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JAQM Volume 3, Issue 2 - June 30, 2008
Evaluation of Academic Activities in Universities.
Contents
Halos and Horns in the Assessment of Undergraduate Medical Students:
A Consistency-Based Approach (p 116)
Margaret MACDOUGALL,
Simon C. RILEY,
Helen S. CAMERON,
Brian MCKINSTRY
The authors introduce a consistency-based approach to detecting examiner bias. On comparing intra-class correlation coefficients on transformed data for supervisor continuous performance and report marks (ICC1*) with those for supervisor continuous performance and second marker report marks (ICC2*), a highly significant difference was obtained for both the entire cohort (ICC1* = .72, ICC2* = .30, F = 2.47, p < .0005 (N = 1085)) and the subgroup with high supervisor ratings for continuous performance (ICC1* = .62, ICC2* = .24, F = 1.97, p < .0005 (n = 952)). A strong halo effect was detected and preliminary evidence was obtained for the presence of a strong horn effect for students with lower scores, thus providing a basis for future research.
A Three Way Analysis of the Academic Capital of a Romanian University (p
129)
Mihaela Cornelia PREJMEREAN,
Simona VASILACHE
The paper applies three-way analysis (Kroonenberg, 1982, 2008) to the components of academic capital of a Romanian university, over a five-year period, showing the biases and the relations between the various components. The influences from inside the academia are being discussed, together with analyzing their positive or not so positive effect on the variables related to academic capital. The model of intellectual capital, thoroughly discussed in literature, is being adapted to this particular situation, of a university in the situation of "leasing" its academic capital for the sake of academic capitalism. The tensions between the two concepts are underlined, in a framework which, being applicable to every university, relies on data collected from a Romanian economic university.
Evaluation of Training Programs for Rural Development (p
139)
A. INDIRA
An Evaluation of the “Impact Assessment of the Training Programs” of a National Level Training Institution in India was conducted using the Kirkpatrick Method (KP Method). The studied Institution takes up research, provides training, offers consultancy and initiates action in the rural sector of India. The evaluation study used a detailed questionnaire for conducting a survey on the entire population of participants who attended the training programs in the selected study period. Personal interviews and workshops were also conducted with respondents to understand the behavioural changes and results seen in the work environment. The study brought out the need to understand the training evaluation as a continuous process, requiring periodic review and analysis of the needs of the various sectors of rural development. It reiterated the need to develop a systematic evaluation process within the institution. It also showed that the rural development professionals undergoing training themselves were keen to participate in the evaluation process so as to help in the process of self-learning and bring about sustainable changes.
Validity, Reliability and Difficulty Indices for Instructor-Built Exam
Questions (p 151)
Gholamreza JANDAGHI,
Fatemeh SHATERIAN
The purpose of the research is to determine college Instructor’s skill rate in designing exam questions in chemistry subject. The statistical population was all of chemistry exam scripts for two semesters in one academic year from which a sample of 364 exam scripts was drawn using multistage cluster sampling. Two experts assessed the scripts and by using appropriate indices and z-test and chi-squared test the analysis of the data was done. We found that the designed exams have suitable coefficients of validity and reliability. The level of difficulty of exams was high. No significant relationship was found between male and female instructors in terms of the coefficient of validity and reliability but a significant difference between the difficulty level in male and female instructors was found(P<.001). It means that female instructors had designed more difficult questions. We did not find any significant relationship between the instructors’ gender and the coefficient of discrimination of the exams.
Quantitative Methods Inquires
Modelling Unemployment Rate Using Box-Jenkins Procedure
(p 156)
Ion DOBRE,
Adriana AnaMaria ALEXANDRU
This paper aims to modelling the evolution of unemployment rate using the Box-Jenkins methodology during the period 1998-2007 monthly data. The empirical study relieves that the most adequate model for the unemployment rate is ARIMA (2,1,2). Using the model, we forecasts the values of unemployment rate for January and February 2008.Therefore, the unemployment rate for January 2008 is 4.06%.
Qualifying Purchase Intentions Using Queueing Theory
(p 167)
Ercan TIRTIROGLU,
Matt ELBECK
We propose that a consumer’s purchase behaviour emulates a cognitive framework such that an appropriately selected queueing model can be used to assess the credibility of a consumer’s expression of purchase intention to proceed into purchase action. The modelling idea is to envision that the customer has a mental queue of needs, and the surfacing of a need represents a new arrival to this queue while a purchase satisfying a need represents a departure from the queue. Using queueing formulae (and/or readily available tables on queueing), several statistics known as "operating characteristics" can be computed to capture and describe the individual’s current need status. Hence, a description of the customer’s state of readiness or prospect of actually executing the expressed purchase intention for a product (good or service) whose future sales are of interest in a market survey may be obtained. In this paper, such a description is termed Individual Buyer Profile (IBP), and IBP is offered as a purchase intention qualifier.
Improving the Performance of Sparse LU Matrix Factorization Using a Supernodal
Algorithm
(p
179)
Bogdan OANCEA
In this paper we investigate a method to improve the performance of sparse LU matrix factorization used to solve unsymmetric linear systems, which appear in many mathematical models. We introduced and used the concept of the supernode for unsymmetric matrices in order to use dense matrix operations to perform the LU factorization for sparse matrices. We describe an algorithm that uses supernodes for unsymmetric matrices and we indicate methods to locate these supernodes. Using these ideas we developed a code for sparse LU matrix factorisation. We conducted experiments to evaluate the performance of this algorithm using several sparse matrices. We also made comparisons with other available software packages for sparse LU factorisation.
Money Demand in Romanian Economy, Using Multiple Regression Method and
Unrestricted VAR Model
(p
187)
Mariana KAZNOVSKY
The paper describes the money demand in Romanian economy using two econometrics models. The first model consist in a multiple regression between demand money, monthly inflation rate, Industrial production Index and the foreign exchange rate RON/Euro. The second model (Unrestricted Vector AutoRegressive model) is applied for the same variables used in the first model. Identifying a statistically strong model, capable of stable estimations for the money demand function in Romania’s economy constitutes a prerequisite to the application of an efficient monetary policy.
Book
Review (p
196)
Bogdan Vasile ILEANU
Book Review on
Econometric Theory and Practice ("Teorie si Practica Econometrica")
by Vergil VOINEAGU, Emilia TITAN, Radu SERBAN, Simona GHITA, Daniela TODOSE, Cristina BOBOC, Daniel PELE
Published by Meteor Press,
Bucharest, 2007