A new horizon for online teaching and learning

The Polytechnic Institute of Oporto (IPP), which has a solid history of online education and innovation through the use of technology, has been particularly interested and focused on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) developments. The aim of this paper is to present the whole process from initial discussions to completion of the “Mathematics Without Limits” MOOC Project that exists in IPP and also to contribute for a change in the way as teaching and learning Mathematics is seen and practiced nowadays. In 2013, IPP developed its own platform, which gave us the opportunity to explore new educational techniques as a pedagogical resource as well as to enhance students’ motivation, through a set of interactive materials at their disposal, totally adapted to their needs. Students lack of motivation is mainly justified by their weak Math preparation, poor consolidated basis on the subject and different backgrounds of the students. To tackle this issue and based on our Math online courses teaching experience, we decided to create short duration MOOC, expecting to aid retention of students and also to reverse the path of students giving up on Math by giving them a friendly way of managing their own learning commitment. We also think that this MOOC will be a good approach to level out some math skills among freshmen.

A new horizon for online teaching and learning

The Polytechnic Institute of Oporto (IPP), which has a solid history of online education and innovation through the use of technology, has been particularly interested and focused on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) developments. The aim of this paper is to present the whole process from initial discussions to completion of the “Mathematics Without Limits” MOOC Project that exists in IPP and also to contribute for a change in the way as teaching and learning Mathematics is seen and practiced nowadays. In 2013, IPP developed its own platform, which gave us the opportunity to explore new educational techniques as a pedagogical resource as well as to enhance students’ motivation, through a set of interactive materials at their disposal, totally adapted to their needs. Students lack of motivation is mainly justified by their weak Math preparation, poor consolidated basis on the subject and different backgrounds of the students. To tackle this issue and based on our Math online courses teaching experience, we decided to create short duration MOOC, expecting to aid retention of students and also to reverse the path of students giving up on Math by giving them a friendly way of managing their own learning commitment. We also think that this MOOC will be a good approach to level out some math skills among freshmen.

A New horizon for online teaching and learning

The Polytechnic Institute of Oporto (IPP), which has a solid history of online education and innovation through the use of technology, has been particularly interested and focused on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) developments. The aim of this paper is to present the whole process from initial discussions to completion of the “Mathematics Without Limits” MOOC Project that exists in IPP and also to contribute for a change in the way as teaching and learning Mathematics is seen and practiced nowadays. In 2013, IPP developed its own platform, which gave us the opportunity to explore new educational techniques as a pedagogical resource as well as to enhance students’ motivation, through a set of interactive materials at their disposal, totally adapted to their needs. Students lack of motivation is mainly justified by their weak Math preparation, poor consolidated basis on the subject and different backgrounds of the students. To tackle this issue and based on our Math online courses teaching experience, we decided to create short duration MOOC, expecting to aid retention of students and also to reverse the path of students giving up on Math by giving them a friendly way of managing their own learning commitment. We also think that this MOOC will be a good approach to level out some math skills among freshmen.

Teaching and learning with social software in higher education: content management systems integrated with Web-based applications as a key factor for success

The change of paradigm imposed by the Bologna process, in which the student will be responsible for their own learning, and the presence of a new generation of students with higher technological skills, represent a huge challenge for higher education institutions. The use of new Web Social concepts in teaching process, supported by applications commonly called Web 2.0, with which these new students feel at ease, can bring benefits in terms of motivation and the frequency and quality of students' involvement in academic activities. An e-learning platform with web-based applications as a complement can significantly contribute to the development of different skills in higher education students, covering areas which are usually in deficit.

How can we teach EBM in clinical practice? : an analysis of barriers to implementation of on-the-job EBM teaching and learning.

Introduction: Evidence-based medicine (EBM) improves the quality of health care. Courses on how to teach EBM in practice are available, but knowledge does not automatically imply its application in teaching. We aimed to identify and compare barriers and facilitators for teaching EBM in clinical practice in various European countries. Methods: A questionnaire was constructed listing potential barriers and facilitators for EBM teaching in clinical practice. Answers were reported on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from not at all being a barrier to being an insurmountable barrier. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 120 clinical EBM teachers from 11 countries. Lack of time was the strongest barrier for teaching EBM in practice (median 5). Moderate barriers were the lack of requirements for EBM skills and a pyramid hierarchy in health care management structure (median 4). In Germany, Hungary and Poland, reading and understanding articles in English was a higher barrier than in the other countries. Conclusion: Incorporation of teaching EBM in practice faces several barriers to implementation. Teaching EBM in clinical settings is most successful where EBM principles are culturally embedded and form part and parcel of everyday clinical decisions and medical practice.

Consideraciones metodológicas para la enseñanza y el aprendizaje del deporte escolar = Methodological considerations for the teaching and learning of school sport

Sport is a fundamental content in the teaching and learning of Physical Education independently of whether it is seen assuch by some authors. In whichever case according to the treatment that we give it, it will have sufficient educationalpotential without forgetting that it is the student who is the important figure in the process. To achieve the objectives wemust facilitate practices that are in agreement with the indispensable ethical principles to try to bring about a meaningfuland functional learning. The methodological criteria that we present in this article have this intention helped by examplesthat make it easier to understand the teaching learning process

Becoming skilled: The cultural and corporeal geographies of teaching and learning Thai Yoga massage

This paper explores the process of learning an embodied knowledge using the work of Dreyfus and Deleuze. Although geographers have begun to acknowledge the role of embodied knowledges in social life, there have been few in-depth case studies of how these skills are learned. This paper offers a case study of Thai Yoga massage (TYM), a ‘complementary and alternative therapy’ which is growing in popularity in the United Kingdom. Having outlined the case study, the paper explores the cultural geographies of the formalisation, documentation and contestation of the set of techniques that have come to cohere in the UK as TYM. The paper then interrogates the messy corporeal geographies of learning a skill, and briefly considers how more advanced practitioners experience their skilled practice.

Investigating EFL teacher beliefs about teaching and learning

This article reports on research into the beliefs of a group of teachers working in the field of TESOL, specifically teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). In particular, the aim was to see if it is possible to identify a coherent system of beliefs about teaching and learning that may account for different approaches to teaching.

Teaching and learning German language and culture in higher education in Britain:problems, challenges and didactical implications. A case study

The aim of this thesis is to explore key aspects and problems of the institutionalised teaching and learning of German language and culture in the context of German Studies in British Higher Education (HE). This investigation focuses on teaching and learning experiences in one department of German Studies in the UK, which is the micro-context of the present study, in order to provide an in-depth insight into real-life problems, strengths and weaknesses as they occur in the practice of teaching and learning German. Following Lamb (2004) and Holliday (1994), the present study acts on the assumption that each micro-context does not exist in vacuo but is always embedded in a wider socio-political and education environment, namely the macro-context, which largely determines how and what is taught. The macro-analysis of the present study surveys the socio-political developments that have recently affected the sector of modern languages and specifically the discipline of German Studies in the UK. It demonstrates the impact they have had on teaching and learning German at the undergraduate level in Britain. This context is interesting inasmuch as the situation in Britain is to a large extent a paradigmatic example of the developments in German Studies in English-speaking countries. Subsequently, the present study explores learning experiences of a group of thirty-five first year students. It focuses on their previous experiences in learning German, exposure to the target language, motivation, learning strategies and difficulties encountered, when learning German at the tertiary level. Then, on the basis of interviews with five lecturers of German, teaching experience in the context under study is explored, problems and successful teaching strategies discussed.

Lessening sensitivity:student experiences of teaching and learning sensitive issues

Despite growing interest in learning and teaching as emotional activities, there is still very little research on experiences of sensitive issues. Using qualitative data from students from a range of social science disciplines, this study investigates student's experiences. The paper highlights how, although they found it difficult and distressing at times, the students all valued being able to explore sensitive issues during their studies. The paper argues that it is though repeated exposure to sensitive issues within the classroom that the students became more comfortable with the issues. This process of lessening sensitivity is an important part of the emotional journey through higher education. It will argue that good student experiences need not always be positive emotions and that sensitive issues should be seen as an important part of transformational education.

Alternative approaches to education: Tolstoy’s thinking on teaching and learning and its relevance for today

In this article I reflect upon the educational writings and teaching experiences of the 19th-Century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy is known to have attached much importance to his own writing on education, even more than to the literary creations for which he is best remembered. His writings on education have much to contribute to our present-day understanding of the learning process and cover such issues as, ‘learner autonomy’, ‘motivation’, ‘relationship’ and ‘student voice’. Tolstoy’s teaching experience was with multiethnic peasant children in his schools in Yasnaya Polyana. I intend to illustrate that the themes and issues that arose from his experiences in the 1860s can still find resonance with students and teachers in the 21st century.

Teaching and learning sexuality in nursing education

Sexuality is recognized as part of holistic nursing care, but its inclusion in clinical practice and nursing training is inconsistent. Based on the question "How students and teachers acknowledge sexuality in teaching and learning?", we developed a study in order to characterize the process of teaching and learning sexuality in a micro perspective of cur- riculum development. We used a mixed methods design with a sequential strategy: QUAN → qual of descriptive and explanatory type. 646 students and teachers participated. The quantitative component used ques- tionnaire surveys. Document analysis was used in the additional component. A curricular dimension of sexuality emerges guided by a behaviourist line and based on a biological vision. The issues considered safe are highlighted and framed in steps of adolescence and adulthood and more attached to female sexuality and the procreative aspect. There is in emergence a hidden curriculum by reference to content from other dimensions of sexuality but less often expressed. Theoretical learning follows a communicational model of reality through ab- straction strategies, which infers a deductive method of learning, with a behaviourist approach to assessment. Clinical teaching ad- dresses sexuality in combination with reproductive health nursing. The influencing factors of teaching and learning of sexuality were also explored. We conclude that the vision of female sexuality taught and learned in relation to women has a projection of care in clinical practice based on the same principles.

Teaching and learning sexuality in nursing education

Sexuality is recognized as part of holistic nursing care, but its inclusion in clinical practice and nursing training is inconsistent. Based on the question "How students and teachers acknowledge sexuality in teaching and learning?", we developed a study in order to characterize the process of teaching and learning sexuality in a micro perspective of curriculum development. We used a mixed methods design with a sequential strategy: QUAN-qual of descriptive and explanatory type. 646 students and teachers participated. The quantitative component used questionnaire surveys. Document analysis was used in the additional component. A curricular dimension of sexuality emerges guided by a behaviourist line and based on a biological vision. The issues considered sage are highlighted and framed in steps of adolescence and adulthood and more attacghed to female sexuality and procreative aspect. There is in emeergence a hidden curriculum by reference to content from other dimensions of sexuality but less often expressed. Theoretical learning follows a communicational model of reality through abstraction strategies, which infers a deductive method of learning, with a behaviourist approach to assessment. Clinical teaching adresses sexuality in combination with reproductive lealth nursing. The influencing factors of teaching and learning of sexuality were also explored. We conclude that the vision of female sexuality taught and learned in relation to women has a projection of care in clinical practice based on the same principles