An interactive learning approach to accounting classes

This working paper explores the use of interactive learning tools, such as business simulations, to facilitate the active learning process in accounting classes. Although business simulations were firstly introduced in the United States in the 1950s, the vast majority of accounting professors still use traditional teaching methods, based in end-of-chapter exercises and written cases. Moreover, the current students’ generation brings new challenges to the classroom related with their video, game, internet and mobile culture. Thus, a survey and an experimentation were conducted to understand, on one hand, if accounting professors are willing to adjust their teaching methods with the adoption of interactive learning tools and, on the other hand, if the adoption of interactive learning tools in accounting classes yield better academic results and levels of satisfaction among students. Students using more interactive learning approaches scored significantly higher means than others that did not. Accounting professors are clearly willing to try, at least once, the use of an accounting simulator in classes.

The impact of PBL on transferable skills development in management education

Attention to transferable skills is growing in higher education. Problem-based learning (PBL) is increasingly used in management education for its promising potential to, amongst others, promote transferable skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills. However, this relationship is seldom assessed. In this study, I use structural equation modelling to examine the effectiveness of PBL, measured through students’ perceptions of satisfaction and skills development. Results show the development of transferable skills is explained by interaction with tutors and a host company, and defining teamwork rules. Satisfaction is explained by skills development, assessment issues, defining teamwork rules and understanding how organisations work. I draw conclusions and recommendations.

Assessing student individual performance within PBL teams: findings from the implementation of a new mechanism

This paper reports on the experience of the implementation of a new mechanism to assess individual student contribution within project work, where students work in teams to solve a large-scale open-ended interdisciplinary project. The study takes place at the University of Minho, with first year engineering students, enrolled in the Industrial Management and Engineering (Integrated Masters) degree. The aim of this paper is to describe the main principles and procedures underlying the assessment mechanism created and also provide some feedback from its first implementation, based on the students, lecturers and tutors perceptions. For data collection, a survey was sent to all course lecturers and tutors involved in the assessment process. Students also contributed with suggestions, both on a workshop held at the end of the project and also by answering a survey on the overall satisfaction with PBL experience. Findings show a positive level of acceptance of the new mechanism by the students and also by the lecturers and tutors. The study identified the need to clarify the criteria used by the lecturers and the exact role of the tutor, as well as the need for further improvement of its features and procedures. Some recommendations are also issued regarding technical aspects related to some of the steps of the procedures, as well as the need for greater support on the adjustment and final setting of the individual grades.

Sustainability education in PBL education: the case study of IEM-UMINHO

Sustainability-related skills are becoming more and more relevant for a proficient and professional engineering practice. Industrial engineers in particular, given their broad field of intervention and being at the heart of industrial activity, hold a great deal of potential and responsibility in providing and delivering best industrial practices, that support enhanced industrial systems and products. Therefore making a real contribution in generating wealth and income for all the companies’ stakeholders, including local communities, as well as adding up to more sustainable ecosystems. Previous work by the authors focused on studying the inclusion of this subject on the education of industrial engineers, especially through active-learning methodologies, as well as presenting results on the use of one such approach. The study conducted tried to identify the impacts on sustainability learning using a given specific activity, i.e. a workshop on industrial ecology, held in the 2014/2015 academic year on the Integrated MSc degree on Industrial Engineering and Management at the University of Minho, Portugal. The study uses content analysis of student teams’ reports for two consecutive academic years. The former did not include one such workshop, while the latter did. The Fink taxonomy was used in the discussion of results and reflection. The study outcomes aimed at supporting decision making on worthiness of investment on similar education instruments for sustainability competency development. Some results of the study highlight that: (1) the workshop seem to globally have a positive contribution on the sustainability learning; (2) a number of dimensions of the Life cycle design strategy wheel was developed, but the approach was not broadly used, (3) There was a mismatch on the workshop schedule; (4) students enjoy the workshop; (5) a clearer endorsement on relevance of this aspect is required. Suggestions for future work are also issued.

Off-line simulation inspires insight: a neurodynamics approach to efficient robot task learning

There is currently an increasing demand for robots able to acquire the sequential organization of tasks from social learning interactions with ordinary people. Interactive learning-by-demonstration and communication is a promising research topic in current robotics research. However, the efficient acquisition of generalized task representations that allow the robot to adapt to different users and contexts is a major challenge. In this paper, we present a dynamic neural field (DNF) model that is inspired by the hypothesis that the nervous system uses the off-line re-activation of initial memory traces to incrementally incorporate new information into structured knowledge. To achieve this, the model combines fast activation-based learning to robustly represent sequential information from single task demonstrations with slower, weight-based learning during internal simulations to establish longer-term associations between neural populations representing individual subtasks. The efficiency of the learning process is tested in an assembly paradigm in which the humanoid robot ARoS learns to construct a toy vehicle from its parts. User demonstrations with different serial orders together with the correction of initial prediction errors allow the robot to acquire generalized task knowledge about possible serial orders and the longer term dependencies between subgoals in very few social learning interactions. This success is shown in a joint action scenario in which ARoS uses the newly acquired assembly plan to construct the toy together with a human partner.

Benchmarking sobre técnicas de otimização para modelos de apoio à decisão na medicina intensiva

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

Formação continuada de professores para o uso das tecnologias educativas: um estudo de caso sobre o discurso e a prática

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Educação (Especialidade de Tecnologia Educativa)

A cooperar é que se aprende?: a aprendizagem cooperativa e educação intercultural: um contributo na construção da autonomia do aluno

Relatório de estágio de mestrado em Ensino de Inglês e Espanhol no 3º Ciclo do Ensino Básico e Ensino Secundário

Desenvolupament d'eines per l'apliació de l'aprenentatge basat en projectes a l'enginyeria tècnica de telecomunicacions

El projecte d'innovació docent s'emmarca dintre de la línia de treball de l'Escola Politècnica Superior de Castelldefels. Aquesta escola, des de els seus inicis ha destacat per la seva aposta per la innovació docent i l'aplicació de mètodes pedagògics pioners arreu d'Espanya. El sistema d'ensenyament basat en el seguiment individualitzat de l'estudiant, facilitat per una bona relació professor/nombre d'estudiants (grups de 40 o 20 estudiants), l'avaluació continuada, que parteix de les activitats acadèmiques realitzades en una matèria, i l'avaluació curricular, que atén el rendiment global de l'estudiant, fan que el sistema fomenti el treball regular al mateix temps que l'informa en tot moment del seu progrés acadèmic. Per un altre banda, dintre del sistema educatiu de la nostra escola podem destacar l'aplicació de l'Aprenentatge Basat en Projectes (PBL), aplicat inicialment als estudis de Segon Cicle. D'acord amb aquest model, els alumnes aprenen realitzant projectes en grup. Les intervencions del professorat i els materials del curs estan orientats a donar suport a les necessitats dels projectes que es desenvolupen a cada moment. Tot seguint la línia de treball de l'escola i la seva adequació als criteris determinats en el Espai Europeu d'Educació Superior, aquest projecte segueix tres línies d’actuació: (1) incideix en l'aplicació del PBL dintre d'assignatures Optatives i en assignatures de primers cursos de la Titulació d'Enginyeria de Telecomunicacions, (2) estimular l’alumnat, a través de treballs interdisciplinaris i la utilització de les noves tecnologies, (3) generació de documentació adaptada als nous plans d’estudi. Aquestes línies d’actuació es desenvolupen per motivar els alumnes en els estudis d'enginyeria que estan cursant i fer-los veure l'aplicabilitat, en el camp de la recerca, de gran quantitat dels coneixements que van adquirint durant la seva formació dintre de la Universitat.

L'aprenentatge basat en problemes (PBL) en la regulació del metabolisme. Desenvolupament del portal per a l'intercanvi d'experiències en PBL en ciències biomèdiques

L’aprenentatge basat en problemes està en fase experimental en tot el món i és objecte d’anàlisi i reflexió en moltes reunions internacionals. Tanmateix, no hi ha massa feina feta en aquesta direcció en el nostre camp més proper. Hem elaborat problemes per l’aprenentatge de la Regulació del Metabolisme i els hem incorporat a un porta virtual (http://www.ub.edu/GID-BBM). La finalitat d’aquesta estratègia és que mitjançant l’aprenentatge basat en problemes reals o simulacions de problemes reals s’aconsegueixi motivar l’alumnat a treballar de forma continuada durant tot el curs. La millora dels resultats acadèmics haurà de ser la conseqüència lògica d’aquest treball. La finalitat última del projecte que hem desenvolupat és preparar l’alumnat per la seva futura activitat professional a on serà molt important i valorat la seva capacitat de resposta davant de diferents problemes

L'aprenentatge basat en problemes en models híbrids de docència-aprenentatge

La Facultat de Ciències de la Salut i de la Vida ha utilitzat des de 2004 la metodologia d'aprenentatge basat en problemes (en endavant ABP) com a mètode docent en els seus estudis de Biologia. En aquest període hem après algunes de les claus de l'aplicació del mètode en els nostres estudis. En primer lloc, cal disposar d'elements formatius que afavoreixin la formació dels tutors que participin en el projecte. Per assolir aquest objectiu hem dissenyat un portal on els nostres professors poden disposar de materials útils per a la seva activitat, així com de documents que permetin entendre millor el que suposa l'ABP. En segon lloc, el projecte tenia l'objectiu de dissenyar i avaluar activitats que permetessin integrar les pràctiques de laboratori en la lògica de la resolució de problemes pròpia de l'ABP. En aquest sentit vam dissenyar dues activitats en el tercer curs de la llicenciatura que anomenaren aprenentatge basat en el laboratori (ABL). Per aquest motiu es van dissenyar problemes que tinguessin una primera part de resolució a l'aula en grup de tutoria i una segona que obligués els estudiants a realitzar experiments de laboratori dirigits a entendre i resoldre les qüestions plantejades al grup de tutoria. L'ABL-1 fou un projecte de biologia cel·lular i destinat a aprofundir en els mecanismes implicats en els fenòmens de diferenciació dels miòcits. L'ABL-2 era un projecte conjunt dels professors de Fisiologia vegetal, Bioestadística i Microbiologia. En aquest cas es desitjava que els estudiants plantegessin la resolució a un problema que suposava la manipulació genètica de cèl·lules vegetals per fer possible que produïssin una substància específica, l'escopolamina. Finalment els estudiants havien d'escriure un article original com a projecte final de cada ABL. Els resultats dels dos anys d'experimentació han esta altament satisfactoris, d'acord amb les enquestes completades per alumnes i professors.

The last taboo: A guide to dementia, sexuality, intimacy and sexual behaviour in care homes ILC-UK

The International Longevity Centre - UK��launched a new paper (Wednesday, 6th July 2011). The last taboo: A guide to dementia, sexuality, intimacy and sexual behaviour in care homes, provides care home workers and managers with information and practical advice on this complex, controversial and sensitive issue.The need for affection, intimacy and relationships for people with dementia in care homes has too often been ignored and side-lined in policy and practice. The onset of old age or a cognitive impairment does not erase the need for affection, intimacy and/or relationships. While the issues involved can be complex, controversial and sensitive and may challenge our own beliefs and value system, it is essential that we understand more about them to foster a more person-centred approach to dementia care. Care home residents with dementia often have complex care needs and trying to understand and respond to the more intimate and sexual aspects of a resident’s personality can be challenging.Aimed at care home workers and managers, the guide not only provides essential information on this aspect of dementia care but offers practical advice to support current work-based practices. Set out in an accessible and easy-to-read format, this guide includes case studies, questions, suggestions and a self assessment quiz to promote easy learning. It also provides a possible pathway for care home managers to develop a guiding policy on sexual expression in dementia.The guide for care staff is summarised in 10 key points:1. Some residents with dementia will have sexual or sensual needs.2. Affection and intimacy contribute to overall health and wellbeing for residents.3. Some residents with dementia will have the capacity to make decisions about their needs.4. If an individual in care is not competent to decide, the home has a duty of care towards the individual to ensure they are protected from harm.5. There are no hard and fast rules. Assess each situation on an individual basis6. Remember not everyone with dementia is heterosexual.7. Inappropriate sexual behaviour is not particularly common in dementia.8. Confront your own attitudes and behaviour towards older people and sex generally.9. Communicate – look at how you can improve communication with your colleagues, managers, residents and carers on this subject10. Look after yourself and remember your own needs as a care professional��The full paper is available: The Last Taboo

The Value of Imperfection : the Wabi-Sabi Principle in Aesthetics and Learning

OER-based learning has the potential to overcome many shortcomings and problems of traditional education. It is not hampered by IP restrictions; can depend on collaborative, cumulative, iterative refinement of resources; and the digital form provides unprecedented flexibility with respect to configuration and delivery. The OER community is a progressive group of educators and learners with decades of learning research to draw from, who know that we must prepare learners for an evolving and diverse reality. Despite this OER tends to replicate the unsuccessful characteristics of traditional education. To remedy this we may need to remember the importance of imperfection, mistakes, problems, disagreement, and the incomplete for engaged learning, and relinquish our notions of perfection, acknowledging that learners learn differently and we need diverse learners. We must stretch our perceptions of quality and provide mechanisms for engaging the incredible pool of educators globally to fulfill the promise of inclusive education.

Synchrotron-based X-ray tomographic microscopy for rock physics investigations

Synchrotron radiation X-ray tomographic microscopy is a nondestructive method providing ultra-high-resolution 3D digital images of rock microstructures. We describe this method and, to demonstrate its wide applicability, we present 3D images of very different rock types: Berea sandstone, Fontainebleau sandstone, dolomite, calcitic dolomite, and three-phase magmatic glasses. For some samples, full and partial saturation scenarios are considered using oil, water, and air. The rock images precisely reveal the 3D rock microstructure, the pore space morphology, and the interfaces between fluids saturating the same pore. We provide the raw image data sets as online supplementary material, along with laboratory data describing the rock properties. By making these data sets available to other research groups, we aim to stimulate work based on digital rock images of high quality and high resolution. We also discuss and suggest possible applications and research directions that can be pursued on the basis of our data.

Evaluation of an online, case-based interactive approach to teaching pathophysiology

AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate a new pedagogical approach in teaching fluid, electrolyte and acid-base pathophysiology in undergraduate students. METHODS: This approach comprises traditional lectures, the study of clinical cases on the web and a final interactive discussion of these cases in the classroom. When on the web, the students are asked to select laboratory tests that seem most appropriate to understand the pathophysiological condition underlying the clinical case. The percentage of students having chosen a given test is made available to the teacher who uses it in an interactive session to stimulate discussion with the whole class of students. The same teacher used the same case studies during 2 consecutive years during the third year of the curriculum. RESULTS: The majority of students answered the questions on the web as requested and evaluated positively their experience with this form of teaching and learning. CONCLUSIONS: Complementing traditional lectures with online case-based studies and interactive group discussions represents, therefore, a simple means to promote the learning and the understanding of complex pathophysiological mechanisms. This simple problem-based approach to teaching and learning may be implemented to cover all fields of medicine.