Present Issue

This study reconceptualizes university course evaluation as a composite signal reflecting students’ academic experiences and emotional states and examines the applicability of this perspective to academic dropout management. Course evaluation scores and dropout rates at D University were collected and analyzed over a three-year period (2022-2024). An importance-performance analysis was then employed to classify departments into four quadrants and identify distinct patterns of academic dropout risk. The results indicate a statistically significant negative correlation between course evaluation scores and dropout rates across all academic years, reflecting a meaningful association between students’ perceptions of instruction quality and academic persistence. The classification further reveals distinct characteristics for each quadrant, implying that dropout risk emerges through different combinations of factors both related and unrelated to instruction. Departments with high course evaluation scores and low dropout rates represent stable cases that can serve as exemplary models for institutional dissemination. These departments appeared to be influenced primarily by factors such as students’ overall academic burden or difficulties adapting to university life. Meanwhile, departments exhibiting low course evaluation scores and high dropout rates require comprehensive institutional interventions encompassing teaching practices, departmental management, and student support systems. In contrast, departments with both low course evaluation scores and relatively low dropout rates indicated that improving teaching and learning processes could effectively prevent increases in academic attrition. These findings demonstrate that course evaluation data can function as a practical diagnostic tool for identifying department-level dropout risk and designing differentiated intervention strategies without the need for complex learning analytics. By extending the interpretive scope of course evaluations beyond instructional assessment, this paper offers actionable implications for enhancing student retention strategies and advancing data-informed academic management in higher education.

keyword : 강의평가, 중도 탈락률, IPA형 연계 분석, 학업 중단, 관리 전략 방향, Course Evaluation, Dropout Rate, IPA-Type Linkage Analysis, Dropout, Management Strategic Direction

This study investigated the effects of three-dimensional(3D) functional stay configurations on the wearing performance of posture-correcting lumbar support belts by comparing conventional flat stays with 3D-curved stays designed to reflect lumbar lordosis angles associated with spinal-pelvic balance. The functional stays were fabricated using fused deposition modeling(FDM) with shape-memory thermoplastic polyurethane(SM-TPU), and two types of lumbar support belt prototypes were developed to incorporate each stay design. To objectively evaluate the effects of stay geometry, electroencephalography(EEG) was employed to assess neurophysiological responses during belt wear. Subsequently, subjective wearing evaluations were conducted with ten healthy female participants in their 20s, who performed standardized daily activities in seated and standing postures. Wearing performance was assessed using an 18-item questionnaire addressing wearing comfort, mobility, postural support, and user preference. The results demonstrated that the structural configuration of the functional stay significantly influenced both neural responses and wearing performance. EEG analysis revealed distinct differences in brain activity depending on the stay configuration, indicating variations in relaxation and attention-related responses during wear. Compared with flat stays, the 3D-curved stays exhibited superior conformity to body contours, resulting in enhanced wearing comfort, improved mobility, and a trend toward reduced localized pressure. Furthermore, the 3D-curved stays, designed based on lumbar lordosis angles, provided more effective lower back support and facilitated the maintenance of a neutral lumbar posture. These findings suggest that 3D structural design is a critical factor in optimizing ergonomic fit and functional efficacy in lumbar support systems.

keyword : 허리 보호대, 착용 쾌적감, 3차원 구조 설계, 요추전만 각도, 뇌파, EEG, Lumbar Support Belt, Wearing Comfort, Three-Dimensional Structural Design, Lumbar Lordosis Angle, EEG

Exploring how lighting design in home appliances influences perceived personality traits, opens new avenues for brand communication. This study examines how lighting attributes in home appliances shape perceived personality traits. We tested two brightness levels, four colors, and five lighting forms, generating 24 lighting profiles applied to refrigerators and air conditioners. Participants rated each image with a lighting profile using the Big Five personality scale and a conjoint analysis was performed to estimate the relative contribution of brightness, color, and lighting form to perceived personality. Experiments 1 (N = 58) and 2 (N = 64) showed consistent associations between lighting attributes and perceived personality across both appliances. In Experiment 3 (N = 54), this study was extended to three additional appliances: a dishwasher, a washer-dryer combo, and a light booth. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that perceived personality was relatively consistent across appliances (average r = .66 -.84 across the Big Five traits), whereas preference demonstrated lower consistency (average r = .47). This contrast indicates that lighting-based personality impressions can generalize across appliances; however, user preference depends more strongly on whether the expressive strength of lighting fits the role and visibility of each appliance.

keyword : Lighting Design, Style Factor Scale, Design Elements, Factor Analysis

This study examines accessibility violations in global luxury fashion brand websites as structural outcomes of the interplay between aesthetic design strategies and structural integrity management, and proposes a typological framework grounded in cognitive load theory. Web accessibility audits were performed on the homepage and handbag category page of eight top luxury fashion brands using three automated tools: Lighthouse, axe DevTools, and WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool). Violations were divided into three domains: color contrast, Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)-related interaction structure, and markup integrity. A rule-based reduction simulation was then applied to quantitatively estimate the accessibility gains achievable through structural remediation alone, without altering existing design strategies. Two structurally distinct violation types were identified. The composite conflict type, exemplified by Dior, occurs when aesthetic strategy and interface structural complexity act simultaneously; structural remediation reduced violations by 61.1%, yet residual violations related to the low-contrast color strategy remained unresolved through structural correction alone. The markup integrity failure type, exemplified by Yves Saint Laurent, concentrates violations in implementation-level structural deficiencies; all 218 violations were structurally remediable, achieving a simulated reduction rate of 100%. Cross-validation using WAVE confirmed both structural patterns. These findings reveal that the structural character of accessibility violations is not determined by total violation count but by their compositional structure and remediation feasibility. By reconceptualizing accessibility as a cognitive design variable regulating the extraneous cognitive load, this study reframes accessibility as an intrinsic structural quality condition of luxury digital user experience that mediates users' information-processing efficiency and effective delivery of brand aesthetic experience.

keyword : 접근성 유형화, 럭셔리 디지털 UX, 인지 부하, 구조 정합성, 규칙 기반 감산 시뮬레이션, Accessibility Typology, Luxury Digital UX, Cognitive Load, Structural Integrity, Rule-Based Reduction Simulation

This study examines the thermodynamic characteristics of danger as a framework for human-centered safety management. Using the Balloon-in-Water Model (BMW), the study explains how the first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics can be applied to Danger Condition Adjustment Theory (D-CAT). Analogous to the first law of thermodynamics, which asserts the conservation of total energy, D-CAT posits that although danger can be variously classified, for example, latent, perceived, unperceived, and managed―total amount of danger remains constant. Based on the second law of thermodynamics, systems naturally evolve toward states with a greater number of possible configurations(i.e., increasing entropy), this study applies the negentropy concept to explain that to alter danger states in a desirable direction, intentional inputs of perceptual effort energy and management effort energy are required. By applying the conclusion of the third law of thermodynamics―that absolute zero (0 K) is unattainable―the study argues that the perfect danger elimination and complete safety fulfillment are impossible. Therefore, it cautions against the arrogant belief in the complete elimination of danger and complacency arising from the illusion of having achieved complete safety, both constituting additional danger states. Finally, the study discusses how D-CAT, grounded in the BMW, can be applied to human-centered safety management practices, such as danger assessment.

keyword : 열역학법칙, 위험상태조절이론, 물통 속 풍선모델, 위험성평가, 인간중심 안전관리, The Laws of Thermodynamics, Danger Condition Adjustment Theory, The Balloon Model in a water-tank, Human-centered Safety Management

This study explored the association between resilience subfactors and cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) activity patterns during resting periods before and after stage-based information processing tasks. A sample of 39 male high school students completed the Korean Resilience Quotient (KRQ-53) and performed simple reaction time (SRT), choice reaction time-1 (CRT-1), and choice reaction time-2 (CRT-2) tasks. EEG absolute power in the theta, alpha, and beta bands was recorded at the standard electrode sites (Fp1, Fp2, F3, F4, Fz, Cz, Pz, and C3). Behavioral results showed that the participants’ reaction times increased and response accuracy decreased as task complexity increased. Correlation analyses indicated no significant associations between resilience subfactors and EEG activity during the pre-task resting state. During Rest-1 and Rest-2 phases, several interpersonal and positivity-related subfactors were negatively correlated with frontal theta and alpha activity. During the post-task phase, positive correlation patterns were observed between the impulse control and causal analysis subfactors and theta and alpha activity in the frontal, central, and parietal regions. However, these correlations were no longer statistically significant after controlling for multiple comparisons using the false discovery rate. Therefore, these findings should be interpreted as exploratory and indicative of only a tentative association between resilience subfactors and EEG activity. Future research employing larger samples and more rigorous designs is required to clarify these relationships.

keyword : 회복탄력성 하위요인, 정보처리 과제, 반응시간 과제, EEG 절대파워, Resilience Subfactors, Information Processing Tasks, Reaction Time Tasks, EEG Absolute Power