New Sites, New Challenges? Ethical and Methodological Questions in the Context of Research on Migration Exclusion

The challenges of research ethics and methodologies have been reflected on extensively, but – aside from the context of feminist methodologies – less so in relation to research on particular migration sites such as in transit, detention centres, at the borders or within migration administration. First attempts in this direction have been made (Düvell et al. 2010, Fresia et al. 2005, Riedner 2014, van Liempt/Bilger2009), however, more reflection and theorization is needed, considering the contested nature of these temporal and volatile sites. In this workshop, we thus aim at examining methodological as well as ethical questions that arise during field work: We attempt to reflect the power relations involved in the research process, the ethics of research design, the dissemination of research results, the question of gaining access to and – whenever necessary – staying in contact with our research subjects. How can we negotiate informed consent with subjects whose life is currently marked by transit and insecurity concerning their own future, and who are in an uncertain situation in which substantial information (legal, social, cultural etc.) is likely to be missing? How do we deal with the dilemma of possibly contributing to knowledge production that might facilitate removals and deportations in the future, considering that the reception of the results is not in the hands of the researchers? How do we deal with the anticipated as well as unexpected impacts of our research on social and political practice? Regarding fieldwork in state institutions, how do we negotiate the multiple loyalties we often find ourselves faced with as social researchers, both with the excluded migrants and with the authorities implementing the exclusions – two groupings considered to be opposite to each other (Lavanchy 2013)? Which different roles do researchers need to take on? The aim of our workshop is first and foremost to exchange experiences on fieldwork with others doing qualitative research on related topics and to consider its possible implications – including affective dimensions – for all participants involved in the research process: the migrants, the security staff of detention centres, its social workers, border police and bureaucrats and, last but not least, the researchers themselves. Furthermore, we generally wish to reflect upon the question of how best to conduct research in this contested field, applying an interdisciplinary perspective.

Teachers' Views of Human Rights Education

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states that education should be "directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms... promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups." This study surveyed 53 teachers on their views of Human Rights Education, including their familiarity with the concept, their self-efficacy with teaching it, and conditions that would increase the likelihood of their teaching it. The study found that, regardless of familiarity with the topic, years of teaching experience, or school location (urban/suburban), most teachers were open to teaching Human Rights Education. They did identify the need for better resources in the form of lesson plans, teaching materials, and professional training. In addition, support from other teachers, administration, and parents was felt to be important in order for them to undertake Human Rights Education. The best strategy to move forward with Human Rights Education would be to provide resources and support for teachers so that we can be living up to the expectations put forth in the UDHR.

Preservice Teacher Preparation in Meeting the Needs of Gifted and Other Academically Diverse Students

The issue of how to respond to the diverse academic needs of students is one of the central challenges of teaching. This project studied how preservice teachers develop an awareness of the needs of academically diverse learners and how they intend to implement and/or modify instruction to meet those needs. Participants all came from one university. As part of the design of the study, the participants were surveyed to investigate (a) their attitudes and beliefs towards academically diverse learners; (b) the teaching practices they would utilize in response to academic diversity in their classrooms; and (c) the confidence they have in their abilities to identify and address these various needs in their classrooms. Several strategies including activities to enhance creativity, cooperative learning, individual instruction, problem-solving activities, and projects were considered noteworthy for the ratings by the preservice teachers as appropriate for all students. Small differences were found based on the preservice teachers' year of placement in the School of Education, indicating that as students progress through this program, they may learn more about different techniques and when and for whom they are appropriate; however, differences across groups were not statistically significant. Results also indicated that across the different years in the program, preservice teachers did not have very high or very low confidence in addressing these issues in their own classrooms. Each grouping fell around the middle level of confidence.

Prospective EFL (English as a Foreign Language) Teachers’ Perceptions of Learner Autonomy

This study investigated prospective EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers’ perceptions of learner autonomy. Main aim was to see whether the education they receive on how to teach English make any difference in prospective EFL teachers’ perceptions regarding learner autonomy. A researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to 179 students studying in the program of ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’ at Anadolu University in Turkey. Results of the study indicated that generally there is not much difference between the first and fourth year participants of the study in terms of their perceptions of learner autonomy.

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

The development of professor's professional knowledge in Psychology

This work belongs to the Project "Teaching and learning Psychology: a study of the educational practice in professors and beginners". It is part of an investigation program developed in the context of the subject "Didactic and Practical Planning of Psychology teaching" in which we have been working since 1998. This subject is also considered as the final stage of the formative itinerary for Psychology s professors. The reached results show the incidence that the beliefs and professors' representations have in the teaching processes. By getting into the studies centered in the educational knowledge we guide the inquiry around the development of the professor's professional knowledge and particularly the development of their formation. Our proposal contemplates a formation device which incorporates the observation, reflection, evaluation and self-evaluation of the practice in order to facilitate the reconstruction, significance and re-significance of the teaching and learning processes by giving relevance to the development of the teacher professional knowledge. The analysis of teaching practices process reveals that the mediations that cross the knowledge in the being taught instances are constituted in reflections axes. This involves the future professor's relationship with the knowledge and their projection in the construction of the professional identity.

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

The development of professor's professional knowledge in Psychology

This work belongs to the Project "Teaching and learning Psychology: a study of the educational practice in professors and beginners". It is part of an investigation program developed in the context of the subject "Didactic and Practical Planning of Psychology teaching" in which we have been working since 1998. This subject is also considered as the final stage of the formative itinerary for Psychology s professors. The reached results show the incidence that the beliefs and professors' representations have in the teaching processes. By getting into the studies centered in the educational knowledge we guide the inquiry around the development of the professor's professional knowledge and particularly the development of their formation. Our proposal contemplates a formation device which incorporates the observation, reflection, evaluation and self-evaluation of the practice in order to facilitate the reconstruction, significance and re-significance of the teaching and learning processes by giving relevance to the development of the teacher professional knowledge. The analysis of teaching practices process reveals that the mediations that cross the knowledge in the being taught instances are constituted in reflections axes. This involves the future professor's relationship with the knowledge and their projection in the construction of the professional identity.

The development of professor's professional knowledge in Psychology

This work belongs to the Project "Teaching and learning Psychology: a study of the educational practice in professors and beginners". It is part of an investigation program developed in the context of the subject "Didactic and Practical Planning of Psychology teaching" in which we have been working since 1998. This subject is also considered as the final stage of the formative itinerary for Psychology s professors. The reached results show the incidence that the beliefs and professors' representations have in the teaching processes. By getting into the studies centered in the educational knowledge we guide the inquiry around the development of the professor's professional knowledge and particularly the development of their formation. Our proposal contemplates a formation device which incorporates the observation, reflection, evaluation and self-evaluation of the practice in order to facilitate the reconstruction, significance and re-significance of the teaching and learning processes by giving relevance to the development of the teacher professional knowledge. The analysis of teaching practices process reveals that the mediations that cross the knowledge in the being taught instances are constituted in reflections axes. This involves the future professor's relationship with the knowledge and their projection in the construction of the professional identity.

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

The impact of a computer based adult literacy program on literacy and numeracy : evidence from India

With over 700 million illiterate adults in the world, many governments have implemented adult literacy programs across the world, although typically with low rates of success partly because the quality of teaching is low. One solution may lie in the standardization of teaching provided by computer-aided instruction. We present the first rigorous evidence of the effectiveness of a computer-based adult literacy program. A randomized control trial study of TARA Akshar Plus, an Indian adult literacy program, was implemented in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. We find large, significant impacts of this computer-aided program on literacy and numeracy outcomes. We compare the improvement in learning to that of other traditional adult literacy programs and conclude that TARA Akshar Plus is effective in increasing literacy and numeracy for illiterate adult women.

Educational innovation applied in the UNESCO chair of mining and industrial heritage

The “Innovatio Educativa Tertio Millennio” group has been 10 years developing educational innovation techniques, actually has reached the level of teaching on the technical teachers has developed, and share them with other groups, that can implement them in their teaching activities. UNESCO Chair of Mining and Industrial Heritage has been years working on heritage, and on the one hand teaching in conservation and maintenance of heritage, and on the other doing raise awareness of the meaning of heritage, the social value and as must be managed effectively. Recently these two groups work together, thus is spreading in a much more effective manner the concepts of heritage, its meaning, its value, and how to manage it and provide effective protection. On one hand being a work of dissemination based on internet and on radio broadcasting, and on the other one of teaching based on educational innovation, and courses, conferences, and face-to-face seminars or distance platforms.

Overview of international research in generic competence assessment

The competency assessment is a key issue for improving the quality of teaching and learning within the current European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The aim of this paper is to review the current research on assessment of generic competences, especially through online tools. It has conducted a search of the Web of Knowledge (Thomson Reuters) from keywords. It have been reviewed the abstracts and the results have been classified by time periods, countries and research area. It has selected a set of articles of the period 2010?2012, in which we have analyzed future trends. It is concluded that the research of assessment generic competences is been developing nowadays in educational area, although is still more important in the professional one. Additionally, it is surprising that appears most often used in preuniversity education levels. The academic context has increased research activities over the past five years, with different developments in the Anglo?Saxon countries over that those countries attached to the Bologna Process. The latest reports indicate that the learning competences must meet the individual reality of each person, so that the use of ICTs in their development and evaluation are essential given its immediacy and motivational ability. There is a clear trend towards an evaluation model that includes a 360º specific and generic competences analysis.

Use and abuse of audivisual media in the college classroom. Slides show and web pages

The multimedia development that has taken place within the university classrooms in recent years has caused a revolution at psychological level within the collectivity of students and teachers inside and outside the classrooms. The slide show applications have become a key supporting element for university professors, who, in many cases, rely blindly in the use of them for teaching. Additionally, ill-conceived slides, poorly structured and with a vast amount of multimedia content, can be the basis of a faulty communication between teacher and student, which is overwhelmed by the appearance and presentation, neglecting their content. The same applies to web pages. This paper focuses on the study and analysis of the impact caused in the process of teaching and learning by the slide show presentations and web pages, and its positive and negative influence on the student’s learning process, paying particular attention to the consequences on the level of attention within the classroom, and on the study outside the classroom. The study is performed by means of a qualitative analysis of student surveys conducted during the last 8 school Civil Engineering School at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. It presents some of the weaknesses of multimedia material, including the difficulties for students to study them, because of the many distractions they face and the need for incentives web pages offer, or the insignificant content and shallowness of the studies due to wrongly formulated presentations.

Balanced scorecard to improve strategic management control at School of Mines and Energy, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

We studied the situation in Spanish public universities regarding the use of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), as an instrument of control and strategic management. Also, we studied its application to the School of Mines and Energy at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The main advantage of the BSC is that improves the organizational structure of the workplace and the achievement of the objectives that ensure long-term success. First we review the strategy for success used in the Spanish educational system and specifically in the Spanish public universities. Then using the BSC and applying the main strategic lines for the successful management of the School of Mines and Energy at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. The strategic lines affect all the college groups and the success of the BSC tool is to increase communication between the faculties, personal auxiliary, students and society in general that make up the university. First we performed a SWOT analysis (DAFO in Spanish) there are proposed different perspectives that focus the long-term strategic objectives. The BSC is designed based on the strategic objectives that set the direction through using indicators and initiatives, the goals are achieved up to the programmed schedule. In the perspective of teaching, objectives are set to update facilities and increase partnerships with other universities and businesses, encouraging ongoing training of staff and improved coordination and internal communication. The internal process perspective aims at improving the marketing, the promotion of the international dimension of the school through strategic alliances, better mobility for students and professors and improved teaching and research quality results. It continues with improving the image of the school between customer?s perspective, the quality perceived by students and the loyalty of the teaching staff by retaining talent. Finally, the financial perspective which should contain costs without harming the quality, improving the employability of students and achieve relevant jobs at teaching and research through international measurement standards.