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Title: The part played by labour in the transition from ape to man.
Creator: Engels, Friedrich
Date Issued: 1950
Identifier: 2669157, CFDT2669157, ucf:4998
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/2669157

Title: Measuring Impact: The State of Nonprofit Evaluation in the Greater Orlando Area.
Creator: Strickhouser, Sara, Wright, James, Jasinski, Jana, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Research shows that since the mid-1990s funders of the nonprofit sector have significantly increased the sophistication of their reporting requirements. Funders today want agencies to demonstrate beyond outputs and report on outcomes and the impact they have on the communities they serve. Funders are monitoring community impact by requiring more complex reports from the agencies they fund. These changes have meant that agencies must become proficient in data collection, management, and...
Show moreResearch shows that since the mid-1990s funders of the nonprofit sector have significantly increased the sophistication of their reporting requirements. Funders today want agencies to demonstrate beyond outputs and report on outcomes and the impact they have on the communities they serve. Funders are monitoring community impact by requiring more complex reports from the agencies they fund. These changes have meant that agencies must become proficient in data collection, management, and analyses practices in order to accurately respond to funders' report requests. Nonprofits, however, find these requirements difficult to conceptualize and even more difficult to attain. Managing and analyzing the data necessary to create the required reports proves a formidable task. This research shows that among many obstacles reported, a lack of communication between agency and funders about their intended goals leads to some frustration from both sides, ultimately making it exceptionally difficult to attain the ultimate goal of the new reporting requirements: to measure community-level impact. This study utilizes qualitative interviews with 8 human service nonprofit agencies and one funding agency in the greater Orlando area to investigate what agencies report are their major obstacles when trying to meet funders' new reporting requirements and what a funder's response to these concerns is. Agency interviews were analyzed for the most common themes and concerns reported. The interviews explore the way nonprofits are responding to the new requirements from donors and what they think could be done differently to better capture valuable data that would speak to issues at the community level.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004757, ucf:49781
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004757

Title: FEASIBILITY STUDY OF EVALUATING DURABILITY OF CFRP-STRENGTHENED BEAMS USING IN-SITU LOAD TEST.
Creator: Turizo-Rico, Carlos, Zhao, Lei, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: In Florida a number of highway bridges were retrofitted on their reinforced concrete (RC) girders with carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) during the 1990's. Their conditions, after being in service for approximately 10 years, are of significant interest to the State's highway authority, as well as researchers in the region. This paper will evaluate if a load test on one of such bridges, which was retrofitted with CFRP at the girders in the splash-zone and thus was subjected to...
Show moreIn Florida a number of highway bridges were retrofitted on their reinforced concrete (RC) girders with carbon-fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) during the 1990's. Their conditions, after being in service for approximately 10 years, are of significant interest to the State's highway authority, as well as researchers in the region. This paper will evaluate if a load test on one of such bridges, which was retrofitted with CFRP at the girders in the splash-zone and thus was subjected to severe environmental conditions, is a feasible technique to evaluate the actual condition of the CFRP. A 3-dimensional Finite Element Model (FEM) was utilized to assess the load-deflection behavior of the bridge. An analytical study was used to evaluate the effective moment of inertia of the strengthened beams modeled on the FEM. The results indicate that the deflection change due to the amount of CFRP sheets assumed to be effective on the beam is insignificant. The paper also shows that it would not be feasible to estimate changes in the properties in the CFRP based only on deflection and strain measurements.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001402, ucf:47073
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001402

Title: Comparative Analysis Of Centers For Entrepreneurship At Two Central Florida Universities.
Creator: Blencke, Carl, Boote, David, Sivo, Stephen, Katzenmeyer, Conrad, Ford, Cameron, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: 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...
Show moreStudies 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 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 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.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004819, ucf:49755
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004819

Title: FACULTY DEVELOPMENT IN MEMBER INSTITUTIONS OF THE FLORIDA FACULTY DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM: STRATEGIC PLANS, EVALUATION MODELS, ORGANIZATION, AND FUNDING.
Creator: Ross, Laura, Taylor, Rosemarye, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine strategic plans and evaluation models in light of organizational structures and funding to determine if member institutions in the Florida Faculty Development Consortium were investing in faculty development based on strategic and measurable criteria. Data were gathered through a mixed method survey mailed electronically to the individuals responsible for faculty development at 31 member institutions of the Florida Faculty Development...
Show moreABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine strategic plans and evaluation models in light of organizational structures and funding to determine if member institutions in the Florida Faculty Development Consortium were investing in faculty development based on strategic and measurable criteria. Data were gathered through a mixed method survey mailed electronically to the individuals responsible for faculty development at 31 member institutions of the Florida Faculty Development Consortium. Even though the Consortium was comprised of public and private four-year institutions and public two-year institutions, faculty development programs in these institutions had similarities. Most programs had strategic plans, centralized faculty development units with dedicated staff, and institutional funding. In addition, most faculty development programs had evaluation models in which they collected reactionary responses, but little evidence existed that programs were measuring impact on faculty learning, faculty behavior change, or student success. It was concluded that member institutions in the Florida Faculty Development Consortium were investing in faculty development and providing faculty developers with dedicated time to attend to faculty development responsibilities. Member institutions were evaluating their efforts on strategic, goal-based criteria, but little evidence existed that they were evaluating based on measurable criteria.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001398, ucf:46956
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001398

Title: EMOTIONAL EVALUATION OF A PRODUCT/SYSTEM.
Creator: Smith, Hana, Sims, Valerie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Technological advances in products and systems have brought emotional design or emotional engineering to the forefront of research. While several measures to assess emotional expression of products have been developed, the source of the emotion rating of a product or system was often unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct three studies to examine the causes of emotional ratings and to establish if product-specific emotion rating scales are useful for capturing accurate user...
Show moreTechnological advances in products and systems have brought emotional design or emotional engineering to the forefront of research. While several measures to assess emotional expression of products have been developed, the source of the emotion rating of a product or system was often unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct three studies to examine the causes of emotional ratings and to establish if product-specific emotion rating scales are useful for capturing accurate user evaluations. Three studies were conducted using citrus juicers. Juicers were chosen for several reasons: their wide variety of styles, one self-explanatory purpose (to make juice), and the fact that their benign nature is unlikely to harm participants. Study 1 isolated juicers that had unique emotion profiles to use in the Study 2. Participants rated 41 juicers with fourteen product-specific emotions. Participants predominantly used "five" of the fourteen emotions in their juicer ratings. Ten juicers with the highest rating consensus, within these five emotions, were chosen for Study 2. Study 2 determined that anthropomorphic tendencies are predictive of emotional ratings. Extreme Anthropomorphism from the Anthropomorphic Tendency Scale (ATS) was used to test individual differences (Sims et al. 2005;Chin et al., 2005). Individuals with low anthropomorphic tendencies were more critical of the products. Sex differences also were analyzed, and significant interactions were found. Women exhibited different preferences for juicers than me. First impression ratings from Study 1 were validated by first impression ratings from Study 2. Finally, Study 3 measured the impact of product interaction on emotional ratings. Participants used seven juicers to make a minimum of four ounces of juice. Pre and post-interaction ratings were compared to determine the effect of interaction on the emotional appraisal of products. The results confirmed that interaction had an impact on affective ratings. As opposed to experienced users, novice users deviated in their pre-post appraisal, especially on aesthetically boring but highly usable products. Novice users based their entire initial appraisal on aesthetics, while experienced users were influenced by their past experience. Humans rely on past experience to recall likes or dislikes. The findings here suggest that aesthetic appraisal of products (or other environments) will remain influenced by past exposure/experience with those or similar products. Thus, only true novices can remain unbiased by past experience for aesthetic appraisal and capture a true 'first impression'. Also, past experience of users should be assessed when conducting research that relies on emotional appraisal of products. These findings may be especially useful in product development where new designs are based on a golden standard, competition, or go through several iterations of testing. The results may be used to guide human factors professionals to develop measures that more accurately capture affective ratings, and thus create more pleasurable products and systems.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002175, ucf:47513
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002175

Title: AN ANALYSIS OF FLORIDA PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATIONS' PERFORMANCE MEASURES FROM 2002-2004.
Creator: Sanders, Karen, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The focus of this research was to examine the performance of Florida public community college foundations from 2002-2004 using performance ratios. The findings from this study may assist community college foundation leaders to better understand the performance of their own organizations, compare this performance to other similar organizations, establish relative performance standards, and influence the strategic initiatives to improve an existing foundation. This study was designed to...
Show moreThe focus of this research was to examine the performance of Florida public community college foundations from 2002-2004 using performance ratios. The findings from this study may assist community college foundation leaders to better understand the performance of their own organizations, compare this performance to other similar organizations, establish relative performance standards, and influence the strategic initiatives to improve an existing foundation. This study was designed to research the financial performance measurement ratios for the 28 public community college foundations in Florida. Ex post facto data that were publicly available were utilized to acquire the information needed for the statistical analyses; therefore, the population was comprised of all 28 Florida community college foundations. Data were collected from each institution's Form 990. A total of 27 ratios were calculated by year for 2002, 2003, and 2004 and were categorized into 6 areas: (a) measures of fiscal performance, (b) measures of fundraising efficiency, (c) measures of public support, (d) measures of adequacy of resources to support mission, (e) measures of use of resources to support mission, and (f) measures of investment performance and concentration. The study included benchmarking data in the form of descriptive statistics for these ratios and comprehensive analysis. In addition, three repeated measures analysis of variance models were computed to determine if the contributions and grants, fundraising expense, and program service expense ratios varied over time. There were no mean differences over time during the three-year period from 2002 to 2004.
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002408, ucf:47751
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002408

Title: Volusia System For Empowering Teachers (VSET): Influence On Teacher Practice And Student Achievement.
Creator: Sileo-Robinson, Lesley, Hewitt, Randall, Hopp, Carolyn, Vitale, Thomas, Taylor, Rosemarye, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study provides an empirical analysis of the primary assumptions of a newly implemented teacher evaluation system, namely that the specific teaching practices evaluated are related to student achievement, and that teacher-directed professional growth plans effectively shape teacher practices in a particular domain. Results of the study are intended to inform the interpretation and the refinement of the Volusia System for Empowering Teachers (VSET), which aims to build capacity in the...
Show moreThis study provides an empirical analysis of the primary assumptions of a newly implemented teacher evaluation system, namely that the specific teaching practices evaluated are related to student achievement, and that teacher-directed professional growth plans effectively shape teacher practices in a particular domain. Results of the study are intended to inform the interpretation and the refinement of the Volusia System for Empowering Teachers (VSET), which aims to build capacity in the Volusia teacher work force and ultimately to improve student performance (School Board of Volusia County Team Volusia, Race to the Top application, 2011). This study focused on 14 pilot schools within one school district that implemented VSET as a new teacher evaluation system. The data used in this study were drawn from a multi-metric teacher assessment used in VSET and measures of student achievement. The VSET evaluation model consists of three metrics that are assigned according to the specific categories of a teacher. Two of the metrics, the professional growth plan rating and the educator observation rating are based on Charlotte Danielson's (")Framework for Teaching(") (Danielson, 2007). The third metric, the valued added score is a measure of the teacher's impact on student learning. The current study focused on determining if there was a correlation between teaching practice and student achievement and to what extent teaching practice was impacted by teacher self-selection of components for professional growth in the teacher evaluation model. The findings suggest that there is not a statistically significant and reliable relationship between the value added score and teacher practices across components, as assessed by VSET evaluators. Follow up analyses did, however, show that higher evaluator observation scores are associated with improved school grades, suggesting a relationship between teacher impact on student performance. The results support the assumption that the successful completion of the VSET professional development growth plan is associated with teacher's instructional practices in the identified component.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004938, ucf:49614
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004938

Title: ASSESSMENT PRACTICES INELEMENTARY VISUAL ART CLASSROOMS.
Creator: Betz, Jennifer, Brewer, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this research study was to investigate the attitudes and usages of assessment methods by elementary visual art teachers in two southeastern school districts. Data consisted of responses to a mailed survey instrument that included relevant demographic information pertaining to respondent's educational preparation experiences, tabulation of classroom activities, assessment usage, and a construct set of questions which addressed an attitudinal scale about the effectiveness of...
Show moreThe purpose of this research study was to investigate the attitudes and usages of assessment methods by elementary visual art teachers in two southeastern school districts. Data consisted of responses to a mailed survey instrument that included relevant demographic information pertaining to respondent's educational preparation experiences, tabulation of classroom activities, assessment usage, and a construct set of questions which addressed an attitudinal scale about the effectiveness of evaluation and measurement within their visual art classrooms. The primary focus of attitudinal orientation toward assessment centered upon the types of role models respondents encountered regarding assessment during initial teacher preparation and the resulting paradigm of belief concerning measurement art teachers experienced in varied educational settings. Results indicate that study respondents had a strong positive response to the construct attitudinal statements about accepting evaluation as a normative practice in their classrooms. The survey item "multiple choice tests are appropriate to use in visual art classrooms" had a strong relationship to the total reliability and had the greatest impact on the factor analysis. Further relationships were identified in the use of newly adopted textbook curricula to the acceptance of the statement "learning could be measured in visual art," suggesting that if art teachers embraced a textbook curriculum (developed through an outside, expert entity) they were more likely to accept the possibility that learning in elementary visual art classrooms was possible to be measured. The relationship between the statements regarding the acceptance of multiple choice tests as a valid method of assessment and the recentness of either graduation from teacher preparation coursework or specific in-service professional development about assessment also suggests that pedagogy at the university and district level after The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was more likely to include instruction or role models in the practical use of assessment techniques for respondents.
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Date Issued: 2009
Identifier: CFE0002738, ucf:48150
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002738

Title: Team cohesion in the restaurant industry: The influence of core evaluations.
Creator: Orlowski, Marissa, Pizam, Abraham, Torres Areizaga, Edwin, Mejia, Cynthia, Sivo, Stephen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Team cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members...
Show moreTeam cohesion has been clearly established in the literature as an essential component of effective work teams, yet little research has been conducted in regard to what factors lead to cohesion within a restaurant management team. What is currently known about the antecedents of cohesion indicates that it emerges from individual team member attitudes and perceptions as a collective property of the team. This, in turn, suggests cohesion is influenced by the dispositional traits of team members. The core evaluations construct, which represents a model of dispositional traits existing within each individual at the most basic level, offers implications for the emergence of cohesion in both of its forms, task cohesion and social cohesion. To help bridge the gap in prior research, this study was conducted to investigate the influence of core evaluations on team cohesion within restaurant management teams. This study first adopted and modified Judge et al.'s (1997) theoretical model of core evaluations, advancing a model in which two types of core evaluations, self and external, were both second-order latent constructs each reflected by four first-order evaluative traits. The proposed trait structure was then tested. Finally, drawing on approach/avoidance theory and social exchange theory, this study hypothesized a multilevel model in which the dispositional traits of core self-evaluation (CSE) and core external-evaluation (CEE) at the individual front-line manager level have positive effects on task and social cohesion within restaurant management teams. To accomplish the objectives of this study, a survey research design was employed. The survey instrument was comprised of four sections: core self-evaluation, core external-evaluation, team cohesion, and demographic profile. Data were collected from managers employed by four restaurant franchise groups, resulting in a useable sample of 317 individual responses composing 76 teams ranging in size from 2-6 members. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the factor structure of CSE and CEE, as well as the overall measurement model. The task and social cohesion items were then aggregated to the team level and multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was conducted to test the relationships between latent constructs. The results of this study supported the second-order factor structure of core evaluations. CSE was shown to be reflected by self-esteem, generalized self-efficacy, emotional stability, and locus of control. CEE was shown to be reflected by belief in a benevolent world, belief in a just world, and belief in people. Due to sample size, a reduced-parameter model was developed in which CSE and CEE were treated as sub-dimensions and measured by mean scores. MSEM results from this model showed that CSE had significant positive effect on team task cohesion whereas CEE had a significant positive effect on team social cohesion. These results offer numerous theoretical and practical implications for the study of core evaluations, team cohesion, and micro-macro phenomena, which are discussed in the final chapter. Limitations and suggestions for future research are also discussed.
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Date Issued: 2016
Identifier: CFE0006156, ucf:51125
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006156

Title: Promoting Courage: An Evaluation of Harbor House of Central Florida's Domestic Violence Primary Prevention Initiative Project Courage.
Creator: Navarro, Jordana, Jasinski, Jana, Wright, James, Reckdenwald, Amy, Abel, Eileen, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: While the old adage of "it takes a village" is often stated in reference to raising children, this statement is also extremely applicable in combating social problems such as intimate partner abuse (IPA). All too often society members turn a "blind eye" to abuse occurring within our homes between intimate partners. Although recent research has shown improvement in attitudes condemning IPA, other research has identified that many individuals continue to perceive IPA as largely a private...
Show moreWhile the old adage of "it takes a village" is often stated in reference to raising children, this statement is also extremely applicable in combating social problems such as intimate partner abuse (IPA). All too often society members turn a "blind eye" to abuse occurring within our homes between intimate partners. Although recent research has shown improvement in attitudes condemning IPA, other research has identified that many individuals continue to perceive IPA as largely a private problem (Bethke and DeJoy, 1993; Straus, Kaufman Kantor, and Moore, 1997). This commonplace belief stands in stark contrast to the vast amount of research that shows IPA is anything but a private problem. In order to halt these occurrences, various intervention programs have been implemented (i.e. batterer intervention programs, mandatory arrest policies, etc.). However, less effort has gone into creating programs to prevent abuse in the first place (Harvey, GarciaMoreno, and Butchart, 2007). In order to fulfill this need, Harbor House of Central Florida (Orlando, FL) created one notable primary prevention initiative referred to as Project Courage. Launched in 2010, Project Courage staff flooded an Orlando neighborhood (Pine Castle, FL) with IPA services. The following evaluation details Project Courage's successes, challenges, and provides recommendations for the future. The data used in this evaluation were made available by Harbor House of Central Florida, and have been used with permission from the agency and from the University of Central Florida's Institutional Review Board. Data from Project Courage were originally collected by the agency's Prevention Department. Firstyear funding for the project was provided by the 100 Women Strong giving circle located in Orlando, Florida. The collector(s) of the original data, the funder(s), and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.
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Date Issued: 2013
Identifier: CFE0004898, ucf:49649
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004898

Title: A Study of the Impact of Brevard Public School's Peer Coaching Model on Student Achievement Outcomes and Teacher Evaluation Results.
Creator: Pace, Debra, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Taylor, Rosemarye, Thedy, Elizabeth, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This study investigated the effectiveness of a sustained professional development initiative, Brevard's Peer Coaching Model, on improving teacher performance and student achievement in a large Central Florida school district. The study analyzed professional practices scores and value-added scores for teachers who participated in a minimum of six of nine days of professional learning before the study, after year one of the training, and after year two of the training to evaluate growth in...
Show moreThis study investigated the effectiveness of a sustained professional development initiative, Brevard's Peer Coaching Model, on improving teacher performance and student achievement in a large Central Florida school district. The study analyzed professional practices scores and value-added scores for teachers who participated in a minimum of six of nine days of professional learning before the study, after year one of the training, and after year two of the training to evaluate growth in professional practices and student achievement, and also compared the scores of BPCM participants to the scores of teachers who did not participate in the study. The findings of the study replicated those of previous researchers who found that peer coaching generally has a positive impact on improving teacher practice but limited impact on student achievement. Both professional practices scores and value-added results improved over the course of the study, during and after implementation of BPCM. However, the results were not statistically significant when comparing improvements of value-added results for BPCM participants with the VAM scores of the population of Brevard Public Schools teachers who did not participate in the professional development. BPCM participants showed significant growth over the course of the study and demonstrated stronger improvements in observation scores when compared to the non-BPCM teachers. The most significant growth occurred after the first year of the BPCM training, with smaller levels of growth in year two. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research were provided.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005678, ucf:50159
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005678

Title: An Evaluation of the Iowa State University Ecosystem.
Creator: Mazer, Cherie, Gunter, Glenda, Hayes, Grant, Vitale, Thomas, Cavanagh, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Purpose (-) This dissertation in practice is an evaluation study conducted at Iowa State University, entitled, Learning Ecosystem Assessment Review of Needs (LEARN). The evaluation posed these questions: (a) What educational technologies are currently used and what technologies will be needed in the future? (b) What are the attitudes and practices of faculty and students toward online and blended learning? (c) What academic technology support services are used? What are the perceptions of the...
Show morePurpose (-) This dissertation in practice is an evaluation study conducted at Iowa State University, entitled, Learning Ecosystem Assessment Review of Needs (LEARN). The evaluation posed these questions: (a) What educational technologies are currently used and what technologies will be needed in the future? (b) What are the attitudes and practices of faculty and students toward online and blended learning? (c) What academic technology support services are used? What are the perceptions of the support provided for the application of academic technologies? Methodology/design (-) The study was a mixed-methods design employing interviews with deans and focus groups and surveys of faculty and students. Findings (-) Iowa State University faculty and students use a wide array of academic technologies both in physical and virtual classrooms. The prevailing sentiment regarding the need for future academic technologies is not for new offerings and new features but for easier to use, more reliable technologies, and more timely support. Although Iowa State University has formally adopted online learning by offering numerous programs and courses, the university is in the early stages of adopting blended learning.Implications (-) The results and implications of the study inform the university on next steps to ready the institution for leveraging technology and preparing for the transformation toward strategic adoption of online and blended learning. The author outlines an organizational learning approach to manage change and promote adoption of blended learning.
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Date Issued: 2014
Identifier: CFE0005379, ucf:50445
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005379

Title: Policy Implications of a Teacher Evaluation System: The Relationship of Classroom Observations, Levels of Feedback, and Students Achievement Outcomes.
Creator: Rafalski, Shana, Murray, Barbara, Baldwin, Lee, Doherty, Walter, Hutchinson, Cynthia, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine the relationship between the number of classroom observations and teacher VAM scores and (b) to identify the relationship between the types of feedback provided to teachers and student achievement outcomes as measured by VAM scores. De-identified data for the sample set of teachers in a large urban school district was gathered for the 2013-2014 year from iObservation by administrators observing teachers using the domains of the Marzano...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was two-fold: (a) to determine the relationship between the number of classroom observations and teacher VAM scores and (b) to identify the relationship between the types of feedback provided to teachers and student achievement outcomes as measured by VAM scores. De-identified data for the sample set of teachers in a large urban school district was gathered for the 2013-2014 year from iObservation by administrators observing teachers using the domains of the Marzano instructional model. The number of observations were compared to VAM scores to determine if teachers with a greater number of observations received higher VAM ratings. The comments recorded and submitted as feedback were also reviewed. Data were analyzed to identify relationships between the types of feedback provided to teachers and student achievement outcomes as measured by VAM scores. No significant relationship existed between VAM scores and number of observations or percentage of comments for teachers at any grade level. In addition, no significant relationship existed between predominant feedback for teachers and VAM scores.The information in this study was valuable for understanding the relationships that exist among instructional practice scores, value-added measures, and learning gains to drive conversations with teachers regarding rigorous instruction. Observations and feedback should be a tool for improvement of instruction, but the data confirmed this process continues to be compliance based with inflated scores that do not match the level of performance of students. Changing this is strongly linked to the provision of feedback associated with improving instruction and holding teachers accountable in meeting the standards outlined in the feedback. Observers are in need of professional development on how to provide effective feedback in the areas of instruction that will make the biggest impact on student achievement. Continuing to put time and effort into implementing and monitoring evaluation systems without further training and emphasis on feedback will result in the same lack of impact on student achievement outcomes and may even undermine the role of observers in providing support to teachers.
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Date Issued: 2015
Identifier: CFE0005693, ucf:50143
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005693

Title: TRENDS IN THE SELECTION, EVALUATION, AND COMPENSATION OF UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS IN THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM.
Creator: Marshall, Nancy, Taylor, Rosemarye, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Recent literature suggested that while the discussion of presidential selection, evaluation, and compensation was common to both private and public institutions, special attention was paid to public university presidents. They and their presidencies were subject to intense public debate and scrutiny. Florida's public university presidents have contended with the same issues as their counterparts in other states. However, the 2001 changes in the state's higher education governance...
Show moreRecent literature suggested that while the discussion of presidential selection, evaluation, and compensation was common to both private and public institutions, special attention was paid to public university presidents. They and their presidencies were subject to intense public debate and scrutiny. Florida's public university presidents have contended with the same issues as their counterparts in other states. However, the 2001 changes in the state's higher education governance created distinct challenges and opportunities for the 11 presidents in the Florida State University System. The purpose of this study was to analyze the trends in the selection, evaluation, and compensation of the 11 university presidents in the Florida State University System (SUS) from 1996-2006, the period five years before and five years after the changes in governance. Interviews with university presidents, members of boards of trustees, and members of the Florida Board of Governors, members of the Florida Legislature, and salary histories from seven of the 11 Florida institutions were used to analyze the trends in light of the shift in perceptions of the presidents' roles and the changes in higher education governance. Since 2001, and the establishment of boards of trustees and by Florida statute, presidents were seen as the chief executive officer of their institutions, a change from an academic to a business model. Trustees, who primarily came from a business background, viewed them as CEOs and chose to compensate presidents at a higher level than they had previously been paid. The Board of Governors, a majority of whose members also had corporate backgrounds, implied the need for a CEO-type leadership style and more corporate-style accountability. In 2003, the Florida Legislature responded to the salary surge at the chief executive level and placed a $225,000 salary cap from appropriated funds on the university presidents' salaries. The legislation did not place any restrictions on university foundations or other sources for supplementing the compensation package.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001498, ucf:47076
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001498

Title: STUDENT DISABILITY SERVICES WITHIN THE 28 FLORIDA COMMUNITY COLLEGES.
Creator: Godbey, Alice, Taylor, Rosemarye, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The purpose of this research study was to investigate perceptions and activities of disability support program administrators in Florida community colleges regarding program administration and evaluation. The study further sought to document if any relationships existed between selected organizational and staffing characteristics and the program's ability to follow an established set of standards for program administration and evaluation. A total of 25 disability support administrators ...
Show moreThe purpose of this research study was to investigate perceptions and activities of disability support program administrators in Florida community colleges regarding program administration and evaluation. The study further sought to document if any relationships existed between selected organizational and staffing characteristics and the program's ability to follow an established set of standards for program administration and evaluation. A total of 25 disability support administrators (89.3% response rate) completed a phone survey designed for this study. The study revealed that there were many inconsistencies among the higher education disability support programs in regard to programming, staffing and data collecting activities. The common denominator for determining the extent of data collection being performed within the responding community colleges appeared to be the Florida Department of Education, specifically the criteria requested annually by the Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education. At all of the institutions surveyed, data collection activities were concentrated on numerical student data and did not consistently include program evaluation information. Finally, administrator training in program evaluation was positively associated with the responding disability support program's ability to participate in program evaluation activities. This study concluded with discussion of proposed recommendations for disability support administrators in the Florida community colleges.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0001479, ucf:47100
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001479

Title: DESIGN FOR AUDITORY DISPLAYS: IDENTIFYING TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL INFORMATION CONVEYANCE PRINCIPLES.
Creator: Ahmad, Ali, Stanney, Kay, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Designing auditory interfaces is a challenge for current human-systems developers. This is largely due to a lack of theoretical guidance for directing how best to use sounds in today's visually-rich graphical user interfaces. This dissertation provided a framework for guiding the design of audio interfaces to enhance human-systems performance. This doctoral research involved reviewing the literature on conveying temporal and spatial information using audio, using this knowledge to build...
Show moreDesigning auditory interfaces is a challenge for current human-systems developers. This is largely due to a lack of theoretical guidance for directing how best to use sounds in today's visually-rich graphical user interfaces. This dissertation provided a framework for guiding the design of audio interfaces to enhance human-systems performance. This doctoral research involved reviewing the literature on conveying temporal and spatial information using audio, using this knowledge to build three theoretical models to aid the design of auditory interfaces, and empirically validating select components of the models. The three models included an audio integration model that outlines an end-to-end process for adding sounds to interactive interfaces, a temporal audio model that provides a framework for guiding the timing for integration of these sounds to meet human performance objectives, and a spatial audio model that provides a framework for adding spatialization cues to interface sounds. Each model is coupled with a set of design guidelines theorized from the literature, thus combined, the developed models put forward a structured process for integrating sounds in interactive interfaces. The developed models were subjected to a three phase validation process that included review by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to assess the face validity of the developed models and two empirical studies. For the SME review, which assessed the utility of the developed models and identified opportunities for improvement, a panel of three audio experts was selected to respond to a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) validation questionnaire. Based on the SWOT analysis, the main strengths of the models included that they provide a systematic approach to auditory display design and that they integrate a wide variety of knowledge sources in a concise manner. The main weaknesses of the models included the lack of a structured process for amending the models with new principles, some branches were not considered parallel or completely distinct, and lack of guidance on selecting interface sounds. The main opportunity identified by the experts was the ability of the models to provide a seminal body of knowledge that can be used for building and validating auditory display designs. The main threats identified by the experts were that users may not know where to start and end with each model, the models may not provide comprehensive coverage of all uses of auditory displays, and the models may act as a restrictive influence on designers or they may be used inappropriately. Based on the SWOT analysis results, several changes were made to the models prior to the empirical studies. Two empirical evaluation studies were conducted to test the theorized design principles derived from the revised models. The first study focused on assessing the utility of audio cues to train a temporal pacing task and the second study combined both temporal (i.e., pace) and spatial audio information, with a focus on examining integration issues. In the pace study, there were four different auditory conditions used for training pace: 1) a metronome, 2) non-spatial auditory earcons, 3) a spatialized auditory earcon, and 4) no audio cues for pace training. Sixty-eight people participated in the study. A pre- post between subjects experimental design was used, with eight training trials. The measure used for assessing pace performance was the average deviation from a predetermined desired pace. The results demonstrated that a metronome was not effective in training participants to maintain a desired pace, while, spatial and non-spatial earcons were effective strategies for pace training. Moreover, an examination of post-training performance as compared to pre-training suggested some transfer of learning. Design guidelines were extracted for integrating auditory cues for pace training tasks in virtual environments. In the second empirical study, combined temporal (pacing) and spatial (location of entities within the environment) information were presented. There were three different spatialization conditions used: 1) high fidelity using subjective selection of a "best-fit" head related transfer function, 2) low fidelity using a generalized head-related transfer function, and 3) no spatialization. A pre- post between subjects experimental design was used, with eight training trials. The performance measures were average deviation from desired pace and time and accuracy to complete the task. The results of the second study demonstrated that temporal, non-spatial auditory cues were effective in influencing pace while other cues were present. On the other hand, spatialized auditory cues did not result in significantly faster task completion. Based on these results, a set of design guidelines was proposed that can be used to direct the integration of spatial and temporal auditory cues for supporting training tasks in virtual environments. Taken together, the developed models and the associated guidelines provided a theoretical foundation from which to direct user-centered design of auditory interfaces.
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Date Issued: 2007
Identifier: CFE0001719, ucf:47317
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001719

Title: EVALUATING TACTICAL COMBAT CASUALTY CARE TRAINING TREATMENTS EFFECTS ON COMBAT MEDIC TRAINEES IN LIGHT OF SELECT HUMAN DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERISTICS.
Creator: Sotomayor, Teresita, Proctor, Michael, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: The use of military forces in urban operations has increased considerably over the past years. As illustrated by the current conflict in Iraq, the Army finds itself fighting its toughest battles in urban areas facing unconventional forces. Soldiers face many threats in hostile fire environments, whether conducting large-scale mechanized warfare, low-intensity conflicts, or operations other than war. Through 1970, there has been no demonstrable reduction in battlefield mortality rate as a...
Show moreThe use of military forces in urban operations has increased considerably over the past years. As illustrated by the current conflict in Iraq, the Army finds itself fighting its toughest battles in urban areas facing unconventional forces. Soldiers face many threats in hostile fire environments, whether conducting large-scale mechanized warfare, low-intensity conflicts, or operations other than war. Through 1970, there has been no demonstrable reduction in battlefield mortality rate as a percentage of all casualties since data was kept since before the Civil War. For that period of time, nearly all the reduction in overall mortality rate occurred through reduced mortality in Hospital Chain. As of 1970, about 90 percent of all combat deaths occur before a casualty reaches a definitive care facility. Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), also known as TC3, is the pre-hospital care rendered to a casualty in a combat environment. The application of TCCC principles during a tactical combat environment has proven highly effective and is a major reason why combat deaths in latest conflicts (Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom) are lower than in any other conflict in the history of the United States. The Army continues to emphasize reducing battlefield mortality rate. Current tools and methods used for initial skills and sustainment training of combat medics throughout the Army are insufficient. New technologies are needed to provide medics with greater opportunities to develop and test their decision making and technical medical skills in multiple, COE-relevant, training scenarios. In order to address some of these requirements, the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command, Simulation and Training Technology Center (RDECOM-STTC) is developing the 68W – Tactical Combat Casualty Care Simulation (TC3 Sim) for the US Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Center & School at Fort Sam Houston. The Army is considering the use of the TC3 Sim game as a tool to improve the training of individual Soldiers as well as improve the readiness of combat medics. It is the intent of this research to evaluate the effectiveness of instructional games in general and the use of the TC3 game in particular for teaching the concepts of tactical combat casualty care. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the training effectiveness of this tool in supporting the 68W10 Healthcare Specialist Course program of instruction (POI). The goal of this research is to address important questions such as: Is this game an effective tool to train Soldiers the aspects of TC3? Can knowledge gain through the use of the simulation be transferred into task related situations? How can this tool be incorporated in the current POI in order to increase training effectiveness?
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Date Issued: 2008
Identifier: CFE0002396, ucf:47755
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002396

Title: EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WEBSITES AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ADOLESCENT OBESITY AND SEDENTARY PREVALENCE.
Creator: McWilliams, Payton C, Valdes, Anna, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: This research seeks to determine the relationships between the quality of physical education (PE) programs provided by state departments of education (DOE), obesity rates, and sedentary behaviors described as physical inactivity in adolescents ages 10-17 years old. A modified rubric based on the "Let's Move Active Schools Assessment" was created and used to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the PE programs and physical activity (PA) opportunities provided by websites of the state's...
Show moreThis research seeks to determine the relationships between the quality of physical education (PE) programs provided by state departments of education (DOE), obesity rates, and sedentary behaviors described as physical inactivity in adolescents ages 10-17 years old. A modified rubric based on the "Let's Move Active Schools Assessment" was created and used to quantitatively and qualitatively evaluate the PE programs and physical activity (PA) opportunities provided by websites of the state's DOE. A total of fourteen states were chosen to be assessed due to having either the highest or lowest obesity or physical inactivity rates. It was believed that the states with the highest obesity prevalence would have the highest inactivity and the lowest quality PE programs, and that those with lowest obesity prevalence would have lowest physical inactivity and high quality PE programs. After assessing the chosen states, no correlation was found between the quality of PE program as determined from the created rubric and the obesity or sedentary behavior rates of the state. The highest grade of all states assessed was 23 out of 27 with the lowest score being 7. The average scores of the states with the highest obesity was greater than the average for those states with the lowest inactivity, indicating that the quality of PE programs as provided by the DOE are not exclusively related to obesity and physical inactivity prevalence. Other determining factors such as nutrition, state funding, local policies, and societal factors may be more involved in the health of children than what is popularly believed. The data show that efforts are being made to decrease obesity throughout schools and the departments of education, however the efficiency of such efforts to increase physical activity and health are low. While states may post plans for PE and create standards for teaching, local levels of education are not required to enforce the policies or teach the curriculum suggested. Including students with special conditions and providing physical activities outside the school building is also lacking although it may seem like measures are being taken to provide such opportunities. More evaluations must be completed to get a stronger understanding of how to fix inadequate physical education and activity programs provided by the states' DOEs. Reviewing each DOE efforts as well as that of the community and individual school districts would help gain insight into where roadblocks reside and how to overcome destructive policies to offer better physical activity and education to children.
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Date Issued: 2017
Identifier: CFH2000221, ucf:45982
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000221

Title: DOES HOPE VI DEEP-SIX THE POOR? ANALYZING THE EFFECTS OF DISPLACEMENT FORMER RESIDENTS OF DISTRESSED PUBLIC HOUSING IN A MID-SIZED SOUTHERN CITY.
Creator: Zeller, David, Wright, James, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description: Do downtown revitalization efforts detrimentally affect people who are displaced? HUD's HOPE VI grant program provides local housing authorities with funds to leverage private investment to demolish blighted, severely distressed public housing units and replace them with mixed-use, mixed-income units. In 2002, the OHA secured an $18 million grant to redevelop a public housing project then known as Carver Court. 212 units of public housing were razed and former public housing residents were...
Show moreDo downtown revitalization efforts detrimentally affect people who are displaced? HUD's HOPE VI grant program provides local housing authorities with funds to leverage private investment to demolish blighted, severely distressed public housing units and replace them with mixed-use, mixed-income units. In 2002, the OHA secured an $18 million grant to redevelop a public housing project then known as Carver Court. 212 units of public housing were razed and former public housing residents were displaced to make way for redevelopment. Interviews with 55 former residents of Carver Court are analyzed to determine the self-reported effects of the local implementation of federal housing policy. Outcomes measured include satisfaction with occupation, housing costs, neighborhood quality, crime, social interactions, access to public transportation, and quality of life overall, among others. In addition, the analysis uses Census data to examine the extent to which poverty deconcentration, a major policy goal of HOPE VI, has been accomplished. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of HOPE VI's position in the history of American housing policy.
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Date Issued: 2006
Identifier: CFE0000995, ucf:46701
Format: Document (PDF)
PURL: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000995

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