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This paper seeks to establish design quality indicators (DQIs) that can be utilized for assessing the design of community centers, with an emphasis on the technical, functional, and behavioral performance domains.

A comprehensive literature review resulted in identifying 79 DQIs for community centers. A three round Delphi evaluation approach was utilized to rate the importance of the DQIs through their relative importance index (RII) values. The assessment of the DQIs involved a diverse group of stakeholders including facilities managers, architects/engineers (A/Es), community centers’ staff, and regular visitors of community centers.

The majority of the established DQIs were considered to be either “Very Important” or “Important”.

The established DQIs can be utilized to identify best practices in the design of community centers and benchmark the performance of different community centers.

The design quality of community centers could significantly impact the community's quality of life and user experience. The development of DQIs provides for enhanced accountability and improved service delivery for the communities they serve. This enables community centers to be more effective, efficient, and responsive to the needs of the users they support.

This paper aims to explore the best practices to institutionalize the internal quality of student assessment (SA) when a gap emerges between quality conceptualization and practice work, using Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal University (IAU) as a case study.

A single-embedded case study research design chronologically presents key events of assuring and improving SA at IAU. It integrates quantitative and qualitative data to provide empirical evidence of changes in SA practices.

Over three years, evident improvements in SA practices resulted in more effective internal quality assurance strategies (e.g., faculty involvement) and the achievement of performance indicators.

This study used data from informal observation and self-reports. Thus, it is suggested that future research should use in-depth (e.g. focus group) and diverse data sources from stakeholders (e.g. students) and use emerging global trends to assess SA quality.

Involving faculty as changing agents via accountability and training in assuring and improving SA quality leads to measurable improvements.

A top-down approach alone is insufficient to assure and improve the quality of SA practices, so empowering faculty via involvement and training is inevitable.

The quality assurance of SA described in this practice-oriented case places IAU as a leading university in the region, contributes to the external quality assurance of SA, empowers Saudi graduates to compete in the labor market as aspired in Vision 2030 and adds to the literature on quality assurance of SA in a higher education context.

This chapter begins with a brief overview of various sources of truth, including authority figures, faith, science, reason and experience. Although all sources of truth are recognized as valid, science is particularly valuable because of its relative objectivity. Therefore, the balance of the chapter describes three major sources of empirical information about college student mental health. First, the Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH) is discussed, followed by the Healthy Minds Study (HMS) and then the National College Health Assessment. The latter two are national surveys of college students, whereas CCMH only collects data from students receiving mental health services. The HMS, like CCMH, gathers data specific to college students’ mental health; the National College Health Assessment, which is conducted by the American College Health Association, collects information on college students’ physical and mental health. Taken together, these three sources of data provide the basis for comparisons between college students who are and are not receiving mental health services, allow for determinations of trends in college student mental health and serve as the basis for hundreds of studies on the prevalence, causes, correlates and consequences of college students’ mental health.

This research aims to explore stakeholder perspectives on Ethiopia’s occupational competency assessment and certification systems.

The study utilized a mixed-methods strategy within a concurrent embedded design and adopted a pragmatic perspective. Data collection involved questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions, selecting respondents via purposive sampling for their significant experience and deep understanding of competency assessment. Analytical methods included descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as narrative techniques.

There is a generally positive perception of the value of competency assessments. However, the study finds several major limitations: inadequate candidate competency assessment, lack of skill gap analysis in TVET institutions for improved training, failure to maintain assessment standards, a high candidate-to-assessor ratio, and assessment tools that do not meet occupational standards. These issues show that the existing method misjudges TVET candidates' skills. To increase employer acceptance of competency assessments, the Center of Competence (CoC) agencies should integrate industry expertise, highlight their benefits, and emphasize the importance of training quality and career goals for candidates and trainers.

A study reveals that African nations like Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, Rwanda, Morocco, Benin, and Senegal have been implementing competency-based training (CBT) for around two decades, with support from countries like Canada, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Luxembourg, and Japan. However, the programs are often inconsistent and disorganized, with little private sector participation. There is a significant difference between the goals of quality assurance entities and the resources allocated. Although competency assessment is a fundamental part of CBT, there is a lack of research demonstrating its practice. Therefore, we conducted this research in Ethiopia, the second most densely populated nation in Africa. The results apply to other comparable nations implementing CBT programs (IIEP-UNESCO, 2021).

The research on stakeholders' perceptions of competency assessment is still in its early stages, with most studies focusing on training quality-related issues. This study expands on our knowledge of occupational competency assessment by analyzing perspectives from a comprehensive stakeholder perspective, considering contextualized assessment practices, addressing stakeholder needs, providing practical implications, and identifying future research directions. Furthermore, it offers valuable perspectives on developing competency-based education in Africa and other regions.

This paper proposes a set of recommendations based upon the limitations found with the application and assessment process to become a Special Constable (SC) with one of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.

Participants were recruited via online social media platforms Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as personal networks and the study was geared towards both respondents who had completed the whole of the application and assessment process, as well as those who may have withdrawn at a particular point or who failed an element of the assessment.

This study yielded several key findings. First, some respondents had limited to no knowledge of the role of the Special Constable, nor of the depth of police work that would be expected of them. Secondly, respondents indicated that they would have benefited from support during the application and assessment process, specifying the advantages that could be derived from a variety of sources such as local force input and workshop sessions. Finally, respondents stated that poor communication from recruiting teams impacted their experience of applying to the Special Constable programmes, causing them to rethink their decision to join.

This research proposes that a far greater input from serving Special Constables during the application and assessment process is key to improving the experiences of candidates, and to their chances of success with the programme.

This chapter covers two behaviors that greatly affect college students’ mental health and wellbeing: eating and sleeping. The chapter begins with a definition of eating disorders and distinguishes clinically disordered eating from other forms of problematic eating. The chapter describes common eating disorders among college students: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and binge eating disorder. The chapter then discusses measures of problematic eating among college students, including the SCOFF, the Eating Disorder Inventory and the Eating Concerns subscale of the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS). Next, the chapter discusses the prevalence of problematic eating among college students. Cultural considerations are described, with particular attention paid to gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity. Causes of problematic eating among college students are discussed, and the consequences of problematic eating are explored, from shame to medical complications to death. Treatment options are detailed, as are barriers to seeking professional help. The chapter follows a similar structure in covering healthy and problematic sleep behaviors among college students. In particular, the chapter explores measures of sleep quality, the prevalence of problematic sleep among college students, their causes and consequences, as well as strategies for correcting poor sleep and interventions for promoting healthy sleep habits.

This chapter addresses one of the most common and long-standing problems among college students, namely depression, as well as a potential consequence of depression, suicide. A formal definition of depression is presented, and symptoms of depression are discussed. Notably, clinical depression is differentiated from “feeling down” or having “the blues.” Common measures of depression for college students are described, and the current prevalence of depression among college students is explored, along with data pertaining to trends and trajectories. Particular attention is devoted to differences in rates and severity of depression among students of various ethnicities, gender identities, disabilities and sexual orientations. Next, the chapter covers various theories about and studies on the causes and consequences of depression, as well as preventive and remedial efforts that students can engage in to minimize the adverse effects of depression. The chapter concludes with a focus on college student suicide, including its prevalence, predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and prevention and treatment of college student suicide.

This study aims to describe the perceptions of some participants from a community mental health center in the Department of Chocó, Colombia.

A case study with a qualitative approach was carried out in 2023. Focus groups were conducted with mental health leaders and members of a community mental health center. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis.

Two categories emerged: characterize the Community Mental Health Center of Chocó and Reaffirm human rights. In the first category, the community center is described as a place of recovery that mobilizes social services and works to increase agency capacity. In the second category, the human rights were assumed as part of community services, not only to eliminate coercive practices but also to support the increase of autonomy.

The limitations of this study are the analysis of strategies from the perspective of global politics, without delving into the structure of community actions themselves, which are not necessarily based on global recommendations.

Despite the design and development of public policies the study of their implementation still poses several challenges. The strategies carried out by regions that follow evidence-based practices and participation routes are not officially recognized as good practices in mental health and, therefore, independently supported to be sustained.

A community mental health center is described that manages to be implement and deliver a service despite not being able to be financed by current national regulations. This indicates, apart from a need, the capacity of the regions to build their solutions beyond regulations.

The chapter explores academic success and academic distress, noting that both high- and low-performing students experience academic distress. The multidimensional nature of academic distress is discussed, including worry about future performance; stress about current performance; low academic self-confidence; frustration; confusion; poor motivation; and excessive expectations, both self-imposed and other-imposed. Popular measures of academic distress among college students are presented. The chapter also presents information related to the prevalence and mental health predictors of academic distress and academic success. Attention is devoted to cultural considerations (e.g., gender and ethnicity) not only in academic distress and success but also in terms of starting salaries for college graduates. The chapter focuses on the prevention and remediation of academic problems by exploring typical campus resources that promote academic success, involvement in extracurricular activity and choosing a major that is suited to a student’s interests, abilities and values. The chapter concludes by focusing on several prominent theories of career development. For example, Super’s lifespan career development theory is covered, as is Holland’s person–environment theory and social-cognitive career theory.