Department of General Education and Language

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12519/622

Browse

Browsing Department of General Education and Language by Issue Date

Jump to a point in the index:
  • Item
    Divided difference operators in equivariant KK-theory
    (World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., 2014) Leung, Ho Hon
    Let G be a compact connected Lie group with a maximal torus T. Let A, B be G-C*-algebras. We define certain divided difference operators on Kasparov's T-equivariant KK-group KKT(A, B) and show that KK G(A, B) is a direct summand of KKT(A, B). More precisely, a T-equivariant KK-class is G-equivariant if and only if it is annihilated by an ideal of divided difference operators. This result is a generalization of work done by Atiyah, Harada, Landweber and Sjamaar. © 2014 World Scientific Publishing Company.
  • Item
    Equivariant structure constants for hamiltonian-T -spaces
    (TUBITAK, 2014) Leung, Ho Hon
    If there exists a set of canonical classes on a compact Hamiltonian-T -space in the sense of R Goldin and S Tolman, we derive some formulas for certain equivariant structure constants in terms of other equivariant structure constants and the values of canonical classes restricted to some fixed points. These formulas can be regarded as a generalization of Tymoczko's results. © TÜBİTAK.
  • Item
    Exploratory study on the impact of game-based learning on student engagement
    (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2015) Yousef, Dima ; Baadel, Said ; Makad, Rama
    Motivating students has always been the main concern of seasoned and new teachers. This is evident as they plan their lessons meticulously to ensure that their students are actively engaged in some form of activity or preparing for a task. The purpose of the paper is to examine the advantages, obstacles, and impact of using games on student engagement and involvement throughout the learning process. The findings will reveal that game-based learning has a profound and positive outcome on student level of motivation, comprehension, and retention of newly taught concepts. © 2014 IEEE.
  • Item
    MCOKE: Multi-Cluster Overlapping K-Means Extension Algorithm
    (World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2015) Baadel, Said ; Thabtah, Fadi ; Lu, Joan
    Clustering involves the partitioning of n objects into k clusters. Many clustering algorithms use hard-partitioning techniques where each object is assigned to one cluster. In this paper we propose an overlapping algorithm MCOKE which allows objects to belong to one or more clusters. The algorithm is different from fuzzy clustering techniques because objects that overlap are assigned a membership value of 1 (one) as opposed to a fuzzy membership degree. The algorithm is also different from other overlapping algorithms that require a similarity threshold be defined a priori which can be difficult to determine by novice users.
  • Item
    Internet of everything (IoE) exploiting organisational inside threats : global network of smart devices (GNSD)
    (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2016) Majeed, Asim ; Haq, Anwar Ul ; Jamal, Arshad ; Bhana, Rehan ; Banigo, Funke ; Baadel, Said
    Various disruptive technologies have evolved a paradigm for setting up the Internet-of-Everything (IoE) and continuous evolution of technologies has demanded those devices to communicate and exchange information with each other. The marketing research company Gartner has surveyed and estimated that around 30 billion devices would be interconnected and exchanging information by 2020. The IoE is accompanied by several substantial opportunities in all fields of life, ranging from the energy sector to the healthcare industry. The trail of IoE development has opened new doors of attack vectors. The evolution in the plethora of ubiquitous devices has raised several insider threats, thus generating concerns of security and privacy within enterprises who have framed the use of smart devices through IoE. This paper discusses a different perspective of security and privacy issues in IoE by considering insiders bringing personal smart devices to use within the enterprise. The central theme of this research is to identify the challenges and explore the extent of security and privacy issues a global network of smart devices could exacerbate within the enterprise. © 2016 IEEE.
  • Item
    Facial recognition cane for the visually impaired
    (Springer Verlag, 2016) Majeed, Asim ; Baadel, Said
    The modern era is accompanied by various traditional mobility aids which help visually impaired to stay independent and enabling them detecting the objects and scanning surroundings. The use of haptic touch, as well as ultrasound, is embedded in today’s smart canes which detect obstacles up to 3 m distance, GPS navigation, informs the user through Bluetooth and earpiece, and guide the visually impaired to direct from one location to another. The evolution of this technology has motivated the integration of inexpensive camera technology within the cane for facial recognition purposes. The concept of developing this intelligent smart cane which would detect obstacles from up to 10 m as well as recognises friends and family faces, was envisioned by students at Birmingham City University. The developments in this product and adopted technologies guide a visually impaired user to detect obstacles and to find an alternative route while at the same time try to recognize any family or friends within the vicinity. These have been reflected in this research paper along with the limitations and wider issues which may come up when adopting the high-tech advances. © Springer International Publishing AG 2016.
  • Item
    Global triumph or exploitation of security and privacy concerns in E-learning systems
    (Springer Verlag, 2016) Majeed, Asim ; Baadel, Said ; Haq, Anwar Ul
    This paper identifies the causes of privacy concerns which emerged when an educational institution launched an automated proctoring technology to examine E-Learners. In the modern era of information, privacy is an integral concern due to its fluid, dynamic and complex nature. In certain situations where it is very difficult to understand the privacy concerns, privacy is often misunderstood by the interactive systems designers. The qualitative data in this research was collected using content analysis approach from 120 online bloggers and useful insights were found; those that pertained to the privacy concerns for E-Learners. The findings revealed both practical and theoretical implications for both the institutions offering online courses and organization designing tools for proctoring. © Springer International Publishing AG 2016.
  • Item
    Technology adoption and diffusion in the gulf : some challenges
    (Association for Computing Machinery, 2017) Baadel, Said ; Majeed, Asim ; Kabene, Stefane
    In today's technologically advanced world, it is crucial that instructors continuously stay up to date with the ever changing uses of technology in the classroom. Technologies transform the way instructors conduct their lectures and present course material, thereby fundamentally altering the way students learn. It is essential that some challenges such as training needs, funding, and dealing with perceptions are addressed and aligned with one another in order to facilitate technology adoption in institutions of higher education. These challenges are discussed in this paper in the context of gulf countries. © 2017 ACM.
  • Item
    Weathering the Storm: Financial Variable as a Key Influence to Entrepreneurial Venture Survival Over Time in Canada
    (Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2017) Baadel, Said ; Kabene, Stefane
    Each year numerous new small businesses confidently enter the marketplace but a vast majority of these firms will fail to survive beyond their tenth birthday. Past studies have focused on a variety of external factors such as geographic location and industry size. Despite the effects these variables play over time, a great amount of decisions are made internally and thus it is imperative to consider their impact on survival rates. Young firms with little experience can be heavily disadvantaged when attempting to gain funding within financial markets. Evidence indicates that a vast number of new small firms are forced to rely on equity financing, specifically in the form of internal resources. Beyond retained earnings, firms must rely on social networks in an attempt to solidify relationships with potential investors. Firms require capital to fund future growth but face barriers as turning a profit initially can be quite challenging. This chapter takes an in-depth look into one crucial internal variable, financing, and statistically analyzes its effect on the survival of small entrepreneurial ventures. The objective entails uncovering the causation for such internal downfall and providing such an insight may greatly assist small firms to compete and grow in their respected industries, therefore substantially increasing their chance of survival. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
  • Item
    Semantics of intelligent learning environment (ILE) : Cesim simulation
    (Association for Computing Machinery, 2017) Majeed, Asim ; Baadel, Said ; Williams, Mike Lloyd
    In the past few decades, learning through simulation and games has evolved in response to a continuous demand for new methods of teaching learners - thus helping academics to deliver their courses effectively. This research paper aims to identify the impact(s) of simulation-based virtual learning environment on postgraduate studentslearning abilities. To achieve the learning objectives; positive relations between simulations and students learning are gathered based on the systematic review of the literature. A successful use of simulations depends on four factors: the role of the instructor, integration in the course, the courses technical specifications and, the practical exposure as an integrative dynamic virtual learning environment. We utilized a quantitative methodology to compile data from online bloggers and analysed the content. The findings in this paper reveal that students from all groups, disaggregated by gender and ethnicity, showed significant learning gains after playing these challenging simulation games. We also present some recommendations that can help alleviate some of the constraints experienced by institutions of higher education that integrate simulations into classrooms. © 2017 ACM.
  • Item
    Managerial Recruitment Issues in China: The Expatriate Factor
    (Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2017) Kabene, Stefane ; Baadel, Said
    With China becoming the world’s largest economy, it must somehow manage the existing human capital. The problem lies in the lack of managerial talent currently located in China. This paper attempts to look how China is currently recruiting managers and examines the factors hindering the recruitment of Chinese-born and expatriate managers. China is recruiting managers using the same methods as the Western world. However, a strong emphasis is put on a factor known as guanxi. The shortage of Chinese-born managers can be attributed to financial reasons and the lack of education and government commitment. China’s culture is a major factor hindering the success of expatriates as well as the organizational structure in China because of the socialist culture. These issues must be addressed to attract managers into China to successfully compete in a globalized economy. © 2017, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
  • Item
    Education policy in South Korea : a contemporary model of human capital accumulation?
    (Cogent OA, 2017) Hultberg, Patrik ; Calonge, David Santandreu ; Kim, Seong-Hee
    We argue that South Korean families with children are today overinvesting in the level of education due to their high levels of expenditures on private after-school tutoring programs. This situation has evolved due to a combination of factors: a changing labor market, increasing housing and debt payments, as well as an educational “arms race” among Korean families with children. These changes are exacerbating both economic and social issues in Korean society, but are increasingly difficult to address due to issues of complementarity and coordination failures related to educational expenditures. Korea might be inexorably falling into a surprising “education trap.”. © 2017 The Author(s).
  • Item
    The Professional Identity of Adjunct Faculty: Exploratory Study at a Private University in the UAE
    (Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2018) Masri, Taghreed Ibrahim
    Professional identity has recently made its way as a concept that has become a central theme in teachers’ professionalism. However, adjunct faculty professional identity and development have not been given enough interest in literature despite their increasing contribution in higher education. The purpose of this study was to assess adjuncts’ perceptions of their identity. It also aimed to examine what institutional professional development they receive and the effect of its presence or absence on their professional identity. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with four adjunct faculty in the Department of Writing Studies at a university in the UAE. Results showed that adjunct faculty have dilemma making sense of their professional selves due to being perceived differently by their students, colleagues, administrators and themselves. Results also showed that adjuncts are vulnerable, insecure, and embarrassed to declare their identity to their students. In addition, findings revealed that they do not get institutional professional development opportunities that they need and that ignoring their professional development threatens the quality of teaching and the reputation of the institution they work in.
  • Item
    MOOCs and upskilling in Australia : a qualitative literature study
    (Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2019) Santandreu, David C. ; Shah, Mariam Aman ; Riggs, Karina ; Connor, Melissa
    Access to digital technology has demonstrated the ability to change learning in the workplace with easily available resources and flexibility through often self-paced learning environments, offering employees the ability to take control of their learning experiences. The scarce existing body of research suggests that “specialised” MOOCs may be an effective means of upskilling the workforce. Whilst MOOCs offer a convenient, scalable and cost-effective means for businesses looking to increase or update skills within their workforce, much uncertainty still exists about both Australian employers’ and employee perceptions and attitudes towards the use of MOOCs as a way of addressing the skills gaps. The aim of this study was to explore the potential for MOOCs in addressing the skills gaps in the Australian workforce through a systematic qualitative review of the literature. In total, 19 research and media articles were reviewed. Three major themes emerged: MOOCs and flexibility for learning, MOOCs for on-demand, lifelong learning in a rapidly changing workplace, and credentialing of MOOCs towards a formal qualification. This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring the extent to which MOOCs might help address skills shortages and upskill employees in an Australian context. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
  • Item
    The social effects of higher education policy in South Korea : the rise of the "pig Mum" phenomenon
    ( 2019) Lee, Eugene ; Calonge, David Santandreu ; Hultberg, Patrik
    The contemporary educational system in South Korea is built on high-stakes standardised tests, a manifestation of the national project of social reconstruction and reform. One recent outcome is the emergence of an unfamiliar yet ubiquitous phenomenon: the "pig mum"; a Korean parent who is fully involved in organising, scheduling and managing the educational process from primary to secondary school for a group of children in a neighbourhood. Based on a quasimixed method utilizing a survey of a group of students and parents, this pilot study explores the "pig mum" phenomenon and its linkage to education policy. The authors conclude that the current educational policy fails to achieve the ideals it professes to value. This creates deep and negative societal norms that endanger a growing generation of students by creating a parallel private education market environment where "pig mums" thrive. © 2019 World Association for Triple helix and Future strategy studies. All rights reserved.
  • Item
    A Critical Examination of the Arab Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of their Academic Arabic Proficiency in Three EMI Universities in the UAE
    (Canadian Center of Science and Education, 2019) Masri, Taghreed Ibrahim
    The overwhelming power that English enjoys has become a threat to many indigenous languages that are losing the battle against English dominance and hegemony. One facet for this threat is the use of English as a medium of instruction (EMI). The EMI policy has been a naturalized and taken-for-granted practice without questioning or problematizing. As a result, academic Arabic is almost absent from the academic scene in the UAE higher education. This study aims to problematize the use of English as medium of instruction at three universities in the United Arab Emirates. It also aims to critically explore the perceptions of Arab university students who were in Arabic schools, of their Arabic proficiency after studying at university. Based on critical theoretical framework and approached from interpretive and critical paradigms, the study used a mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. 268 surveys and 20 semi-structured interviews showed that students were aware of the decline in their Arabic proficiency due to studying via English. Results also indicated that students showed symptoms of Academic language attrition. c2019 by the author(s).
  • Item
    Data analytics : intelligent anti-phishing techniques based on machine learning
    (World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd, 2019) Baadel, Said ; Lu, Joan
    According to the international body Anti-Phishing Work Group (APWG), phishing activities have skyrocketed in the last few years and more online users are becoming susceptible to phishing attacks and scams. While many online users are vulnerable and naive to the phishing attacks, playing catch-up to the phishers' evolving strategies is not an option. Machine Learning techniques play a significant role in developing effective anti-phishing models. This paper looks at phishing as a classification problem and outlines some of the recent intelligent machine learning techniques (associative classifications, dynamic self-structuring neural network, dynamic rule-induction, etc.) in the literature that is used as anti-phishing models. The purpose of this review is to serve researchers, organisations' managers, computer security experts, lecturers, and students who are interested in understanding phishing and its corresponding intelligent solutions. This will equip individuals with knowledge and skills that may prevent phishing on a wider context within the community. © 2019 World Scientific Publishing Co.
  • Item
    Frugal MOOCs: An adaptable contextualized approach to MOOC designs for refugees
    (Athabasca University, 2019-12) Shah, Mariam Aman ; Calonge, David Santandreu
    There is a growing body of literature that recognizes the role Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can play in improving access to education globally, and particularly to thousands of people in developing and developed countries. There is increasing concern, however, that the millions of displaced refugee learners throughout Europe, the Middle East, and other regions are still disadvantaged when it comes to engaging in learning through MOOCs. The reasons for this disadvantage range from a lack of appropriate infrastructure or other supporting structures, to a lack of contextualized content. So far, little attention has been paid to contextualized MOOC models, which may both impact policies and be adapted to the specific needs of these learners who often do not have the means to access many education opportunities. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a frugally-engineered MOOC model that addresses the barriers of access and participation for refugees. This paper engages in an exploratory research methodology, using findings from the literature and expert opinions gathered through interviews. These findings lead to the development of what the authors call a Frugal MOOC Model which can be contextualized to meet the needs of refugee learners. The paper goes on to highlight the development of the Frugal MOOC Model as the first phase of an ongoing study. It concludes with recommendations for the next phase of the study: how to implement the newly developed model. © Athabasca University.
  • Item
    Diversifying The Teaching Methods : Student’s Perceptions of Smart Learning
    (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2019-12) Abulibdeh, Enas ; Abu Libdeh, Abdalla ; Trayek, Fuad A. ; Murshidi, Ghadah
    There is an increasing need for improving the e-learning systems and so integrating smart Applications into education is a useful communication tool in interactive educational environment for both learners and teachers. The introduction of smart Applications has revolutionized education by providing a smart learning environment creating a new style in learning known as smart learning. The main purpose of this study is to shed light on this new concept of learning and highlighting the attributes and features of smart classroom. It aims to investigate the student's perception of smart learning and their extent of using different smart learning tools. The study was conducted at several Universities in the United Arab Emirates sampling 411 students enrolled in different programs. © 2019 IEEE.
  • Item
    Work-life conflict costs: a Canadian perspective
    (Inderscience Enterprises Ltd., 2020) Baadel, Said ; Kabene, Stefane ; Majeed, Asim
    With current trends showing increased work hours, dual-earner households, and less time spent with family, it is evident that there is a work-life conflict. It is important for human resource managers in Canada to adapt to this changing trend by implementing new policies and programs. Our goal was to discover if there was a correlation between the work-life conflict and absenteeism. Our research study demonstrated that there is no significant correlation between hours worked and time spent with family, but there is a positive significant relationship between time spent working and absenteeism. Our study also indicates a positive correlation between time spent with family and absenteeism. Canadian companies can ease the implications of work-life conflict by adopting some work-life best practices. These practices include reduced work hours and flexible schedules that are already prevalent in European countries. Copyright © 2020 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.