Research-action Methodology between Computer Science and Educational Psychology: a Multidisciplinary Approach

Computer science studies possess a strong multidisciplinary aptitude since most graduates do their professional work outside of a computing environment, in close collaboration with professionals from many different areas. However, the training offered in computer science studies lacks that multidisciplinary factor, focusing more on purely technical aspects. In this paper we present a novel experience where computer studies and educational psychology find a common ground and realistic working through laboratory practices. Specifically, the work enables students of computer science education the development of diagnosis support systems, with artificial intelligence techniques, which could then be used for future educational psychologists. The applications developed by computer science students are the creation of a model for the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), sometimes also commonly called the autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The complexity of this diagnosis, not only by the exclusive characteristics of every person who suffers from it, but also by the large numbers of variables involved in it, requires very strong and close interdisciplinary participation. This work demonstrates that it is possible to intervene in a curricular perspective, in the university, to promote the development of interpersonal skills. What can be shown, in this way, is a methodology for interdisciplinary practices design and a guide for monitoring and evaluation. The results are very encouraging since we obtained significant differences in academic achievement between students who attended a course using the new methodology and those who did not use it.

Assessment of University External Internships. Towards a Mixed Model for Measuring the Acquisition of Skills and the Satisfaction of Parties Involved

The continuous improvement of management and assessment processes for curricular external internships has led a group of university teachers specialised in this area to develop a mixed model of measurement that combines the verification of skill acquisition by those students choosing external internships with the satisfaction of the parties involved in that process. They included academics, educational tutors of companies and organisations and administration and services personnel in the latter category. The experience, developed within University of Alicante, has been carried out in the degrees of Business Administration and Management, Business Studies, Economics, Advertising and Public Relations, Sociology and Social Work, all part of the Faculty of Economics and Business. By designing and managing closed standardised interviews and other research tools, validated outside the centre, a system of continuous improvement and quality assurance has been created, clearly contributing to the gradual increase in the number of students with internships in this Faculty, as well as to the improvement in satisfaction, efficiency and efficacy indicators at a global level. As this experience of educational innovation has shown, the acquisition of curricular knowledge, skills, abilities and competences by the students is directly correlated with the satisfaction of those parties involved in a process that takes the student beyond the physical borders of a university campus. Ensuring the latter is a task made easier by the implementation of a mixed assessment method, combining continuous and final assessment, and characterised by its rigorousness and simple management. This report presents that model, subject in turn to a persistent and continuous control, a model all parties involved in the external internships are taking part of. Its short-term results imply an increase, estimated at 15% for the last course, in the number of students choosing curricular internships and, for the medium and long-term, a major interweaving between the academic world and its social and productive environment, both in the business and institutional areas. The potentiality of this assessment model does not lie only in the quality of its measurement tools, but also in the effects from its use in the various groups and in the actions that are carried out as a result of its implementation and which, without any doubt and as it is shown below, are the real guarantee of a continuous improvement.

Interpersonal relations and nurses' job satisfaction through knowledge and usage of relational skills

Background/rationale: Many interpersonal labor disputes stem from the lack of communication skills and the relational problems in the interactions between health professionals. Aims/methods: A qualitative study was conducted in a Spanish hospital in order to get to know how the communicative interaction between hospital nurses is like in relation to the nurses' interpersonal interaction and communication skills developed in their working relationships. Twenty-one hospital nurses between 29 and 55 years old, working in different wards, were interviewed. Open-ended interview discourses were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The following four key themes were analyzed: communication and sender; communication and awareness of who has the problem; non-verbal communication; communication and recipient. Conclusion: The results of this study highlight the need to broaden nurses' relational–communication skills in order to increase job satisfaction.

Development of multidisciplinary workshops between different subjects as an innovative teaching methodology for the acquisition of professional skills of the future architect

The implantation of the new Architecture Degree and the important normative changes in the building sector imply the need to use new teaching methodologies that enhance skills and competences in order to response to the increasing requirements demanded by society to the future architect. The aim of this paper is to present, analyze and discuss the development of multidisciplinary workshops as a new teaching methodology used in several Construction subjects of the Architecture Degree in the University of Alicante. Workshops conceived with the aim to synthesize and complement the technical knowledge acquired by the students during the Degree and to enhance the skills and competencies necessary for the professional practice. With that purpose, we decided to experiment on current subjects of the degree during this academic year, by applying the requirements defined in the future Architecture Degree in a practical way, through workshops between different subjects, superposing the technical knowledge with the resolution of constructive problems in the development of an architectural project. Developing these workshops between subjects we can dissolve the traditional boundaries between different areas of the Degree. This multidisciplinary workshop methodology allows the use of all the global knowledge acquired by students during their studies and at the same time, it enhances students’ ability to communicate and discuss their ideas and solutions in public. It also increases their capacity of self-criticism, and it foments their ability to undertake learning strategies and research in an autonomous way. The used methodology is based on the development of a practical work common to several subjects of different knowledge areas within the "Technology Block" of the future Architecture Degree. Thus, students work approaching the problem in a global way discussing simultaneously with teachers from different areas. By using these new workshops we stimulate an interactive class versus a traditional lecture. Work is evaluated continuously, valuing the participative pupil´s attitude, working in groups in class time, reaching weekly objectives and stimulating the individual responsibility and positive interdependence of the pupil inside the working group. The exercises are designed to improve students’ ability to transmit their ideas and solutions in public, knowing how to discuss and defend their technical resolutions to peers and teachers (Peer Reviewing), their capacity for self-criticism and their capacity to undertake strategies and autonomous learning processes at the same time they develop a personal research into new technologies, systems and materials. Students have shown their majority preference for this teaching methodology by the multidisciplinary workshops offered in the last years, with very satisfactory academic results. In conclusion, it can be verified nowadays the viability of the introduction of new contents and new teaching methodologies necessary for the acquisition of the skills in the future Architecture Degree, through workshops between several subjects that have had a great acceptance in students and positive contrasted academic results.

Youth Sports: Implementing Findings and Moving Forward with Research

This paper reviews the literature, outlines practical implications, and discusses future studies in youth sport researc h. The literature is discussed in light of three potential benefits of youth sport participation 1) physic al health, 2) psycho- social development, and 3) motor skills acquisition. The ultimate objective of youth sport programs is to consider all the benefits of youth sport participation rather than focusing on one or two at the cost of the other(s). It is suggested that researchers, s port administrators, coaches, and parents work together to promote sporting activities and programs that are more likely to enhance children’s physical health, psychosocia l development and lifelong recreational or elite sport participation.

An Interactive Model to Teach Motor Skills

There has been a tremendous increase in our knowledge of hum motor performance over the last few decades. Our theoretical understanding of how an individual learns to move is sophisticated and complex. It is difficult however to relate much of this information in practical terms to physical educators, coaches, and therapists concerned with the learning of motor skills (Shumway-Cook & Woolcott, 1995). Much of our knowledge stems from lab testing which often appears to bear little relation to real-life situations. This lack of ecological validity has slowed the flow of information from the theorists and researchers to the practitioners. This paper is concerned with taking some small aspects of motor learning theory, unifying them, and presenting them in a usable fashion. The intention is not to present a recipe for teaching motor skills, but to present a framework from which solutions can be found. If motor performance research has taught us anything, it is that every individual and situation presents unique challenges. By increasing our ability to conceptualize the learning situation we should be able to develop more flexible and adaptive responses to the challege of teaching motor skills. The model presented here allows a teacher, coach, or therapist to use readily available observations and known characteristics about a motor task and to conceptualize them in a manner which allows them to make appropriate teaching/learning decisions.

Future of skills in Europe-Convergence or polarisation? CEPS Working Document No. 390, 27 February 2014

In this Working Paper, based on nearly 20 papers produced by the Centre for European Policy Studies, Slovak Governance Institute and the Conference Board Europe, we examine whether the current trends in the areas of education and skills are pushing the European Union, towards convergence or polarisation. We cover a wide range of questions related to this main issue. No easy answers, but several cross-cutting messages emerged from the research. We demonstrated that there is increasing complexity in what a ‘low-skilled’ person is and how well (or poorly) s/he fares in the labour market. There are undoubtedly powerful forces pushing for more polarisation, particularly in the labour market. Our research confirmed that early childhood education plays an important role, and it also appears to be increasingly uncontested as a policy prescription. However, the other frequently emphasised remedy to inequality – less selection in secondary education, particularly later division of children into separate tracks – is more problematic. Its effectiveness depends on the country in question and the target group, while education systems are extremely difficult to shift even on a long-term basis. A different, more-nuanced type of warning to policy-makers is delivered in our research on returns to higher education by field of study, which showed hidden rationality in how students choose their major.

The Importance of Foreign Language Skills in the Labour Markets of Central and Eastern Europe: An assessment based on data from online job portals. CEPS Special Report No. 129/January 2016

In a globalised world, knowledge of foreign languages is an important skill. Especially in Europe, with its 24 official languages and its countless regional and minority languages, foreign language skills are a key asset in the labour market. Earlier research shows that over half of the EU27 population is able to speak at least one foreign language, but there is substantial national variation. This study is devoted to a group of countries known as the Visegrad Four, which comprises the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Although the supply of foreign language skills in these countries appears to be well-documented, less is known about the demand side. In this study, we therefore examine the demand for foreign language skills on the Visegrad labour markets, using information extracted from online job portals. We find that English is the most requested foreign language in the region, and the demand for English language skills appears to go up as occupations become increasingly complex. Despite the cultural, historical and economic ties with their German-speaking neighbours, German is the second-most-in-demand foreign language in the region. Interestingly, in this case there is no clear link with the complexity of an occupation. Other languages, such as French, Spanish and Russian, are hardly requested. These findings have important policy implications with regards to the education and training offered in schools, universities and job centres.

Basic skills proficiencies of secondary vocational education students /

Bibliography: p. 29-32.

Research on vehicle-based driver status/performance monitoring; development, validation, and refinement of algorithms for detection of driver drowsiness.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Determinants of youth attitudes and skills towards which drinking/driving prevention programs should be directed. Final report.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Communication skills center project, Detroit.

"One of a series of successful compensatory education programs."

Development of procedures for assessing the impact of vocational education research and development on vocational education (Project IMPACT).

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Do you know what MOOCS are? Discover a new way to improve your knowledge and skills

The potential of online learning has long afforded the hope of providing quality education to anyone, anywhere in the world. The recent development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) heralded an exciting new breakthrough by providing free academic instruction and professional skills development from the world’s leading universities to anyone with the sufficient resources to access the internet. The research in Advancing MOOCs for Development Initiative study was designed to analyze the MOOC landscape in developing countries and to better understand the motivations of MOOC users and afford insights on the advantages and limitations of MOOCs for workforce development outcomes. The key findings of this study challenge commonly held beliefs about MOOC usage in developing countries, defying typical characterizations of how people in resource constrained settings use technology for learning and employment. In fact, some of the findings are so contrary to what has been reported in the U.S. and other developed environments that they raise new questions for further investigation.