Towards a Social Learning Space for Open Educational Resources

We identify a number of meanings of "Open", as part of the motivating rationale for a social media space tuned for learning, called SocialLearn. We discuss why online social learning seems to be emerging so strongly at this point, explore features of social learning, and identify some of the dimensions that we believe characterize the social learning design space, before describing the emerging design concept and implementation.

Open online courses in Colombia : report of an educational and technological experiment

Based on a discussion of the background, features and limitations of open online courses, this paper describes a technological solution to support their offering, built on online tools that don't require self-managed hosting. This is a proof of concept that intends to highlight the possibilities and obstacles related to this kind of educational practice in a Latin American context.

An Ontology for Open Rubric Exchange on the Web

While the Internet has given educators access to a steady supply of Open Educational Resources, the educational rubrics commonly shared on the Web are generally in the form of static, non-semantic presentational documents or in the proprietary data structures of commercial content and learning management systems.With the advent of Semantic Web Standards, producers of online resources have a new framework to support the open exchange of software-readable datasets. Despite these advances, the state of the art of digital representation of rubrics as sharable documents has not progressed.This paper proposes an ontological model for digital rubrics. This model is built upon the Semantic Web Standards of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), principally the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and Web Ontology Language (OWL).

Determinants of the educational use of digital learning materials: The mediating role of self-efficacy, perceived norm and attitude

Initiatives to stimulate the development and propagation of open educational resources (OER) need a sufficiently large community that can be mobilized to participate in this endeavour. Failure to achieve this could lead to underuse of OER. In the context of the Wikiwijs initiative a large scale survey was undertaken amongst primary and secondary school teachers to explore possible determinants of the educational use of digital learning materials (DLMs). Basing on the Integrative Model of Behaviour Prediction it was conjectured that self-efficacy, attitude and perceived norm would take a central role in explaining the intention to use DLMs. Several other predictors were added to the model as well whose effects were hypothesized to be mediated by the three central variables.All conjectured relationships were found using path analysis on survey data from 1484 teachers. Intention to DLMs was most strongly determined by self-efficacy, followed by attitude. ICT proficiency was in its turn the strongest predictor of self-efficacy. Perceived norm played only a limited role in the intention to use DLMs. Concluding, it seems paramount for the success of projects such as Wikiwijs to train teachers in the use of digital learning materials and ICT (e.g. the digital blackboard) and to impact on their attitude.

Educational innovation in large groups. Design of an experimental study implemented at the Polytechnic University of Madrid

The present paper shows de design of an experimental study conducted with large groups using educational innovation methodologies at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. Concretely, we have chosen the course titled "History and Politics of Sports" that belongs to the Physical Activity and Sport Science Degree. The selection of this course is because the syllabus is basically theoretical and there are four large groups of freshmen students who do not have previous experiences in a teaching-learning process based on educational innovation. It is hope that the results of this research can be extrapolated to other courses with similar characteristics.

Open Educational Resources for Development of University Courses

Open Education Resources are educational materials purposely made available for free use by others. They offer tremendous potential for reducing costs and increasing access to education especially in the developing world. This paper discusses issues of quality, localization, adaptation and integration that need to be addressed in order to make OER adoption a successful strategy.

What do academic libraries have to do with Open Educational Resources? Theme : Long term sustainability of open education projects first steps to start up

This paper will discuss the possible roles of academic libraries in promoting, supporting, and sustaining institutional Open Educational Resource initiatives. It will note areas in which libraries or librarians have skills and knowledge that intersect with some of the needs of academic staff and students as they use and release OERs. It will also present the results of a brief survey of the views of some OER initiatives on the current and potential role of academic libraries.

Informe Horizon : edición iberoamericana 2010

La serie de Informes Horizon es el resultado más tangible del Proyecto Horizon del New Media Consortium, un esfuerzo de investigación cualitativa iniciado en 2002, que identifica y describe las tecnologías emergentes con mayor potencial de impacto en la enseñanza, el aprendizaje, la investigación y la expresión creativa en el ámbito educativo global. Este volumen, elInforme Horizon 2010: Edición Iberoamericana, centra la investigación en los países de la región Iberoamericana (incluyendo a toda Latinoamérica, España y Portugal) y en el ámbito de la educación superior. ElInforme Horizon 2010: Edición Iberoamericana es el primero que ofrece esta contextualización regional y ha sido producido por el NMC y el eLearn Center de laUniversitat Oberta de Catalunya.

Action Research : the first steps to start up a pilot experiment in heritage education

Peer-reviewed

Area deprivation and mortality in the provincial capital cities of Andalusia and Catalonia (Spain)

Objective: To study the linkage between material deprivation and mortality from all causes, for men and women separately, in the capital cities of the provinces in Andalusia and Catalonia (Spain). Methods: A small-area ecological study was devised using the census section as the unit for analysis. 188 983 Deaths occurring in the capital cities of the Andalusian provinces and 109 478 deaths recorded in the Catalan capital cities were examined. Principal components factorial analysis was used to devise a material deprivation index comprising the percentage of manual labourers, unemployment and illiteracy. A hierarchical Bayesian model was used to study the relationship between mortality and area deprivation. Main results: In most cities, results show an increased male mortality risk in the most deprived areas in relation to the least depressed. In Andalusia, the relative risks between the highest and lowest deprivation decile ranged from 1.24 (Malaga) to 1.40 (Granada), with 95% credibility intervals showing a significant excess risk. In Catalonia, relative risks ranged between 1.08 (Girona) and 1.50 (Tarragona). No evidence was found for an excess of female mortality in most deprived areas in either of the autonomous communities. Conclusions: Within cities, gender-related differences were revealed when deprivation was correlated geographically with mortality rates. These differences were found from an ecological perspective. Further research is needed in order to validate these results from an individual approach. The idea to be analysed is to identify those factors that explain these differences at an individual level.

Management of bleeding following major trauma: a European guideline

INTRODUCTION Evidence-based recommendations can be made with respect to many aspects of the acute management of the bleeding trauma patient, which when implemented may lead to improved patient outcomes. METHODS The multidisciplinary Task Force for Advanced Bleeding Care in Trauma was formed in 2005 with the aim of developing guidelines for the management of bleeding following severe injury. Recommendations were formulated using a nominal group process and the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) hierarchy of evidence and were based on a systematic review of published literature. RESULTS Key recommendations include the following: The time elapsed between injury and operation should be minimised for patients in need of urgent surgical bleeding control, and patients presenting with haemorrhagic shock and an identified source of bleeding should undergo immediate surgical bleeding control unless initial resuscitation measures are successful. A damage control surgical approach is essential in the severely injured patient. Pelvic ring disruptions should be closed and stabilised, followed by appropriate angiographic embolisation or surgical bleeding control, including packing. Patients presenting with haemorrhagic shock and an unidentified source of bleeding should undergo immediate further assessment as appropriate using focused sonography, computed tomography, serum lactate, and/or base deficit measurements. This guideline also reviews appropriate physiological targets and suggested use and dosing of blood products, pharmacological agents, and coagulation factor replacement in the bleeding trauma patient. CONCLUSION A multidisciplinary approach to the management of the bleeding trauma patient will help create circumstances in which optimal care can be provided. By their very nature, these guidelines reflect the current state-of-the-art and will need to be updated and revised as important new evidence becomes available.

Validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the DN4 (Douleur Neuropathique 4 questions) questionnaire for differential diagnosis of pain syndromes associated to a neuropathic or somatic component

BACKGROUND This study assesses the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of DN4 questionnaire as a tool for differential diagnosis of pain syndromes associated to a neuropathic (NP) or somatic component (non-neuropathic pain, NNP). METHODS A study was conducted consisting of two phases: cultural adaptation into the Spanish language by means of conceptual equivalence, including forward and backward translations in duplicate and cognitive debriefing, and testing of psychometric properties in patients with NP (peripheral, central and mixed) and NNP. The analysis of psychometric properties included reliability (internal consistency, inter-rater agreement and test-retest reliability) and validity (ROC curve analysis, agreement with the reference diagnosis and determination of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values in different subsamples according to type of NP). RESULTS A sample of 164 subjects (99 women, 60.4%; age: 60.4 +/- 16.0 years), 94 (57.3%) with NP (36 with peripheral, 32 with central, and 26 with mixed pain) and 70 with NNP was enrolled. The questionnaire was reliable [Cronbach's alpha coefficient: 0.71, inter-rater agreement coefficient: 0.80 (0.71-0.89), and test-retest intra-class correlation coefficient: 0.95 (0.92-0.97)] and valid for a cut-off value > or = 4 points, which was the best value to discriminate between NP and NNP subjects. DISCUSSION This study, representing the first validation of the DN4 questionnaire into another language different than the original, not only supported its high discriminatory value for identification of neuropathic pain, but also provided supplemental psychometric validation (i.e. test-retest reliability, influence of educational level and pain intensity) and showed its validity in mixed pain syndromes.

Sexually dimorphic melanin-based colour polymorphism, feather melanin content, and wing feather structure in the barn owl (Tyto alba)

Feathers confer protection against biophysical agents and determine flying ability. The geometry and arrangement of the barbs, together with the keratin and pigments deposited in the feathers, determine the mechanical stability of the vane, and its stiffness and resistance to abrasive agents. In colour-polymorphic species, individuals display alternative colour morphs, which can be associated with different foraging strategies. Each morph may therefore require specific flying abilities, and their feathers may be exposed to different abrasive agents. Feathers of differently coloured individuals may thus have a specific structure, and colour pigments may help resist abrasive agents and improve stiffness. We examined these predictions in the barn owl (Tyto alba), a species for which the ventral body side varies from white to dark reddish pheomelanic, and in the number and size of black spots located at the tip of the feathers. White and reddish birds show different foraging strategies, and the size of black feather spots is associated with several phenotypic attributes. We found that birds displaying a darker reddish coloration on the ventral body side deposit more melanin pigments in their remiges, which also have fewer barbs. This suggests that wear resistance increases with darkness, whereas feathers of lighter coloured birds may bend less easily. Accordingly, individuals displaying a lighter reddish coloration on the ventral body side, and those displaying larger black spots, displayed more black transverse bars on their remiges: as larger-spotted individuals are heavier and longer-winged birds also have more transverse bars, these bars may reduce feather bending when flying. We conclude that differently coloured individuals produce wing feathers of different strengths to adopt alternative behavioural and life history strategies