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Automated Formative Assessment With Large Language Models: Design, Validation, and Empirical Application in Higher Education
No full textThis study presents the design and validation of a formative assessment system that automatically grades and provides feedback on open-ended responses in higher education using large language models (LLMs). Implemented locally through the Ollama platform with a customized course corpus, it generates an “ideal response” based on instructor criteria and evaluates student answers accordingly. Semantic filters and sequential tolerance thresholds ensure alignment between AI and human grading.
A dataset of 450 exams (2022–2025) from three technical courses was used, with 360 for model optimization and 90 for validation. Performance metrics included mean difference, Pearson correlation, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), and Bland–Altman analysis. Results showed strong agreement (mean absolute difference = 4.5/100, r > 0.95, ICC ≈ 0.95) and negligible bias (±8/100).
The system generated detailed, pedagogically coherent feedback and effectively filtered irrelevant or ambiguous responses. Overall, it provided accurate and consistent assessment, greatly reducing grading time and enhancing formative learning while preserving instructor oversight
“Trust Me”: The Surprising Role of Vocal Characteristics in Trust Formation
No full textTrust plays a pivotal role in organizational life, yet its formation under conditions of limited interaction remains poorly understood. This study investigates how vocal characteristics influence initial trust formation when individuals must make rapid judgments based on vocal characteristics of pitch, variability, and perceived integrity. In a laboratory simulation, participants evaluated recruiters based solely on voice messages, then made trust decisions with financial implications. Vocal pitch significantly influenced perceived ability, and interpersonal liking predicted all three trustworthiness dimensions, underscoring the importance of vocal cues in early organizational encounters. Implications for virtual teams, hiring and leadership communication are discussed
The Relationship Between Organization Commitment and Job Embeddedness in Public Accounting Firms
No full textThe public accounting profession in the United States faces a significant talent shortage, highlighted by high turnover rates. This study investigates the relationship between job embeddedness and affective organizational commitment among full-time professional employees at public accounting firms in the U.S., based on a sample of 136 professionals. The research employs multiple regression models to investigate how job embeddedness, particularly its organizational aspects, predicts emotional attachment to the firm. Findings show that organizational links and sacrifices are key predictors of affective organizational commitment, one of the three commitment dimensions, while community-related aspects and organizational fit are not. Control variables, job satisfaction, and job engagement also exhibit strong positive relationships with commitment. These results suggest that internal workplace factors, like team cohesion and perceived professional sacrifices, are crucial for retaining talent in public accounting. This study offers practical insights for firm leaders to enhance employee retention and lays the groundwork for future research on embeddedness and commitment in professional services
Deciding to Adopt Telework: The Role of Experience, Trust, and Control Across Three Countries
No full textSince the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking has experienced a significant resurgence and has become the focus of extensive research. While various aspects of telework have been explored, the influence of cultural elements—particularly control and trust—as well as prior experience, has received less attention. To address this gap, this study aims to comparatively examine how these factors influence managers ’ decisions to implement telework. To this end, data were collected from executives in three countries—France, Switzerland, and Canada—using an online survey. The comparative analysis focused on 359 questionnaires collected from the three countries. The results show that all three countries demonstrate favorable conditions for teleworking, based on cultural elements and prior experiences. However, Canada exhibits a stronger adaptation to teleworking compared to the other two countries. Furthermore, the role of control was more pronounced in France compared to the other two countries, whereas in Canada, a lower level of control is exercised. Additionally, trust plays a key role in explaining the stronger adaptation to teleworking
Optimizing Large Language Models for Resource-Constrained Environments: A Parameter-Efficient Approach Using QLoRA and Prompt Tuning
No full textAs the deployment of AI solutions continues to grow, particularly in resource-constrained environments, the need for efficient and cost-effective methods becomes increasingly critical. Large Language Models (LLMs) present significant computational challenges that often make their deployment impractical for many real-world applications. This study evaluates parameter-efficient fine-tuning methods, specifically QLoRA and Prompt Tuning, in combination with DistilBERT, to address these challenges. Our combined approach achieved a 36.2% reduction in memory usage and a 50% reduction in inference costs while maintaining 87.75% accuracy compared to baseline models. The results demonstrate that stacking these techniques can provide multiplicative benefits in resource reduction without significant performance degradation, offering practical solutions for resource-constrained deployments
African Immigrants’ Perceptions of Employee Performance and Organizational Cultural Barriers in Fortune 500 Companies
No full textThe underemployment of African immigrants and lower job earnings continue to be a problem in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of African immigrants regarding their performance and cultural barriers within Fortune 500 companies in Houston, Texas. Research questions explored how African immigrants navigated and adapted to cultural expectations, and how these adaptations influenced their perceptions of job satisfaction and performance. The study was grounded using rational choice theory. Seidman's exploratory case study method was used to analyze the interviews from 12 African immigrants working in Houston. The themes are: 1) cultural misunderstanding, 2) promotion and advancement, 3) workplace inclusion, 4) communication barriers, 5) organizational support, and 6) networking/professional growth. Findings indicated that the organizational culture was significant for African immigrant employees to influence changes in global organizational policies, procedures, and practices. The implications for positive social change include the potential for leaders to improve leadership selection, development, and cultural training to enhance African immigrant employees' job satisfaction and performance in the US
From Gift Exchange to Commodity Economy: Transformations in Livelihoods and Mountain-Basin Ethnic Interactions in Xishuangbanna of Southwest China
No full textXishuangbanna is characterized by its typical mountain-basin geographical environment. Ethnic groups in the highlands and the basins (known as 坝 "ba", in Chinese, a local term for a basin) inhabit distinct ecological niches in this region, which gives rise to divergent livelihoods. Traditionally, economic complementarity between these areas fostered a classic gift economy, having established a relationship that was symbiotic, clearly demarcated, yet remarkably elastic, and forming a regional community both rich in cultural diversity and deeply interdependent. However, as livelihoods have evolved, the gift economy has shifted to a commodity economy, dissolving the traditional patterns of complementary exchange. Increased mobility and growing individualization have gradually weakened the traditional bonds between highland and basin communities, though ethnic integration has become more pronounced. This transformation of livelihoods has also led to profound changes in human-environment, interpersonal and inter-group relations. Yet, these changes have unfolded upon the foundation of traditional social structures, moving towards a new dynamic equilibrium. In this sense, one can speak of a 'fluid community'. These continuously evolving patterns of ethnic interaction provide a valuable lens for understanding the intrinsic mechanisms of interpersonal and inter-group connections
Modernity in Negotiation: Economic Practices and Intergenerational Power in Rural Weddings in Funing, Yunnan
No full textBased on fieldwork from MS Village in Funing, Yunnan, this study examines how wedding expenditures, under the pressures of modernization, are localized through “decency thresholds” and reshaped by intergenerational negotiation. The authors find that families establish minimum acceptable standards around the “number and order” of wedding cars and the “main course and order” of banquets: elders hold the power to set thresholds, while young people achieve “visible decency” through ledger-based reciprocity and role-based division of labor within budget constraints. Different from the understanding that weddings are “upper limit competition,” Funing’s decent production emphasizes “lower limit compliance” and “average pricing doctrine.” This article complements existing macro-narratives with micro-negotiation mechanisms, revealing the negotiated reorganization of modernity in local settings
An Overview on the China Oil and Gas Market
Get PDFThe article presents China’s oil and gas market, outlining its legal framework regulatory authorities of the market transport and distribution entities. Furthermore, the article discusses the primary strengths of China’s oil and gas sector, including extensive government support, rising domestic demand, and substantial investments in both strategic reserves and international partnerships. It also identifies areas of vulnerability, such as heavy reliance on imports, regulatory unpredictability, aging infrastructure, and environmental concerns, which challenge industry stability. Lastly, the SWOT analysis highlights key opportunities for growth in technology and innovation and market liberalization identifying external and internal risks
Change in Nurses’ Reactions to Psychosocial Work Environment Factors During the Accreditation Period
Get PDFIn the modern healthcare system, significant focus is given to ensuring the quality of services, leading to the necessity of selecting the most suitable quality improvement measure for healthcare organizations. However, it has not been clear which quality improvement measure is the most appropriate for the healthcare services sector, as quality is understood and assessed differently in this field compared to other sectors. Various regulatory methods for healthcare service organizations are used worldwide, including licensing, accreditation, and certification. The application of quality assurance standards in healthcare organizations is based on the fact that these organizations seek to change their current practices to improve outcomes. Implementing each quality measure elicits certain reactions from healthcare professionals, which are not always favorable to the organization. This article examines the impact of accreditation on the changes in psychosocial work environment factors experienced by nurses during each accreditation phase