Developing an Alternative Math Assessment Tool Using Speech Recognition

The world today is now in the era of Information Technology. The development of ICT-based processes specifically in the area of assessment in school is now visible. Project LISTEN (Literacy Innovation that Speech Technology ENables) is an inter-disciplinary research project at Carnegie Mellon University to develop a novel tool to improve literacy – an automated Reading Tutor that displays stories on a computer screen, and listens to children read aloud. This study does not provide right or wrong answers for they let the user evaluate the answer. The main objective of this study is to develop an Alternative Math Assessment Tool for Preschoolers using Speech Recognition. These software aims to assist teachers in the review of Math lessons for preschooler using speech recognition. The development of the system utilizes the System Development Cycle approach that includes data gathering to identify system’s expected functionalities, designing the system using Use-Case Diagram, integration of JSAPI for Voice Recognition, using Synthesizer software for reading the questions out loud, a graphical display of teacher representation and a graphical display for every questions in the review. Along in the development of this assessment tool is the implementation of the system. The system was developed using Java Programming language. It also uses MySql database to store data for preschooler, review questions and text answers. In the conduct of the review digital microphone and a speaker is needed. The developed system is capable of creating questions for a particular review, activating a review for the preschooler to take, and record the preschooler’s scores at every end of the review. The system also includes graphical display of questions. In the conduct of the review, the system was able to read out loud the questions, and a 5-second time span for the pupil to answer the review questions. The system will listen and the feedback from the study will display the correctly uttered answer. User testing results indicates an 83% correct response of system against the correct uttered answer of the preschooler.

The Impact of Internal Finance on Investment When Information is Asymmetric: An Empirical Investigation into Pakistani Listed Firms

Cash flow has been major determinant of investment in the most of the studies conducted in the area of finance. However the exact role of cash flow to determine the investment remained ambiguous.This research has been conducted mainly to investigate the relationship between investment and internal generated fund while the information is asymmetric in the environment of Pakistan.The Q model of investment has been used to investigate this relationship. The GMM model has been applied to test the hypothesis by using the balanced panel annual data of Pakistani listed non-financial KSE 100 index firms for the period 2008 to 2013.The empirical analysis includes 100 sample firms with 600 observations.The five measures of asymmetric information (i.e. Tobin?s Q, ownership concentration, firm size, profitability and the financial leverage) have been used in this study.The results derived by using all five measures of asymmetric information confirm the positive and statistically significant relationship between internal finance and firm?s investment when firms have information that is asymmetric.This study explains that investors misperceive the decisions made by firms? managers due to the information gap present among the investors and corporate investors. This misperception about decisions of firms? managers raises the demand of risk premium i.e., discount on new issue of securities by the investors.The increase in risk premium demand results in costly access to external finance.Therefore the firms have to rely on internally generated funds for investment decisions.This study contributes to the investment decisions in the capital markets that are imperfect like Pakistan consisting of information asymmetries. This study also provides guideline to the investors to assess the information present in the capital markets to make investment decisions and to understand the firms? decisions regarding to the new issue of securities and other indirect information attached to the new issue of securities.