O museu virtual Google Art Project : um estudo de caso em contexto de ensino-aprendizagem da educação visual

A educação na arte e pela arte confere a todos os seus intervenientes a estimulação da sua criatividade e da sua consciência cultural, proporcionando meios para se exprimirem e participarem ativamente no mundo que nos rodeia. A integração das tecnologias de informação e comunicação no processo de ensino-aprendizagem veio alargar o papel que a arte pode desempenhar neste processo, promovendo novas formas de aprender, de ensinar e de pensar. Assim, a utilização de ambientes virtuais em contexto educativo tem revelado um enorme potencial, sobretudo ao nível da comunicação e da interação entre alunos e obras de arte. Neste sentido, considerou-se importante desenvolver um estudo de caso em contexto de sala de aula da Educação Visual, promovendo uma aprendizagem baseada na articulação entre a observação, interpretação e análise da obra de arte e o museu virtual. Assim o principal objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar as potencialidades do Google Art Project, enquanto objeto de aprendizagem, na promoção da aprendizagem na área da literacia em artes. Para além disso, procurámos ainda avaliar se a utilização de ferramentas multimédia como o referido Google Art Project e o Quadro Interativo, constituem fatores de motivação na aprendizagem da disciplina de Educação Visual. Do ponto de vista metodológico desenvolvemos uma estratégia baseada na investigação-ação. Procurámos, por um lado, descobrir e compreender o significado de uma realidade vivida por um grupo de alunos e, por outro lado, refletir sobre a prática educativa com o intuito de a melhorar e transformar. Este estudo envolveu cinco turmas do sexto ano do ensino público. Para a recolha de dados utilizámos técnicas baseadas na conversação e na observação, no questionário e nas notas de campo. Os resultados deste estudo revelam que as ferramentas tecnológicas utilizadas podem efetivamente contribuir para a promoção da aprendizagem dos alunos na área da Educação Visual, mais concretamente ao nível do domínio da literacia artística, da representação e da interpretação visual.

Synchronization of Heteroclinic Circuits Through Learning in Chains of Neural Motifs

The synchronization of oscillatory activity in networks of neural networks is usually implemented through coupling the state variables describing neuronal dynamics. In this study we discuss another but complementary mechanism based on a learning process with memory. A driver network motif, acting as a teacher, exhibits winner-less competition (WLC) dynamics, while a driven motif, a learner, tunes its internal couplings according to the oscillations observed in the teacher. We show that under appropriate training the learner motif can dynamically copy the coupling pattern of the teacher and thus synchronize oscillations with the teacher. Then, we demonstrate that the replication of the WLC dynamics occurs for intermediate memory lengths only. In a unidirectional chain of N motifs coupled through teacher-learner paradigm the time interval required for pattern replication grows linearly with the chain size, hence the learning process does not blow up and at the end we observe phase synchronized oscillations along the chain. We also show that in a learning chain closed into a ring the network motifs come to a consensus, i.e. to a state with the same connectivity pattern corresponding to the mean initial pattern averaged over all network motifs.

Motivação e Satisfação dos Discentes do Instituto Universitário Militar

Tendo como objeto de estudo a identificação dos fatores da Motivação e Satisfação dos discentes do Curso de Promoção a Oficial General, Curso de Estado-Maior Conjunto e Curso de Promoção a Oficial Superior, pretende-se com esta investigação, identificar as medidas a implementar para o seu aumento, tendo em consideração as especificidades de cada curso e o ramo das Forças Armadas e/ou Guarda Nacional Republicana a que pertencem os discentes. Apoiando a consecução deste objetivo, foi construído e aplicado um questionário à população alvo. Assim, constatou-se que a componente Desenvolvimento pessoal da Motivação, relacionada com a vontade e o desejo de querer aprender, constitui-se o principal fator motivador, com os discentes do Exército e do Curso de Estado-Maior Conjunto a apresentarem os maiores índices motivacionais. Relativamente à Satisfação, constatou-se que as principais (importantes) causas de satisfação são a Qualidade dos docentes e os Conteúdos programáticos/metodologia, ainda que não constituindo as causas com as quais os discentes demonstram maior satisfação. O Curso de Promoção a Oficial Superior, com foco nos ramos da Força Aérea e Marinha, representa os discentes menos satisfeitos. Decorrente dos resultados conclui-se então, da necessidade de implementar medidas diretamente relacionadas com o processo de aprendizagem para aumento da Motivação e Satisfação dos discentes do Instituto Universitário Militar. Igualmente, verificou-se a influência nessas variáveis, da diferente valorização dos cursos em estudo por parte dos Ramos. Abstract: With the research object of study, the identification of Motivation factors and Satisfaction of students of Flag Officers Course, Joint Staff Course and Field Grade Officers Course, it is intended, identify the measures to be implemented to its increase, taking into account the specificities of each course and the branch of the armed forces and / or Republican National Guard that belong the various students. To achieve this objective, it was constructed and applied a questionnaire to the target population. Thus, it was found that the Personal Development component of Motivation related to the will and desire to want to learn, it constitutes the main motivating factor, with the students of the Army and the Joint Staff Course to present the greatest motivational indexes. Regarding to Satisfaction, it was found that the key (important) satisfaction causes are the quality of teachers and programmatic contents / methodology, although not constituting the causes with which students demonstrate greater satisfaction. Highlights the less satisfaction between students of Field Grade Officers Course, with focus on the branches of the Air Force and Navy. Due to the results it is concluded then, the need to implement measures directly related to the learning process for increasing student Motivation and Satisfaction, and its influence by the different valuation by each branch.

Satisfação na educação à distância em uma disciplina semipresencial na área de saúde

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, 2016.

Leadership and Pedagogical Interaction as Predictors of Learning Outcomes in Physical Education

Problem Statement: This research aims to understand the relative contribution of leadership styles and teacher-student and student-student pedagogical interaction concerning the learning performance and academic achievement in physical education. Research Questions: Are the teacher leadership style and the teacher-student and student-student pedagogical interaction related to the learning performance and academic achievement in physical education in basic schooling? Purpose of Study: There are several factors that contribute for the explanation of learning outcomes, namely teacher leadership styles in the classroom, as well as teacher-student and student-student pedagogical interactions. These factors are considered to be essential in the teaching-learning process and in the subsequent improvement of educational outcomes. Research Methods: A quantitative methodology was implemented, comprising a sample of 447 students attending a School Grouping located in the Central Region of Portugal. In order to verify the nature, the strength and the direction of the relations among the variables, correlation and multiple regression analyses were used. For this, scales already validated and used in other researches were applied. Findings: The results show that the learning performance and the academic achievement are significantly associated with teacher leadership styles and teacher-student and student-student pedagogical interaction. A stronger association was obtained with leadership styles, especially the democratic one. It should be mentioned that these factors provide a higher relative contribution to the learning performance than to the academic achievement. Conclusions: This study sought to deepen the understanding of the explanatory factors of academic success concerning the teaching-learning process in physical education. The analysis conducted highlights the importance of the democratic teacher leadership style and of the pedagogical interaction established within the classroom towards the improvement of students' ability to understand the gains and the effort made in learning.

Motivation and relationship of the student with the school as factors involved in the perceived learning

Motivation should be seen as a very important factor in the learning process. The motivated student has the inner strength to learn, to discover and capitalize on capabilities, to improve academic performance and to adapt to the demands of the school context. Contextual factors like the psychological sense of school membership may be also especially important to students’ classroom engagement, their motivation and learning success. So with this study we intend to examine how the sense of school belonging and intrinsic motivation influences perceived learning.A structural model reveals that the negative sense of school belonging has a negative impact on intrinsic motivation and on perceived learning. In turn, intrinsic motivation positively and significantly influences perceived learning in the course.

Socratic flipped classroom : What types of questions and tasks promote learning?

Socratic questioning stresses the importance of questioning for learning. Flipped Classroom pedagogy generates a need for effective questions and tasks in order to promote active learning. This paper describes a project aimed at finding out how different kinds of questions and tasks support students’ learning in a flipped classroom context. In this study, during the flipped courses, both the questions and tasks were distributed together with video recordings. Answers and solutions were presented and discussed in seminars, with approximately 10 participating students in each seminar. Information Systems students from three flipped classroom courses at three different levels were interviewed in focus groups about their perceptions of how different kinds of questions and tasks supported their learning process. The selected courses were organized differently, with various kinds of questions and tasks. Course one included open questions that were answered and presented at the seminar. Students also solved a task and presented the solution to the group. Course two included open questions and a task. Answers and solutions were discussed at the seminars where students also reviewed each other’s answers and solutions. Course three included online single- and multiple choice questions with real-time feedback. Answers were discussed at the seminar, with the focus on any misconceptions. In this paper we categorized the questions in accordance with Wilson (2016) as factual, convergent, divergent, evaluative, or a combination of these. In all, we found that any comprehensible question that initiates a dialogue, preferably with a set of Socratic questions, is perceived as promoting learning. This is why seminars that allow such questions and discussion are effective. We found no differences between the different kinds of Socratic questions. They were seen to promote learning so long as they made students reflect and problematize the questions. To conclude, we found that questions and tasks promote learning when they are answered and solved in a process that is characterized by comprehensibility, variation, repetition and activity.

A estrutura organizacional das bibliotecas universitárias em Portugal

Este estudo tem como objetivo definir linhas orientadoras para as estruturas organizacionais em bibliotecas universitárias portuguesas e baseia-se numa investigação que fez uso de métodos diversificados, tanto quantitativos (em extensão), como qualitativos (em profundidade), e cotejou os dados assim obtidos com as práticas mais inovadoras em bibliotecas de diversos países do mundo. Foi feito o enquadramento teórico, para temas relacionados com os da investigação, como as teorias da gestão, as estruturas organizacionais, a liderança, a motivação, a comunicação e o processo de mudança nas organizações. Considerando o meio onde se integram estas bibliotecas, identificaram-se os principais aspetos da política educativa no ensino superior europeu e português. A revisão da literatura permitiu recolher informação sobre algumas tendências mais recentes nas bibliotecas universitárias, em geral e em Portugal. Foram identificadas as tipologias de estruturas organizacionais, as transformações que as mesmas têm sofrido noutros países e que soluções foram encontradas. A partir dos dados recolhidos com o questionário, caracterizaram-se estas bibliotecas portuguesas e os resultados indicam que há uma grande diversidade e que, em grande parte as suas estruturas organizacionais foram alteradas. Com o estudo de caso, detalharam-se aspetos dessas alterações. Concluiu-se que, com as alterações no ensino superior, as bibliotecas podem ter um papel mais ativo no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. As alterações em estruturas organizacionais de bibliotecas universitárias portuguesas ocorreram, na sua grande parte, por razões legais e houve participação das chefias das bibliotecas e dos técnicos superiores especializados em ciências da informação. As novas estruturas organizacionais procuram adaptar-se às transformações externas e internas, optando por estruturas mais flexíveis que incentivam a participação de todos os funcionários na inovação e tomadas de decisão. Como linhas orientadoras, foram indicados um conjunto de princípios por não ser possível um modelo ideal a aplicar em todas as bibliotecas. Cada caso encontrará uma solução que deverá ser continuamente analisada e adaptada à realidade; Organizational structure of university libraries in Portugal Abstract: The purpose of this study is to define guidelines for the organizational structures of Portuguese university libraries and it is based on a research that used as quantitative (in range) as qualitative (in depth) methods and compared the findings with the most innovative practices in libraries all over the world. An approach was made to the theoretical areas of management, organizational structures, leadership, motivation, communication and the process of change in organizations. Considering that these libraries act in higher education institutions it was referred the education policy for higher education, in Europe and in Portugal. The literature review allowed collecting information about the more recent tendencies of the university libraries in general and in Portugal. The organizational structures models were identified as their changes and solutions. From the data from the questionnaire the Portuguese university libraries were described and the results show there is a great variety among them and most of them have transformed their organizational structures. The case study allowed obtaining more information about the process of change in the three selected libraries. It was concluded that, with the changes of higher education, the libraries can play a more active role in the teaching and learning process. The changes of the organizational structures in the Portuguese university libraries occurred mostly for legal reasons and the top of the libraries hierarchy and librarians participated. With the new organizational structures libraries have made all the efforts to adapt to the external and internal transformations with more flexible structures encouraging all staff to participate with ideas and to take part in the decision process. For the guidelines it was pointed out a set of principles to follow as it is not possible to have an ideal model to apply to all the libraries. Each library must find a solution that will be continually analyzed and adapted.

Automated Feedback for 'Fill in the Gap' Programming Exercises

Timely feedback is a vital component in the learning process. It is especially important for beginner students in Information Technology since many have not yet formed an effective internal model of a computer that they can use to construct viable knowledge. Research has shown that learning efficiency is increased if immediate feedback is provided for students. Automatic analysis of student programs has the potential to provide immediate feedback for students and to assist teaching staff in the marking process. This paper describes a “fill in the gap” programming analysis framework which tests students’ solutions and gives feedback on their correctness, detects logic errors and provides hints on how to fix these errors. Currently, the framework is being used with the Environment for Learning to Programming (ELP) system at Queensland University of Technology (QUT); however, the framework can be integrated into any existing online learning environment or programming Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Moderation as judgement practice: Reconciling system level accountability and local level practice

Internationally, recognition of the role of assessment to inform the learning process has received much attention in recent years. Assessment for learning, not just of learning is being supported by an increasing body of literature providing strategies that teachers and their students can incorporate to support the learning process (Assessment Reform Group, 2002; Broadfoot & Black, 2004; James, 2006). Concurrently there has been an increase internationally in systemic accountability requirements of schools in terms of student results. The convergence of these two movements has resulted in some education systems promoting standards-driven reform involving authentic assessment and a re-examination of the relationship between the teacher and the student in the learning process. In this context standards are intended to be used as the basis for judgements of student achievement; while the results from assessment tasks are meant to both inform the teaching/learning process, and to report and track student progress. In such system, the role and reliability of teacher judgement takes centre stage.

Before the first export decision : internationalisation readiness in the pre-export phase

Although the internationalisation process of the firm has been well researched since the 1970s, the behaviour of firms prior to internationalisation has not received commensurate research attention.This paper argues that a focus on firms’ pre-internationalisation activities will not only offer an additional important perspective to the study of firm internationalisation but it will also address a significant research gap in studies that are theoretically based on the so-called stages models. During the pre-internationalisation phase, a firm is exposed to stimuli factors that may trigger an impulse for foreign market expansion. Decision makers’ perceptions of stimuli, their attitudinal commitment towards internationalisation, the firms’ resources and capabilities, as well as the mediating effect of lateral rigidity comprise a learning process that leads a firm towards readiness to initiate an internationalisation decision. This paper advances the concept of internationalisation readiness and proposes a method for developing an Internationalisation Readiness Index.

Seeing is understanding : the effect of visualisation in understanding programming concepts

How and why visualisations support learning was the subject of this qualitative instrumental collective case study. Five computer programming languages (PHP, Visual Basic, Alice, GameMaker, and RoboLab) supporting differing degrees of visualisation were used as cases to explore the effectiveness of software visualisation to develop fundamental computer programming concepts (sequence, iteration, selection, and modularity). Cognitive theories of visual and auditory processing, cognitive load, and mental models provided a framework in which student cognitive development was tracked and measured by thirty-one 15-17 year old students drawn from a Queensland metropolitan secondary private girls’ school, as active participants in the research. Seventeen findings in three sections increase our understanding of the effects of visualisation on the learning process. The study extended the use of mental model theory to track the learning process, and demonstrated application of student research based metacognitive analysis on individual and peer cognitive development as a means to support research and as an approach to teaching. The findings also forward an explanation for failures in previous software visualisation studies, in particular the study has demonstrated that for the cases examined, where complex concepts are being developed, the mixing of auditory (or text) and visual elements can result in excessive cognitive load and impede learning. This finding provides a framework for selecting the most appropriate instructional programming language based on the cognitive complexity of the concepts under study.

A constructivist approach to media literacy education: The role of the library

An informed citizenry is essential to the effective functioning of democracy. In most modern liberal democracies, citizens have traditionally looked to the media as the primary source of information about socio-political matters. In our increasingly mediated world, it is critical that audiences be able to effectively and accurately use the media to meet their information needs. Media literacy, the ability to access, understand, evaluate and create media content is therefore a vital skill for a healthy democracy. The past three decades have seen the rapid expansion of the information environment, particularly through Internet technologies. It is obvious that media usage patterns have changed dramatically as a result. Blogs and websites are now popular sources of news and information, and are for some sections of the population likely to be the first, and possibly only, information source accessed when information is required. What are the implications for media literacy in such a diverse and changing information environment? The Alexandria Manifesto stresses the link between libraries, a well informed citizenry and effective governance, so how do these changes impact on libraries? This paper considers the role libraries can play in developing media literate communities, and explores the ways in which traditional media literacy training may be expanded to better equip citizens for new media technologies. Drawing on original empirical research, this paper highlights a key shortcoming of existing media literacy approaches: that of overlooking the importance of needs identification as an initial step in media selection. Self-awareness of one’s actual information need is not automatic, as can be witnessed daily at reference desks in libraries the world over. Citizens very often do not know what it is that they need when it comes to information. Without this knowledge, selecting the most appropriate information source from the vast range available becomes an uncertain, possibly even random, enterprise. Incorporating reference interview-type training into media literacy education, whereby the individual will develop the skills to interrogate themselves regarding their underlying information needs, will enhance media literacy approaches. This increased focus on the needs of the individual will also push media literacy education into a more constructivist methodology. The paper also stresses the importance of media literacy training for adults. Media literacy education received in school or even university cannot be expected to retain its relevance over time in our rapidly evolving information environment. Further, constructivist teaching approaches highlight the importance of context to the learning process, thus it may be more effective to offer media literacy education relating to news media use to adults, whilst school-based approaches focus on types of media more relevant to young people, such as entertainment media. Librarians are ideally placed to offer such community-based media literacy education for adults. They already understand, through their training and practice of the reference interview, how to identify underlying information needs. Further, libraries are placed within community contexts, where the everyday practice of media literacy occurs. The Alexandria Manifesto stresses the link between libraries, a well informed citizenry and effective governance. It is clear that libraries have a role to play in fostering media literacy within their communities.

Pedagogical learnings for management education : developing creativity and innovation

This paper argues that management education needs to consider a trend in learning design which advances creative learning through an alliance with art-based pedagogical processes. A shift is required from skills training to facilitating transformational learning through experiences that expand human potential, facilitated by artistic processes. This creative learning focus stems from a qualitative and quantitative analysis of an arts-based intervention for management development, called Management Jazz, conducted over three years at a large Australian University. The paper reviews some of the salient literature in the field, including an ‘Artful Learning Wave Trajectory’ Model. The Model considers four stages of the learning process: capacity, artful event, increased capability, and application/action to produce product. Methodology for the field-based research analysis of the intervention outcomes is presented. Three illustrative examples of arts-based learning are provided from the Management Jazz program. Finally, research findings indicate that artful learning opportunities enhance capacity for awareness of creativity in one’s self and in others, leading, through a transformative process, to enhanced leaders and managers. The authors conclude that arts-based management education can enhance creative capacity and develop managers and leaders for the 21st century business environment.