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- Title
- EFFECT OF REPEATED FUNCTION ALLOCATION AND RELIABILITY ON AUTOMATION INDUCED MONITORING INEFFICIENCY.
- Creator
-
Jones, Lauriann, Mouloua, Mustapha, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study is to extend previous findings of Mouloua, Parasuraman, and Molloy (1993), Parasuraman, Mouloua, and Molloy (1996), Hilburn, Parasuraman, and Mouloua (1996), and Oakley, Mouloua, and Hancock (2003) by: 1) examining the effect of repeated adaptive function allocation to manual control of minimal length (5 minutes) to reduce of human error and minimize workload; 2) explore the placement or timing of adaptive function allocation intervals (approximately 20 minutes of...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to extend previous findings of Mouloua, Parasuraman, and Molloy (1993), Parasuraman, Mouloua, and Molloy (1996), Hilburn, Parasuraman, and Mouloua (1996), and Oakley, Mouloua, and Hancock (2003) by: 1) examining the effect of repeated adaptive function allocation to manual control of minimal length (5 minutes) to reduce of human error and minimize workload; 2) explore the placement or timing of adaptive function allocation intervals (approximately 20 minutes of automation control to reduce the human operators' monitoring decrement between intervals, maintain adaptive recovery performance levels, and improve response times); 3) examine different levels of automation reliability (30%, 60%, and 90% reliable); 4) explore factors that may be manipulated to reduce automation-induced monitoring inefficiency, increase detection of automation malfunctions, improve situation awareness, reduce response/reaction times, and reduce workload in a simulated complex aviation system. The study was a 2 (non-adaptive control vs. adaptive group) x 3 (30%, 60%, and 90% automation reliability condition) x 4 (repeated 25 minute session) mixed factorial design. Fifty-four undergraduate participants' (i.e., 27 participants per group; 9 participants per condition; at least 18 yrs. of age) percentage of detected malfunctions, response times, and subjective workload were gathered from the Multi-Attribute Task Battery and the NASA TLX. Results indicated a significant improvement in detection of malfunctions and response times during adaptive-function allocation to manual control but without adaptive recovery. There was a significant effect for workload found between baseline measures and experimental sessions by group in the first session but not across experimental sessions. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations and future research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001874, ucf:47387
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001874
- Title
- VALUING VOLUNTEERS:THE IMPACT OF VOLUNTEERISM ON HOSPITAL PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
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Hotchkiss, Renee, Fottler, Myron, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Volunteers have been present in healthcare settings for centuries, however there is little empirical evidence supporting the impact that volunteers make on hospital performance. Since the 1990s, hospitals in the United States have had a great deal of pressure to produce high quality care at minimum expense. With the pressures of managed care and accrediting agencies, the benefits of using volunteers in a hospital setting are multiplied. Furthermore, as the population of the United States...
Show moreVolunteers have been present in healthcare settings for centuries, however there is little empirical evidence supporting the impact that volunteers make on hospital performance. Since the 1990s, hospitals in the United States have had a great deal of pressure to produce high quality care at minimum expense. With the pressures of managed care and accrediting agencies, the benefits of using volunteers in a hospital setting are multiplied. Furthermore, as the population of the United States grows and the aging population creates more healthcare needs, the need for volunteers in hospitals may increase. This study utilized multiple regression analysis to explore the belief that the volunteer workforce is cost effective and can greatly enhance quality in a hospital setting. Hospitals throughout the state of Florida were invited to participate in the study by completing a brief questionnaire about their volunteer programs. Performance indicators of profit margin, volunteer cost savings, and patient satisfaction scores were analyzed using American Hospital Association and Agency for Health Care Administration data sets along with data obtained from the questionnaire. Results indicate that the use of volunteers offer significant cost savings to hospitals. Furthermore, the assignment of volunteers in patient settings can enhance a hospital's patient satisfaction scores. It also suggests that there is a need to further explore the impact of volunteers on other performance measures. Future research opportunities and policy recommendations are suggested.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001846, ucf:47359
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001846
- Title
- USING STUDENT MOOD AND TASK PERFORMANCE TO TRAIN CLASSIFIER ALGORITHMS TO SELECT EFFECTIVE COACHING STRATEGIES WITHIN INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEMS (ITS).
- Creator
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Sottilare, Robert, Proctor, Michael, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The ultimate goal of this research was to improve student performance by adjusting an Intelligent Tutoring System's (ITS) coaching strategy based on the student's mood. As a step toward this goal, this study evaluated the relationships between each student's mood variables (pleasure, arousal, dominance and mood intensity), the coaching strategy selected by the ITS and the student's performance. Outcomes included methods to increase the perception of the intelligent tutor to...
Show moreThe ultimate goal of this research was to improve student performance by adjusting an Intelligent Tutoring System's (ITS) coaching strategy based on the student's mood. As a step toward this goal, this study evaluated the relationships between each student's mood variables (pleasure, arousal, dominance and mood intensity), the coaching strategy selected by the ITS and the student's performance. Outcomes included methods to increase the perception of the intelligent tutor to allow it to adapt coaching strategies (methods of instruction) to the student's affective needs to mitigate barriers to performance (e.g. negative affect) during the one-to-one tutoring process. The study evaluated whether the affective state (specifically mood) of the student moderated the student's interaction with the tutor and influenced performance. This research examined the relationships, interactions and influences of student mood in the selection of ITS coaching strategies to determine which strategies were more effective in terms of student performance given the student's mood, state (recent sleep time, previous knowledge and training, and interest level) and actions (e.g. mouse movement rate). Two coaching strategies were used in this study: Student-Requested Feedback (SRF) and Tutor-Initiated Feedback (TIF). The SRF coaching strategy provided feedback in the form of hints, questions, direction and support only when the student requested help. The TIF coaching strategy provided feedback (hints, questions, direction or support) at key junctures in the learning process when the student either made progress or failed to make progress in a timely fashion. The relationships between the coaching strategies, mood, performance and other variables of interest were considered in light of five hypotheses. At alpha = .05 and beta at least as great as .80, significant effects were limited in predicting performance. Highlighted findings include no significant differences in the mean performance due to coaching strategies, and only small effect sizes in predicting performance making the regression models developed not of practical significance. However, several variables including performance, energy level and mouse movement rates were significant, unobtrusive predictors of mood. Regression algorithms were developed using Arbuckle's (2008) Analysis of MOment Structures (AMOS) tool to compare the predicted performance for each strategy and then to choose the optimal strategy. A set of production rules were also developed to train a machine learning classifier using Witten & Frank's (2005) Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) toolset. The classifier was tested to determine its ability to recognize critical relationships and adjust coaching strategies to improve performance. This study found that the ability of the intelligent tutor to recognize key affective relationships contributes to improved performance. Study assumptions include a normal distribution of student mood variables, student state variables and student action variables and the equal mean performance of the two coaching strategy groups (student-requested feedback and tutor-initiated feedback ). These assumptions were substantiated in the study. Potential applications of this research are broad since its approach is application independent and could be used within ill-defined or very complex domains where judgment might be influenced by affect (e.g. study of the law, decisions involving risk of injury or death, negotiations or investment decisions). Recommendations for future research include evaluation of the temporal, as well as numerical, relationships of student mood, performance, actions and state variables.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002528, ucf:47644
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002528
- Title
- PROJECT REVIEW MATURITY AND PROJECT PERFORMANCE: AN EMPIRICAL CASE STUDY.
- Creator
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Vergopia, Catherine, Kotnour, Timothy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Many organizations use project management maturity models to improve their project performance. These systematic and sequential frameworks are designed to help organizations quantify their project management maturity and improve their project management processes. However, these models rarely put enough emphasis on project reviews as tools to improve project performance, because, too often, project reviews are considered as non-productive administrative processes. The lack of emphasis on...
Show moreMany organizations use project management maturity models to improve their project performance. These systematic and sequential frameworks are designed to help organizations quantify their project management maturity and improve their project management processes. However, these models rarely put enough emphasis on project reviews as tools to improve project performance, because, too often, project reviews are considered as non-productive administrative processes. The lack of emphasis on project reviews in project management maturity models is also illustrated by the limited amount of research published on the relationship between project reviews and project performance. Based on the concept of project management maturity models, this dissertation presents a project review maturity model used to measure the project review maturity for four (4) types of reviews (routine, gate, post-mortem, and focused-learning) as well as the overall project review maturity. In addition, this research establishes the quantitative relationship between project review maturity and project performance. This dissertation also quantifies the concept of project review performance and its relationship with project performance for all four (4) types of reviews, as well as for the overall project review performance. Finally, this research provides enablers, barriers, and best practices for effective reviews, based on the answers of written interview questions, and observations from a post-mortem review meeting at a highly-technical organization. The empirical case study and survey analysis conducted by this dissertation led to some unique findings. Five (5) specific conclusions were developed: •Organizations use all types of reviews in their project management procedures, and view each review role differently. •Some reviews are more related than others to project performance, although generally, review maturity and performance are significantly relevant to project performance. •Organization culture (beliefs, expected actions, etc.) is not significantly relevant to project team members when assessing project status or PM procedures during project life-cycle. •Post-mortem and focused-learning reviews are linked with higher levels of learning than routine and gate reviews. •Effective reviews need managerial support. This research is the first of its kind to show significant positive relationships between project review maturity and performance with project performance and to provide quantifiable results for organizations to further improve their review processes.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002401, ucf:47743
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002401
- Title
- HOME SCHOOL VERSUS OTHER APPLICANTS TO POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS: ADMISSION POLICIES AND IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS.
- Creator
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Ashford, Rebecca, Pawlas, George, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this study, 94 colleges and universities in Florida were surveyed to determine what their admission policies were for home school applicants. Forty-six colleges responded to the survey. The results of the survey were analyzed to determine if there was a pattern of acceptance based on institution type--public, private, or proprietary. Further, the admission policies were analyzed to determine the extent to which they complied with the National Center for Home Education's (NCHE) recommend...
Show moreIn this study, 94 colleges and universities in Florida were surveyed to determine what their admission policies were for home school applicants. Forty-six colleges responded to the survey. The results of the survey were analyzed to determine if there was a pattern of acceptance based on institution type--public, private, or proprietary. Further, the admission policies were analyzed to determine the extent to which they complied with the National Center for Home Education's (NCHE) recommend college admission policies for home school applicants. The researcher found that public colleges were more likely to accept home school students than were private colleges. Also, public colleges had less stringent admission requirements for home school students than did private colleges. Further, home school admission policies in place in Florida's public colleges were more likely to comply with the NCHE's recommended admission policies for home school applicants. In addition to reviewing college admission policies for home school students, the standardized test scores and grade point averages of home school and public school students enrolled in a Florida, public community college were compared. The standardized test scores compared were the College Placement Test (CPT) and the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT). The researcher found no difference in the mean grade point averages of home school and public school students enrolled in a Florida, public community college. Also, the researcher found no difference in the mean CPT algebra, CPT reading, or SAT mathematics scores of home school and public school students. There was, however, a significant difference in the CPT writing and SAT verbal scores for these two groups of students. Home school students scored significantly higher than public school students on the CPT writing and the SAT verbal tests.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000601, ucf:46536
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000601
- Title
- EFFECTS OF VOLUNTARY CONTROL ON PERFORMANCE RESPONSE UNDER STRESS.
- Creator
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Morris, Christina Shawn, Hancock, Peter A., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Recent stressful environments within military and non-military domains are producing a new challenge for the lab-based study of stress on task performance, one that requires knowledge of underlying cognitive-motivational and goal orientation factors. Results of recent stress on task performance research traditionally employ metaphorical explanations (i.e., resource theory) in order to rapidly apply stimulus-response outcomes to the real world counterparts. This dissertation provides an...
Show moreRecent stressful environments within military and non-military domains are producing a new challenge for the lab-based study of stress on task performance, one that requires knowledge of underlying cognitive-motivational and goal orientation factors. Results of recent stress on task performance research traditionally employ metaphorical explanations (i.e., resource theory) in order to rapidly apply stimulus-response outcomes to the real world counterparts. This dissertation provides an alternative perspective about these metaphorical, or black box, interpretations and reveals how they may be confounded with respect to the intended real world counterpart. To examine how voluntary human control can influence traditional stress/no-stress research findings, traditional as well as exploratory paradigms were presented. Both noise and time pressure conditions produced significant differences between experimental and control groups on visual discrimination. However, when analogous cash payment-contingency conditions were employed, the traditional stress/no-stress findings were not evident. In addition, a second experiment revealed that this trend of differences (and non-differences) held consistently over 30 minutes of interrupted task performance time. This study indicates the importance of developing more diagnostic measures that include assessments of how the differences between participants' and the generalized operators' goals and motivations may alter results in stressful task environments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000019, ucf:46134
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000019
- Title
- A STUDY OF SEMANTIC PROCESSING PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
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Dever, Daryn A, Szalma, James, Neigel, Alexis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Examining the role of individual differences, especially variations in human motivation, in vigilance tasks will result in a better understanding of sustained semantic attention and processing, which has, to date, received limited study in the literature (see Fraulini, Hancock, Neigel, Claypoole, & Szalma, 2017; Epling, Russell, & Helton, 2016; Thomson et al., 2016). This present study seeks to understand how individual differences in intrinsic motivation affect performance in a short...
Show moreExamining the role of individual differences, especially variations in human motivation, in vigilance tasks will result in a better understanding of sustained semantic attention and processing, which has, to date, received limited study in the literature (see Fraulini, Hancock, Neigel, Claypoole, & Szalma, 2017; Epling, Russell, & Helton, 2016; Thomson et al., 2016). This present study seeks to understand how individual differences in intrinsic motivation affect performance in a short semantic vigilance task. Performance across two conditions (lure vs. standard condition) were compared in the present study of 79 undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida. The results indicated significant main effects of intrinsic motivation on pre- and post-task stress factors, workload, and performance measures, which included correct detections, false alarms, and response time. Sensitivity and response bias, which are indices of signal detection theory, were also examined in the present study. Intrinsic motivation influenced sensitivity, but not response bias, which was affected by period on watch. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are also discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH2000245, ucf:45984
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000245
- Title
- PREFERENCES FOR PERFORMANCE MEASURES: A STUDY OF A FEDERAL AGENCY.
- Creator
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Beckles, Gina, Wang, XiaoHu, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the preferences of clients of programs administered by selected federal agencies and the preferences of the federal managers who administer the programs in assessing performance measurement systems. Using the general progression of previous budgetary models used in the public sector, the researcher developed the Modified Balance Scorecard (MBSC), a performance measurement model designed specifically for use within the public sector. Surveys...
Show moreThe purpose of this dissertation was to determine the preferences of clients of programs administered by selected federal agencies and the preferences of the federal managers who administer the programs in assessing performance measurement systems. Using the general progression of previous budgetary models used in the public sector, the researcher developed the Modified Balance Scorecard (MBSC), a performance measurement model designed specifically for use within the public sector. Surveys based on the MBSC were administered to public managers and to clients of those managers in order to determine their preferences. The results showed that managers preferred public good measures and clients preferred financial measures. Both groups' second preferred index of measures was internal management process measures. This research is important in policy formulation and provides many implications regarding the effective presentation of policies. These results can be used to help craft policies for maximum effectiveness, based on the preferences of the respective groups.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001091, ucf:46774
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001091
- Title
- ANTON CHEKHOV:THE CHARACTERIZATION AND INTERPRETATIONOF A HISTORICAL FIGURE FOR THE STAGE.
- Creator
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gALLANT, Alan, Seay, Donald, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
ABSTRACT This thesis will explore the execution of the monograph role of "Anton Chekhov" in the original one-act play, An Evening with Anton Chekhov. The play script, rehearsal and public performances of the piece are all self- generated by the candidate, with the proper assistance of the thesis committee. This written thesis serves as the completion of the thesis project, and includes analysis of several key areas of the development of the script and thesis role. This document includes the...
Show moreABSTRACT This thesis will explore the execution of the monograph role of "Anton Chekhov" in the original one-act play, An Evening with Anton Chekhov. The play script, rehearsal and public performances of the piece are all self- generated by the candidate, with the proper assistance of the thesis committee. This written thesis serves as the completion of the thesis project, and includes analysis of several key areas of the development of the script and thesis role. This document includes the original script with endnotes and a structural analysis. Social and historical background of the character, Anton Chekhov, a real person, is presented. This background includes the history as it pertains to Anton Chekhov and the national mindset in pre-revolutionary Russia. This background is integral in not only the development of the character, but also of the script which supports the character. Much of what is contained in the script is from correspondences, anecdotes, and written material from and about Anton Chekhov. These materials will be used as interpretive tools in the development of the character, and includes clues to physical appearance and personality. The character analysis contained herein is, in part, a reflection of these historical and environmental concerns. In addition, external and internal portrayal and the means used to achieve them are discussed. These means include physical and vocal techniques for the stage in conjunction with the use of emotional recall, behaving "as if," and being emotionally and energetically present for the acting partner. Since this is a "one man show," the acting partner will take the form of the audience as other or confidante. This phenomenon, and its effect on the performance, is included in the written thesis. The acting approach in execution of the monograph will also be reflected in a journal, which will contain a record of the successes, challenges, choices and adjustments made in the rehearsal/performance process. Included among these will be the various adjustments made in order to achieve a higher level of spontaneity in movement and transition, and how this semi-improvisational approach aided in adjusting to each unique audience in performance. Analysis will be provided by members of the committee. Dr. Julia Listengarten and Mark Brotherton will submit performance analysis, while the committee chair, Dr. Donald Seay will also provide rehearsal reports. Script work on An Evening with Anton Chekhov will begin in October of 2005, with rehearsals commencing on February 6, 2006. Two performances will be given at the Black Box theatre on the campus of UCF on Monday, February 27, and Tuesday February 28, 2006.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0000961, ucf:46722
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000961
- Title
- ANALYSIS OF AIRCRAFT ARRIVAL DELAY AND AIRPORT ON-TIME PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
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Bai, Yuqiong, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this research, statistical models of airport delay and single flight arrival delay were developed. The models use the Airline On-Time Performance Data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Surface Airways Weather Data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Multivariate regression, ANOVA, neural networks and logistic regression were used to detect the pattern of airport delay, aircraft arrival delay and schedule performance. These models are then integrated in the...
Show moreIn this research, statistical models of airport delay and single flight arrival delay were developed. The models use the Airline On-Time Performance Data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Surface Airways Weather Data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Multivariate regression, ANOVA, neural networks and logistic regression were used to detect the pattern of airport delay, aircraft arrival delay and schedule performance. These models are then integrated in the form of a system for aircraft delay analysis and airport delay assessment. The assessment of an airport¡¯s schedule performance is discussed. The results of the research show that the daily average arrival delay at Orlando International Airport (MCO) is highly related to the departure delay at other airports. The daily average arrival delay can also be used to evaluate the delay performance at MCO. The daily average arrival delay at MCO is found to show seasonal and weekly patterns, which is related to the schedule performance. The precipitation and wind speed are also found contributors to the arrival delay. The capacity of the airport is not found to be significant. This may indicate that the capacity constraint is not an important problem at MCO. This research also investigated the delays at the flight level, including the flights with delay ¡Ý0 minute and the flights with delay ¡Ý15min, which provide the delay pattern of single arrival flights. The characteristics of single flight and their effect on flight delay are considered. The precipitation, flight distance, season, weekday, arrival time and the time spacing between two successive arriving flights are found to contribute to the arrival delay. We measure the time interval of two consecutive flights spacing and analyze its effect on the flight delay and find that for a positively delayed flight, as the time space increases, the probability of the flights being delayed will decrease. While it was possible to calculate the immediate impact of originating delays, it is not possible to calculate their impact on the cumulative delay. If a late departing aircraft has no empty space in its down line schedule, it will continue to be late. If that aircraft enters a connecting airport, it can pass its lateness on to another aircraft. In the research we also consider purifying only the arrival delay at MCO, excluding the flights with originating delay >0. The model makes it possible to identify the pattern of the aircraft arrival delay. The weather conditions are found to be the most significant factors that influence the arrival delay due to the destination airport.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001049, ucf:46808
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001049
- Title
- FILLING THE HOUSE: ENGAGING A MILLENNIAL PERFORMING ARTS AUDIENCE.
- Creator
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Schreck, Sarah, Dodd, Melissa, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this research is to identify best practices for public relations professionals when engaging with a Millennial performing arts audience, focusing on Hon and Grunig's relationship management theory (1999) and Kent and Taylor's theory of dialogic communication (2014) to build interactivity in a digital space. Performing arts organizations have successfully engaged with previous generations, but are facing new challenges when communicating with millennial audiences. Changing...
Show moreThe purpose of this research is to identify best practices for public relations professionals when engaging with a Millennial performing arts audience, focusing on Hon and Grunig's relationship management theory (1999) and Kent and Taylor's theory of dialogic communication (2014) to build interactivity in a digital space. Performing arts organizations have successfully engaged with previous generations, but are facing new challenges when communicating with millennial audiences. Changing demographics have led to a stagnation and decline of performing arts attendance as the millennial generation has come of age. This massive population has new priorities for spending and consumption of entertainment, and social media is their preferred channel of communication as opposed to print and broadcast media. The researcher distributed a survey to patrons of the Orlando Shakespeare theatre to identify their perspectives of current public relations practices. Results from 148 respondents indicated that the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre maintains strong relationships with Millennials (N=6) and non-Millennials alike, as made evident by their practice of Baumgarth's cultural consumer behaviors (2014). However, a larger sample of Millennial patrons is necessary to determine best practices for the specific population. The primary product of this research is the creation of a theory-driven survey that can be used to effectively measure the depth of a performing arts organization's relationship with its patrons, and a case study exemplifying a successful organization.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000309, ucf:45725
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000309
- Title
- A CASE STUDY OF VETERAN AND CIVILIAN STUDENT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA.
- Creator
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Diehl, Floyd C, Seigler, Daniel, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study seeks to provide a brief overview of academic standards and performance of veterans of the United States military and civilians who attend the University of Central Florida. Whether a student is a veteran or a civilian, he or she must learn how to adapt to the requirements of an academic community in order to be successful in that environment. It may be difficult for some. In able for society to discern the importance of the academic performance of both veterans and civilians alike...
Show moreThis study seeks to provide a brief overview of academic standards and performance of veterans of the United States military and civilians who attend the University of Central Florida. Whether a student is a veteran or a civilian, he or she must learn how to adapt to the requirements of an academic community in order to be successful in that environment. It may be difficult for some. In able for society to discern the importance of the academic performance of both veterans and civilians alike, research is vital. There are various assumptions about veterans. For example, it can be assumed vets do not know how to adapt after leaving the military. It is important to demonstrate that most military veterans are very good at adapting and overcoming stressful situations. Time is evident for adaptability for some. As veterans re-enter society, most make clear and decisive decisions as to the life they desire to have. The modus operandi of veterans is intrinsic as it pertains to an academic setting. This research compares the academic success of both veterans and civilians at the University of Central Florida to begin this conversation. While there has been some research conducted on this topic, there seem to be various ecological fallacies pertaining to conclusions of the research that has been conducted. Academic performance needs to be researched further as well as the effects of standards regarding the performance of veterans and civilians in an academic setting.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFH2000357, ucf:45904
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000357
- Title
- MARITAL STATUS OF EXECUTIVES AND COMPANY PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
-
Day, Ilona, Lu, Yan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This research paper explores differences in company performance levels, as measured by selected company fundamentals and annual return, with regard to the marital status of top executives, specifically the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer. It examines whether the differences in firm performance are determined by the marital status of the respective business executive. Groups of never married, married, and divorced executives are compared against each other to establish...
Show moreThis research paper explores differences in company performance levels, as measured by selected company fundamentals and annual return, with regard to the marital status of top executives, specifically the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer. It examines whether the differences in firm performance are determined by the marital status of the respective business executive. Groups of never married, married, and divorced executives are compared against each other to establish if and how the company performance changes between these groups. Summary statistics of the examined variables in conjunction with the results of the simple and multiple regression analyses indicate that marriage clearly has a detrimental effect on a firm's performance. By contrast, divorce is beneficial as it contributes to improved firm performance. As previous research has revealed, professional performance of top executives, particularly CEOs, as well as money managers is influenced by distractions originating in their personal life events. Because human attention is naturally limited, major life events, such as marriage or divorce, can have detrimental effects on the professional performance of a business executive, and therefore also on the firm performance. Consistent with the results of previous research, the data analysis identifies marital status of CEOs and CFOs as a significant determinant of firm performance.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFH0000226, ucf:44671
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0000226
- Title
- EXPECTANCY THEORY AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER COMPENSATION.
- Creator
-
Leonard, Edward, Saunders, Carol, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Major League Baseball (MLB) organizations spend millions of dollars each year on athletes with the end goal of winning a World Series title. However when an organization signs a player to a long term contract are they actually receiving the production that they paid for? Under the MLB's current form of player compensation players may not be properly motivated or at least not motivated to perform at their highest level. The intent of this thesis was to apply expectancy theory in assessing...
Show moreMajor League Baseball (MLB) organizations spend millions of dollars each year on athletes with the end goal of winning a World Series title. However when an organization signs a player to a long term contract are they actually receiving the production that they paid for? Under the MLB's current form of player compensation players may not be properly motivated or at least not motivated to perform at their highest level. The intent of this thesis was to apply expectancy theory in assessing Major League Baseball's current form of player compensation. It evaluates how well players are currently motivated to perform on the field, and if any improvements can be made. This is done through the statistical analysis of MLB organizations yearly salary data, yearly win-loss record, and the performance of 65 players two years prior to, one year prior to, and during their first contract term directly following or extending past arbitration eligibility. Evidence shows that player motivation, especially for position players, can be increased and several suggestions are made as to how this can be improved and how MLB organizations can increase the odds of player production matching compensation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004406, ucf:45091
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004406
- Title
- IS ECONOMIC VALUE ADDED (EVA) THE BEST WAY TO ASSEMBLE A PORTFOLIO?.
- Creator
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Pataky, Tamas, Gilkeson, James, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In search of a better investment metric, researchers began to study Economic Value Added, or EVA, which was introduced in 1991 by Stern Stewart & Co in their book, "The Quest for Value" (Turvey, 2000). Stern Stewart & Co devised EVA as a better alternative to evaluate investment projects within the corporate finance field, later to be considered for use as a performance metric for investor use. A wide array of multinational corporations, such as Coca-Cola, Briggs and Stratton, and AT&T...
Show moreIn search of a better investment metric, researchers began to study Economic Value Added, or EVA, which was introduced in 1991 by Stern Stewart & Co in their book, "The Quest for Value" (Turvey, 2000). Stern Stewart & Co devised EVA as a better alternative to evaluate investment projects within the corporate finance field, later to be considered for use as a performance metric for investor use. A wide array of multinational corporations, such as Coca-Cola, Briggs and Stratton, and AT&T adopted the EVA method, which led to EVA's worldwide acclaim. Several points in the study reveal that EVA does not offer less risk, higher returns, and more adaptability for an investor. In fact, EVA underperformed the traditional portfolio performance metrics in key measurements including mean returns, and confidence intervals. EVA is a difficult performance metric to calculate, with several complex components that can be calculated in several different ways such as NOPAT, cost of equity, and cost of debt. Any information that is inaccurate or lacking can significantly impact the outcomes. Traditional performance metrics, on the other hand, such as ROA, ROE, and E/P are simple to calculate with few components, and only one way to calculate them.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFH0004289, ucf:44909
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004289
- Title
- HYSTERESIS EFFECTS IN DRIVING.
- Creator
-
Morgan, Justin, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This dissertation presents two studies examining the interaction between workload history and driver mental workload. The first experiment focuses on testing for the presence of a hysteresis effect in the driving task. The second experiment examines the proposition that cueing impending periods of higher task demand can reduce the impact of any such potential hysteresis effects. Thirty-two licensed drivers served as participants and all served in both studies. Using the directions provided by...
Show moreThis dissertation presents two studies examining the interaction between workload history and driver mental workload. The first experiment focuses on testing for the presence of a hysteresis effect in the driving task. The second experiment examines the proposition that cueing impending periods of higher task demand can reduce the impact of any such potential hysteresis effects. Thirty-two licensed drivers served as participants and all served in both studies. Using the directions provided by a Heads-Up-Display navigation system, participants followed a pre-set route in the simulated environment. At specified points within the drive, the navigation system would purposefully fail which required drivers to relay a ten digit alphanumeric error code to a remote operator in order to reset the system. Results indicated that this increase in task demand from the navigation system's failure leads to a significant increase in perceived mental workload as compared to pre-failure periods. This increase in driver mental workload was not significantly reduced by the time the drive ended, indicating the presence of a hysteresis effect. In the second experiment, the navigation system provided a completely reliable visual warning before failure. Results indicate that cueing had neither an effect on perceived mental workload, nor any ameliorating effect on the hysteretic type effect seen in mental workload recovery. The conclusion of these findings being that the overall safety and efficiency of the surface transportation system would likely improve by designs which accommodate the periods immediately following a reduction in stress. Whether from leaving high demand areas such as work zones or in the period immediately after using a in-car information device such as a GPS or a cell phone, these post-high workload periods are associated with increased variability in driver inputs and levels of mental workload.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002169, ucf:47925
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002169
- Title
- USING COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUES IN THE LOW-PERFORMING MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM: A STUDY OF FRACTIONS,DECIMALS,PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDES.
- Creator
-
Guyton, Pamela, Ortiz, Enrique, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Within a low-performing seventh grade mathematics classroom, communication techniques including discourse, collaborative groups, listening, reading, and writing were implemented during a six week period. This study shows how the use of these techniques led to the twenty four students' conceptual understanding of fraction and decimal concepts. This research study provides insight to the deep-seeded beliefs of low-performing students. It provides a record of how the teacher used...
Show moreWithin a low-performing seventh grade mathematics classroom, communication techniques including discourse, collaborative groups, listening, reading, and writing were implemented during a six week period. This study shows how the use of these techniques led to the twenty four students' conceptual understanding of fraction and decimal concepts. This research study provides insight to the deep-seeded beliefs of low-performing students. It provides a record of how the teacher used communication techniques in the classroom and had a strong positive impact on the attitudes and performance of these struggling students.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002146, ucf:47928
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002146
- Title
- AN INVESTIGATION INTO HOTEL EMPLOYEES' PERCEPTION OF GREEN PRACTICES.
- Creator
-
Kim, Sun-Hwa, Okumus, Fevzi, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examined how employees of the hotel industry perceived green practices. Data was collected from 220 employees working in eight green certified hotels in Orlando. Research results revealed that performance levels of green practices implemented by hotels were lower than the importance levels of those same green practices as perceived by hotel employees. The results of the study illustrated that (1) the employees' perception regarding green practices was not different than one of...
Show moreThis study examined how employees of the hotel industry perceived green practices. Data was collected from 220 employees working in eight green certified hotels in Orlando. Research results revealed that performance levels of green practices implemented by hotels were lower than the importance levels of those same green practices as perceived by hotel employees. The results of the study illustrated that (1) the employees' perception regarding green practices was not different than one of hoteliers in terms of importance and performance, and (2) employees weighted the green practices that were beneficial to them as more important than green practices that required their behavior change. Also, a positive correlation between organizational commitment and green practices detected in this study which suggests that hotel organizations may anticipate positive ramifications of green practices in relation to HR approach when they embrace green practices. Unfortunately, employees' green perceptions at work were not generalized by their demographic characteristics, yet a number of considerable results were garnered from this study. These were (1) employees in operational departments were more green conscious than employees in other departments, (2) generation X was critical about green performance by the hotels, and (3) minorities showed more green concerns than other ethnicities. This study suggests that hotels need to spend more time and effort in communicating their green practice to employees. Training to improve green practices should be versatile and job-specific with strategies developed to motivate the employees to engage in green practices. Overall, this study proposes for hotels simply deploying green practices is not enough. They should carefully plan their green practices by training and motivating employees.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002908, ucf:47990
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002908
- Title
- GO WITH THE FLOW: EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF ENGAGEMENT USING FLOW THEORY AND IT'S RELATIONSHIP TO ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE IN THE 3-DIMENSIONAL VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF SECOND LIFE.
- Creator
-
Cooper, Karen, Hirumi, Atsusi, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Virtual Worlds have become an attractive platform for work, play, and learning. Businesses, including the public sector and academia, are increasingly investing their time, money, and attention to understanding the value of virtual worlds as a productivity tool. For example, educators are leading the way with research in Second Life, one of the more popular virtual worlds, as a potentially powerful medium for creating and delivering instruction. Still, little is empirically known about the...
Show moreVirtual Worlds have become an attractive platform for work, play, and learning. Businesses, including the public sector and academia, are increasingly investing their time, money, and attention to understanding the value of virtual worlds as a productivity tool. For example, educators are leading the way with research in Second Life, one of the more popular virtual worlds, as a potentially powerful medium for creating and delivering instruction. Still, little is empirically known about the value of virtual worlds as viable learning platforms. This study examined the instructional potential of Second Life for creating engaging activities, and to investigate the relationship between Second Life and learning in educational settings. It was hypothesized that a positive relationship exists between a learner's level of engagement and achievement. Achievement was assessed as a learner's level of recognition and recall of factual content. It was also hypothesized that a positive relationship exists between a learner's level of engagement and their performance. Performance was assessed as a learner's level of participation, initiative and effort. Additionally, exploratory research was conducted to examine the factors that contributed to both performance and engagement. Lastly, the relationship between other demographic factors of age, Second Life skill level, and ethnicity, with engagement was explored. This research used an empirically tested unit of web-based instructional framework known as a WebQuest. A 3D version, named VWQuest, was created in Second Life. One hundred volunteers completed participation. Using role play, participants participated in a quest for information. While exploring, participants were asked to take photos as evidence of their experiences. Upon completion, they took a knowledge check multiple-choice quiz, and a survey which measured their perceived level of engagement during the activity. iii Regression analysis indicated no positive correlation between a participant's level of engagement and his or her achievement. However, a positive correlation was found between participants' level of engagement and their performance. Second Life skill level was significantly correlated to performance, and engagement was found to be a mediator between skill level and performance. Most significantly and unexpectedly, participants' performance varied so greatly, the performance rubric was revised four times before it comprehensively captured the diverse range of performances. This evidence suggests that open-ended and creative opportunities to perform yield levels of creativity, engagement, and innovation within immersive platforms, unexpected and far beyond that of traditional instructional settings. Investigating flow dimensions, engagement elements of user control and loss of time were found to be the most significant contributors to performance, and accounted for the greatest amount of variance in explaining performance. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the flow factors of defined goals and feedback loaded the highest, suggesting a strong relationship between the two factors. Demographic analysis revealed no significant mean difference between gender and engagement, or between age and engagement. The majority of participants were between 40 and 50 and was instructors or educators, not students. For those interested in understanding appropriate and effective instruction in complex, immersive environments, this study brings together new important implications for all of them. Instructional designers may benefit from these findings in their creation of instructional content; instructors may benefit in their curriculum design and teaching methods; and researchers may understand specific facets with instructional potential – engagement factors, technologies, and instructional frameworks – worthy of further investigation.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002877, ucf:48019
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002877
- Title
- METADATA AND DATA MANAGEMENT IN HIGH PERFORMANCE FILE AND STORAGE SYSTEMS.
- Creator
-
Gu, Peng, Wang, Jun, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
With the advent of emerging "e-Science" applications, today's scientific research increasingly relies on petascale-and-beyond computing over large data sets of the same magnitude. While the computational power of supercomputers has recently entered the era of petascale, the performance of their storage system is far lagged behind by many orders of magnitude. This places an imperative demand on revolutionizing their underlying I/O systems, on which the management of both metadata and data...
Show moreWith the advent of emerging "e-Science" applications, today's scientific research increasingly relies on petascale-and-beyond computing over large data sets of the same magnitude. While the computational power of supercomputers has recently entered the era of petascale, the performance of their storage system is far lagged behind by many orders of magnitude. This places an imperative demand on revolutionizing their underlying I/O systems, on which the management of both metadata and data is deemed to have significant performance implications. Prefetching/caching and data locality awareness optimizations, as conventional and effective management techniques for metadata and data I/O performance enhancement, still play their crucial roles in current parallel and distributed file systems. In this study, we examine the limitations of existing prefetching/caching techniques and explore the untapped potentials of data locality optimization techniques in the new era of petascale computing. For metadata I/O access, we propose a novel weighted-graph-based prefetching technique, built on both direct and indirect successor relationship, to reap performance benefit from prefetching specifically for clustered metadata serversan arrangement envisioned necessary for petabyte scale distributed storage systems. For data I/O access, we design and implement Segment-structured On-disk data Grouping and Prefetching (SOGP), a combined prefetching and data placement technique to boost the local data read performance for parallel file systems, especially for those applications with partially overlapped access patterns. One high-performance local I/O software package in SOGP work for Parallel Virtual File System in the number of about 2000 C lines was released to Argonne National Laboratory in 2007 for potential integration into the production mode.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002251, ucf:47826
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002251
