Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Knowledge assessment framework'

CONTEXT: Knowledge is a strategic asset to any organisation due to its usefulness in supporting innovation, performance improvement and competitive advantage. In order to gain the maximum benefit from knowledge, the effective management of various forms of knowledge is increasingly viewed as vital. A Knowledge Management System (KMS) is a class of Information System (IS) that manages organisational knowledge, and KMS software (KMSS) is a KMS component that can be used as a platform for managing various forms of knowledge. The evaluation of the effectiveness or quality of KMS software is challenging, and no systematic evidence exists on the quality evaluation of knowledge management software which considers the various aspects of Knowledge Management (KM) to ensure the effectiveness of a KMS. AIM: The overall aim is to formalise a quality assessment framework for knowledge management software (KMSS). METHOD: In order to achieve the aim, the research was planned and carried out in the stages identified in the software engineering research methods literature. The need for this research was identified through a mapping study of prior KMS research. The data collected through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and the evaluation of a KMSS prototype using a sample of 58 regular users of knowledge management software were used as the main sources of data for the formalisation of the quality assessment framework. A test bed for empirical data collection was designed and implemented based on key principles of learning. A formalised quality assessment framework was applied to select knowledge management software and was evaluated for effectiveness. RESULTS: The final outcome of this research is a quality assessment framework consisting of 41 quality attributes categorised under content quality, platform quality and user satisfaction. A Quality Index was formulated by integrating these three categories of quality attributes to evaluate the quality of knowledge management software. CONCLUSION: This research generates novel contributions by presenting a framework for the quality assessment of knowledge management software, never previously available in the research. This framework is a valuable resource for any organisation or individual in selecting the most suitable knowledge management software by considering the quality attributes of the software.

The Corporate Real Estate Executive has many factors to consider when selecting and outfitting workspace for the company's employees, most of whom are knowledge workers. There are many factors to consider other than cost including the office space design, the LEED or other green building characteristics of the space,the business context in which the company operates, and how all these factors work together to impact productivity. A workplace and productivity assessment tool was completed for four different companies to assess eight different productivity elements and how they interact to impact productivity. Two companies occupied LEED certified facilities, one company occupied a green building, and the fourth company was in conventional office space.

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design & Management Program, 2001.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 85).
Knowledge Transfer is a generic term that is applicable to many domains. This thesis will analyze the specific issues required to develop a comprehensive framework for the assessment of knowledge transfer in the software development environment. Knowledge transfer is an essential component of all business processes in software development. The framework in this thesis was developed at a level of sufficient abstraction to be applicable to all software development activities. However, the research interviews focused on two scenarios in software development recognized as requiring effective knowledge transfer in order to achieve successful results: * Porting: A Porting project is an effort to enable a program to run on a different hardware or software platform. To port an application, you need to rewrite sections that are machine dependent, and then recompile the program on the new computer. The resultant code is then tested, often by some type of compliance suite, to insure that the ported product is operationally equivalent to the original product. When there is a market or business need, software products may be "ported" to new hardware/software platforms. A new team, with expertise in the new platform architecture, is usually called upon to do the porting. In order to optimize the port, knowledge from the original development team must be effectively transferred to the new organization. Service Transfer (maintenance) - Similar to the above, an software development organization will often transfer or assign responsibility for product service/maintenance to a separate service/support team. The ability to insure high-quality customer support requires a successful transfer of knowledge from the development group to the service/support group. This thesis provides a comprehensive framework for assessing a software development organization's knowledge transfer efforts and requirements. The framework presents a balanced approach introducing three columns of support for knowledge management activities in a software development organization. The three columns of support for knowledge transfer are: * Organizational Structures * Operational Process and Procedures * Technical Expertise and Infrastructure Using the three columns of software support as an analytical tool provides a holistic, end to end view of an organization's support for knowledge transfer.
by John P. Woods.
S.M.

The main aim of the research work presented in this thesis, is the development of a novel framework with the capability of assessing the impact of implementing lean manufacturing within small-to-medium sized manufacturing firms (SMEs). By assessing the impact of lean implementation, SMEs can make informed decisions on the viability of lean adoption at the conceptual implementation stage. Companies are also able determine their status in terms of lean manufacturing affordability. Thus, in order to achieve the above-stated aim, the following were the main set research objectives; (1) identifying the key drivers for implementing lean manufacturing within SMEs, (2) investigating the operational activities of SMEs in order to understand their manufacturing issues, (3) exploring the current level of lean manufacturing usage within SMEs so as to categorise users based on their levels of involvement, (4) identifying factors that determine the assessment of lean manufacturing, (5) developing an impact assessment framework for justifying lean manufacturing within SMEs, (6) developing a knowledge based advisory system and (7) validating the impact assessment framework and the developed knowledge based advisory system through real-life case studies, workshops, and expert opinions. A combination of research methodology approaches have been employed in this research study. This comprises literature review, observation of companies' practices and personal interview. The data collection process involved ten SMEs that provided consistent information throughout the research project life. Additionally, visitations to three large size manufacturing firms were also conducted. Hence, the framework and system development process passed through several stages. Firstly, the data were collected from companies who had successfully implemented lean manufacturing within their premise. The second development stage included the analysis and validation of the dataset through company practitioners. An impact assessment framework was thus developed with the aid of regression analysis as a predictive model. However, it was realised that there were few correlations between the dataset generated and analysis. The reasons for this were unclear. ,a knowledge based advisory system was adopted to conceptualise, enhance the robustness of the impact assessment framework and address the problem of the imprecise data in the impact assessment process. Three major factors of impact assessment were considered in the framework and the system development process, namely relative cost of lean implementation, a company lean readiness status and the level of value-added to be achieved (impact/benefits). Three knowledge based advisory sub-systems that consisted of the abovementioned factors were built. Results obtained from them were then fed into the final system. The three sub-systems were validated with the original set of data from companies. This enabled the assignment of a number of input variables whose membership functions aided the definition of the fuzzy expert system language (linguistic variables) used. The final system yielded heuristic rules that enable the postulation of scenarios of lean implementation. Results were sought and tested on a number of firms based within the UK, for the purposes validation. These also included expert opinions both in academic and industrial settings. A major contribution of the developed system is its ability to aid decision-making processes for lean implementation at the early implementation stage. The visualisation facility of the developed system is also useful in enabling potential lean users to make forecasts on the relative cost of lean projects upfront, anticipate lean benefits, and realise one' degree of lean readiness.

Large Central European flood events of the past have demonstrated that flooding can affect several river basins at the same time leading to catastrophic economic and humanitarian losses that can stretch emergency resources beyond planned levels of service. For Germany, the spatial coherence of flooding, the contributing processes and the role of trans-basin floods for a national risk assessment is largely unknown and analysis is limited by a lack of systematic data, information and knowledge on past events. This study investigates the frequency and intensity of trans-basin flood events in Germany. It evaluates the data and information basis on which knowledge about trans-basin floods can be generated in order to improve any future flood risk assessment. In particu-lar, the study assesses whether flood documentations and related reports can provide a valuable data source for understanding trans-basin floods. An adaptive algorithm was developed that systematically captures trans-basin floods using series of mean daily discharge at a large number of sites of even time series length (1952-2002). It identifies the simultaneous occurrence of flood peaks based on the exceedance of an initial threshold of a 10 year flood at one location and consecutively pools all causally related, spatially and temporally lagged peak recordings at the other locations. A weighted cumulative index was developed that accounts for the spatial extent and the individual flood magnitudes within an event and allows quantifying the overall event severity. The parameters of the method were tested in a sensitivity analysis. An intensive study on sources and ways of information dissemination of flood-relevant publications in Germany was conducted. Based on the method of systematic reviews a strategic search approach was developed to identify relevant documentations for each of the 40 strongest trans-basin flood events. A novel framework for assessing the quality of event specific flood reports from a user’s perspective was developed and validated by independent peers. The framework was designed to be generally applicable for any natural hazard type and assesses the quality of a document addressing accessibility as well as representational, contextual, and intrinsic dimensions of quality. The analysis of time-series of mean daily discharge resulted in the identification of 80 trans-basin flood events within the period 1952-2002 in Germany. The set is dominated by events that were recorded in the hydrological winter (64%); 36% occurred during the summer months. The occurrence of floods is characterised by a distinct clustering in time. Dividing the study period into two sub-periods, we find an increase in the percentage of winter events from 58% in the first to 70.5% in the second sub-period. Accordingly, we find a significant increase in the number of extreme trans-basin floods in the second sub-period. A large body of 186 flood relevant documentations was identified. For 87.5% of the 40 strongest trans-basin floods in Germany at least one report has been found and for the most severe floods a substantial amount of documentation could be obtained. 80% of the material can be considered grey literature (i.e. literature not controlled by commercial publishers). The results of the quality assessment show that the majority of flood event specific reports are of a good quality, i.e. they are well enough drafted, largely accurate and objective, and contain a substantial amount of information on the sources, pathways and receptors/consequences of the floods. The inclusion of this information in the process of knowledge building for flood risk assessment is recommended. Both the results as well as the data produced in this study are openly accessible and can be used for further research. The results of this study contribute to an improved spatial risk assessment in Germany. The identified set of trans-basin floods provides the basis for an assessment of the chance that flooding occurs simultaneously at a number of sites. The information obtained from flood event documentation can usefully supplement the analysis of the processes that govern flood risk.
Abschätzungen zum Hochwasserrisiko beschränken sich zumeist auf die Analyse innerhalb eines Einzugsgebietes bzw. eines bestimmten Ortes. Die Zusammenhänge in größeren Regionen und vor allem Korrelationen zwischen verschiedenen Einzugsgebieten werden nur selten betrachtet. Solche einzugsgebietsübergreifenden Analysen sind jedoch sowohl für die Versicherungswirtschaft, den Katastrophenschutz sowie für großräumige strategische Hochwasserplanungen notwendig. Allerdings stehen nur für eine geringe Auswahl historischer Ereignisse Daten zur Verfügung und systematische Ansätze zu ihrer Erfassung wurden für Deutschland bisher nicht entwickelt. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht zum ersten die Häufigkeit und Intensität von flussgebietsübergreifenden Hochwasserereignissen in Deutschland anhand von gemessenen Abflüssen an einer Vielzahl von Stationen. Es können insgesamt 80 Hochwasserereignisse in Deutschland im Zeitraum von 1952-2002 nachgewiesen werden. Davon treten die meisten Ereignissen im hydrologischen Winterhalbjahr auf (64%). Wir können nachweisen, dass die Häufigkeit des Auftretens in verschiedenen Perioden unterschiedlich ist, und dass im Untersuchungszeitraum eine signifikante Zunahme von Winterereignissen und damit vor allem von sehr schweren flussgebietsübergreifenden Hochwasserereignissen zu verzeichnen ist. Die Studie hatte des Weiteren zum Ziel, die verfügbare Daten- und Informationsgrundlage zur Hochwasseranalyse zu erkunden. Im speziellen wird untersucht, inwieweit Hochwasserereignisdokumentationen und verwandte Berichte als eine weitere Datenquelle für ein verbessertes Prozessverständnis genutzt werden können. Im Rahmen einer systematischen Suche konnten für die 40 größten Hochwasserereignisse in Deutschland 186 relevante Berichte identifiziert werden. 80% des Materials kann als Grauliteratur eingestuft werden, d.h. als Veröffentlichungen welche nicht durch kommerzielle Verleger publiziert wird. Die sich daraus ergebende Frage nach der Qualität der Dokumente und ihres Informationsgehaltes wurde durch die Entwicklung und Anwendung eines Qualitätsbewertungsschemas beantwortet. Die Ergebnisse der Qualitätsbewertung zeigen, dass die Mehrheit der ereignisspezifischen Hochwasserberichte von guter Qualität ist, d.h. die Berichte sind in ausreichender Qualität verfasst, größtenteils korrekt und objektiv und beinhalten eine substantielle Menge an Informationen zu den Ursachen, Verläufen, betroffenen Objekten und Schäden eines Ereignisses. Es wird empfohlen diese Informationen in die Wissenssynthese für die Hochwasserrisikobewertung einfließen zu lassen. Sowohl Ergebnisse als auch Daten dieser Studie sind so publiziert, dass sie öffentlich zugänglich sind und für weitere Forschungsfragen genutzt werden können.

The globalisation of commerce, alongside growing information on the Internet, has increased the demand of E-Learning (EL). Furthermore, knowledge management (KM) is capable of generating significant organisational/institutional competitive advantages. KM and EL systems contribution to the requirements of education has resulted in their increased demand of their integration across business/academic world. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is one of the most widely used framework of organising levels of expertise. Bloom’s different cognitive domains are based on a hierarchy of learning which progresses from simple to complex and from concrete to abstract. This study considers ways to improve higher education in Saudi Arabia, based on the significant factors (of KM/EL systems) contributing to learner performance and the way in which New Bloom’s Taxonomy could potentially affect/benefit these individual systems; previous academic works will be considered, in an attempt to achieve higher standards of education using this theory/framework. This research presents the value of learning process/tactical approaches, to encourage staff and students to accept the idea of integrating EL and KM factors under New Bloom’s Taxonomy; examples will be given to demonstrate instances where systems have been adopted successfully. To investigate the effectiveness of New Bloom’s Taxonomy on the integration of EL and KM factors in Saudi higher education, a questionnaire methodology was chosen to collect data from experts of both systems; furthermore, the public sector was chosen as it has adopted both systems. Therefore, an integrated framework is proposed.

The globalisation of commerce, alongside growing information on the Internet, has increased the demand of E-Learning (EL). Furthermore, knowledge management (KM) is capable of generating significant organisational/institutional competitive advantages. KM and EL systems contribution to the requirements of education has resulted in their increased demand of their integration across business/academic world. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives is one of the most widely used framework of organising levels of expertise. Bloom’s different cognitive domains are based on a hierarchy of learning which progresses from simple to complex and from concrete to abstract. This study considers ways to improve higher education in Saudi Arabia, based on the significant factors (of KM/EL systems) contributing to learner performance and the way in which New Bloom’s Taxonomy could potentially affect/benefit these individual systems; previous academic works will be considered, in an attempt to achieve higher standards of education using this theory/framework. This research presents the value of learning process/tactical approaches, to encourage staff and students to accept the idea of integrating EL and KM factors under New Bloom’s Taxonomy; examples will be given to demonstrate instances where systems have been adopted successfully. To investigate the effectiveness of New Bloom’s Taxonomy on the integration of EL and KM factors in Saudi higher education, a questionnaire methodology was chosen to collect data from experts of both systems; furthermore, the public sector was chosen as it has adopted both systems. Therefore, an integrated framework is proposed.

One of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders therefore need insight into which elements of organizational improvement are most effective in order to strategically invest their resources to achieve superior performance in the most efficient way possible. This research examines the results of companies which have a demonstrated ability to achieve performance excellence as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. This research examined award-winning applications to determine common input factors, compared the business results of a subset of those award-winners with the overall market for a time-frame of 11 years, and then investigated the profitability, liquidity, debt management, asset management, and per share performance ratios of award-winners compared with their industry peers over 11 years as well. The main focus of this research is to determine whether participation in performance excellence best practices have created value for shareholders and business owners. This objective is achieved through the analysis of performance results of award winning companies. This research demonstrates that the integration of efforts associated with performance excellence is in-fact advantageous.
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Industrial Engineering and Management Systems
Engineering and Computer Science
Industrial Engineering

There have been calls both from the government and private sector for Higher Education institutions to introduce programmes that produce employable graduates whilst at the same time contributing to the growing economy of the country by addressing the skills shortage. Transformation and intervention committees have since been introduced to follow the extent to which the challenges are being addressed (DOE, 1996
1997
Luescher and Symes, 2003
Forbes, 2007). Amongst the list of issues that needed urgent address were the skills shortage and underperformance of students particularly university entering students (Daniels, 2007
De Klerk, 2006
Cooper, 2001). Research particularly in the South African context, has revealed that contributing to the underperformance of university entering students and shortage of skills are: the legacy of apartheid (forcing certain racial groups to focus on selected areas such as teaching and nursing), the schooling system (resulting in university entering students to struggle), the home language and academic language. Barrell (1998), places stress on language as a contributing factor towards the performance of students. Although not much research has been done on skills shortage, most of the areas with skills shortage require Mathematics, either on a minimum or comprehensive scale. Students who have a strong Mathematics background have proved to perform better compared to students who have a limited or no Mathematics background at all in Grade 12 (Hahn, 1988
Conners, McCown &
Roskos-Ewoldsen, 1998
Nolan, 2002).The department of Statistics offers an Introductory Statistics (IS) course at first year level. Resources available to enhance student learning include: a problem-solving component with web-based tutorials and students attending lectures three hours per week. The course material and all the necessary information regarding the course including teach yourself problems, useful web-sites and links students can make use of, are all stored under the Knowledge- Environment for Web-based learning (KEWL). Despite all the available information, the students were not performing well and they were not interested in the course. The department regards statistical numeracy as a life skill. The desire of the department is to break down the fear of Statistics and to bring about a perspective change in students&rsquo
mindsets. The study was part of a contribution to ensuring that the department has the best first year students in Statistics in the Western Cape achieving a success rate comparable to the national norm.

O gerenciamento de projetos de forma sistematizada vem se tornando essencial para todo tipo de organização, pois os mercados a cada dia tornam-se cada vez mais competitivos, os recursos mais escassos e os clientes muito mais exigentes. É possível observar isso com o número crescente de empresas que se associam ao Project Management Institute (PMI) - referência nas melhores práticas em gerenciamento de projetos - que desde o final de 2013 possui mais de 400.000 empresas associadas em todo o planeta. Tal tendência é natural, visto que as empresas necessitam se destacar nos negócios em um mercado cada vez mais dinâmico a fim de garantir a sua sobrevivência. De acordo com Gu et al. (2013), uma questão-chave na investigação de gerenciamento de projetos gira em torno de porquê alguns projetos são bem sucedidos, enquanto outros não. Esta questão levou os pesquisadores a explorar determinantes potenciais que possam levar ao sucesso ou fracasso de um projeto. Por exemplo, o Standish Group International (2009) encontrou uma taxa global de fracasso do projeto em torno de 72% nos EUA. É certo que a cultura organizacional exerce forte influência no sucesso dos projetos, mas seria possível diagnosticá-la para com isso melhor conduzir as equipes de projeto? Deste modo, o objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a relação entre a cultura organizacional e o gerenciamento de projetos, utilizando-se para tanto dos modelos como o Competing Values Framework (CVF) e o Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). O emprego dos modelos se justifica por serem os mais utilizados na literatura em gestão organizacional, embora não tenham sido encontrados estudos empíricos que os utilize no contexto brasileiro em gerenciamento de projetos. O método utilizado para obtenção do perfil cultural dominante para o sucesso em gerenciamento de projetos foi survey, na qual o modelo OCAI foi adaptado e destinado para gerentes e membros de equipe de projetos. Observou-se através da análise dos dados, que a cultura de clã foi a que apresentou forte influência para o sucesso no gerenciamento de projetos de acordo com a percepção dos respondentes da survey. É importante ressaltar que não há um perfil de cultura melhor que o outro, portanto, a cultura de gerenciamento de projetos obtida é apenas o diagnóstico de uma cultura organizacional que poderá permitir a obtenção de um desempenho superior, ou seja, sucesso no atendimento de escopo, qualidade, custo e prazo. Discute-se para estudos futuros a importância de se empregar respondentes de diferentes estados do Brasil e ainda de outros países, buscando estabelecer que não existam influências de outros fatores culturais regionais na percepção dos respondentes.
Project management in a systematic manner has become essential for any type of organization, because the markets every day become increasingly competitive, scarce resources and more demanding customers. You can see this with the growing number of companies that are associated with the Project Management Institute (PMI) - reference the best practices in project management - which since late 2013 has more than 400,000 affiliates around the world. This tendency is natural, since companies need to stand out in business in an increasingly dynamic market in order to ensure their survival. According to Gu et al. (2013), a key issue in project management research centers on why some projects are successful while others do not. This question led the researchers to explore potential determinants that can lead to success or failure of a project. For example, the Standish Group International (2009) found an overall rate of failure of the project around 72% in the US. Admittedly, the organizational culture has a strong influence on the success of the projects, but it would be possible to diagnose it for it better lead project teams? Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between organizational culture and project management, using for both models like the Competing Values Framework (CVF) and the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI). The use of models is justified because they are the most used in the literature on organizational management, although we did not find empirical studies that use them in the Brazilian context in project management. The method used to obtain the dominant cultural profile for success in project management was the survey, in which the OCAI model was adapted and designed for managers and project team members. It was observed by analyzing the data, the clan culture showed the strong influence for success in project management according to the perception of the survey respondents. Importantly, there is a better culture profile than the other, so the obtained project management culture is only the diagnosis of an organizational culture that may allow obtaining superior performance, ie success in scope of service, quality, cost and schedule. It is argued for further study the importance of employing respondents from different states of Brazil and even from other countries, seeking to establish that there are no influences from other regional cultural factors in the perception of respondents.

Dans le domaine de la fabrication, la détection d’anomalies telles que les défauts et les défaillances mécaniques permet de lancer des tâches de maintenance prédictive, qui visent à prévoir les défauts, les erreurs et les défaillances futurs et à permettre des actions de maintenance. Avec la tendance de l’industrie 4.0, les tâches de maintenance prédictive bénéficient de technologies avancées telles que les systèmes cyberphysiques (CPS), l’Internet des objets (IoT) et l’informatique dématérialisée (cloud computing). Ces technologies avancées permettent la collecte et le traitement de données de capteurs qui contiennent des mesures de signaux physiques de machines, tels que la température, la tension et les vibrations. Cependant, en raison de la nature hétérogène des données industrielles, les connaissances extraites des données industrielles sont parfois présentées dans une structure complexe. Des méthodes formelles de représentation des connaissances sont donc nécessaires pour faciliter la compréhension et l’exploitation des connaissances. En outre, comme les CPSs sont de plus en plus axées sur la connaissance, une représentation uniforme de la connaissance des ressources physiques et des capacités de raisonnement pour les tâches analytiques est nécessaire pour automatiser les processus de prise de décision dans les CPSs. Ces problèmes constituent des obstacles pour les opérateurs de machines qui doivent effectuer des opérations de maintenance appropriées. Pour relever les défis susmentionnés, nous proposons dans cette thèse une nouvelle approche sémantique pour faciliter les tâches de maintenance prédictive dans les processus de fabrication. En particulier, nous proposons quatre contributions principales: i) un cadre ontologique à trois niveaux qui est l’élément central d’un système de maintenance prédictive basé sur la connaissance; ii) une nouvelle approche sémantique hybride pour automatiser les tâches de prédiction des pannes de machines, qui est basée sur l’utilisation combinée de chroniques (un type plus descriptif de modèles séquentiels) et de technologies sémantiques; iii) a new approach that uses clustering methods with Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) rules to assess failures according to their criticality levels; iv) une nouvelle approche d’affinement de la base de règles qui utilise des mesures de qualité des règles comme références pour affiner une base de règles dans un système de maintenance prédictive basé sur la connaissance. Ces approches ont été validées sur des ensembles de données réelles et synthétiques
In the manufacturing domain, the detection of anomalies such as mechanical faults and failures enables the launching of predictive maintenance tasks, which aim to predict future faults, errors, and failures and also enable maintenance actions. With the trend of Industry 4.0, predictive maintenance tasks are benefiting from advanced technologies such as Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Cloud Computing. These advanced technologies enable the collection and processing of sensor data that contain measurements of physical signals of machinery, such as temperature, voltage, and vibration. However, due to the heterogeneous nature of industrial data, sometimes the knowledge extracted from industrial data is presented in a complex structure. Therefore formal knowledge representation methods are required to facilitate the understanding and exploitation of the knowledge. Furthermore, as the CPSs are becoming more and more knowledge-intensive, uniform knowledge representation of physical resources and reasoning capabilities for analytic tasks are needed to automate the decision-making processes in CPSs. These issues bring obstacles to machine operators to perform appropriate maintenance actions. To address the aforementioned challenges, in this thesis, we propose a novel semantic approach to facilitate predictive maintenance tasks in manufacturing processes. In particular, we propose four main contributions: i) a three-layered ontological framework that is the core component of a knowledge-based predictive maintenance system; ii) a novel hybrid semantic approach to automate machinery failure prediction tasks, which is based on the combined use of chronicles (a more descriptive type of sequential patterns) and semantic technologies; iii) a new approach that uses clustering methods with Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) rules to assess failures according to their criticality levels; iv) a novel rule base refinement approach that uses rule quality measures as references to refine a rule base within a knowledge-based predictive maintenance system. These approaches have been validated on both real-world and synthetic data sets

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Information Analysis and Management
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) produces statistics that meet some of the data needs of monetary policy and other uses. How well this is fulfilled by the CBN is consequent on the quality of its statistical system, which has direct implication for knowledge creation through processed mass of statistical information. Questionnaires based on IMF Data Quality Assessment Frameworks (DQAFs) for BOP & IIP Statistics, and monetary statistics are applied to evaluate the quality of the CBN statistical system. Extant sound practices and deficiencies of the statistical system are identified; while improvement measures and statistical innovations are suggested. Enabled by relevant organic laws, the CBN compiles statistics in a supportive environment with commensurate human and work tool resources that meet the needs of statistical programs. Statistics production is carried out impartially and professionally, in broad conformity with IMF statistics manuals and compilation guides, regarding concepts, scope, classification and sectorization; and in compliance with e‐GDDS periodicity and timeliness for dissemination. Other observed sound statistical practices include valuation of transactions and positions using market prices or appropriate proxies; and recording, generally, of flows and stocks on accrual basis; while compiled statistics are consistent within datasets and reconcilable over a time period; etc. Some of the generic weaknesses are absence of statistics procedural guide; lack of routine evaluation and monitoring of statistical processes; inadequacy of branding to distinctively identify the bank’s statistical products; non‐disclosure of changes in statistical practices; non‐conduct of revision studies; and metadata concerns. The BOP & IIP statistics weaknesses comprise coverage inadequacies, sectorization/classification issues, lack of routine assessment of source data and inadequate assessment and validation of intermediate data and statistical output; while for monetary statistics, non‐compilation of the OFCS is identified apart from the generic. Recommendations include broadening source data, developing useroriented statistical quality manuals, establishing comprehensive manuals of procedures and their corresponding statistical compilation techniques, integrating statistical auditing into the statistical system, enhancing metadata and conducting revision studies, among others.

碩士
國立臺北教育大學
教育事業創新經營碩士學位在職進修專班
101
The purpose of this research is to develop a test for civic education based on Civic Framework for the 2010 NAEP (Civics Assessment Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress) for junior high school students in Taiwan. Organised into five main categories, expressed as questions, NAEP based on the followings in order to examine civic knowledge of middle school students: What are civic life, politics, and government; what are the foundations of the political system; how does the government established by the Constitution embody the purpose, values, and principles of democracy; what is the relationship of our country to other nations and to world affairs; what are the roles of citizens in democracy. By using cluster sampling, 199 of 9th grade students from a middle school in Taipei underwent the test and data were used in statistic analysis in order to support the reliability and quality of the research. According to thestatistical analyses, several types of the reliability and validity. The important result of this research could be an essential reference for researchers from related fields, teachers, school administrators as well as members of education department.

This study on technology in the South African school curriculum investigates the nature and value of this subject as a catalyst in developing Foundation Phase learners’ creative thinking skills Technology as school subject is defined as the use of knowledge, skills and available resources to develop solutions to meet human needs and wants, taking social and environmental factors into account. Central to this subject, is the design process of investigating, designing, making, evaluating and communicating solutions to problems identified in the environment. The notion and nature of creativity as researched by respected psychologists and researchers over the last few decades, with particular reference to Matlin’s theory of problem-solving and creativity, provides a theoretical underpinning with the aim of linking the problem-solving nature of technology with creative thinking. A qualitative case study research project, comprising a sample of six Foundation Phase learners at an independent school, has been conducted. Key characteristics of qualitative educational research such as sensitivity, precision, verification, empiricism, natural setting, inductive data analysis, validity and reliability and triangulation, have been taken into consideration. This study highlights the potential of technology as a school subject that provides learners with the opportunity to solve problems in creative ways and use authentic contexts rooted in real life situations. In addition, learners are afforded the opportunity to work collaboratively with others and engage in meaningful activities in the indoor and outdoor environment. Technology as a school subject in the Foundation Phase catalyzes learners’ creative thinking and problem-solving skills and provides a solid foundation for preparing young citizens for the demands and challenges of the 21st century.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
D. Ed. (Didactics)

no
Aims and objectives To (1) investigate the organisation, provision and practice of oral care in typical UK stroke units; (2) explore stroke survivors', carers' and healthcare professionals' experiences and perceptions about the barriers and facilitators to receiving and undertaking oral care in stroke units. Background Cerebrovascular disease and oral health are major global health concerns. Little is known about the provision, challenges and practice of oral care in the stroke unit setting, and there are currently no evidence-based practice guidelines. Design Cross-sectional survey of 11 stroke units across Greater Manchester and descriptive qualitative study using focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Methods A self-report questionnaire was used to survey 11 stroke units in Greater Manchester. Data were then collected through two focus groups (n = 10) with healthcare professionals and five semi-structured interviews with stroke survivors and carers. Focus group and interview data were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework approach. Results Eleven stroke units in Greater Manchester responded to the survey. Stroke survivors and carers identified a lack of oral care practice and enablement by healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals identified a lack of formal training to conduct oral care for stroke patients, inconsistency in the delivery of oral care and no set protocols or use of formal oral assessment tools. Conclusion Oral care post-stroke could be improved by increasing healthcare professionals' awareness, understanding and knowledge of the potential health benefits of oral care post-stroke. Further research is required to develop and evaluate the provision of oral care in stroke care to inform evidence-based education and practice.