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abstract: This mixed methods action research project focused on improving external teacher evaluators’ self-efficacy for providing effective feedback during teacher evaluation conferences. More specifically, this project explored how and to what extent an intervention of a professional development model influenced external teacher evaluators’ self-efficacy for providing effective feedback during teacher evaluation conferences and how the intervention influenced external evaluators’ perception of effectiveness when providing feedback during pre- and post- evaluation conferences. Self-efficacy theory, sociocultural theory, and the community of practice framework informed the intervention. Six external teacher evaluators participated in the study from July through December of 2017. The professional development model consisted of cycles of community of practice meetings, buddy shadowing experiences, post-buddy shadowing reflective conversations, and personal reflection. Data were collected in the form of pre- and post-intervention surveys, pre- and post-intervention interviews, reflective journal entries, and Wordles. The results from this study indicated an increase in the evaluators’ self-efficacy for providing feedback during teacher evaluation conferences and an increase in perceived effectiveness. Successful experiences of providing feedback during teacher evaluation conferences, experiences of observing and listening to other evaluators, and engagement in reflective conversations influenced external evaluators’ self-efficacy for providing effective feedback during teacher evaluation conferences. The external evaluators expressed value in the professional development experience. During the intervention, evaluators gained ideas and strategies to apply in their practice and engaged in high levels of reflection. Outcomes from the research project suggest two main implications for practice: professional development in the form of social learning and reflection as a process for growth. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

We develop a datapath generator for various arithmetic function units required in the design of the geometry subsystem in the 3D graphics application. The operations considered in the geometry subsystem include coordinate transformations and lighting. The generator will automatically generate efficient designs of function units based on the requirements of area, speed and accuracy. The major function units designed in this thesis are divided into two parts: multiplier-related function units and single-value arithmetic function units. In the generation of multipliers, we consider the design of truncated multipliers to reduce the area cost. In the design of other function evaluators, we consider two table-based methods: piecewise interpolation table-based method and the multipartite table-based method.

This study examined the process of third-party scoring of organizational self-assessments. An experiment was conducted to illustrate the magnitude of score consistency and accuracy among evaluators, estimate the impact of frame-of-reference (FOR) training on score consistency and accuracy, and explore the relationship between evaluator characteristics and score accuracy. The organizational self-assessment used was the 1995 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Colony Fasteners Case Study. The subjects were 81 graduate students enrolled in two televised graduate engineering courses with considerable quality management content. Subjects were randomly assigned to groups and randomly assigned to four of the seven categories of the Baldrige Award. Each subject evaluated the case study against two categories prior to the treatment. Subjects in the control group evaluated two additional categories and then a two and one-half hour FOR training intervention was provided to all subjects. Next, subjects in the treatment group evaluated their two additional categories. Finally, a questionnaire was administered regarding evaluator characteristics related to previous experience and education. Accuracy was assessed by comparing subjects’ scores to experts’ scores and calculating indices (elevation and dimensional accuracy) for each subject’s scores on each category. Prior to training, no statistical differences were found between groups, but a leniency effect was observed for all subjects. Category 6.0, Business Results, and Category 7.0, Customer Focus and Satisfaction, had statistically smaller score variances than the other five categories. After training, group x time ANOVAs found evidence of an interaction. Examination of simple effects found significant differences between the group mean scores for all three items from Category 6.0 and two of the four items from Category 5.0. Significant simple time effects were found for all three items from Category 6.0 for the treatment group. No meaningful differences were found between group score variances. A significant difference in category score variance was seen across categories for the untrained group. Training improved elevation accuracy, but no evidence was seen of effects on DA. Exploratory regression produced a prediction equation for DA with an adjusted R-square of 0.538. Predictors included work experience, QA/QC experience, employer’s industry and employer’s size. / Ph. D.

O objetivo geral deste trabalho é propor um instrumento de avaliação do nível de habilidades técnicas ofensivas do basquetebol para atletas e escolares de 10 a 11 anos. A mostra do estudo é de 64 meninos, dentre eles, 48 são escolares e 16 são atletas de basquetebol. Os testes propostos passaram primeiramente por um processo de validação de conteúdo, sendo considerado como válido, e posteriormente por uma validação de construto, através do método de grupos diferenciados, ao qual também teve os critérios atendidos. As habilidades técnicas a serem avaliadas são: drible, passe e arremesso. A reprodutibilidade dos testes foram avaliadas através de coeficientes de correlação intra-classe e correlação de alpha de Cronbach.Na verificação da objetividade foi utilizado também correlações intra-classe e alpha de Cronbach. Foi analisado a assimetria (skewness) e o achatamento (kurtosis) da curva. O teste de Shapiro Wilk foi utilizado para verificar a normalidade dos dados dos atletas. Foi utilizado um nível de significância de 5% para todas as análises. Para o estabelecimento de critérios de seleção em escolares a metodologia utilizada foi a técnica multivariada da Análise da Função Discriminante. Os resultados apresentados em relação a objetividade foram expressos através de alphas de Cronbach de 0,97. A reprodutibilidade dos dados de arremesso apresentou um aplha Cronbach de 0,88. Sobre os dados de passe a reprodutibilidade manifestou um alpha de 0,83, enquanto no drible foi de 0,96. Quanto ao estabelecimento de critérios de performance através da análise da função discriminante, demonstrou que todas a as variáveis utilizadas na equação entre elas, passe, drible e arremesso, tem poder de discriminar atletas e escolares. / The overall aim of this work isto propose a tool for assessing lhe level of technichal skills for offensive basketaball athletes and schollchildren of 10 to 11 years. The sample is 64 childrens, amog them, 48 are scholars and 16 are basketball players. The proposed tests passed first trough a process of content validation, being considered as valid, and later by a construct validation, through the method of differentiated groups, which had also met the criteria. The technichal skills to be assessed are dribbling, passing and shooting. The reliability of tests were evaluated using intra class correlation coefficients and Cronbach’s alpha correlation. On verification of intra evaluator reliability was also used intra-class correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. We analyzed the simetry (skewness) and flatenning (kurtosis) of the curve. The Shapiro Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the data of athletes. We used a significance level of 5% for all analyzes. To estabilish selection criteria in students the methodology used was the technique of multivariate analysis is discriminant function analysis. The results presented in relation to objectivity were expressed by Cronbach’s alphas of 0.97. The reproducibility of the data presented a shooting Cronbach alpha of 0.88. About the passing, the reproducibility showed na alpha of 0.83, while the dribbling was used discriminant function analysis and the result was shown that all variables used in this model, including, passing, dribbling and shooting has power to discriminate school athletes.

O objetivo geral deste trabalho é propor um instrumento de avaliação do nível de habilidades técnicas ofensivas do basquetebol para atletas e escolares de 10 a 11 anos. A mostra do estudo é de 64 meninos, dentre eles, 48 são escolares e 16 são atletas de basquetebol. Os testes propostos passaram primeiramente por um processo de validação de conteúdo, sendo considerado como válido, e posteriormente por uma validação de construto, através do método de grupos diferenciados, ao qual também teve os critérios atendidos. As habilidades técnicas a serem avaliadas são: drible, passe e arremesso. A reprodutibilidade dos testes foram avaliadas através de coeficientes de correlação intra-classe e correlação de alpha de Cronbach.Na verificação da objetividade foi utilizado também correlações intra-classe e alpha de Cronbach. Foi analisado a assimetria (skewness) e o achatamento (kurtosis) da curva. O teste de Shapiro Wilk foi utilizado para verificar a normalidade dos dados dos atletas. Foi utilizado um nível de significância de 5% para todas as análises. Para o estabelecimento de critérios de seleção em escolares a metodologia utilizada foi a técnica multivariada da Análise da Função Discriminante. Os resultados apresentados em relação a objetividade foram expressos através de alphas de Cronbach de 0,97. A reprodutibilidade dos dados de arremesso apresentou um aplha Cronbach de 0,88. Sobre os dados de passe a reprodutibilidade manifestou um alpha de 0,83, enquanto no drible foi de 0,96. Quanto ao estabelecimento de critérios de performance através da análise da função discriminante, demonstrou que todas a as variáveis utilizadas na equação entre elas, passe, drible e arremesso, tem poder de discriminar atletas e escolares. / The overall aim of this work isto propose a tool for assessing lhe level of technichal skills for offensive basketaball athletes and schollchildren of 10 to 11 years. The sample is 64 childrens, amog them, 48 are scholars and 16 are basketball players. The proposed tests passed first trough a process of content validation, being considered as valid, and later by a construct validation, through the method of differentiated groups, which had also met the criteria. The technichal skills to be assessed are dribbling, passing and shooting. The reliability of tests were evaluated using intra class correlation coefficients and Cronbach’s alpha correlation. On verification of intra evaluator reliability was also used intra-class correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. We analyzed the simetry (skewness) and flatenning (kurtosis) of the curve. The Shapiro Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the data of athletes. We used a significance level of 5% for all analyzes. To estabilish selection criteria in students the methodology used was the technique of multivariate analysis is discriminant function analysis. The results presented in relation to objectivity were expressed by Cronbach’s alphas of 0.97. The reproducibility of the data presented a shooting Cronbach alpha of 0.88. About the passing, the reproducibility showed na alpha of 0.83, while the dribbling was used discriminant function analysis and the result was shown that all variables used in this model, including, passing, dribbling and shooting has power to discriminate school athletes.

O objetivo geral deste trabalho é propor um instrumento de avaliação do nível de habilidades técnicas ofensivas do basquetebol para atletas e escolares de 10 a 11 anos. A mostra do estudo é de 64 meninos, dentre eles, 48 são escolares e 16 são atletas de basquetebol. Os testes propostos passaram primeiramente por um processo de validação de conteúdo, sendo considerado como válido, e posteriormente por uma validação de construto, através do método de grupos diferenciados, ao qual também teve os critérios atendidos. As habilidades técnicas a serem avaliadas são: drible, passe e arremesso. A reprodutibilidade dos testes foram avaliadas através de coeficientes de correlação intra-classe e correlação de alpha de Cronbach.Na verificação da objetividade foi utilizado também correlações intra-classe e alpha de Cronbach. Foi analisado a assimetria (skewness) e o achatamento (kurtosis) da curva. O teste de Shapiro Wilk foi utilizado para verificar a normalidade dos dados dos atletas. Foi utilizado um nível de significância de 5% para todas as análises. Para o estabelecimento de critérios de seleção em escolares a metodologia utilizada foi a técnica multivariada da Análise da Função Discriminante. Os resultados apresentados em relação a objetividade foram expressos através de alphas de Cronbach de 0,97. A reprodutibilidade dos dados de arremesso apresentou um aplha Cronbach de 0,88. Sobre os dados de passe a reprodutibilidade manifestou um alpha de 0,83, enquanto no drible foi de 0,96. Quanto ao estabelecimento de critérios de performance através da análise da função discriminante, demonstrou que todas a as variáveis utilizadas na equação entre elas, passe, drible e arremesso, tem poder de discriminar atletas e escolares. / The overall aim of this work isto propose a tool for assessing lhe level of technichal skills for offensive basketaball athletes and schollchildren of 10 to 11 years. The sample is 64 childrens, amog them, 48 are scholars and 16 are basketball players. The proposed tests passed first trough a process of content validation, being considered as valid, and later by a construct validation, through the method of differentiated groups, which had also met the criteria. The technichal skills to be assessed are dribbling, passing and shooting. The reliability of tests were evaluated using intra class correlation coefficients and Cronbach’s alpha correlation. On verification of intra evaluator reliability was also used intra-class correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. We analyzed the simetry (skewness) and flatenning (kurtosis) of the curve. The Shapiro Wilk test was used to verify the normality of the data of athletes. We used a significance level of 5% for all analyzes. To estabilish selection criteria in students the methodology used was the technique of multivariate analysis is discriminant function analysis. The results presented in relation to objectivity were expressed by Cronbach’s alphas of 0.97. The reproducibility of the data presented a shooting Cronbach alpha of 0.88. About the passing, the reproducibility showed na alpha of 0.83, while the dribbling was used discriminant function analysis and the result was shown that all variables used in this model, including, passing, dribbling and shooting has power to discriminate school athletes.

La présence d'un explosif à l’intérieur d’un avion est une menace importante pour l'intégrité de l'aéronef et de ses occupants. Par le passé, des études ont été menées pour étudier la vulnérabilité au souffle de fuselages métalliques, sans que les approches associées aient fait l'objet de démarches scientifiques avancées. De plus, pour les fuselages en matériaux composites des nouvelles flottes (Airbus A350, Boeing 787), très peu d’informations sont disponibles en littérature ouverte. Il est donc nécessaire d’obtenir des informations pour ces nouvelles générations, mais aussi de proposer des approches à la fois scientifiques et performantes en termes de réduction de coût. Réaliser une campagne d’essais riche sur un fuselage en composite à taille réelle n'est possible que pour un nombre limité d’essais et un coût élevé. En effet, suivant l’emplacement de la bombe et sa distance par rapport à la peau ou sa masse, la réponse de la structure varie considérablement avec des scénarii d’endommagement variés. Pour intégrer la multiplicité des scénarii avec un souci de réduction des coûts, ce travail propose l’utilisation de pièces de dimensions et coût limités appelées Evaluateurs Technologiques Multi-instrumentés (ETMI). Comme cela a déjà été fait dans la littérature dans le cas de sollicitations quasi statiques, ces ETMIs prennent part à un dialogue essais/calculs adapté aux structures composites. Ici la zone d'intérêt est une zone de peau comprise entre deux cadres et deux lisses. Des simulations numériques à la fois de la structure de référence et des évaluateurs guident le dimensionnement des ETMIs. Après une présentation de la phase de conception, la fabrication des ETMIs est détaillée, ainsi que l’instrumentation mise en place pour suivre notamment les conditions de polymérisation. Cette instrumentation in situ est mise à profit lors d'essais de souffle sur les ETMIs. Une caractérisation préalable de la sollicitation de souffle est présentée puis une analyse de la réponse structurale de l’ETMI est réalisée. La démarche s'achève par la présentation de l'enrichissement des modèles utilisés initialement dans le dimensionnement à l’aide des résultats des essais. / La présence d'un explosif à l’intérieur d’un avion est une menace importante pour l'intégrité de l'aéronef et de ses occupants. Par le passé, des études ont été menées pour étudier la vulnérabilité au souffle de fuselages métalliques, sans que les approches associées aient fait l'objet de démarches scientifiques avancées. De plus, pour les fuselages en matériaux composites des nouvelles flottes (Airbus A350, Boeing 787), très peu d’informations sont disponibles en littérature ouverte. Il est donc nécessaire d’obtenir des informations pour ces nouvelles générations, mais aussi de proposer des approches à la fois scientifiques et performantes en termes de réduction de coût. Réaliser une campagne d’essais riche sur un fuselage en composite à taille réelle n'est possible que pour un nombre limité d’essais et un coût élevé. En effet, suivant l’emplacement de la bombe et sa distance par rapport à la peau ou sa masse, la réponse de la structure varie considérablement avec des scénarii d’endommagement variés. Pour intégrer la multiplicité des scénarii avec un souci de réduction des coûts, ce travail propose l’utilisation de pièces de dimensions et coût limités appelées Evaluateurs Technologiques Multi-instrumentés (ETMI). Comme cela a déjà été fait dans la littérature dans le cas de sollicitations quasi statiques, ces ETMIs prennent part à un dialogue essais/calculs adapté aux structures composites. Ici la zone d'intérêt est une zone de peau comprise entre deux cadres et deux lisses. Des simulations numériques à la fois de la structure de référence et des évaluateurs guident le dimensionnement des ETMIs. Après une présentation de la phase de conception, la fabrication des ETMIs est détaillée, ainsi que l’instrumentation mise en place pour suivre notamment les conditions de polymérisation. Cette instrumentation in situ est mise à profit lors d'essais de souffle sur les ETMIs. Une caractérisation préalable de la sollicitation de souffle est présentée puis une analyse de la réponse structurale de l’ETMI est réalisée. La démarche s'achève par la présentation de l'enrichissement des modèles utilisés initialement dans le dimensionnement à l’aide des résultats des essais.

Previous usability evaluation method (UEM) comparison studies have noted an evaluator effect on problem detection in heuristic evaluation, with evaluators differing in problems found and problem severity judgments. There have been few studies of the evaluator effect in usability testing (UT), task-based testing with end-users. UEM comparison studies focus on counting usability problems detected, but we also need to assess the content of usability problem descriptions (UPDs) to more fully measure evaluation effectiveness. The goals of this research were to develop UPD guidelines, explore the evaluator effect in UT, and evaluate the usefulness of the guidelines for grading UPD content. Ten guidelines for writing UPDs were developed by consulting usability practitioners through two questionnaires and a card sort. These guidelines are (briefly): be clear and avoid jargon, describe problem severity, provide backing data, describe problem causes, describe user actions, provide a solution, consider politics and diplomacy, be professional and scientific, describe your methodology, and help the reader sympathize with the user. A fourth study compared usability reports collected from 44 evaluators, both practitioners and graduate students, watching the same 10-minute UT session recording. Three judges measured problem detection for each evaluator and graded the reports for following 6 of the UPD guidelines. There was support for existence of an evaluator effect, even when watching pre-recorded sessions, with low to moderate individual thoroughness of problem detection across all/severe problems (22%/34%), reliability of problem detection (37%/50%) and reliability of severity judgments (57% for severe ratings). Practitioners received higher grades averaged across the 6 guidelines than students did, suggesting that the guidelines may be useful for grading reports. The grades for the guidelines were not correlated with thoroughness, suggesting that the guideline grades complement measures of problem detection. A simulation of evaluators working in groups found a 34% increase in severe problems found by adding a second evaluator. The simulation also found that thoroughness of individual evaluators would have been overestimated if the study had included a small number of evaluators. The final recommendations are to use multiple evaluators in UT, and to assess both problem detection and description when measuring evaluation effectiveness. / Ph. D.

Heuristic Evaluation (HE) is a popular method of usability inspection. However, its outcomes are dependent on the expertise of evaluators. This study explored and described the difference in quality of outcomes (reports) of a collaborative HE conducted by evaluator groups of distinct composition, regarding different numbers of expert evaluators in each group. Twenty-seven (27) evaluators voluntarily contributed with this study, nine (9) expert and 18 novice evaluators. Thus, I organized seven (7) HE groups according to four (4) different levels of the factor presence of an expert, which ranged from no expert up to three (3) experts in the same group. Each group agreed to provide their reports for this study. Thereafter, I conducted a comparative analysis on the reports based on standard methods of the field and on a cluster analysis of similarities. I described the F-measure for each group report according to a relaxed and a strict criteria. Also, I described the dendrograms formed from the cluster analysis and the respective similarities indicated by each cluster. The results showed that the quality of reports from collaborative HE conducted by experts and novices together can be more similar to the quality of reports from a traditional HE with multiple expert inspectors (Benchmark Group) then to the quality of reports from a collaborative HE conducted by a group composed only by novice evaluators (Baseline Group). Finally, I discuss additional findings and implications for future studies in the field. / A Avaliação Heurística (AH) é um método popular de inspeção de usabilidade. Entretanto, seus resultados são dependentes da experiência dos avaliadores. Este estudo explorou e descreveu a diferença na qualidade de resultados (relatórios) de AH colaborativa conduzida por grupos de avaliadores de composição distinta, considerando diferentes quantidades de avaliadores experientes em cada grupo. Vinte e sete (27) avaliadores contribuíram voluntariamente com este estudo, nove (9) experientes e 18 novatos. Assim, foram organizados sete (7) grupos de AH, de acordo com quatro (4) níveis diferentes do fator presença de avaliador experiente, variando de nenhum experiente até três (3) avaliadores experientes no mesmo grupo. Cada grupo de avaliadores concordou em entregar seus relatórios de AH para este estudo. A partir de tais relatórios, foi conduzida uma análise comparativa baseada em métodos específicos da área, e também baseado em uma análise de agrupamento com base em medidas de similaridade. Como resultado, descreveu-se as medidas F (F-measure) referentes ao relatório de cada grupo respeitando critérios estritos e relaxados de comparação. Além disto, foram descritos os dendrogramas resultados das análises de agrupamento. Os resultados mostraram que a qualidade de relatórios de AH colaborativas conduzidas por avaliadores experientes e novatos juntos pode ser mais similar à qualidade de relatórios de AH tradicional conduzida por múltiplos avaliadores experientes (Grupo Benchmark) do que à qualidade de relatórios de AH colaborativa conduzida por grupos formados apenas por avaliadores novatos (Grupo Baseline). Finalmente, discutiu-se resultados adicionais e implicações para pesquisas futuras na área.