Massive Open Online Courses and sustainability

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become very popular among learners millions of users from around the world registered with leading platforms. There are hundreds of universities (and other organizations) offering MOOCs. However, sustainability of MOOCs is a pressing concern as MOOCs incur up front creation costs, maintenance costs to keep content relevant and on-going support costs to provide facilitation while a course is being run. At present, charging a fee for certification (for example Coursera Signature Track and FutureLearn Statement of Completion) seems a popular business model. In this paper, the authors discuss other possible business models and their pros and cons. Some business models discussed here are: Freemium model – providing content freely but charging for premium services such as course support, tutoring and proctored exams. Sponsorships – courses can be created in collaboration with industry where industry sponsorships are used to cover the costs of course production and offering. For example Teaching Computing course was offered by the University of East Anglia on the FutureLearn platform with the sponsorship from British Telecom while the UK Government sponsored the course Introduction to Cyber Security offered by the Open University on FutureLearn. Initiatives and Grants – The government, EU commission or corporations could commission the creation of courses through grants and initiatives according to the skills gap identified for the economy. For example, the UK Government’s National Cyber Security Programme has supported a course on Cyber Security. Similar initiatives could also provide funding to support relevant course development and offering. Donations – Free software, Wikipedia and early OER initiatives such as the MIT OpenCourseware accept donations from the public and this could well be used as a business model where learners could contribute (if they wish) to the maintenance and facilitation of a course. Merchandise – selling merchandise could also bring revenue to MOOCs. As many participants do not seek formal recognition (European Commission, 2014) for their completion of a MOOC, merchandise that presents their achievement in a playful way could well be attractive for them. Sale of supplementary material –supplementary course material in the form of an online or physical book or similar could be sold with the revenue being reinvested in the course delivery. Selective advertising – courses could have advertisements relevant to learners Data sharing – though a controversial topic, sharing learner data with relevant employers or similar could be another revenue model for MOOCs. Follow on events – the courses could lead to follow on summer schools, courses or other real-life or online events that are paid-for in which case a percentage of the revenue could be passed on to the MOOC for its upkeep. Though these models are all possible ways of generating revenue for MOOCs, some are more controversial and sensitive than others. Nevertheless unless appropriate business models are identified the sustainability of MOOCs would be problematic.

PROEJA FIC/Fundamental no IFRN-Campus Mossoró: das intenções declaradas ao funcionamento de um curso em espaço prisional

This research aims to analyze the FIC Course of Assistant Technician in Service Management and Quality, integrated to elementary education / EJA form developed by IFRN MO Campus between 2011 and 2013 in the form of a PROEJA FIC / AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL. We seek to understand the adhesion between the national guidelines postulated for the Program, established in PPC and mediations with the process conceived in the run of the course. Guiding by the socio-critical approach and the dialogical paradigm, the theoretical-epistemological mark is especially buoyed by the theoretical contributions of Ciavatta (2005) , Rock (2011) , Haddad and Di Pierro (2000), Freire (2005), Marx (1982), Ramos (2005), Frigotto; Ciavatta; Ramos (2005), Moura (2012), and also on education in prisons by Onofre (2007, 2011), Bueno (2007), Julião (2011) and Foucault (2001). We assume that an action that enables professional qualification as FIC courses articulated to the EJA in the context of education in prisons have conceptual, methodological, political and pedagogical implications for it focuses challenges, weaknesses and opportunities on the same area of education., We have developed four techniques of data collection based on procedures and tools of qualitative research, such as document analysis, a student survey, the conduction of focus groups with teachers and administrators of the course and on-site observation. Mediated by the investigated context, results showed that the consolidation of PROEJA FIC / AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL goes beyond the intentions officially declared. It is inferred that after seven years of its creation, even though it keeps some potential, this program is not being satisfactorily developed and it shows weaknesses national and locally, it is set at low capillarity, it has a limited scope, and dissolved essential public commitments to the course development. The effectiveness of PROEJA FIC / AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LEVEL as part of an emancipatory inclusion social policy, according to official statement, entails approximating the legal logic with social logic, so as not only to propagate discourses and enforce worship to specific and successful experiences that reach only a minority, but to provide actual and necessary conditions to promote the breadth and social quality of the offered deals in this program format

As múltiplas faces da evasão na educação superior a distância: a experiência do curso de tecnologia em gestão ambiental do IFRN em dois pólos de apoio presencial

This research presents a reflection on the dropout rates in higher education courses available through distance education in a context marked by deep changes in various spheres of society and by the uncontrolled growth of this educational method. For this, the object of analysis is related to the reality of students of Technology in Environmental Management offered by the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia, Rio Grande do Norte (RN), Brazil, through the distance education in presence support poles located in Mossoró (RN) and Martins (RN). In this field research development several strategies of data collection are used, such as participant observation of reality; analysis of documents related to distance education and to the classes in Technology in Environmental Management; questionnaires answered by students who dropped the course. The results of such research enable us to say that the dropout rates in distance higher education is mainly referred to the consequences of a combination of aspects involved in the course development, personal difficulties faced by students during the period they attend the lessons and elements inherent in the context in which the course and students are inserted. Nevertheless there are specific situations in which the student may drop the program due to the influence of a single aspect, whether it is inherent in the development of the course, a personal situation, or even a factor determined by the context in which the course or the student belongs to

College of Medicine Updated Materials

Documents to be reviewed pertaining to the establishment of the College of Medicine's M.D. program. Includes Executed Annual Operating Agreement with Jackson Public Health Trust; Course Forms for Clinical Medicine I and II; Updated ED-10; Academic Calendar for the first year; Tables for Teaching Format Hours and Evaluation Plan for YEar 1; Overview of Professional Development Strand; and Faculty Roster by Department and Educational Role.

Race, Power and Economic Extraction in Benton Harbor, MI

My dissertation investigates twin financial interventions—urban development and emergency management—in a single small town. Once a thriving city drawing blacks as blue-collar workers during the Great Migration, Benton Harbor, Michigan has suffered from waves of out-migration, debt, and alleged poor management. Benton Harbor’s emphasis on high-end economic development to attract white-collar workers and tourism, amidst the poverty, unemployment, and disenfranchisement of black residents, highlights an extreme case of American urban inequality. At the same time, many bystanders and representative observers argue that this urban redevelopment scheme and the city’s takeover by the state represent Benton Harbor residents’ only hope for a better life. I interviewed 44 key players and observers in local politics and development, attended 20 public meetings, conducted three months of observations, and collected extensive archival data. Examining Benton Harbor’s time under emergency management and its luxury golf course development as two exemplars of a larger relationship, I find that the top-down processes allegedly intended to alleviate Benton Harbor’s inequality actually reproduce and deepen the city’s problems. I propose that the beneficiaries of both plans constitute a white urban regime active in Benton Harbor. I show how the white urban regime serves its interests by operating an extraction machine in the city, which serves to reproduce local poverty and wealth by directing resources toward the white urban regime and away from the city.

Long-term fish community response to a reach-scale stream restoration

At a global scale, aquatic ecosystems are being altered by human activities at a greater rate than at any other time in history. In recent years, grassroots efforts have generated interest in the restoration of degraded or destroyed aquatic habitats, especially small wetlands and streams where such projects are feasible with local resources. We present ecological management lessons learned from 17 years of monitoring the fish community response to the channel relocation and reach-level restoration of Juday Creek, a 3rd-order tributary of the St. Joseph River in Indiana, USA. The project was designed to increase habitat complexity, reverse the effects of accumulated fine sediment (< 2 mm diameter), and mitigate for the impacts of a new golf course development. The 1997 restoration consisted of new channel construction within two reaches of a 1.2-km section of Juday Creek that also contained two control reaches. A primary social goal of the golf course development and stream restoration was to avoid harm to the non-native brown trout fishery, as symbolic of community concerns for the watershed. Our long-term monitoring effort revealed that, although fine sediment increased over time in the restored reaches, habitat conditions have promoted the resurgence of native fish species. Since restoration, the fish assemblage has shifted from non-native Salmonidae (brown trout, rainbow trout) to native Centrarchidae (rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass). In addition, native, nongame species have remained stable or have increased in population abundance (e.g., Johnny darter, mottled sculpin). The results of this study demonstrate the value of learning from a restoration project to adjust management decisions that enhance environmental quality.

Charting the course of ovarian development in vertebrates

The decision of the embryonic gonad to differentiate as either a testis or an ovary is a critical step in vertebrate development. The molecular basis of this decision has been the focus of much study, particularly over the past decade. Here we contrast the knowledge of early gonadal development and the switch to testis differentiation with the lack of molecular understanding of ovarian development at early stages. We review current knowledge regarding mechanisms of ovarian morphogenesis and propose a model for the hierarchical control of development of the fetal ovary, incorporating the few genes already known to be important and several signals or factors that are hypothesised to exist in the early ovary.

International sustainable development cooperation of physiotherapy course from Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa

Objectives - To share with delegates the international experience in several Program of Physiotherapy course from Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Lisboa (ESTeSL).

Studying the development of an online course on Curriculum : implications for the students' workload in light of the Bologna principles

ECER 2014 "The Past, the Present and Future of Educational Research in Europe" will take place at the University of Porto from 1 - 5 September 2014.

Development and Assessment of an E-Learning Course on Breast Imaging for Radiographers: A Stratified Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mammography is considered the best imaging technique for breast cancer screening, and the radiographer plays an important role in its performance. Therefore, continuing education is critical to improving the performance of these professionals and thus providing better health care services. Objective: Our goal was to develop an e-learning course on breast imaging for radiographers, assessing its efficacy , effectiveness, and user satisfaction. Methods: A stratified randomized controlled trial was performed with radiographers and radiology students who already had mammography training, using pre- and post-knowledge tests, and satisfaction questionnaires. The primary outcome was the improvement in test results (percentage of correct answers), using intention-to-treat and per-protocol analysis. Results: A total of 54 participants were assigned to the intervention (20 students plus 34 radiographers) with 53 controls (19+34). The intervention was completed by 40 participants (11+29), with 4 (2+2) discontinued interventions, and 10 (7+3) lost to follow-up. Differences in the primary outcome were found between intervention and control: 21 versus 4 percentage points (pp), P<.001. Stratified analysis showed effect in radiographers (23 pp vs 4 pp; P=.004) but was unclear in students (18 pp vs 5 pp; P=.098). Nonetheless, differences in students’ posttest results were found (88% vs 63%; P=.003), which were absent in pretest (63% vs 63%; P=.106). The per-protocol analysis showed a higher effect (26 pp vs 2 pp; P<.001), both in students (25 pp vs 3 pp; P=.004) and radiographers (27 pp vs 2 pp; P<.001). Overall, 85% were satisfied with the course, and 88% considered it successful. Conclusions: This e-learning course is effective, especially for radiographers, which highlights the need for continuing education.

The African studies course of the Instituto de Estudos Superiores Militares. An analysis of the correlations and conflictive character inside the triangle - Development, environment and security - in Africa’s Nigeria

Relatório de Estágio de Mestrado em Ciência Política e Relações Internacionais Globalização e Ambiente

Using Moodle to provide added value in the teaching of a software development course

The rate of adoption and use of learning management systems to support teaching and learning processes in academic institutions is growing rapidly. Universities are acquiring systems with functionalities that can match with their specific needs and requirements. Moodle is one of the most popular and widely deployed learning management systems in academic institutions today. However, apart from the system, universities tend to maintain other applications for the purpose of supplementing their teaching and learning processes. This situation is similar to Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), which is our case study in this project. Apart from Moodle, the university also maintains other systems such as Oodi, Noppa and Uni portal for the purpose of supporting its educational activities. This thesis has two main goals. The first goal is to understand the specific role of Moodle at LUT. This information is fundamental in assessing whether Moodle is needed in the university’s current teaching and learning environment. The second aim is to provide insights to teachers and other departmental stakeholders on how Moodle can provide added value in the teaching of a software development course. In response to this, a Moodle module for a software development course is created and the underlying features are tested. Results of the constructive work proposed some improvements through (i) the use of Moodle for in-class surveys, (ii) transfer of grades from Moodle to Oodi, (iii) use of Moodle in self-study courses and MOOCs, (iv) online examinations, and (v) Moodle integrations with third party applications. The proposed items were then evaluated for their utility through interviews of five expert interviews. The final results of this work are considered useful to LUT administration and management specifically on ways that Moodle can bring changes to the university at managerial, economical and technical level. It also poses some challenges on platform innovations and research.

Forms of Student Engagement: development and application of the Southampton post-course research (UKSE) iSurvey for a traditionally taught module

Forms of Student Engagement: development and application of the Southampton post-course research (UKSE) iSurvey for a traditionally taught module

Development paths of university teachers during a pedagogical development course

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