Balancing broad learning outcomes in graduate programs with detailed classroom learning outcomes is increasingly crucial in education systems. This study employs a qualitative paradigm through a case study method to address the gap between learning outcomes at the graduate program level and those at the course level. Using the ESSENTIA CURRICULUM framework—a curriculum design methodology derived from software engineering practices—we propose an innovative and adaptable approach for aligning program-wide and course-specific learning outcomes. The ESSENTIA CURRICULUM, named for its focus on the “essence of the curriculum”, is applied to the ICT for Research course within the M.Sc. program in University Teaching at the University of Nariño. This framework fosters a consistent educational journey centered on learning achievements and demonstrates its effectiveness through a comprehensive self-assessment process and stakeholder feedback. The implications of this research are twofold: it highlights the potential of adopting interdisciplinary methodologies for curriculum design and provides a scalable and alternative strategy for harmonizing learning outcomes across diverse educational contexts. By bridging principles from software engineering into education, this novel approach offers new avenues for improving curriculum coherence and applicability.
Reusable bags have been introduced as an alternative to single-use plastic bags (SUPB). While beneficial, this alternative is economically and environmentally viable only if utilized multiple times. This study aims to identify the determinants influencing the use of reusable bags (RB) over single-use plastic bags (SUPB) within the framework of ecological impact reduction, employing the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The focus is on understanding how attitudes (AT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) collectively guide consumers towards adopting reusable bags as a pro-environmental choice. The focus is on understanding how attitudes (AT), subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) collectively guide consumers towards the adoption of reusable bags as a pro-environmental choice. Data were collected through a survey administered to 814 consumers in Lahore, employing both regression analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess the impact of AT, SN, and PBC on reusable bag consumption (RBC). The TPB framework underpins the hypothesis that these three psychological factors significantly influence the decision to use RBs. Both regression and SEM analyses demonstrated that AT, SN, and PBC positively affect RBC, with significant estimates indicating the strength of each predictor. Specifically, PBC emerged as the strongest predictor of RBC (PBC2, β = 0.533, p < 0.001), highlighting the paramount importance of control perceptions in influencing bag use. This was followed by AT (β = 0.211, p < 0.001) and SN (β = 0.173, p < 0.001), confirming the hypothesized positive relationships. The congruence of findings from both analytical approaches underlines the robustness of these techniques in validating the TPB within the context of sustainable consumer behaviors. The investigation corroborates the TPB’s applicability in predicting RBC, with a clear hierarchy of influence among the model’s constructs. PBC’s prominence underscores the necessity of enhancing consumers’ control over using RBs to foster sustainable consumption patterns. Practical implications include the development of policies and marketing strategies that target the identified determinants, especially emphasizing the critical role of PBC, to promote broader adoption of RBs and contribute to significant reductions in plastic waste.
This study proposes a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method to support strategic decision-makers in choosing a project management research agenda. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model is the basic tool used in this study. It is a mathematical tool for evaluating decisions with multiple alternatives by decomposing them into successive levels according to their degree of importance. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) oriented theme of project management was chosen from among four themes that emerged from a strategic monitoring study. The FAHP method is an effective decision-making tool for multiple aspects of project management. It eliminates subjectivity and produces decisions based on consistent judgment.
We investigate the impact on intertemporal distribution caused by a change of policy from tax to deficit financing of public investment, using a simple theoretical framework which combines the one-period McGuire-Olson economy with the conventional long-run Solow economy. This theoretical framework provides a simple way to highlight some significant interdependencies between private and public investments as well as the negative impact of taxation on aggregate productivity, and to trace some possible transmission mechanisms between deficit financing policies and the long-run path of consumption per head. The main tentative (theoretical) result is that although under fairly acceptable assumptions the likely impact of a deficit financing policy is to benefit the present at the expense of the future, under equally acceptable assumptions concerning the possibility of an excessive macro private saving–investment propensity, and/or of a significant productivity loss due to the excess burden of taxation, the adverse intertemporal distributional impact of deficit financing might become negligible, or even disappear altogether.
The issue of urban land management in the world in general and in Africa in particular has been exacerbated by the liberalization of land practices and the commodification of land, which has led to an increase in corrupt practices within land institutions in all cities. A mixed methodology was employed, combining a comparative case study of secondary towns with a quantitative survey of 559 landowners in the towns of Bohicon and Sokodé. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 informants, who were surveyed on the land acquisition process, the individual determinants influencing corrupt practices, and the institutions most involved in these practices. The findings revealed that the acquisition of a formal title conferring property rights in both cities necessitates the completion of several steps. Corrupt practices are present at almost every stage of the transaction. The application of logistic regression models to the independent variables indicates that age and profession are highly significant in the sociodemographic characteristics of those most susceptible to engaging in these practices. Formal land administration institutions are the most involved in these types of everyday corruption. These practices are ultimately linked to people’s life paths and cannot therefore be combated without psychosociological education and the promotion of ethical behavior among all stakeholders, particularly among those who demand services.
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