation and support from the Executive Council who makes the majority of the decisions at the ELC. This model was developed using Microsoft Word 2007. It is intended to function as a reference guide for those who are interested in conducting evaluations at the ELC. This reference book includes the evaluation model and other practical worksheets and documents for conducting the evaluations at the ELC.

Studies have attempted to explain the linkage between achieving success in the field of entrepreneurship and the pedagogy instituted to teach the skills entrepreneurs need to achieve success in their chosen endeavors. It is widely known and well documented that people have experienced entrepreneurial success with limited, and sometimes no formal entrepreneurial training. The ever present question of “can entrepreneurship be taught” has been debated from many varying perspectives. The late Peter Drucker pragmatically once said “The entrepreneur mystique? It’s not magic, it’s not mysterious, and it has nothing to do with the genes. It’s a discipline. And, like any discipline, it can be learned” (Drucker, 1985). A study conducted by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity recently determined that almost half of Americans with college degrees are overqualified for their jobs. Many studies have also concluded that college graduates accumulate greater lifetime earnings than non-college graduates. Yet the escalating costs of attending college and the diminishing prospects of job security after attaining a college degree have brought the cost of education to the precipice of a potential “education bubble”. Student loan debt exceeds One Trillion Dollars and the typical student loan needs to be repaid over ten years at nearly seven percent interest. Similar to the recently experienced “housing bubble” there is a genuine concern, as it relates to education, that today’s populace is paying too much for something that yields limited value. Therefore, the question of “can entrepreneurship be taught” should be supplanted with “can entrepreneurship be learned?” “Are graduates capable of applying their academic training to produce tangible results?” If there are too many academic degrees being generated that are unable to be absorbed into a stagnant job market, it would stand to reason that a college degree, from a business school iv or any co-curricular discipline, without significant concentration in the study of entrepreneurship, serves only a limited purpose in a growing, capitalistic society that is predicated on job growth. Centers for entrepreneurship provide an excellent foundation for invigorating new college graduates from multiple academic disciplines with the motivation and desire to achieve success in business as entrepreneurs. This comparative analysis of two thriving and vibrant Centers for Entrepreneurship at major universities in the growing central Florida region examines their best practices and compares them to current national guidelines established by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, a 200 + member organization domiciled in the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana that serves as the key junction for university-based entrepreneurship centers across the United States to collaborate, communicate and jointly advance excellence in entrepreneurship (www.globalentrepreneurshipconsortium.org). The evaluator and author of this dissertation implemented procedures similar to those used in accreditation reviews and applied professional judgment techniques to design a connoisseurship evaluation of entrepreneurship centers at two major universities --- The Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and The Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL. We have all heard the Horatio Alger “rags to riches” stories of entrepreneurs who “bootstrapped” their business ideas without benefit of any formal business or entrepreneurial education. But it is just as great a likelihood in the coming years that we will admire those who give the credit for their success to the concepts they mastered in an entrepreneurial studies program and how their alma maters provided mentors through their centers for entrepreneurship who saved them from committing an abundance of mistakes by trial and error as they transported v their business ideas from conceptualization to realization. This research will assist centers of entrepreneurship as they strive to incorporate standards of excellence to benefit students who endeavor to become business and job creators in the future.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model which addresses special education program evaluation needs. As such, the focus was on development. Often development and research are seen as one (e.g., Department of R & D; Director of R & D). They are, however distinctively different in process and product. The model developed provides general and special education leaders responsible for providing special education services with high quality data and procedures for decision making related to special education. Providing special education services is a complex responsibility. Not only are critical lifelong decisions related to students and their parents made, but there are stringent federal laws, complex state agency policies, detailed financial and programmatic reporting requirements, and often linkages to a variety of outside professionals and service provider agencies and organizations. There is a need for an effective program evaluation model useful to the uniqueness of special education. A variety of program evaluation models have been used in education and other organizational environments (e.g., Mabry, 2002; Patton, 2002; Posavac & Carey, 2003; Renger & Titcomb, 2002; Warburton, 2003). But, their application to special education has been limited and often ineffective or inefficient to address the evaluation needs of special education. This evaluation model development utilized the best of knowledge and procedures of existent evaluation models and adapted them to the uniqueness of special education. The special education evaluation model developed named Program Effectiveness in Special Education (PEiSE) identified espoused and in-use actions in a school district. This information with analysis, discussions, and data provided powerful special education information. To form the structure of the model, PEiSE utilized aspects of the CIPP Evaluation Model developed by Stufflebeam (2002), Logic Framework Model (Suchman, 1967), and the Utilization-Focused Evaluation Model (Patton, 1978). The process brought a number of within the district (Brunner & Guzman, 1989) and outside the district stakeholders into the development process which provided an expertise enhancing model effectiveness (Eisner, 1983). Information gathered from all stakeholders came in various forms and contained data acquired with little or no bias in the instruments or process used (Scriven, 1974; Provus, 1971; Cronbach, 1981; Stake, 1973). These processes not only had potential to improve the special education programs but also to improve the evaluation process itself (Eraut, 1984). The model also considered the limitations of resources of special education services (Stufflebeam, 1971; Tripodi, Pellin, & Epstein, 1971; Gold, 1988). Finally the process proved instrumental in bringing the primary discipline of general education and the complementary discipline of special education physically, philosophically and practically together for the benefit and improvement of services to all students. In conceptualizing the process, a flowchart of events was developed utilizing the form and philosophy of existing best practices in evaluation models and the foundational theory of organizational and program improvement and effectiveness (Argyris & Schon, 1974) PEiSE required the development of plans to reduce or eliminate discrepancies between what practices are espoused and what are actually in-use by practitioners. The PEiSE process included twelve phases: Point of Contact; Scope of Evaluation; Identify Formal Decision Makers; Structured Interviews with Formal Decision Makers; Compose List of Best Practices with Definitions; Formal Decision Makers Meeting/Approval of Best Practices List; Compose Espoused/In-Use Questionnaire; Collect/Analyze Questionnaire/Supportive Data; Recommendations for Action; Generate Action Plans Designed to Reduce or Eliminate Discrepancies; Execute Action Plans; and Measure Progress. An emphasis throughout PEiSE was that change is a necessary and welcomed part of organizational effectiveness as well as an integral part of organizational learning (Argyris & Schon, 1974). PEiSE guided administrators through the process of clearly articulating the change needed with development and implementation of action plans for change. PEiSE facilitated bringing together general and special education in a mutually beneficial manner to improve the quality and success of services to students with special needs. Specific differences in community and school district approaches to responding to compliance and intent of local, state, and federal regulations and initiatives are managed in the model developed. PEiSE was tested in a large, suburban school district. The testing indicated the model’s potential to: 1) advance evaluation of special education; 2) suggest new collaborative models for general and special education; 3) identify needed areas of research on evaluation, organization, issues of responsibilities, and professional expertise; 4) identify needed areas of pre-service and continuing professional preparation and development; 5) promote researched based programs related to student success. It was recommended that PEiSE include an additional phase of practitioner input on concerns and complaints of existing espoused best practices with suggestions or recommendations for different practices the district should consider. / text

This study explores the Impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on internal control effectiveness in preventing and detecting fraud within the financial sector of a developing economy - Nigeria. Using a triangulation of questionnaire and interview techniques to investigate the internal control activities of Nigerian Internal Auditors in relation to their use of ICT in fraud prevention and detection, the study made use of cross-tabulations, correlation coefficients and one-way ANOVAs for the analysis of quantitative data, while thematic analysis was adopted for the qualitative aspects. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Omoteso et al.'s Three-Layered Model (TLM) were used to underpin the study in order to provide theoretical considerations of the issues involved. The study's findings show that Nigerian Internal Auditors are increasingly adopting IT-based tools and techniques in their internal control activities. Secondly, the use of ICT-based tools and techniques in internal control positively impacts on Internal Auditors' independence and objectivity. Also, the study's findings indicate that Internal Auditors' use of ICT-based tools and techniques has the potential of preventing electronic fraud, and such ICT-based tools and techniques are effective in detecting electronic fraud. However, continuous online auditing was found to be effective in preventing fraud, but not suited for fraud detection in financial businesses. This exploratory study sheds light on the impact of ICT usage on internal control's effectiveness and on internal auditors' independence. The study contributes to the debate on the significance of ICT adoption in accounting disciplines by identifying perceived benefits, organisational readiness, trust and external pressure as variables that could affect Internal Auditors' use of ICT. Above all, this research was able to produce a new model: the Technology Effectiveness Planning and Evaluation Model (TEPEM), for the study of ICT adoption in internal control effectiveness for prevention and detection of fraud. As a result of its planning capability for external contingencies, the model is useful for the explanation of studies involving ICT in a unique macro environment of developing economies such as Nigeria, where electricity generation is in short supply and regulatory activities unpredictable. The model proposes that technology effectiveness (in the prevention and the detection of fraud) is a function of TAM variables (such as perceived benefits, organisational readiness, trust, external pressures), contingent factors (size of organisation, set-up and maintenance cost, staff training and infrastructural readiness), and an optimal mix of human and technological capabilities

This dissertation documents two contributions to automating the formal verification of hardware – particularly memory-intensive circuits – by Symbolic Trajectory Evaluation (STE), a model checking technique based on symbolic simulation over abstract sets of states. The contributions focus on improvements to the use of BDD-based STE, which uses binary decision diagrams internally. We introduce a solution to one of the major hurdles in using STE: finding suitable abstractions. Our work has produced the first known algorithm that addresses this problem by automatically discovering good, non-trivial abstractions. These abstractions are computed from the specification, and essentially encode partial input combinations sufficient for determining the specification’s output value. They can then be used to verify whether the hardware model meets its specification using a technique based on and significantly extending previous work by Melham and Jones [2]. Moreover, we prove that our algorithm delivers correct results by construction. We demonstrate that the abstractions received by our algorithm can greatly reduce verification costs with three example hardware designs, typical of the kind of problems faced by the semiconductor design industry. We further propose a refinement method for abstraction schemes when over- abstraction occurs, i.e., when the abstraction hides too much information of the original design to determine whether it meets its specification. The refinement algorithm we present is based on previous work by Chockler et al. [3], which selects refinement candidates by approximating which abstracted input is likely the biggest cause of the abstraction being unsuitable. We extend this work substantially, concentrating on three aspects. First, we suggest how the approach can also work for much more general abstraction schemes. This enables refining any abstraction allowed in STE, rather than just a subset. Second, Chockler et al. describe how to refine an abstraction once a refinement candidate has been identified. We present three additional variants of refining the abstraction. Third, the refinement at its core depends on evaluating circuit logic gates. The previous work offered solutions for NOT- and AND-gates. We propose a general approach to evaluating arbitrary logic gates, which improves the selection process of refinement candidates. We show the effectiveness of our work by automatically refining an abstraction for a content-addressable memory that exhibits over-abstraction, and by evaluating some common logic gates. These two contributions can be used independently to help automate the hard- ware verification by STE, but they also complement each other. To show this, we combine both algorithms to create a fully automatic abstraction discovery and refinement loop. The only inputs required are the hardware design and the specification, which the design should meet. While only small circuits could be verified completely automatically, it clearly shows that our two contributions allow the construction of a verification framework that does not require any user interaction.

Ambientes virtuais tridimensionais imersivos são frequentemente utilizados como apoio às estratégias de treinamento ou educação conduzidas em ambientes reais. Técnicas estereoscópicas como as de anaglifos, obturação e polarização da luz são recursos que oferecem a sensação de imersão nesses ambientes virtuais. É crescente o interesse em pesquisas acerca de como os humanos percebem o espaço e interagem em ambientes virtuais, investigando como componentes de sistemas imersivos afetam a percepção humana. Essa percepção é importante para várias tarefas, como mover objetos e identificar estruturas, que requerem a interpretação e entendimento das informações do espaço. Apesar de tal interesse, não são encontrados na literatura modelos de mensuração de tal percepção. Este cenário constitui um desafio no que concerne à necessidade de criação de modelos para mensurar, independentemente da aplicação, a percepção da tridimensionalidade proporcionada pelas técnicas estereoscópicas citadas. Este projeto de mestrado define, implementa e valida um modelo extensível capaz de avaliar a percepção da tridimensionalidade em sistemas de realidade virtual estereoscópicos no contexto de ambientes que envolvem interação com manipulação de objetos. O escopo da presente pesquisa foi definido mediante a realização de uma Revisão Sistemática, que identificou métodos e parâmetros utilizados na avaliação de ambientes estereoscópicos. Para atingir os objetivos deste trabalho, foram conduzidos experimentos que serviram de base para a definição do modelo. Os resultados dos experimentos indicaram que o modelo elaborado é capaz de compor um veredicto sobre a percepção de tridimensionalidade fornecida por uma técnica, assim como auxiliar na tomada de decisões acerca da utilização de técnicas estereoscópicas em sistemas de RV / Three-Dimensional immersive virtual environments are often used as support for training strategies or education conducted in real environments. Stereoscopic techniques such as anaglyph, shutter glasses and polarized glasses can offer a sense of immersion in these virtual environments. There is a growing interest in research how humans perceive space and interact in virtual environments, investigating how components of immersive systems affect different understanding of space in virtual reality systems. This perception is important for various tasks, such as moving objects and identify structures that require interpretation and understanding of space information. This scenario is a challenge regarding the establishment of models to measure, independently of the application, the perception of three-dimensionality provided by the stereoscopic techniques cited. This master project defines and validates an extensible model able to evaluate the three-dimensionality perception in different virtual reality systems with stereoscopy that involves objects manipulation. The scope of this study was defined with a systematic review that identified methods and parameters used to assess stereoscopic environments. To achieve the objectives of this study, experiments was conducted as the basis to define the model. The results of the experiments indicated that the model developed is able to set a verdict about three-dimensionality perception provided by a stereoscopic technique and assist decision-making regarding the use of stereoscopic techniques in VR systems

Ambientes virtuais tridimensionais imersivos são frequentemente utilizados como apoio às estratégias de treinamento ou educação conduzidas em ambientes reais. Técnicas estereoscópicas como as de anaglifos, obturação e polarização da luz são recursos que oferecem a sensação de imersão nesses ambientes virtuais. É crescente o interesse em pesquisas acerca de como os humanos percebem o espaço e interagem em ambientes virtuais, investigando como componentes de sistemas imersivos afetam a percepção humana. Essa percepção é importante para várias tarefas, como mover objetos e identificar estruturas, que requerem a interpretação e entendimento das informações do espaço. Apesar de tal interesse, não são encontrados na literatura modelos de mensuração de tal percepção. Este cenário constitui um desafio no que concerne à necessidade de criação de modelos para mensurar, independentemente da aplicação, a percepção da tridimensionalidade proporcionada pelas técnicas estereoscópicas citadas. Este projeto de mestrado define, implementa e valida um modelo extensível capaz de avaliar a percepção da tridimensionalidade em sistemas de realidade virtual estereoscópicos no contexto de ambientes que envolvem interação com manipulação de objetos. O escopo da presente pesquisa foi definido mediante a realização de uma Revisão Sistemática, que identificou métodos e parâmetros utilizados na avaliação de ambientes estereoscópicos. Para atingir os objetivos deste trabalho, foram conduzidos experimentos que serviram de base para a definição do modelo. Os resultados dos experimentos indicaram que o modelo elaborado é capaz de compor um veredicto sobre a percepção de tridimensionalidade fornecida por uma técnica, assim como auxiliar na tomada de decisões acerca da utilização de técnicas estereoscópicas em sistemas de RV / Three-Dimensional immersive virtual environments are often used as support for training strategies or education conducted in real environments. Stereoscopic techniques such as anaglyph, shutter glasses and polarized glasses can offer a sense of immersion in these virtual environments. There is a growing interest in research how humans perceive space and interact in virtual environments, investigating how components of immersive systems affect different understanding of space in virtual reality systems. This perception is important for various tasks, such as moving objects and identify structures that require interpretation and understanding of space information. This scenario is a challenge regarding the establishment of models to measure, independently of the application, the perception of three-dimensionality provided by the stereoscopic techniques cited. This master project defines and validates an extensible model able to evaluate the three-dimensionality perception in different virtual reality systems with stereoscopy that involves objects manipulation. The scope of this study was defined with a systematic review that identified methods and parameters used to assess stereoscopic environments. To achieve the objectives of this study, experiments was conducted as the basis to define the model. The results of the experiments indicated that the model developed is able to set a verdict about three-dimensionality perception provided by a stereoscopic technique and assist decision-making regarding the use of stereoscopic techniques in VR systems

Abstract not available

The main claim of this paper is that the minimalist framework and optimality theory adopt more or less the same architecture of grammar: both assume that a generator defines a set S of potentially well-formed expressions that can be generated on the basis of a given input, and that there is an evaluator that selects the expressions from S that are actually grammatical in a given language L. The paper therefore proposes a model of grammar in which the strengths of the two frameworks are combined: more specifically, it is argued that the computational system of human language CHL from MP creates a set S of potentially well-formed expressions, and that these are subsequently evaluated in an optimality theoretic fashion.

This study used a two-phased explanatory mixed-methods design to explore in-depth what factors are perceived by Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) professionals as impacting instructional design practice, how these factors are valued in the field, and what differences in perspectives exist between IDT managers and non-managers. For phase 1 of the study, one hundred and sixteen corporate IDT professionals (managers and non-managers) responded to a web-based survey that was designed and developed from: (a) The results of an exploratory study of the practices of corporate instructional designers, (b) the results of an extensive literature review into the theory and practice in the field of IDT, and (c) other survey instruments developed, validated and used in prior studies. Analysis of the data collected in phase 1 of the study resulted in the development of an Evaluation Model for IDT Practice that was used as a framework to answer the research questions. Quantitative analysis included the use of Hotelling’s T2 inferential statistic to test for mean differences between managers and non-managers perceptions of formal and informally trained groups of IDT personnel. Chi squared analysis test of independence, and correlation analysis was used to determine the nature and extent of the relationship between the type of training and the professional status of the participants. For phase 2 of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with selected participants and analyzed using the constant comparative method in order to help validate the findings from phase 1. Ensuing analysis of the survey data determined that, both managers and non-managers generally agreed that both formal and on the job training was valuable, and that their peers who were formally and informally trained were competent instructional designers. The qualitative phase of the study and a closer examination of effect sizes suggested the potential for some variation in perceptions. In addition, a statistically significant correlation showed that IDT managers who completed the survey were more likely to be formally trained. Recommendations based on the results included future studies with a larger, more diverse population; future studies to refine the Evaluation Model for ID practice; and that academic ID programs work more closely with practitioners when designing and delivering their curricula.