Portfolio Assignments Research Articles

Resilience evaluation of low-carbon supply chain based on improved matter-element extension model.

How to evaluate the resilience level and change trend of supply chain is an important research direction in current supply chain management practice. This paper proposes a new method of supply chain resilience assessment based on hesitant fuzzy linguistic term set (HFLTS) and matter element extension theory. Firstly, based on the research status quo at home and abroad, a low-carbon enterprise supply chain resilience assessment index system is established, which includes six first-level indicators and corresponding 21 second-level indicators of product supply resilience, resource resilience, partner resilience, information response resilience, financial resilience and knowledge resilience. Secondly, HFLTS was used to collect expert opinions and Ordered Weighted Arithmetic (OWA) to calculate the expert composite language, by which the fuzzy evaluation matrix of supply chain resilience assessment indicators was obtained. Once again, the resilience indicator weights are determined based on a game-theoretic portfolio assignment method combining the best-worst method (BWM) and the CRITIC method. Finally, the nearness degree function is combined with the extension comprehensive evaluation method to improve the matter element extension model, and the supply chain resilience assessment model of low-carbon enterprises based on the game theory combination assignment-improved matter element extension is established. Taking X low-carbon enterprise as an example, the evaluation results show that the supply chain resilience level of this enterprise is II, and the eigenvalue of the grade variable is 2.69, and the supply chain resilience is shifting to III, and the supply chain resilience is shifting to III, which indicates that the supply chain resilience of this enterprise is being enhanced. Therefore, the improved matter element extension not only ensures the accuracy of the evaluation results, but also has higher prediction accuracy.

Quality in preschools through systematic quality work – a principal’s perspective

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore existing and desired methodologies for systematic quality work to promote quality in preschools from the principal’s perspective.Design/methodology/approachA collaborative approach was used in this research project, and principals were asked to complete portfolio assignments. Their answers to those portfolio assignments were analysed by the research team and subsequently compared to total quality management values.FindingsExisting and desired methodologies for systematic quality work are presented and sorted into 13 and 17 groups, respectively. The principals desire four times more methodologies than they are presently using to promote systematic quality work, and the results show that they must extend their methodologies to support TQM values.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is based on answers collected from 18 principals in one municipality in Sweden.Practical implicationsThe use of the cornerstone model provides a framework to illustrate the application of TQM in preschools.Originality/valuePrincipals struggle to find time for systemic quality work. The presented results can be used to work systematically with quality in preschools and other organizations.

Constructing Disability

The Keyword Portfolio assignment is a semester-long project in which students trace their developing understanding of disability concepts, drawing together terms from class readings and discussions with an identification of these concepts at work in their daily lives. Students compose multiple entries across the semester. In each entry, students first define the chosen disability concept using their own language, and then present and explain an example of the concept in action. After assembling their term entries, students write an introductory, reflective cover letter where they describe their chosen audience for the portfolio and explain their composing choices and organization. In these letters, students generally report that they use their own experiences with terms and positionality and so seek to help students ‘like them’ to access disability tenets and to gain comfort with the material more quickly. Students also describe elaborate webs of connections among their chosen terms, illustrating that they gain broader knowledge of disability concepts and their inter-relationships through the assignment.

A study on risk sharing of smart city PPP projects based on EW-G1 and TOPSIS-UT: a case study in China

PurposeBuilding a smart city is a necessary path to achieve sustainable urban development. Smart city public–private partnership (PPP) project is a necessary measure to build a smart city. Since there are many participants in smart city PPP projects, there are problems such as uneven distribution of risks; therefore, in order to ensure the normal construction and operation of the project, the reasonable sharing of risks among the participants becomes an urgent problem to be solved. In order to make each participant clearly understand the risk sharing of smart city PPP projects, this paper aims to establish a scientific and practical risk sharing model.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses the literature review method and the Delphi method to construct a risk index system for smart city PPP projects and then calculates the objective and subjective weights of each risk index through the Entropy Weight (EW) and G1 methods, respectively, and uses the combined assignment method to find the comprehensive weights. Considering the nature of the risk sharing problem, this paper constructs a risk sharing model for smart city PPP projects by initially sharing the risks of smart city PPP projects through Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to determine the independently borne risks and the jointly borne risks and then determines the sharing ratio of the jointly borne risks based on utility theory.FindingsFinally, this paper verifies the applicability and feasibility of the risk-sharing model through empirical analysis, using the smart city of Suzhou Industrial Park as a research case. It is hoped that this study can provide a useful reference for the risk sharing of PPP projects in smart cities.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors calculate the portfolio assignment by EW-G1 and construct a risk-sharing model by TOPSIS-Utility Theory (UT), which is applied for the first time in the study of risk sharing in smart cities.

Developing writing skills based on writing portfolio in German as a foreign language: An empirical study for portfolio work

In German as a Foreign Language Education, portfolios are used for different purposes. One of the most common areas of portfolio use is ‘writing portfolios’, which are prepared by instructors to plan students' writing processes and improve their writing skills by giving feedback, regular review and control. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the functionality of the portfolio work carried out within the scope of the writing course and its effect on writing success by receiving the opinions of the students. The study group of this research consists of 39 students who studied in the first year of the German Language Teaching Department of Education Faculty at Trakya University in the academic year 2022-2023. Since it was thought to be the most appropriate research method for the purpose of the study, the phenomenological research design, which is a qualitative research method, was preferred. In the study, a semi-structured interview form containing 4 questions was created by the researcher and used as a data collection tool. The study aimed to assess students' perspectives on various aspects, including the impact of their portfolio work in the writing course on their writing habits and achievements, feedback received, and the types of texts they composed for their portfolios. The obtained interview data were analyzed with content analysis which is a qualitative method for data analysis. According to the study findings, students were positively influenced by the portfolio assignments in general and expressed their desire for the constant implementation of this approach.

The Analysis of Animated Media and Portfolio PjBL Models to Improve the Competence of Vocational High School Students

Effective and efficient learning can be done by using the right learning model. In this study, the PjBL learning model was used to improve student competence. The research methodology is Research and Development (R&D). Respondents in this study were 50 students. The method of data analysis in this research is descriptive non-parametric with data analysis using one-way ANOVA. The results of the study are as follows: 1). The model test in the field shows that the PJBL model is effective in increasing student competence, at the Surakarta Christian Vocational School it shows results in the form of the four desired competencies. PJBL animation media and portfolio assignments. The competence of students of SMK Negeri 7 Surakarata also showed very good results with a significance value of 0.05 from the four competencies being studied, this shows the effectiveness of the animation media PJBL model and portfolio assignment.

Sex, gender, and promotion in executive office: Cabinet careers in the world of Westminster

AbstractThis article provides the first analysis of gendered promotion issues for cabinet ministers using most‐similar systems design for three “Westminster‐style” governments: Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Using individual‐level data and controlling for biographical, institutional, and country effects we find, in common with earlier literature, that women are more likely to be given less prestigious cabinet posts and be assigned to “feminine” portfolio. Using both sequence and event history analysis, we see the careers of men and women starkly diverge. We find that women are less likely to be promoted than men but find no relationship between prestigious portfolio and promotion. However, feminine portfolio assignments decrease the promotion prospects for women yet increase them for men.

Special Place Assignments: Connecting Ecological Concepts to Each Student’s Unique Locale Through Scaffolded Portfolio Assignments

Special Place Assignments: Connecting Ecological Concepts to Each Student’s Unique Locale Through Scaffolded Portfolio Assignments

Pod-agogies: Story-Sharing Interviews for Leisure Students

This paper explores the use of podcast-style interview pedagogies (pod-agogies) as an innovate teaching method in a capstone therapeutic recreation (TR) seminar course. The purpose of the pod-agogies course component was to create meaningful connections between upper-year TR students and TR practitioners working in the field and on the frontlines of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Students engaged with the audio-recorded story-sharing interviews and reflected on what they learned through a critical reflection portfolio assignment.

Teaching Self‐Regulated Learning in Combination with Sustainability and Community Engagement

AbstractThis article introduces an intermediate‐high to advanced topic‐based German course that teaches sustainability and self‐regulated learning and includes a community engagement project. The theoretical introduction illustrates why combining the three topics of sustainability, self‐regulated learning, and community engagement is desirable for German programs. Additionally, the article shows how a course can be designed in two scaffolding cycles to teach students these three topics. The first scaffolding cycle, an in‐class unit framed around the film Wackersdorf (Fliess, 2018), starts a conversation about sustainability and introduces six steps that will help students plan and conduct their community engagement project. In a second scaffolding cycle, students prepare and implement a community engagement project as their primary task. The article also reflects how the instructor can prepare and evaluate a community engagement project and how a portfolio assignment can be a valuable tool to monitor students' progress. Additionally, the article introduces two examples of successful community projects.

Portafolios α-estables del G20: Evidencia empírica con Markowitz, Tobin y CAPM

Objetivo: Esta investigación extiende los portafolios de Markowitz, Tobin, y el CAPM con procesos α-estables. Metodología: son realizados los siguientes procedimientos en un portafolio con los índices bursátiles del G20: 1) son estimados los estadísticos descriptivos y los parámetros α-estables de los rendimientos, 2) es aplicada una prueba de bondad de ajuste para validar los procesos α-estables, 3) es estimada la matriz de covariación para calcular las asignaciones de los portafolios, y 4) son estimados los indicadores de riesgo sistemático. Resultados: La frontera eficiente es calculada sin ventas en corto y muestra que los portafolios α-estables presentan mayor aversión al riesgo que los portafolios gaussianos, y que los portafolios α-estables son más eficientes con respecto a la relación rendimiento y riesgo. Recomendaciones: La aplicación de procesos α-estables para modelar la leptocurtosis, la asimetría y los cúmulos de volatilidad. Limitaciones: El análisis multivariado α-estable presenta diferentes parámetros de estabilidad. Originalidad: Los rendimientos del G20 son modelados con procesos α-estables y es realizado un análisis de sensibilidad. Conclusión: El análisis α-estable permite cuantificar el riesgo de mercado más adecuadamente que el análisis gaussiano.

A portfolio replacement for a traditional final exam in thermodynamics

As in many undergraduate chemical engineering courses, Bucknell University’s Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics course typically had a summative final exam that constituted a substantial portion of a student’s overall grade. In the spring 2020 semester, emergency remote instruction was instituted for the final six weeks of the semester, making a simultaneous timed exam a less attractive option for summative assessment. In place of the exam, students were asked to provide a portfolio of situations, calculations, and reflections documenting that they had achieved core learning outcomes. Assessment of these portfolios revealed comparable student performance on learning outcomes to those documented by exams in previous years. Students reported a generally favorable impression of the portfolio assignment, particularly given the novel remote-instruction circumstances. Portfolios took a similar amount of instructor time to grade using a rubric. This assignment is easily modifiable for use in other chemical engineering courses.

What It Means to Teach Consumer Culture Remotely Through a Pandemic

Abstract: During the spring semester of 2020, college and university faculty and students faced an array of challenges in moving from in-person to remote teaching and learning, mid-semester and in the midst of a pandemic. This piece outlines one strategy for making that shift in a course about the study of consumer culture. The pandemic consumer portfolio assignment, which became the primary work of the post-remote learning segment of the class, shifted the course's historical focus to the current moment, applied lessons learned about consumer practices across the twentieth century to the COVID-19 experience, and provided a means by which students could draw on and intertwine personal and academic insights and experiences in a moment of deep societal change.

Online Peer feedback

Peergrade er et digitalt redskab, der kan anvendes til at understøtte peer feedback aktiviteter. I denne artikel beskrives anvendelsen af redskabet i universitetsundervisning, nærmere betegnet i faget Forhistorisk Arkæologi II på Aarhus Universitet. Aktiviteterne var ikke obligatoriske, men de forbedrede portfolio-opgaver indgik i de studerendes individuelle eksamensportfolio, der blev afleveret forud for mundtlig eksamen i faget. Vi beskriver de studerendes oplevelser på baggrund af deres svar på spørgeskema og deltagelse i fokusgruppeinterview. Vi slutter af med anbefalinger for brug af peer feedback aktiviteter med Peergrade i universitetsundervisning.

A pragmatic approach to introducing mixed methods research training for pharmacy students in Namibia

Background and purposePharmacy and medical training were introduced for the first time in Namibia in 2011 and 2010 respectively. All students must complete a research project as part of their training, which is supported by various courses in the respective curricula including research methods. Following a revision of the medical curriculum, there was an opportunity to review the way research methods was taught for both degrees, piloting in pharmacy then expanding to other disciplines. An educational activity that was part of the research methods course for training pharmacy students in Namibia is described. Educational activity and settingThe activity described related to a new approach in the running of the research methods course for pharmacy students and included, in a portfolio-based approach, a group project. Students were tasked to collect qualitative data from medical student colleagues that they then needed to codify and ultimately articulate into a survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was subsequently sent out to collect responses on medicines-related items that could be analyzed quantitatively in subsequent teaching sessions. Supportive lectures, tutorials and portfolio assignments were provided during the project. Data were collected the following year to create a more substantive dataset and a screencast video made to benefit future students in the course. Findings and discussionThrough the course of this activity students developed a questionnaire survey tool based on qualitative responses to brief interviews with medical students and emergent themes based on qualitative analyses. A dataset was created that allowed demonstration of quantitative analyses and extraction of sub-scales from the questionnaire. Further educational resources were developed to ensure sustainability of this educational resource and retention in the taught curriculum. SummaryThe current article discusses the development, implementation and evaluation of this research methods course component. The application of data collected as part of the activity and its relevance to the educational activity is examined as well as lessons learned for the future running of the project and further evaluation.

Metaphor in Spanish L2 and Heritage Language Learners’ Speech: How Does it Compare?

Summary One way in which language practitioners and researchers have furthered our understanding of heritage language learners’ linguistic abilities has been to compare them to L2 learners. The current study implemented this modality and examined metaphoric competence. This is one area in learners’ overall linguistic competence that provides them with access to the concepts and models of the language community and facilitates mediation during communitive tasks (Lantolf, 1999). Participants (n=16) in this study were heritage language learners and L2 learners enrolled in an advanced conversation class in Spanish. They completed an oral portfolio assignment which consisted of regularly engaging in conversation with a Spanish native speaker and recording their interactions. The analysis of their unscripted conversations included the identification of metaphoric samples and the calculation of metaphoric density. Findings revealed that learners produced what were termed true metaphors (original constructions), light metaphors (metaphoric constructions that are already established in the language), and transfer metaphors (constructions resulting from contact with the English language). Comparisons between L2 learners and heritage language learners did not reveal significant differences, which suggests that in the area of metaphoric competence these learners are more similar than not.

Pharmacy Students’ Perceptions of Reflective Portfolios and their Effect on Students’ Deep Information-Processing Skills

Objective. To evaluate pharmacy students' perceptions of the educational value of reflective portfolio and to gain an understanding of the factors that might influence these perceptions. Methods. Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) students' perceptions of using reflective portfolios were evaluated by administering the same questionnaire at the beginning of years 2, 3 and 4 of the curriculum. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the differences among the perception scores of different academic years. Semi-structured interviews were completed with fourth-year students to further explore their experiences with the reflective portfolio. Students' deep information processing (DIP) skills were compared with those of students from another pharmacy cohort whose curriculum did not include a reflective portfolio. Results. The students' perceptions of the reflective portfolio improved significantly as they progressed from year 2 to year 4 of the curriculum. The factors that contributed to a positive experience were a clear understanding of objectives and guidelines for the reflective portfolio, useful mentor feedback, a positive learning attitude and motivation, and having a user-friendly technology platform for submission of the portfolio. The students' DIP skills after completing the reflective portfolio were higher than those of students who did not have a reflective portfolio assignment in their curriculum. Conclusion. Pharmacy students' appreciation of the educational value of a reflective portfolio increased as they progressed to their final year, and their DIP skills improved. These findings support the use of a reflective portfolio as a learning tool for BPharm students' personal and professional development.

Evaluation of an English preparatory program at a Turkish foundation university

This study aims to evaluate the English Preparatory Program (EPP) offered at the Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at an English-medium foundation university in Turkey during 2017-18 academic year to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the program. Participants of the study were 241 students and 26 teachers. The data were collected from the “Program Evaluation Survey” designed by the researchers and focus group meetings with students and teachers. The results revealed that the strengths of the EPP included homework assignments, exams and the program while the extracurricular activities and online programs were found to be the main weaknesses of the EPP. It was also found that student and teacher perceptions of the EPP showed statistically significant difference. Finally, students and teachers suggested some improvements in terms of the pacing of the program, course books and supplementary booklets, number of the portfolio assignments and the picture description part in the Speaking Exam. It is hoped that the findings of the study will contribute to the improvement of the existing program and lead to better learning opportunities for students in the coming years. Keywords: Program evaluation; English preparatory program; students; teachers; perspectives

The use of video as a tool for reflection with preservice teachers

ABSTRACTThis study explores how the process of making and reviewing videos of their own instruction impacts the development of preservice teachers. The study looks at the impacts, both positive and negative, of a video portfolio assignment implemented in a teaching methods course, and of the uses and meanings these videos have for preservice teachers, their instructors, and the teacher preparation program. Findings suggest that the videotaping assignment has the virtue of shifting attention to the often-overlooked embodied dimensions of teaching (e.g., gesture, posture, gaze, tone of voice, facial expressions, use of materials, and positioning). On the other hand, the requirement to videotape themselves teaching can produce anxiety that can make preservice teachers tend towards self-conscious, teacher-centered versions of teaching. The article concludes with implications for how initial teacher preparation programs can implement the videotaping requirement of edTPA in ways that best support preservice teachers’ growth.

Student Developed Knowledge Portfolios from a Soil Fertility Course

Core Ideas Portfolios are useful for students to organize and reflect upon course content. Portfolios can serve as a knowledge toolbox that students can use in future work. The portfolio assignment used in a soil fertility course is described. Students who have completed the Soil Nutrient Relationships course at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln often contact instructors once they have begun full‐time work, seeking reminders of specific concepts. These students either did not take or keep detailed notes during the course. To assist students, instructors have developed a portfolio requirement for the course. One important learning objective from each recitation exercise was summarized as deliverable knowledge in the student's portfolio. Feedback was then provided on portfolio components each week with resubmission encouraged, so that students leave with accurate information in their own words. The objective of this article is to summarize the details of the portfolio assignment used in Soil Nutrient Relationships to assist other instructors in developing student assignments and assessments. Following completion of the knowledge portfolio, students were surveyed with more than 75% response rate in both the 2016 and 2017 semesters. More than 44% of respondents agreed that they thought they would use the portfolio in their future work, and more than 15% of respondents agreed that the portfolio would be the most important component of class toward their future work.