Academic Appraisal Research Articles

A Glossary of Terms in Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare

In recent decades, artificial intelligence (AI) has infiltrated a variety of domains, including media, education, and medicine. There exists no glossary, lexicon, or reference for the uninitiated medical professional to explore the new terminology. As AI-driven technologies and applications become more available for clinical use in healthcare settings, an understanding of basic components, models, and tasks related to AI is crucial for clinical and academic appraisal. Here, we present a glossary of AI definitions that healthcare professionals can utilize to augment personal understanding of AI during this fourth industrial revolution.

People performance measures and commitment of academic staff in Nigeria Universities

People performance measure is critical for appraisal purpose to ensure sustainable commitment. The indices of performance are investigated to ascertain the extent of relationship to their commitment. The approach to people performance measure in our Universities affect commitment of people at individual and team levels and tend to reduce overall institutional performance. The study used survey research design. The primary data gathered through questionnaire were analysed using correlation. Based on the analysis, the findings revealed that people performance measures have significant positive effect on employee commitment among academic staff of Nigerian Universities. It is therefore recommended that task performance measure, contextual and adaptive performance measures be emphasised in appraising performance of academics in our Universities. This will imply a review of the academic appraisal policy to include more indices of the people’s performance particularly in the areas of contextual, adaptive and task performance measures in order to achieve greater commitment and promote institutional achievements

Faculty members’ perceptions about the effectiveness of the procedures for applying the appraisal of academic staff at Sultan Qaboos University

The appraisal of academic staff at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) has been in place for many years as a quality assurance measure. Its primary objective is to enhance staff performance by identifying commendable areas and those requiring improvement in daily activities. Over the years, this appraisal has contributed in faculty development and quality assurance as well as in the continuous improvement. This study explores the perceptions of faculty members at the College of Education concerning the procedures for applying the academic appraisal form at SQU. Utilizing a mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative), including questionnaire and semi-structured interview, the research examines the faculty members' views on the effectiveness of the appraisal procedures. The sample participating in this study was 54 faculty members. Out of the 54 participants, 48 completed the questionnaire, while 6 were chosen for in-depth semi-structured interviews. The sample included a wide range of participants to reflect the diversity within the academic staff. The findings may offer valuable insights into the current status of these perceptions and potentially assist policy makers at SQU in enhancing the existing procedures and system for applying the academic appraisal. Furthermore, the results may lead to a set of recommendations and directions for future research, helping to improve the robustness and applicability of the appraisal system within the university context.

I Claudius: A nostalgically-charged evaluation of Claude Megson's heyday in the 1970s

Along with Ian Athfield and Roger Walker, Claude Megson emerged in the early 1970s as an idiosyncratic architectural iconoclast utterly committed to the New Zealand house. However, Megson's legacy has taken a different course to his compatriots. Unlike Athfield and Walker, Megson had no literary champion to promote his significance (it might be said he had his own voice for that). Moreover, his relatively early death in 1994 curtailed his architectural activity but there was little indication in his work by then that he would either continue to reinvent his approach to housing in the manner of Walker, or grow his scope and scale of his work like Athfield. By the mid 1970s Megson had formed a rigid approach to domestic work that underpinned – and probably limited – his activities as an architect and architectural educator. His certainty on this matter also polarised opinion on his personality. You were obliged to be either with or against Claude, and this dialectical distinction has not endeared him to researchers. In this paper I wish then to evaluate the historical significance of Megson in three interlocking parts. The first concerns his personal mythology as an architect hero in the manner of Frank Lloyd Wright (a narrative that real estate agents are quick to promote his work). The second part is found in an analysis of his actual houses from this period with particular attention given to his masters' dissertation. The final aspect I wish to weave through is his presence as a dominant personality, but a rather marginal teacher, at the Auckland School of Architecture into the 1980s. This will not be a particularly scholarly or academic appraisal. In keeping with the complexities and paradoxes that underpinned Megson's character, what I hope to do here is to provide a sketch for further scholarship on one of New Zealand's most intriguing architects.

Academic performance appraisal systems: design, fairness and effectiveness

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings All employment is evaluated, appraising processes and performance and setting goals for the future. Performance appraisal systems (PAS) are usually performance-based, looking at clearly defined quantitative and short-term goals, criteria and procedures. Such a system is not as appropriate for knowledge-based work as in academia, where the work is typically non-routine, complex, intrinsically motivated, qualitative and collaborative. An effective PAS relies on perceived procedural justice and if the employee views procedural (processes) and distributive (rewards) justice to be fair. Increased perception of fairness leads to increased performance and organizational effectiveness. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

In Reply to Guragai.

We were delighted to read Mandeep Guragai’s letter, which is a timely reminder of the inequality of technological and educational access across the world. Guragai makes important points, and we wish to comment on 2. The first point is the position of the Nepal Medical Council in relation to not allowing substitution for hands-on training. In normal circumstances, we would be in agreement; however, we are not in normal circumstances. Training programs across the world are having to make numerous adjustments to cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The consequences of effectively pausing training need to be balanced against the anxiety that new technological solutions, such as digital clinical placements, are somehow not as good. This anxiety is legitimate, which is why it is important that the introduction of any new educational technology be subject to rigorous academic appraisal and formal validation. In addition, as clinical teaching is gradually reintroduced, clinical educators will face new challenges. We need to decide in advance what instruction should be face-to-face and what should remain online—and get the balance right—while protecting students and staff. At our institution, our planning process has allowed us to reflect on what is core medical knowledge and has provided an opportunity to review how we teach aspects of our medical curriculum. The second point is that access to mobile data and the Internet is unequal across the world, which is illustrated by Guragai’s experiences. The Pew Research Center in 2019 estimated that more than 5 billion people have mobile devices, and while the median smartphone ownership is about 45% in emerging economies, it is higher among young adult populations (e.g., 74% in the Philippines). 1 Furthermore the number of mobile phone owners continues to grow. This increased access to smartphones presents medical educators with an extraordinary opportunity, and we must learn from first-hand experiences, such as Guragai’s. Medical schools such as the Imperial College School of Medicine, in collaboration with students and doctors from countries like Nepal, will be able to innovate and validate new technological solutions to the challenges of delivering affordable and accessible high-quality medical education in both West London and Kathmandu.

The Persuasive Power of Religious Metaphor in Selected Qur’anic and Biblical Verses

ان تحديد الاستعارات في معظم النصوص الدينية ليست يسيرة (Charteris-Black, 2005). فبالنسبة للاستعارات التي يتم التعامل معها من خلال النصوص الدينية مثل حياة الإنسان كرحلة أو لعبة ، الصلاة نهر متدفق ، الشهداء الأحياء ، طعم الموت ، رحلة الموتى و "يموت ، ومع ذلك يجب أن يعيش" هي أمور روحانية في الغالب يعد التقييم الأكاديمي لها ضروريًا (Lakoff, 1980 & Johnson؛ Gibbs,2008). أي أن نوعية التفسيرات التي تقدمها مثل هذه الاستعارات تحتاج إلى تحقيق مكثف بصفة الوظيفة الرئيسية للاستعارة في النصوص الدينية. علاوة على ذلك ، قد يُساء الحكم على الاستعارات في النصوص المقدسة بسبب: غياب الصورة في اللغة المستهدفة واختلاف المعاني الرمزية للاستعارات في المصدر. لذا ، نهدف إلى معالجة هذه المشكلة من خلال تحليل الأشكال والوظائف المختلفة للاستعارات

Theresa May and the Conservative Party leadership confidence motion of 2018: analysing the voting behaviour of Conservative Parliamentarians

This article provides the first systematic academic appraisal of the confidence motion against the Conservative Party leadership of Theresa May in late 2018. We construct a detailed dataset of the parliamentary Conservative Party (PCP), and then test the significance of a range of hypotheses about how Conservative parliamentarians voted in the confidence motion. Our findings demonstrate how the original remain or leave divide on continued membership of the European Union (EU) was not statistically significant—i.e. our findings demonstrate that whether Conservative parliamentarians voted remain or leave themselves, or whether they held remain or constituencies, did not have an impact upon their vote in the confidence motion. Our findings demonstrate that the lack of confidence in May was dependent upon whether Conservative parliamentarians supported her Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and whether they were members of the European Research Group (ERG). Our research findings contribute to existing academic debates as they show that the drivers of the vote in the confidence motion of 2018 differed from the drivers of the vote in previous Conservative Party leadership elections—i.e. unlike previous contests non-ideological considerations were not statistically significant in terms of explaining voting behaviour.

Academic Assessment Information System

The purpose of this study is to create the information system of academic assessment used in education to facilitate the assessment of students. This research used descriptive analysis method to analyse the requirements contained in the system to be built. Data collection techniques used observation and interview methods to obtain more accurate data to apply to the system. The results of this study indicate that the academic appraisal system facilitates school information about assessing and publishing grades in students and is also expected to be more efficient.

Sex, Statistics, Peacekeepers and Power: UN Data on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and the Quest for Legal Reform

The UN Secretariat provides annual statistics on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse made against peacekeeping personnel, with reduced numbers of allegations leading to claims of success for the UN's ‘zero tolerance’ policy. This article explores the use of data as ‘technologies’ of global governance, to examine the function that these annual statistics serve for the UN and the impact that they have on calls for legal reform. Thus far, the statistics have attracted little academic appraisal. Yet, they have been used to establish the UN's authority to resolve the ‘problem’ of sexual exploitation and abuse, diminishing the space for critique of UN policy and undermining the quest for improved legal arrangements.

A Study on Academic Appraisal Program: An Innovation towards Quality Assurance in Undergraduate Medical Education

An efficient throughput process for an education environment is essential . Teaching learning is the key through-put process. For academic environment to be purposeful it has to be ensured that this remains relevant to the learner. The learning process involves critical steps, which should be safeguarded to ensure academic conduciveness. These can be the key objectives for any learning environment. If such objectives are benchmarked than they become standards .The best stakeholder to safe guard these standards would be the learner. Other stakeholders too participate and ensure the conduciveness through regular monitoring and reviews of the same. This is a quality management cycle. It is susceptible to failures, especially from the learner’s point of view, despite being guarded by other stakeholders. Despite this being so valuable there are not many quality assurance processes/programs which assures that such environment are preserved, sustained and enhanced, as perceived by learner, particularly in medical education. The Academic Appraisal Program is developed and implemented to assure that learning process has gone well. It unfolds in a standardised manner with active involvement of all. The learning objectives laid/set are met efficiently and effectively, maintaining core learning elements relevant to learner. It is a quality assurance activity, empowering learners to control the learning environment towards effective dispensations as meant & perceived by them. It has been able to identify key quality initiatives as quality preserved, sustained and enhanced for Teaching-Learning.

Appraising academic appraisal in the new public management university

Against a backdrop of new public management (NPM) thinking and managerialism generally applied to universities in a range of countries, this study examines one of its manifestations – performance management for academics. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 40 academics at an Australian university, this article identifies six stances regularly adopted by those conducting performance appraisal interviews with academics. These are labelled ‘nurturing’, ‘hard-driving’, ‘self-serving’, ‘coddling’, ‘disengaged’ and ‘hostile’. Each of these appraisal stances is described in detail and then considered from two perspectives – that of academics themselves and of NPM. The material presented suggests that while a ‘nurturing’ stance was viewed favourably by the academics interviewed, it is out of step with NPM thinking. ‘Hard-driving’ and ‘self-serving’ stances, which directly reflect NPM thinking, were disliked by many (although not all) of the interviewees who had experienced them. The most common appraising stance – a ‘disengaged’ one – was widely condemned, as was the ‘hostile’ stance, yet both stances have much in common with the ruthlessness of NPM.

Retraction of a study on genetically modified corn: Expert investigations should speak louder during controversies over safety.

Over the past few years, genetically modified organisms (GMO) have gradually become more familiar after numerous reports of problems with GMO safety, such as genetically modified (GM) potatoes disrupting immunity, GM corn inducing tumors, and GM rice being fed to unwitting Chinese children. Every time, these reports cause panic among the population and lead to objections to GMO in various fora. After each incident, the scientific community has delivered its academic appraisal and refuted rumors through slow and cautious investigations and evaluations. Unfortunately, during each event media outlets quickly scare the public about food safety and ignore the ensuing comments from scientists. Although scientists have investigated each GMO crisis and reached scientific and rational conclusions, they have less ability to disseminate information than the media, so the public is not promptly informed of their rational and objective viewpoints as experts. Thus, scientists need greater ability to disseminate information from scientific investigations and evaluations in order to correct the intemperate reporting by attention-seeking media.

Embracing complexity in academic performance appraisal

The field of bibliometrics gained momentum after the proposal of the h-index in 2005. Managerial decisions in academia increasingly rely on such metrics to facilitate performance appraisal. However, current bibliometrics are far from being accurate, and reinforce negative outcomes in the publication system, and science as a whole. An analysis of non-linear relationships of a number of misguided practices and fraud in academia illustrate the paradox in measuring academic productivity. Researchers’ performance is measured through measuring self-reinforcing indicators, ignoring content and conceptual richness of research. The prevailing paradigm seems to reinforce output maximisation, not exploration and knowledge dissemination. Case studies of Diederik Stapel and Don Poldermans illustrate the potential dangers of current practice under specific conditions. Based on the evidence presented, the paper calls for approximating novelty and current impact.

The consciousness quotient: a new predictor of the students’ academic performance

The purpose of this study is to establish the practical usage of Consciousness Quotient in the educational psychology field. Basic hypothesis of this study was to determinate the incremental validity brought by the Consciousness Quotient in the prediction of academic performance. The study is based on a 138 participants from the Ecological University of Bucharest, Romania. The “Consciousness Quotient Inventory” (CQI) and “General Ability Measure for Adults” (GAMA) are used to evaluate the Consciousness Quotient and the Intelligence Levels. The results confirm the influence of Consciousness Quotient in the academic performance appraisal. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Masterprof team

Ideological Typologies of Contemporary British Conservatism

Prior to the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, traditional academic assumptions about the British Conservative party focused on its emphasis on party unity, the centrality of loyalty to the party, and its ideological pragmatism in the pursuit of power. The leadership of her successor, John Major, was undermined by disunity, disloyalty and ideological conflict, which contributed to the Tory party's removal from power. The ideological implosion of one the most disciplined and electorally successful parties in Western Europe, has stimulated considerable academic appraisal. This article considers the design and utilisation of the ideological typologies of contemporary British conservatism that have been used by academics to help explain the nature of this ideological conflict. By analysing these developments in typological design, we can enhance our understanding of the ideological realignment of contemporary British conservatism in the immediate post-Thatcherite era.

Peer-Assisted Student Support: A new approach to learning

The Great Britain Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education (1997) highlighted the significant role that higher education would be required to play in providing the United Kingdom with individuals that could consistently meet the demands of a global market place. Higher education institutions have been entrusted with the task of removing existing barriers to learning and implementing initiatives that will enable students to achieve beyond current expectations. A current initiative by the University of Glamorgan aims to meet some of the challenges laid down by the Great Britain Committee of Enquiry into Higher Education (1997). Peer-Assisted Student Support (PASS) is a scheme directed at facilitating student-centred learning. The initiative encourages students to take responsibility for the learning process in terms of academic achievement and social development. This article offers a unique insight into the scheme, detailing demographic and subject attendance patterns during Semester B of the 1997/98 academic year. Furthermore, the research undertaken also builds on previous work investigating the effect of support mechanisms on academic performance. The article reports that the scheme is primarily dominated by female attendees and students in the under-21 age group. Moreover, whilst the research substantiates previous claims that schemes such as PASS have a positive effect on academic performance, the nature of academic appraisal within the context studied suggests that this generalisation can only be extended to coursework-related assessment.

Appraising appraisal: Some tensions and some possibilities

Appraisal of academic staff is now a formal part of university procedures. Prior to its introduction there was much exhortation as to the beneficial effects appraisal would bring, and equally forceful arguments about the harmful effects of imposing it as a means of exercising tighter managerial control. The paper presents the findings of an investigation of the academic appraisal programme in the University of Ulster. Consideration of two forms of appraisal, manageralist and developmental, with their associated perspectives on the nature of professional practice, its assessment and improvement, provide the context within which the University of Ulster's programme can be considered. The evidence reveals inconsistency, tension and uncertainty about the programme and its effects: the reader is invited to judge the virtues of the different perspectives and the degree to which the programme's intents and operations meet, or fit, with any of them.

Academic Staff Appraisal: Do‐It‐Yourself

Discusses probable ineffectiveness of traditional “performance control” approaches to appraisal of higher education staff. Recommends that more attention be paid to self‐and peer‐appraisal and the responsibility of management to provide an appropriate environment for this.

Academic Appraisal: Practise What We Preach? Part II

The problems of evaluation or appraisal of academics, with respect not only to ability, but also promotion, salary increases, and the granting of tenure is discussed. The way in which appraisal helps a professor learn more about himself and what he is accomplishing is posed along with ideas of developing action plans to achieve certain goals and standards.