In this paper we discuss the general approach and choices we made in developing a prototype of a social media monitor. The main goal of the museum monitor is to offer museum professionals and researchers better insight in the effects of their own social media usage and compare this with other actors in the cultural heritage sector. It gives researchers the opportunity to consider communication within the sector as whole. In the research project “Museum Compass” we have developed a prototype of a social media monitor, which contains data of current and historic online activities on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and Flickr of all registered Dutch museums. We discuss – mostly in a practical sense – our approach for developing the monitor and give a few examples as a result of its usage.
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Research on student success has been highly influenced by Tinto’s integration theory in Europe and America. As part of my PhD research, I investigate the possible influence of the use of social media by first year students in higher education. Based on Tinto’s theory, the amount of variables is diminished by including only the best predictive variables. Hereby, avoiding the capitalization of chance and to establish a more easy to use model for teachers and management. In previous studies the latent variables ‘satisfaction’ was built by using a fraction of the original manifest variables and tested using principal component analysis to proof how the model could be simplified. In this paper I focus on the role of the use of social media, in particular Facebook, and enrich the model of Tinto for a better suit to the students’ contemporary society in the developed world. The principal analysis, on the use of Facebook, measured by purpose (information, education, social and leisure) and by the use of different pages amongst students, is also conducted in a previous study. However, the result of this study provided the different integration or engagement components, which now will be included in Tinto’s simplified model. For the principal component-analysis, internal consistency and the reliability will be shown by Cronbach’s alpha and Guttman’s lambda-2. For testing the fit of the model, SPSS AMOS is used and the normed fit index (NFI), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) are calculated. Ultimately this paper will provide a better insight into what kind of influence social media can have upon student success.
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Research on the success of students in higher education in the Netherlands is highly influenced by Tinto’s integration theory. This paper is part of a broader PhD research, in which I propose adjusting this theory to achieve a better fit with the present generation of students in the developed world. The paper focuses on a limited amount of factors from Tinto’s theory and measures these variables at an ordinal level for a better fit with the evaluation forms used in Dutch Institutes of Higher education. In line with the above-mentioned pedagogical theory and using insights from recent studies on students’ social media use, I also test the influence of the use of social media (Facebook) on student success.The amount of effort a student makes, the subjected level of the courses and the expected progress are measured as well as use of Facebook by students. All are statistically analyzed and compared with the progress of the students; by grade points and the amount of time they need to pass all exams.This paper provides insight into the potential use of a simplified version of the integration theory and the role of social media in education – especially by students outside of the classroom.
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A fast growing percentage (currently 75% ) of the EU population lives in urban areas, using 70% of available energy resources. In the global competition for talent, growth and investments, quality of city life and the attractiveness of cities as environments for learning, innovation, doing business and job creation, are now the key parameters for success. Therefore cities need to provide solutions to significantly increase their overall energy and resource efficiency through actions addressing the building stock, energy systems, mobility, and air quality.The European Energy Union of 2015 aims to ensure secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy for EU citizens and businesses among others, by bringing new technologies and renewed infrastructure to cut household bills, create jobs and boost growth, for achieving a sustainable, low carbon and environmentally friendly economy, putting Europe at the forefront of renewable energy production and winning the fight against global warming.However, the retail market is not functioning properly. Many household consumers have too little choices of energy suppliers and too little control over their energy costs. An unacceptably high percentage of European households cannot afford to pay their energy bills. Energy infrastructure is ageing and is not adjusted to the increased production from renewables. As a consequence there is still a need to attract investments, with the current market design and national policies not setting the right incentives and providing insufficient predictability for potential investors. With an increasing share of renewable energy sources in the coming decades, the generation of electricity/energy will change drastically from present-day centralized production by gigawatt fossil-fueled plants towards decentralized generation, in cities mostly by local household and district level RES (e.g PV, wind turbines) systems operating in the level of micro-grids. With the intermittent nature of renewable energy, grid stress is a challenge. Therefore there is a need for more flexibility in the energy system. Technology can be of great help in linking resource efficiency and flexibility in energy supply and demand with innovative, inclusive and more efficient services for citizens and businesses. To realize the European targets for further growth of renewable energy in the energy market, and to exploit both on a European and global level the expected technological opportunities in a sustainable manner, city planners, administrators, universities, entrepreneurs, citizens, and all other relevant stakeholders, need to work together and be the key moving wheel of future EU cities development.Our SolutionIn the light of such a transiting environment, the need for strategies that help cities to smartly integrate technological solutions becomes more and more apparent. Given this condition and the fact that cities can act as large-scale demonstrators of integrated solutions, and want to contribute to the socially inclusive energy and mobility transition, IRIS offers an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and replicate the cities’ great potential. For more information see the HKU Smart Citieswebsite or check out the EU-website.
