It's your game, keep it real. Sexual education study

Purpose: This study translated and adapted the It's Your Game, Keep It Real study currently being implemented with middle school youth in Southeast Texas for a middle school population in rural western Honduras. The study tested the effects of a sexual health education program focused on human immunodeficiency virus, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy prevention. We hypothesized that the number of adolescents in the intervention group who initiate sexual activity will reduce in comparison to the control group and there will be an increase consistent condom use in sexually active adolescents in the intervention group. ^ Methods: The target population included Spanish-speaking Hispanic middle school students from a small, semi-urban city in western Honduras. One school was randomly selected to receive the intervention and one to the comparison condition. The intervention curriculum consisted of 10 seventh-grade lessons that included individual and group classroom-based activities and personal journaling. Follow-up surveys were completed three months after the last lesson with 146 students (79.3% of the defined cohort). ^ Results: In the comparison condition, 21.4% of students initiated sex by the post-test follow-up three months after the intervention compared to 7.8% in the intervention condition. ^ Conclusions: A multi-component, curriculum-based program that is theory driven and culturally relevant can increase knowledge about STIs and HIV, increase self-confidence amongst middle school students, and develop communication skills amongst friends and partners. Further research must be conducted to assess delay in sexual initiation and the generalizability of these results.^

Sugar sweetened beverage consumption and behavioral correlates in a pilot study of high school students in Austin, Texas

Habitual consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) has been reliably linked to obesity in adolescents. A wide variety of beverages sweetened with sugar are available to this population. The objective of this secondary data analysis was to assess the consumption of SSB by category and to identify behaviors that occur concurrently with the consumption of soda, sport drinks and fruit-flavored drinks in high school students. The analysis used self-reported survey data from 97 adolescents ages 14 to 18. SSB categories considered in the consumption analysis included regular soda, sports drinks, fruit-flavored drinks (FFD), iced tea, coffee drinks and energy drinks. The mean weekly sweetened beverage load in this population, calculated from the frequency and amount of consumption, was 145 ounces when all categories were considered. When SSB categories were considered independently, sports drinks (45 oz.) had the highest contribution to the mean sweetened beverage load followed by FFD (41 oz.), iced tea (27 oz.), soda (26 oz.) coffee drinks (15 oz.) and energy drinks (2 oz.). Sweetened beverage load was higher in boys (151 oz.) than girls (138 oz.) and was highest in Hispanics (159 oz.) followed by whites (152 oz.), blacks (137 oz.) and others (104 oz.). Behaviors that occurred on a usual basis during SSB consumption included watching TV, eating a family meal, eating salty and fried foods, being on the computer and hanging out with friends. Activities concurrent with sports drink consumption included physical activity behaviors whereas soda and FFD did not. Sports drink and FFD consumption commonly co-occurred with fruit consumption. Multiple SSB categories contribute to the total SSB consumption and the common dietary and activity behaviors are distinct between categories. Several of the concurrent behaviors point to the importance of home beverage availability, and to the influence that parents and peers have on SSB consumption. Identifying and assessing intervention strategies targeted to specific beverage categories could be an important step in behavioral intervention research aimed at reducing added sugar consumption, and ultimately, promote a healthy weight in adolescents. ^

Enhancing skills in solving open-ended problems using game-based exercises

Some requirements for engineering programmes, such as an ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice, as well as an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility or an ability to communicate effectively, need new activities designed for measuring students’ progress. Negotiations take place continuously at any stage of a project and, so, the ability of engineers and managers to effectively carry out a negotiation is crucial for the success or failure of projects and businesses. Since it involves communication between individuals motivated to come together in an agreement for mutual benefit, it can be used to enhance these personal abilities. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of mixing playing sessions and theory to maximise the students’ strategic vision in combination with negotiating skills. Results show that the combination of playing with theoretical training teaches students to strategise through analysis and discussion of alternatives. The outcome is then more optimised.

Strengthening communication skills in an innovative context of engineering project management learning

This document presents an innovative, formal educational initiative that is aimed at enhancing the development of engineering students’ specific competences when studying Project Management (PM) subject. The framework of the experience combines (1) theoretical concepts, (2) the development of a real-case project carried out by multidisciplinary groups of three different universities, (3) the use of software web 2.0 tools and (4) group and individual assignments of students that play different roles (project managers and team members). Under this scenario, the study focuses on monitoring the communication competence in the ever growing PM virtual environment. Factors such as corporal language, technical means, stage, and PM specific vocabulary among others have been considered in order to assess the students’ performance on this issue. As a main contribution, the paper introduces an ad-hoc rubric that, based on previous investigations, has been adapted and tested for the first time to this new and specific context. Additionally, the research conducted has provided some interesting findings that suggest further actions to improve and better define future rubrics, oriented to communication or even other competences. As specific PM subject concerns, it has been detected that students playing the role of Project Managers strengthen their competences more than those ones that play the role of Team Members. It has also been detected that students have more difficulty assimilating concepts related to risk and quality management. However those concepts related with scope, time or cost areas of knowledge have been better assimilated by the students.

Learning curves of basic laparoscopic psychomotor skills in SINERGIA VR simulator

Purpose: Surgical simulators are currently essential within any laparoscopic training program because they provide a low-stakes, reproducible and reliable environment to acquire basic skills. The purpose of this study is to determine the training learning curve based on different metrics corresponding to five tasks included in SINERGIA laparoscopic virtual reality simulator. Methods: Thirty medical students without surgical experience participated in the study. Five tasks of SINERGIA were included: Coordination, Navigation, Navigation and touch, Accurate grasping and Coordinated pulling. Each participant was trained in SINERGIA. This training consisted of eight sessions (R1–R8) of the five mentioned tasks and was carried out in two consecutive days with four sessions per day. A statistical analysis was made, and the results of R1, R4 and R8 were pair-wise compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Significance is considered at P value <0.005. Results: In total, 84.38% of the metrics provided by SINERGIA and included in this study show significant differences when comparing R1 and R8. Metrics are mostly improved in the first session of training (75.00% when R1 and R4 are compared vs. 37.50% when R4 and R8 are compared). In tasks Coordination and Navigation and touch, all metrics are improved. On the other hand, Navigation just improves 60% of the analyzed metrics. Most learning curves show an improvement with better results in the fulfillment of the different tasks. Conclusions: Learning curves of metrics that assess the basic psychomotor laparoscopic skills acquired in SINERGIA virtual reality simulator show a faster learning rate during the first part of the training. Nevertheless, eight repetitions of the tasks are not enough to acquire all psychomotor skills that can be trained in SINERGIA. Therefore, and based on these results together with previous works, SINERGIA could be used as training tool with a properly designed training program.

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) for supervised classification of competence in MIS based on psychomotor skills

INTRODUCTION: Objective assessment of motor skills has become an important challenge in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) training.Currently, there is no gold standard defining and determining the residents' surgical competence.To aid in the decision process, we analyze the validity of a supervised classifier to determine the degree of MIS competence based on assessment of psychomotor skills METHODOLOGY: The ANFIS is trained to classify performance in a box trainer peg transfer task performed by two groups (expert/non expert). There were 42 participants included in the study: the non-expert group consisted of 16 medical students and 8 residents (< 10 MIS procedures performed), whereas the expert group consisted of 14 residents (> 10 MIS procedures performed) and 4 experienced surgeons. Instrument movements were captured by means of the Endoscopic Video Analysis (EVA) tracking system. Nine motion analysis parameters (MAPs) were analyzed, including time, path length, depth, average speed, average acceleration, economy of area, economy of volume, idle time and motion smoothness. Data reduction was performed by means of principal component analysis, and then used to train the ANFIS net. Performance was measured by leave one out cross validation. RESULTS: The ANFIS presented an accuracy of 80.95%, where 13 experts and 21 non-experts were correctly classified. Total root mean square error was 0.88, while the area under the classifiers' ROC curve (AUC) was measured at 0.81. DISCUSSION: We have shown the usefulness of ANFIS for classification of MIS competence in a simple box trainer exercise. The main advantage of using ANFIS resides in its continuous output, which allows fine discrimination of surgical competence. There are, however, challenges that must be taken into account when considering use of ANFIS (e.g. training time, architecture modeling). Despite this, we have shown discriminative power of ANFIS for a low-difficulty box trainer task, regardless of the individual significances between MAPs. Future studies are required to confirm the findings, inclusion of new tasks, conditions and sample population.

Study about the Problem of Dropping of Subjects by Students During an Academinc Year at the University.

In university studies, it is not unusual for students to drop some of the subjects they have enrolled in for the academic year. They start by not attending lectures, sometimes due to neglect or carelessness, or because they find the subject too difficult, this means that they lose the continuity in the topics that the professor follows. If they try to attend again they discover that they hardly understand anything and become discouraged and so decide to give up attending lectures and study on their own. However some fail to turn up to do their final exams and the failure rate of those who actually do the exams is high. The problem is that this is not only the case with one specific subject, but it is often the same with many subjects. The result is that students arent’s productive enough, wasting time and also prolonging their years of study which entails a great cost for families. Degree courses structured to be conducted and completed in three academic courses, it may in fact take up to an average of six or more academic courses. In this paper, we have studied this problem, which apart from the waste of money and time, produces frustration in the student, who finds that he has not been able to achieve what he had proposed at the beginning of the course. It is quite common, to find students who do not even pass nor 50% of the subjects they had enrolled in for the academic year. If this happens repeatedly to a student, it can be the point when he considers dropping out altogether. This is also a concern for the universities, especially in the early courses. In our experience as professors, we have found that students, who attend lectures regularly and follow the explanations, approach the final exams with confidence and rarely fail the subject. In this proposal we present some techniques and methods carried out to solve in possible, the problem of lack of attendance to lectures. This involves "rewarding students for their assistance and participation in lectures". Rewarding assistance with a "prize" that counts for the final mark on the subject and involving more participation in the development of lectures. We believe that we have to teach students to use the lectures as part of their learning in a non-passive way. We consider the professor's work as fundamental in terms of how to convey the usefulness of these topics explained and the applications that they will have for their professional life in the future. In this way the student see for himself the use and importance of what he is learning. When his participation is required, he will feel more involved and confident participating in the educational system. Finally we present statistical results of studies carried out on different degrees and on different subjects over two consecutive years. In the first year we assessed only the final exams without considering the students attendance, or participation. In the second year, we have applied the techniques and methods proposed here. In addition we have compared the two ways of assessing subjects.

Traditional education vs modern education. What is the impact of teaching techniques' evolution on students learning process?

The main objective of this article is to focus on the analysis of teaching techniques, ranging from the use of the blackboard and chalk in old traditional classes, using slides and overhead projectors in the eighties and use of presentation software in the nineties, to the video, electronic board and network resources nowadays. Furthermore, all the aforementioned, is viewed under the different mentalities in which the teacher conditions the student using the new teaching technique, improving soft skills but maybe leading either to encouragement or disinterest, and including the lack of educational knowledge consolidation at scientific, technology and specific levels. In the same way, we study the process of adaptation required for teachers, the differences in the processes of information transfer and education towards the student, and even the existence of teachers who are not any longer appealed by their work due which has become much simpler due to new technologies and the greater ease in the development of classes due to the criteria described on the new Grade Programs adopted by the European Higher Education Area. Moreover, it is also intended to understand the evolution of students’ profiles, from the eighties to present time, in order to understand certain attitudes, behaviours, accomplishments and acknowledgements acquired over the semesters within the degree Programs. As an Educational Innovation Group, another key question also arises. What will be the learning techniques in the future?. How these evolving matters will affect both positively and negatively on the mentality, attitude, behaviour, learning, achievement of goals and satisfaction levels of all elements involved in universities’ education? Clearly, this evolution from chalk to the electronic board, the three-dimensional view of our works and their sequence, greatly facilitates the understanding and adaptation later on to the business world, but does not answer to the unknowns regarding the knowledge and the full development of achievement’s indicators in basic skills of a degree. This is the underlying question which steers the roots of the presented research.

Developing transferable skills through academic motivation activities

The purpose of this study is to work out how a clear and motivated task goal set for the students can develop several skills that are not only useful in their specific academic contexts but also serve to reinforce links and cooperation with the labor market. The following research on skills was taken during one academic year. The students collected advertisements likely to be selected in a near future by themselves as possibilities to apply for a job. The advertisements selected were 120, and all of them were published on the internet either in jobs links or located by the students themselves in the web-practices of their choice. All the advertisements chosen by the students provided us with a skill list focused on architectural profiles. To conclude, academic research skills versus future motivation jobs positions are fruitful paths to conduct successful students´response at job interviews.

Study of the influence of social relationships among students on knowledge building using a moderately constructivist learning model

Este articulo analiza cómo las relaciones sociales subyacentes entre alumnos universitarios pueden influir en los resultados académicos. Los resultados empíricos del estudio realizado revelan que la relación social entre los alumnos sobre discusión y generación de nuevas ideas tiene un impacto positivo. Así mismo, se observa que las relaciones sociales de consejo y confianza que puede haber entre los estudiantes fomentan la discusión y generación de nuevas ideas. Por tanto, se concluye que los modelos de enseñanza / aprendizaje a implementar deberían incluir actividades que fomenten este tipo de relaciones sociales con el objetivo de mejorar los resultados académicos.

Promotion of professional skills in engineering education: strategies and challenges

Basic engineering skills are not the only key to professional development, particularly as engineering problems are everyday more and more complex and multifaceted, hence requiring the implementation of larger multidisciplinary teams, in many cases working in an international context and in a continuously evolving environment. Therefore other outcomes, sometimes referred to as professional skills, are also necessary for our students, as most universities are already aware. In this study we try to methodically analyze the main strategies for the promotion of professional skills, mainly linked to actuations which directly affect students or teachers (and teaching methodologies) and which take advantage of the environment and available resources. From an initial list of 51 strategies (in essence aimed at promotion of different drivers of change, linked to students, teachers, environment and resources), we focus on the 11 drivers of change considered more important after an initial evaluation. Subsequently, a systematic analysis of the typical problems linked to these main drivers of change, enables us to find and formulate 12 major and usually repeated and unsolved problems. After selecting these typical problems, we put forward 25 different solutions, for short-term actuation, and discuss their effects, while bearing in mind our team’s experience, together with the information from the studies carried out by numerous teaching staff from other universities.

Do Classes in Cooperative Classrooms Have a Positive Influence on Creativity and Teamwork Skills for Engineering Students?

Contributing to the acquisition of professional creativity and teamwork skills has been a special challenge for some of the subjects taught at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), and this has been a starting point for the work described in this paper. Some professors have intuited that the use of cooperative classrooms could facilitate the acquisition of these skills. We describe the new methodologies applied within cooperative classrooms by some professors, and present the procedure for measuring students’ perception of their own learning outcomes, skill improvements, and overall satisfaction with the use of this kind of classroom. For this project, 250 students enrolled in several subjects answered a questionnaire. The featuresof thesubjectsinvolved intheproject arewidely disparate. We present the results of the statistical analysis with special emphasis on creativity and teamwork skills, and we conclude that the use of cooperative classroom has a positive influence on the acquisition of these skills. This work has the added value of being the first analysis of student perception of the use of cooperative classroom in the acquisition of creativity and teamwork skills.

Performance and Professional Skills in an Online Java Programming Course for Engineering Students

The main purpose of this work is to describe the case of an online Java Programming course for engineering students to learn computer programming and to practice other non-technicalabilities: online training, self-assessment, teamwork and use of foreign languages. It is important that students develop confidence and competence in these skills, which will be required later in their professional tasks and/or in other engineering courses (life-long learning). Furthermore, this paper presents the pedagogical methodology, the results drawn from this experience and an objective performance comparison with another conventional (face-to-face) Java course.

Strengthening and measuring project management competences of engineering students

Since 2010 the Industrial Engineering School at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ETSII UPM) has its Plan Study accredited by ABET. Since then a big motivation has been promoted from the management team encouraging teachers to work on the measurement and strengthening of student¿s competences. Generic skills or behavior acquired significant importance in the workplace, particularly in relation to project management. Because of this, and framed within the requirements of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the curriculum of the new degrees are being developed under the competence-based learning. This situation leads to the need to have a clear measurement tool skills as a basis for developing them within the curriculum. A group of multidisciplinary teachers have been working together during two years to design measuring instruments valid for engineering students.

Soft Skills: A Comparative Analysis Between Online and Classroom Teaching

Currently the Spanish universities are making a great effort to effectively incorporate the development and assessment of generic skills in their training programs. Information and communications technologies (ICT) offer a wide range of possibilities but create uncertainty among teachers about the process and results. It is considered of interest to conduct a study to analyze the extent to which social skills like commitment, communication and teamwork are acquired by students and teachers. It seeks to ascertain the influence of the learning context, online or classroom training, in the development of these personal skills among the participants in the sample. For this study two universities have been chosen, Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) offering online training environment, and Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) with classroom training modality. A total of 257 individuals, 230 students and 27 teachers have answered the survey called Evalsoft. This instrument was designed in the project with the same name by a research team from Universidad Complutense of Madrid (UCM). Some interesting conclusions can be highlighted: it is in the online context where there are higher levels of commitment and teamwork than in the classroom modality; teachers have higher social skills that students and these improve with age. Sex and the training program appear to influence these social skills.