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PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN EXPLORATION OF CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS
Title
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEMS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN EXPLORATION OF CHRISTIAN INSTITUTIONS.
Creator
Flaniken, Forrest, Cintron, Rosa, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Although there is substantial literature on the use of performance appraisal in the for-profit world, there is little literature available concerning the appraisal of staff positions in higher education. More knowledge is needed in this area since there is considerable research indicating that performance appraisal creates benefits to an organization and its employees. This study provides a comprehensive review of the development and use of performance appraisal in the United States, and a...
Show moreAlthough there is substantial literature on the use of performance appraisal in the for-profit world, there is little literature available concerning the appraisal of staff positions in higher education. More knowledge is needed in this area since there is considerable research indicating that performance appraisal creates benefits to an organization and its employees. This study provides a comprehensive review of the development and use of performance appraisal in the United States, and a detailed look at the purposes, benefits, and challenges of performance appraisal. The study found a very high usage of staff performance appraisal in its population of 108 Christian colleges and universities. However, it also found a significant amount of dissatisfaction with the appraisal process due to (a) lack of leadership support for the appraisal process, (b) supervisors not being held accountable for the timely completion of their appraisals, and (c) the lack of training provided supervisors for doing performance appraisals well.
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Date Issued
2009
Identifier
CFE0002863, ucf:48056
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002863
AN ANALYSIS OF FLORIDA PUBLIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATIONS' PERFORMANCE MEASURES FROM 2002-2004
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
EVALUATING THE BENEFITS OF 3D STEREO IN MODERN VIDEO GAMES
Title
EVALUATING THE BENEFITS OF 3D STEREO IN MODERN VIDEO GAMES.
Creator
Litwiller, Tad, LaViola, Joseph, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
We present a study that investigates user performance benefits of 3D stereo in modern video games. Based on an analysis of several video games that are best suited for use with commercial 3D stereo drivers and vision systems, we chose five modern titles focusing on racing, first person shooter, third person shooter, and sports game genres. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (3D...
Show moreWe present a study that investigates user performance benefits of 3D stereo in modern video games. Based on an analysis of several video games that are best suited for use with commercial 3D stereo drivers and vision systems, we chose five modern titles focusing on racing, first person shooter, third person shooter, and sports game genres. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (3D stereo display) than in the control group (2D display). A game experience pre-questionnaire was used to classify participants into beginner, intermediate, and advanced gameplay categories to ensure prior game experience did not bias the experiment. Our results indicate that even though participants preferred playing in 3D stereo, for the games we tested, it does not provide any significant advantage in overall user performance. In addition, users‟ learning rates were comparable in the 3D stereo display and 2D display cases.
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Date Issued
2010
Identifier
CFE0003493, ucf:48983
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003493
An Examination of the relationship between Marzano's Causal Teacher Evaluation Model and student achievement at nine high schools in a large suburban school district in Central Florida
Title
An Examination of the relationship between Marzano's Causal Teacher Evaluation Model and student achievement at nine high schools in a large suburban school district in Central Florida.
Creator
Jacobson, Dana, Murray, Kenneth, Doherty, Walter, Murray, Barbara, Bai, Haiyan, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study focused on the relationship between student achievement and teacher evaluation during the first year of implementation of the Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation model in a large suburban school district in Central Florida. The population included high school level teachers and students. Teacher evaluation and performance data were collected and analyzed for relationships using Spearman Rho and Chi-Square Analysis. Variables reviewed included: (a) Marzano's Causal Teacher Evaluation...
Show moreThis study focused on the relationship between student achievement and teacher evaluation during the first year of implementation of the Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation model in a large suburban school district in Central Florida. The population included high school level teachers and students. Teacher evaluation and performance data were collected and analyzed for relationships using Spearman Rho and Chi-Square Analysis. Variables reviewed included: (a) Marzano's Causal Teacher Evaluation Model iObservation(&)copy; protocol, (b) categorized teacher years of experience, (c) student growth scores based on a teacher's student success on statewide assessments as calculated using VAM or an administered pre- and posttest, (d) school reported teacher demographics on school improvement plans and (e) historical 9th- and 10th-grade student achievement data on FCAT 2.0 Reading and 9th- grade student achievement data on the Algebra 1 End-of-Course (EOC) Examinations.
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Date Issued
2013
Identifier
CFE0004868, ucf:49663
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004868
An Analysis of the Variables in Implementation of the Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation System in the State of Florida
Title
An Analysis of the Variables in Implementation of the Marzano Causal Teacher Evaluation System in the State of Florida.
Creator
Phillips, Matthew, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Baldwin, Lee, Hutchinson, Cynthia, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This was a non-experimental, mixed methods study to research the different ways in which the Marzano casual teacher evaluation system was implemented in 25 school districts in the state of Florida during the 2012-2013 school year. Based on seven implementation variables, the teacher evaluation systems were compared to the implementation model and research-based best practice. The researcher then sought to determine what relationships may or may not exist in teacher performance ratings between...
Show moreThis was a non-experimental, mixed methods study to research the different ways in which the Marzano casual teacher evaluation system was implemented in 25 school districts in the state of Florida during the 2012-2013 school year. Based on seven implementation variables, the teacher evaluation systems were compared to the implementation model and research-based best practice. The researcher then sought to determine what relationships may or may not exist in teacher performance ratings between districts that followed the research-based implementation model and districts that did not. Two stated purposes of the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system were to improve the accuracy of teacher performance ratings and to improve the accuracy of feedback provided to teachers. Variation in implementation may possibly occur among school districts. To date no research has been conducted to analyze how variations in implementation may relate to teacher performance ratings. The purpose of this study was to provide data to support best-practice in the implementation of the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system and to guide instructional leaders on the implementation of this evaluation system. The researcher also sought to ensure the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system provides both accurate teacher feedback and accurate teacher evaluations. Data was collected from the Florida Department of Education published reports and information. School district implementation plans were gathered from state submitted documentation. Implementation plans were analyzed and read. Data was collected on a data collection sheet and then analyzed in SPSS using a crosstab Chi square test to determine if a statistically significant relationships existed between districts that followed the research-based implementation model and districts that did not. It was determined that implementation of the Marzano causal evaluation system varies widely. In six out of the seven implementation variables, it was determined that there were statistically significant relationships in teacher evaluation scores between districts that followed the research-based implementation variables and districts that did not. Further research should include validity and reliability studies on the Marzano causal evaluation system. Research should continue to analyze different ways in which the Marzano causal evaluation system is implemented, and what relationship there is between implementation and teacher performance ratings. Research should be conducted to analyze the effectiveness of feedback provided to teachers through the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system. This research indicates that the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system should be used following research based best-practice and how it is intended to be used. The research in this study shows that when implementation variables are altered in the Marzano causal teacher evaluation system, teacher performance ratings may become inaccurate. Based on misunderstandings of the Marzano causal evaluation system, it is recommended school leaders receive additional training on the understanding and implementation of the Marzano casual teacher evaluation system.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005399, ucf:50460
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005399
WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: WHO GETS A BREAK?
Title
WORK-FAMILY CONFLICT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS: WHO GETS A BREAK?.
Creator
Hickson, Kara, Fritzsche, Barbara, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Forty percent of employed parents report that they experience work-family conflict (Galinsky, Bond, & Friedman, 1993). Work-family conflict (WFC) exists when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. WFC is associated with decreases in family, job, and life satisfaction and physical health; intention to quit one's job; and increases in workplace absenteeism. Women may be more impacted by WFC than men, as women report completing 65-80% of the child care ...
Show moreForty percent of employed parents report that they experience work-family conflict (Galinsky, Bond, & Friedman, 1993). Work-family conflict (WFC) exists when role pressures from the work and family domains are mutually incompatible. WFC is associated with decreases in family, job, and life satisfaction and physical health; intention to quit one's job; and increases in workplace absenteeism. Women may be more impacted by WFC than men, as women report completing 65-80% of the child care (Sayer, 2001) and spend 80 hours per week fulfilling work and home responsibilities (Cowan, 1983). Research suggests that WFC can be reduced with social support, such as co-workers providing assistance when family interferes with work (Carlson & Perrewé, 1999). It is unclear whether parents 'get a break' or are penalized by co-workers. The purpose of the present study was to examine co-workers' reactions to individuals who experience WFC. Based on sex role theory and attribution theory, it was predicted that women, people who experience family interference with work, and those who have more control over the work interference would be helped less and evaluated more poorly on a team task than men, people who experience non-family related work interference, and those who have less control over the work interference. A laboratory experiment was conducted in which participants signed up for a team-based study. The teammate was a confederate who was late for the study. Teammate control over the tardiness (unexpected physician's visit versus forgotten physician's appointment), type of work conflict (self- versus family-related), and gender of the teammate were manipulated. After learning about the reasons for the tardiness of their teammate, the 218 participants (63% female; 59% Caucasian) decided whether to help the late teammate by completing a word sort task for them or letting the late teammate make up the work after the experiment. When the teammate arrived, the participants completed a team task and then evaluated the task performance of their teammate. None of the hypotheses were confirmed in this study. However, exploratory analyses showed that people who had more control over the tardiness were rated lower than people who had less control over the tardiness. Contrary to expectations, exploratory analyses also showed that men rated women who were late to the study for a family-related reason higher than women who were late due to a self-related reason. These findings suggest that male co-workers may give women a break when they experience family interference with work. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
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Date Issued
2008
Identifier
CFE0002136, ucf:47517
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002136
EVALUATION OF A QUALITY MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE AND HIV AMBULATORY SERVICES PERFORMANCE IN THAILAND
Title
EVALUATION OF A QUALITY MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE AND HIV AMBULATORY SERVICES PERFORMANCE IN THAILAND.
Creator
Meemon, Natthani, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The accomplishment of pilot implementation of the HIVQUAL-T model, an innovative HIV care quality management tool, has led to an authoritative decision to scale up the use of the model nationwide in Thailand. However, the level of implementing this model varies across target hospitals. Some hospitals have fully adopted the model by conducting quality improvement (QI) activities following performance measurement (PM) results while others have partially adopted only PM or have not used this...
Show moreThe accomplishment of pilot implementation of the HIVQUAL-T model, an innovative HIV care quality management tool, has led to an authoritative decision to scale up the use of the model nationwide in Thailand. However, the level of implementing this model varies across target hospitals. Some hospitals have fully adopted the model by conducting quality improvement (QI) activities following performance measurement (PM) results while others have partially adopted only PM or have not used this model at all. The differential level of implementation could be a contributing factor accounting for discrepancies in the quality of care across different HIV ambulatory care facilities. A cross-sectional study was conducted by using two main datasets, including Thailand's national HIV care performance results and an online survey of all public hospitals nationwide. A total of 382 hospitals responded to the survey, accounting for a response rate of 50%. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) method was performed to examine the validity of latent constructs developed from the diffusion of innovation theory. Structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was employed to investigate the relationship between the determinants of organizational decision-making and their contribution to organizational outcomes, under the context-design-performance framework. Furthermore, using a panel model of hospitals that reported performance results across a 3-year period, the improvement in HIV ambulatory services performance among the adopters was examined. The results indicated that two innovation attributes -relative advantage and simplicity perceived by HIV care practitioners in hospitals- were found to be positively associated with the level of the HIVQUAL-T model implementation. Two structural characteristics -interconnectedness and organizational slack- appeared to be positively associated with the level of model implementation, while rate of adoption in the region also had significant positive contribution. Ultimately, the extensiveness of the HIVQUAL-T model implementation demonstrated a proportionate impact on the variation in hospitals' HIV ambulatory services performance. It was noted that the implementers considerably improved their performance within two years of implementing the model. The study findings imply that adoption is more likely when individual practitioners assess the innovation and find it to be easy to comprehend and operate and also worthwhile to implement. Furthermore, hospitals' decision making is likely influenced by their relations to external environment. The findings suggest more emphasis on individual and hospital-level capacity building for meaningful use of this quality management initiative, accompanied by an adjustment of performance measurement software with valid, reliable, and interpretable indicators.
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Date Issued
2011
Identifier
CFE0003753, ucf:48785
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003753
A Study on the Influence of Perceptual Distortion in the Scoring of Musical Performances by Florida Bandmasters Association Adjudicators
Title
A Study on the Influence of Perceptual Distortion in the Scoring of Musical Performances by Florida Bandmasters Association Adjudicators.
Creator
Donato, Raymond, Murray, Kenneth, Murray, Barbara, Doherty, Walter, Everett, Robert, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
This study explored adjudicator reliability in scores assessed at the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) Music Performance Assessment. It investigated how adjudicators under conflicting sets of circumstances interpreted the criteria and rated musical performances. A sample of five concert band audio recordings from the FBA resource library were chosen and a sample of participants were selected to score the recordings using the criteria currently in use by the Florida Bandmasters...
Show moreThis study explored adjudicator reliability in scores assessed at the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) Music Performance Assessment. It investigated how adjudicators under conflicting sets of circumstances interpreted the criteria and rated musical performances. A sample of five concert band audio recordings from the FBA resource library were chosen and a sample of participants were selected to score the recordings using the criteria currently in use by the Florida Bandmasters Association. These participants were chosen from Certified FBA concert band adjudicators, FBA members who are not certified concert band adjudicators and out of state judges who are certified though other judges association. Differences between groups were examined. In addition, data were collected on the participants' ranking of the musical criteria from the FBA concert band assessment instrument.From analysis of the data, it was reasonable to conclude that there is a significant difference in scoring of musical performances between face-to-face adjudicators who evaluated a live performance, and blind adjudicators who evaluated the same performance via a recorded audio only presentation. This study may provide valuable information that could lead to better development of a fair and balanced rating system.
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Date Issued
2016
Identifier
CFE0006099, ucf:51208
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006099
EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF ANIMAL SHELTERS: AN APPLICATION OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS
Title
EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF ANIMAL SHELTERS: AN APPLICATION OF DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS.
Creator
Heyde, Brandy, Reilly, Charles, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The focus of this thesis is the application of data envelopment analysis to understand and evaluate the performance of diverse animal welfare organizations across the United States. The results include identification of the most efficient animal welfare organizations, at least among those that post statistics on their operations, and a discussion of various partnerships that may improve the performance of the more inefficient organizations. The Humane Society of the United States estimates...
Show moreThe focus of this thesis is the application of data envelopment analysis to understand and evaluate the performance of diverse animal welfare organizations across the United States. The results include identification of the most efficient animal welfare organizations, at least among those that post statistics on their operations, and a discussion of various partnerships that may improve the performance of the more inefficient organizations. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are 4000 - 6000 independently-run animal shelters across the United States, with an estimated 6-8 million companion animals entering them each year. Unfortunately, more than half of these animals are euthanized. The methods shared in this research illustrate how data envelopment analysis may help shelters improve these statistics through evaluation and cooperation. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is based on the principle that the efficiency of an organization depends on its ability to transform its inputs into the desired outputs. The result of a DEA model is a single measure that summarizes the relative efficiency of each decision making unit (DMU) when compared with similar organizations. The DEA linear program defines an efficiency frontier with the most efficient animal shelters that are put into the model that "envelops" the other DMUs. Individual efficiency scores are calculated by determining how close each DMU is to reaching the frontier. The results shared in this research focus on the performance of 15 animal shelters. Lack of standardized data regarding individual animal shelter performance limited the ability to review a larger number of shelters and provide more robust results. Various programs are in place within the United States to improve the collection and availability of individual shelter performance. Specifically, the Asilomar Accords provide a strong framework for doing this and could significantly reduce euthanasia of companion animals if more shelters would adopt the practice of collecting and reporting their data in this format. It is demonstrated in this research that combining performance data with financial data within the data envelopment analysis technique can be powerful in helping shelters identify how to better deliver results. The addition of data from other organizations will make the results even more robust and useful for each shelter involved.
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Date Issued
2008
Identifier
CFE0002101, ucf:47557
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002101
Closing the Gaps in Professional Development: A Tool for School-based Leadership Teams
Title
Closing the Gaps in Professional Development: A Tool for School-based Leadership Teams.
Creator
Sampayo, Sandra, Boote, David, Hayes, Grant, Vitale, Thomas, Flanigan, Jacquelyn, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
The field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap....
Show moreThe field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap. With the goal of PD ultimately being to improve teacher performance and student learning, the problem with this gap is that school-level professional development is arbitrarily planned, resulting in variable outcomes. I propose the reason for this is schools lack a comprehensive framework or tool that guides the design of a quality professional learning plan. This problem was identified in Orange County Public School and this dissertation in practice aims at developing a solution that accounts for the district's specific contextual needs. My proposed solution is the design of an integrative tool that school leaders can use to guide them through the professional development planning process. The School-based Professional Learning Design Tool incorporates the professional development standards in planning, learning, implementing, and evaluating outlined in the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol. It also guides leaders in taking an inventory of the culture and context of their school in order to plan PD that will be viable given those considerations. The components of the Tool guide teams through assessing school teacher performance and student achievement data to help identify focus groups; determining gaps in learning through root cause analysis; creating goals aligned to gaps in performance; and selecting strategies for professional learning, follow-up support, and evaluation. The development of the Tool was informed by the extant literature on professional development, organizational theory, state and national standards for professional development, and principles of design. The Tool is to be completed in four phases. Phases one and two, the focus of this paper, include the literature review, organizational assessment, design specifications, and the first iteration of the Tool. In the next phases, the goals are to solicit feedback from an expert panel review, create a complete version of the Tool, and pilot it in elementary schools. Although the development of the Tool through its final phases will refine it considerably, there are limitations that will transcend all iterations. While the Tool incorporates best practices in professional development, the lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of specific PD elements in the literature renders this Tool only a best guess in helping schools plan effective professional development. Another limitation is that the Tool is not prescriptive and cannot use school data to make decisions for what strategies to implement. Taking these limitations into consideration, the use of this Tool can significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of professional development in schools.
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Date Issued
2015
Identifier
CFE0005883, ucf:50889
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005883
TRAFFIC SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEMS ON EXPRESSWAYS USING MULTIPLE ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES
Title
TRAFFIC SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENT TOLL COLLECTION SYSTEMS ON EXPRESSWAYS USING MULTIPLE ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES.
Creator
Abuzwidah, Muamer, Abdel-Aty, Mohamed, Radwan, Essam, Uddin, Nizam, University of Central Florida
Abstract / Description
Traffic safety has been considered one of the most important issues in the transportation field. Crashes have caused extensive human and economic losses. With the objective of reducing crash occurrence and alleviating crash injury severity, major efforts have been dedicated to reveal the hazardous factors that affect crash occurrence. With these consistent efforts, both fatalities and fatality rates from road traffic crashes in many countries have been steadily declining over the last ten...
Show moreTraffic safety has been considered one of the most important issues in the transportation field. Crashes have caused extensive human and economic losses. With the objective of reducing crash occurrence and alleviating crash injury severity, major efforts have been dedicated to reveal the hazardous factors that affect crash occurrence. With these consistent efforts, both fatalities and fatality rates from road traffic crashes in many countries have been steadily declining over the last ten years. Nevertheless, according to the World Health Organization, the world still lost 1.24 million lives from road traffic crashes in the year of 2013. And without action, traffic crashes on the roads network are predicted to result in deaths of around 1.9 million people, and up to 50 million more people suffer non-fatal injuries annually, with many incurring a disability as a result of their injury by the year 2020. To meet the transportation needs, the use of expressways (toll roads) has risen dramatically in many countries in the past decade. In fact, freeways and expressways are considered an important part of any successful transportation system. These facilities carry the majority of daily trips on the transportation network. Although expressways offer high level of service, and are considered the safest among other types of roads, traditional toll collection systems may have both safety and operational challenges. The traditional toll plazas still experience many crashes, many of which are severe. Therefore, it becomes more important to evaluate the traffic safety impacts of using different tolling systems. The main focus of the research in this dissertation is to provide an up-to-date safety impact of using different toll collection systems, as well as providing safety guidelines for these facilities to promote safety and enhance mobility on expressways. In this study, an extensive data collection was conducted that included one hundred mainline toll plazas located on approximately 750 miles of expressways in Florida. Multiple sources of data available online maintained by Florida Department of Transportation were utilized to identify traffic, geometric and geographic characteristics of the locations as well as investigating and determination of the most complete and accurate data. Different methods of observational before-after and Cross-Sectional techniques were used to evaluate the safety effectiveness of applying different treatments on expressways. The Before-After method includes Na(&)#239;ve Before-After, Before-After with Comparison Group, and Before-After with Empirical Bayesian. A set of Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) which predict crash frequency as a function of explanatory variables were developed at the aggregate level using crash data and the corresponding exposure and risk factors. Results of the aggregate traffic safety analysis can be used to identify the hazardous locations (hot spots) such as traditional toll plazas, and also to predict crash frequency for untreated sites in the after period in the Before-After with EB method or derive Crash Modification Factors (CMF) for the treatment using the Cross-Sectional method. This type of analysis is usually used to improve geometric characteristics and mainly focus on discovering the risk factors that are related to the total crash frequency, specific crash type, and/or different crash severity levels. Both simple SPFs (with traffic volume only as an explanatory variable) and full SPFs (with traffic volume and additional explanatory variable(s)) were used to estimate the CMFs and only CMFs with lower standard error were recommended.The results of this study proved that safety effectiveness was significantly improved across all locations that were upgraded from Traditional Mainline Toll Plazas (TMTP) to the Hybrid Mainline Toll Plazas (HMTP) system. This treatment significantly reduced total, Fatal-and-Injury (F+I), and Rear-End crashes by 47, 46 and 65 percent, respectively. Moreover, this study examined the traffic safety impact of using different designs, and diverge-and-merge areas of the HMTP. This design combines either express Open Road Tolling (ORT) lanes on the mainline and separate traditional toll collection to the side (design-1), or traditional toll collection on the mainline and separate ORT lanes to the side (design-2). It was also proven that there is a significant difference between these designs, and there is an indication that design-1 is safer and the majority of crashes occurred at diverge-and-merge areas before and after these facilities. However, design-2 could be a good temporary design at locations that have low prepaid transponder (Electronic Toll Collection (ETC)) users. In other words, it is dependent upon the percentage of the ETC users. As this percentage increases, more traffic will need to diverge and merge; thus, this design becomes riskier. In addition, the results indicated significant relationships between the crash frequency and toll plaza types, annual average daily traffic, and drivers' age. The analysis showed that the conversion from TMTP to the All-Electronic Toll Collection (AETC) system resulted in an average reduction of 77, 76, and 67 percent for total, F+I, and Property Damage Only (PDO) crashes, respectively; for rear end and Lane Change Related (LCR) crashes the average reductions were 81 and 75 percent, respectively. The conversion from HMTP to AETC system enhanced traffic safety by reducing crashes by an average of 23, 29 and 19 percent for total, F+I, and PDO crashes; also, for rear end and LCR crashes, the average reductions were 15 and 21 percent, respectively. Based on these results, the use of AETC system changed toll plazas from the highest risk sections on Expressways to be similar to regular segments. Therefore, it can be concluded that the use of AETC system was proven to be an excellent solution to several traffic operations as well as environmental and economic problems. For those agencies that cannot adopt the HMTP and the AETC systems, improving traffic safety at traditional toll plazas should take a priority.This study also evaluates the safety effectiveness of the implementation of High-Occupancy Toll lanes (HOT Lanes) as well as adding roadway lighting to expressways. The results showed that there were no significant impact of the implementation of HOT lanes on the roadway segment as a whole (HOT and Regular Lanes combined). But there was a significant difference between the regular lanes and the HOT lanes at the same roadway segment; the crash count increased at the regular lanes and decreased at the HOT lanes. It was found that the total and F+I crashes were reduced at the HOT lanes by an average of 25 and 45 percent, respectively. This may be attributable to the fact that the HOT lanes became a highway within a highway. Moreover adding roadway lighting has significantly improved traffic safety on the expressways by reducing the night crashes by approximately 35 percent.Overall, the proposed analyses of the safety effectiveness of using different toll collection systems are useful in providing expressway authorities with detailed information on where countermeasures must be implemented. This study provided for the first time an up-to-date safety impact of using different toll collection systems, also developed safety guidelines for these systems which would be useful for practitioners and roadway users.
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Date Issued
2014
Identifier
CFE0005751, ucf:50100
Format
Document (PDF)
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005751