Time patterns and perceptions of online learning success factors

Online learning provides the opportunity to work on academic tasks at any time at the same time as doing other activities, such as using in web 2.0 tools. This study identifies factors that contribute to success in online learning from the students¿ perspective and their relationship with time patterns. A survey of learning outputs was used to find relationships between students¿ satisfaction, knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer with time for working on academic tasks. In this study, 199 students from a university in Mexico completed the survey. Findings suggest that knowledge transfer has a significant association with the number of hours online per day, hours spent on social networks and the use made of e-learning during working hours. Learner satisfaction has a strong relationship with the time in years a learner has been using the Internet and the number of hours devoted to the course per week. The findings of this research will be helpful for faculty and instructional designers for implementing learning strategies.

Botiga online

L'objectiu d'aquest treball final de carrera consisteix en la realització del disseny i implementació d'una botiga online com a plantilla per a qualsevol empresa que vulgui donar a conèixer els seus productes a internet.

Mapping the diagnosis axis of an interface terminology to the NANDA International Taxonomy

Background: Nursing terminologies are designed to support nursing practice but, as with any other clinical tool, they should be evaluated. Cross-mapping is a formal method for examining the validity of the existing controlled vocabularies. Objectives: The study aims to assess the inclusiveness and expressiveness of the nursing diagnosis axis of a newly implemented interface terminology by cross-mapping with the NANDA-I taxonomy. Design/Methods: The study applied a descriptive design, using a cross-sectional, bidirectional mapping strategy. The sample included 728 concepts from both vocabularies. Concept cross-mapping was carried out to identify one-to-one, negative, and hierarchical connections. The analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics. Results: Agreement of the raters" mapping achieved 97%. More than 60% of the nursing diagnosis concepts in the NANDA-I taxonomy were mapped to concepts in the diagnosis axis of the new interface terminology; 71.1% were reversely mapped. Conclusions: Main results for outcome measures suggest that the diagnosis axis of this interface terminology meets the validity criterion of cross-mapping when mapped from and to the NANDA-I taxonomy.

Spatial mapping of exciton lifetimes in single ZnO nanowires

We investigate the spatial dependence of the exciton lifetimes in single ZnO nanowires. We have found that the free exciton and bound exciton lifetimes exhibit a maximum at the center of nanowires, while they decrease by 30% towards the tips. This dependence is explained by considering the cavity-like properties of the nanowires in combination with the Purcell effect. We show that the lifetime of the bound-excitons scales with the localization energy to the power of 3/2, which validates the model of Rashba and Gurgenishvili at the nanoscale.

Online brands: Branding, possible worlds, and interactive grammars

This paper proposes to reflect from a semiotic perspective on the transformation that brands have undergone since the rise of the Internet. After a brief theoretical introduction to digital communication and the semiotics of brands, the case of the Google brand is analyzed by applying concepts of generative and interpretive semiotics. The paper holds that the iconic and linguistic enunciations are secondary with respect to interaction. In digital media interaction — the interactive experience that the Internet user lives — is a fundamental component of the hypermedia cocktail and occupies a central position in the brand building process. The article concludes with some of the questions and special characteristics raised by so-called eBranding.

Online drawings for dementia diagnose: in-air and pressure information analysis

In this paper we present experimental results comparing on-line drawings for control population (left and right hand) as well as Alzheimer disease patients. The drawings have been acquired by means of a digitizing tablet, which acquires time information angles and pressures. Experimental measures based on pressure and in-air movements appear to be significantly different for both groups, even when control population performs the tasks with the non-dominant hand.

Computational toolbox towards evolutionary domain mapping of membrane proteins

Membrane proteins account for about 20% to 30% of all proteins encoded in a typical genome. They play central roles in multiple cellular processes mediating the interaction of the cell with its surrounding. Over 60% of all drug targets contain a membrane domain. The experimental difficulties of obtaining a crystal structural severely limits our ability or understanding of membrane protein function. Computational evolutionary studies of proteins are crucial for the prediction of 3D structures. In this project, we construct a tool able to quantify the evolutionary positive selective pressure on each residue of membrane proteins through maximum likelihood phylogeny reconstruction. The conservation plot combined with a structural homology model is also a potent tool to predict those residues that have essentials roles in the structure and function of a membrane protein and can be very useful in the design of validation experiments.

La Representación de la mujer en la prensa internacional online durante la Primavera Árabe en Egipto

El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo principal analizar la representación del papel de la mujer egipcia en la organización y participación en la primavera árabe en Egipto. Por medio del análisis de contenido aplicado a los titulares e imágenes publicados durante un periodo deteminado de las revueltas sociales en los periódicos The New York Times, Le Monde y El Mundo en su versión on line. Concluyendo se puede indicar que la representación internacional de la mujer egipcia durante las revueltas desde el año 2011, ha sido insuficiente y además sirvió a los medios de comunicación hasta cierto punto como medida de estereotipar la situación social de la mujer.

Challenges and Opportunities of Online Entertainment. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Internet, Law & Politics. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, 9-10 July, 2012.

El VIII Congrés Internacional Internet, Dret i Política (IDP 2012) que s'ha dut a terme a Barcelona els dies 9 i 10 de juliol de 2012 sota el títol genèric de "Reptes i oportunitats de l'entreteniment en línia", ha abordat alguns dels principals reptes als que s'enfronta la societat de la informació des de la perspectiva jurídica i politològica. Concretament, els temes centrals han estat el debat sobre l'entreteniment a la xarxa, així com altres qüestions relacionades amb Internet i els drets de propietat intel·lectual, la privacitat, la seguretat o la llibertat d'expressió.

Online Volunteers : Knowledge Managers in Nonprofits

Peer-reviewed

Online and Offline Participation at the Local Level : A Quantitative Analysis of the Catalan Municipalities

This paper presents a first analysis on local electronic participatory experiences in Catalonia. The analysis is based on a database constructed and collected by the authors. The paper carries out an explanatory analysis of local initiatives in eparticipationand off line participation taking into account political variables (usually not considered in this kind of analysis) but also classical socio-economic variables that characterise municipalities. Hence, we add a quantitative analysis to the numerous case studies on local e-participation experiences. We have chosen Catalonia because is one of the European regions with more initiatives and one that has enjoyed considerable local governmental support to citizen participation initiatives since the 80s. The paper offers a characterisation of these experiences and a first explanatory analysis, considering: i) the institutional context in which these experiences are embedded, ii) the characteristics of the citizen participation processes and mechanisms on-line, and iii) a set of explanatory variables composed by the population size, thepolitical adscription of the mayor, the electoral abstention rate, age, income and level ofeducation in the municipality. The model that we present is explanatory for the municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants but it is not for the fewer than 20,000inhabitants. Actually, the number of participatory activities developed by these last municipalities is very low. Among all the variables, population size becomes the mostinfluential variable. Political variables such as political party of the mayor and the localabstention rate have a certain influence but that have to be controlled by population size.

Recognition of prior learning in online postgraduate education

The recognition of prior experiential learning (RPEL) involves the assessment ofskills and knowledge acquired by an individual through previous experience, which isnot necessarily related to an academic context. RPEL practices are far from generalisedin higher education, and there is a lack of specific guidelines on how to implement RPLprograms in particular settings, such as management education or online programs. TheRPEL pilot program developed in a Spanish virtual university is used throughout thearticle as the basis for further reflection on the design and implementation of RPEL inonline postgraduate education in the business field. The role of competences as a centraltheoretical foundation for RPEL is explained, and the context and characteristics of theRPEL program described. Special attention is paid to the key elements of the program¿sdesign and to the practical aspects of its implementation. The results of the program areassessed and general conclusions and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Exploring new criteria to design materials for online education

Peer-reviewed

Online Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, a book review

Peer-reviewed

Conceptual Interpretation of LOM and its Mapping to Common Sense Ontologies

Peer-reviewed