Assessing the Role of General Chemistry Learning in Higher Education

The inclusion of General Chemistry (GC) in the curricula of higher education courses in science and technology aims, on the one hand, to develop students' skills necessary for further studies and, on the other hand, to respond to the need of endowing future professionals of knowledge to analyze and solve multidisciplinary problems in a sustainable way. The participation of students in the evaluation of the role played by the GC in their training is crucial, and the analysis of the results can be an essential tool to increase success in the education of students and improving practices in various professions. Undeniably, this work will be focused on the development of an intelligent system to assess the role of GC. The computational framework is built on top of a Logic Programming approach to Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, complemented with a problem solving methodology moored on Artificial Neural Networks. The results so far obtained show that the proposed model stands for a good start, being its overall accuracy higher than 95%.

Proposta do modelo ABC na contabilidade de gestão das instituições de ensino superior : o caso da Universidade de Évora

O contexto actual vivido pelas Instituições de Ensino Superior tem requerido a adopção de sistemas de Contabilidade de Gestão mais precisos face às crescentes necessidades de informação de custos e de gestão. Deste modo, o principal propósito deste trabalho de investigação é estudar os recentes desenvolvimentos dos sistemas de Contabilidade de Gestão, enfatizando o Custeio baseado nas Actividades (ABC) como o modelo mais apropriado para responder a estas exigências informativas. Esta abordagem é complementada com a realização de um estudo de caso na Universidade de Évora, onde é aplicado empiricamente o ABC, sendo o mesmo apresentado como proposta de modelo na Contabilidade de Gestão destas organizações. Esta dissertação apresenta uma análise crítica e comparativa entre os distintos sistemas de custos tradicionais e a contabilidade por actividades, sendo ainda destacadas as potencialidades da metodologia ABC como plataforma para implementação de outros sistemas de informação baseados nas actividades, nomeadamente ao nível da gestão, do orçamento, dos preços de transferência e da gestão da qualidade total. Neste âmbito, com recurso a vários estudos de caso, são descritas as propriedades, as limitações e os resultados que mais se evidenciam pela implementação do sistema ABC nestas entidades. Os principais resultados desta investigação permitem concluir que embora os sistemas de custeio tradicionais apresentem um substrato conceptual totalmente válido, o sistema ABC evidencia uma estrutura conceptual mais credível, capaz de produzir informação mais precisa de apoio à tomada de decisão. No entanto, há algumas reservas que lhe são apontadas, em especial, no que respeita à relevância, utilidade e praticabilidade do método, e insuficiente documentação sobre os resultados obtidos. Pela aplicação empírica do sistema ABC na Universidade de Évora, conclui-se que a informação disponibilizada por este modelo é relevante, facilitadora e influencia o processo de tomada de decisão da sua gestão, e responde às exigências contabilísticas e de prestação de contas do POC-Educação e de outras entidades externas. ABSTRACT; The present context of Institutions of Higher Education has required adoption of more accurate Management Accounting systems due to increasing needs for information about costs and management. Thus, the main propose of this research is to study the recent developments of the Management Accounting systems, emphasizing the Activity-based Costing (ABC) as the most appropriate model that addresses these information requirements. This approach has been enriched through a case study at the University of Évora, where the ABC methodology was applied empirically, and presented as a proposed model of Management Accounting of these organizations. This dissertation presents a critical and comparative analysis between the traditional cost systems and the ABC, pointing out the potentialities of this methodology as a platform for implementation of other information systems based on activities, namely, with regard to management, budget, transfer pricing and total quality management. ln this context and supported by some case studies, the main properties, limitations and results of the implementation of the ABC system in these institutions have been described. The main results of this research indicate that although the traditional cost systems present a total valid conceptual structure, the ABC system provide a more credible conceptual structure, which is able to produce a more accurate information base for decision-making. However, there are some reservations that are considered, namely the relevance, utility, practicability, and insufficient documentation with regard to the obtained results. The empirical application of the ABC system at the University of Évora makes it possible to conclude that the information provided through the use of this model is relevant in terms of its influence in the decision-making process, and provides the answers to the accounting requirements of Education-POC and other external entities. NOTA: O volume II na página 228 contém a Matriz 10, que não foi digitalizado devido ao enorme formato que não permitiu ser digitalizado.

Recursos humanos como fonte de vantagem competitiva numa instituição de ensino superior

Neste trabalho discute-se a importância da performance das organizações, com especial incidência nas organizações do sector público e mais particularmente nas Instituições de Ensino Superior, à medida que se multiplicam as exigências em tomo da eficiência, quantidade e qualidade dos seus serviços e maior flexibilidade para assegurar a competitividade frente às necessidades impostas pelo mercado que, em breve, incorporará estratégias de competitividade de nível mundial. Uma boa gestão dos recursos humanos toma-se assim imprescindível como ferramenta organizacional de gestão estratégica para fazer face à reforma administrativa da administração pública portuguesa traduzida em diversos projetos de mudança, alguns já suportados por legislação - PRACE, Simplex, SIADAP 123, Mobilidade, QREN, POPH, QUAR, Estatuto de Carreiras e Remunerações. Com este trabalho pretende-se chamar a atenção para a importância dos recursos humanos dentro das organizações, fazendo um diagnóstico do funcionamento da área de Recursos Humanos do Instituto Politécnico de Tomar e propondo um plano de intervenção/reorganização destes mesmos serviços. Este trabalho desenvolve-se através de um estágio na Área de Recursos Humanos e a metodologia adotada foi numa primeira etapa o enquadramento teórico da problemática a nível geral e depois a nível mais específico, ou seja, ao nível da Administração Pública, posteriormente passamos ao estudo da realidade concreta através da análise documental de um conjunto de documentos de importância estratégica assim como a realização de entrevistas a informantes-chave da Instituição. ABSTRACT: This work discusses the importance of the performance of organizations, with particular emphasis on public sector organizations and more particularly in Institutions of Higher Education, as we are increasing the demands on the efficiency, quantity and quality of its services and greater flexibility to ensure the competitiveness related to the needs imposed by the market that we will soon incorporate strategies of competitiveness worldwide. A good human resources management becomes essential as a tool organizational management structure to deal with the administrative reform of public administration Portuguese translated into various projects of change, some already supported by law - PRACE, Simplex, SIADAP, mobility, QREN, POPH, QUAR, Status of Careers and Compensation. This work aims to draw attention to the importance of human resources within organizations, making a diagnosis of the functioning of the area of Human Resources of the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar and proposing a plan of action I reorganization of these services. This work develops through a stage in the Field of Human Resources and the methodology adopted was a first step the theoretical framework of the problem in general and then the more specific level, or at the Administration, subsequently passed to the study of reality through the documentary analysis of a set of documents of strategic importance as well as the conduct of interviews with key informants of the institution.

A Soft Computing Approach to Quality Evaluation of General Chemistry Learning in Higher Education

In contemporary societies higher education must shape individuals able to solve problems in a workable and simpler manner and, therefore, a multidisciplinary view of the problems, with insights in disciplines like psychology, mathematics or computer science becomes mandatory. Undeniably, the great challenge for teachers is to provide a comprehensive training in General Chemistry with high standards of quality, and aiming not only at the promotion of the student’s academic success, but also at the understanding of the competences/skills required to their future doings. Thus, this work will be focused on the development of an intelligent system to assess the Quality-of-General-Chemistry-Learning, based on factors related with subject, teachers and students.

Equity in Higher Education – Portuguese Perspective

Access, participation and exclusion from higher education for marginalized and disadvan-taged sections of the population are an intricate socio-political as well as economic practice that has manifold explanations and outcomes. During the last three decades, the higher education has experienced expansion in both enrolments and institutions. The approaches and means of delivery have changed besides the diversification in provision. The role of the state and mar¬ket has also reformed. This characteristic has also altered the nature of equity in higher edu¬cation across the globe. The chapters of this book on different countries of Asia, Europe and Latin America examine access and describe the several spaces where cohorts of relevant age group are included, excluded, or are at threat of exclusion in higher education. The chapters also narrate the state of affairs in which despite numerous alike structure in the experience and outcomes of social exclusion across disenfranchised groups and regions, how some critical differences have led to different paths of struggles and policy formation to attain the objective of equity in higher education.