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1 – 4 of 4The purpose of this paper is to propose measures of online open course success for non-commercial institutional providers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose measures of online open course success for non-commercial institutional providers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other scaleable open online courses (SOOCs).
Design/methodology/approach
The measures are derived from the characteristics of open online courses, existing knowledge about open online course providers and users and their motivations, and current practice in MOOC evaluation and data analytics.
Findings
Current practices for evaluation of open online courses are dominated by MOOC analytics which provide insights into user demographics and behaviour with some implications for evaluation of reach and course design but leaving many unknowns. Measures for evaluation of success at the institutional level can be derived from institutional goals for open online courses. Success from the point of view of teachers and technical teams involved in design, development and delivery of open online courses can be derived from team members’ expectations, resources and satisfaction as well as measures of cost and effort compared to budget and benchmarks. Users are classified as registrants (information seekers, window shoppers, samplers), downloaders and participants (starters, partial participants and full participants who are further divided into auditing, active and certificate takers); different measures are appropriate for each group.
Practical implications
Practitioners and researchers must consider a variety of levels and indicators of success to adequately evaluate open online courses. Tables in the text propose measures, methods, timing and roles.
Originality/value
This is the first published paper to take a holistic view of open online course evaluation and propose detailed measures.
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Anthony Gino Del Fiacco and Madeleine Orr
The purpose of this paper is to delineate shifts in environmental sustainability leadership in the Olympic Movement through a historical narrative.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to delineate shifts in environmental sustainability leadership in the Olympic Movement through a historical narrative.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was conducted and data were analyzed chronologically.
Findings
Four eras are identified, distinguished by different leadership and levels of commitment toward the natural environment: public-driven environmental sustainability, host city-driven environmental sustainability, International Olympic Committee-mandated environmental sustainability and environmental regression.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is limited to secondary data collected through a systematic literature review.
Practical implications
The findings inform a list of best practices for Olympic environmental sustainability, grounded in evidence of past successes and lessons learned from environmentally insensitive events.
Originality/value
This is the first historical narrative and synthesis of environmental leadership in the Olympic Movement, a topic previously covered in studies focused solely on the institutions responsible for hosting the event, ignoring external parties and the deep history of environmentalism dating back to the 1930s, or focusing just on actions, ignoring the actors who drove the environmental movement.
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Manoj Hudnurkar, Suhas Ambekar, Sonali Bhattacharya and Pratima Amol Sheorey
This study attempts to find the structural relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Corporate Sustainability (CS) by analyzing the role of Innovation Capability…
Abstract
Purpose
This study attempts to find the structural relationship between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Corporate Sustainability (CS) by analyzing the role of Innovation Capability (IC).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted the study in the context of manufacturing industries in the Indian Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector. In the process, The authors attempt to throw light on the significance of TQM and IC in bringing out sustainable practices in organizations. The authors used Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS to study the relationship between TQM and CS.
Findings
The authors measured TQM through product control management, process control, vendor quality management and customer relationship improvement. We did find a direct relationship between TQM and CS, along with its three dimensions: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. TQM was found to be antecedent to IC. IC, measured through product innovation, process innovation and managerial innovation, did not mediate the relation between TQM and CS. However, the link between TQM and social and environmental sustainability partially mediates through IC at the dimension level.
Practical implications
TQM can provide a holistic means of nurturing participation and satisfaction of stakeholders for achieving corporate sustainability and in the process, can create an innovative culture for stimulating a circular social economy.
Originality/value
This study fills the gap in the literature by providing a structural model that explains the relationship between TQM and corporate sustainability and highlights the role of innovation capability in achieving it.
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The purpose of this paper is to consider why and how a research culture might be established in an academic library and to describe and evaluate efforts to achieve this at the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider why and how a research culture might be established in an academic library and to describe and evaluate efforts to achieve this at the University of Northampton.
Design/methodology/approach
Contextualised within current literature on this topic, the paper examines the top-down and bottom-up approaches taken to facilitate practitioner research in one academic library.
Findings
The approaches taken have led to a significant increase in practitioner research activity from library staff, resulting in a variety of enhancements to library services; a number of innovative practices being shared with the professional community through conference presentations and publications; and consequent rise in profile and reputation for individuals, the department and the university.
Practical implications
The paper offers a wide range of ideas and practical suggestions for encouraging and facilitating practitioner research in an academic library. These include incorporating research activity into job descriptions and annual performance reviews; facilitating peer support for research; and providing competitive research awards, research training opportunities and funding for staff presenting at external events. Many of these require relatively little resource, yet offer significant benefit to those involved.
Originality/value
It is rare, and maybe unique in the UK, for an academic library to attempt to instil a research culture throughout its staff and to provide ongoing resources, activities and practical support for this. The many positive outcomes from this work demonstrate its success and value. The experiences described in this paper are transferable to other academic and research libraries and, if replicated, have the potential to increase librarians’ engagement in research activity, promote research-informed practice and stimulate interest in library and information research across the sector.
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