Information communication technologies and distance education in Sri Lanka: a case study of two universities

Sri Lanka's participation rates in higher education are low and have risen only slightly in the last few decades; the number of places for higher education in the state university system only caters for around 3% of the university entrant age cohort. The literature reveals that the highly competitive global knowledge economy increasingly favours workers with high levels of education who are also lifelong learners. This lack of access to higher education for a sizable proportion of the labour force is identified as a severe impediment to Sri Lanka‟s competitiveness in the global knowledge economy. The literature also suggests that Information and Communication Technologies are increasingly relied upon in many contexts in order to deliver flexible learning, to cater especially for the needs of lifelong learners in today‟s higher educational landscape. The government of Sri Lanka invested heavily in ICTs for distance education during the period 2003-2009 in a bid to increase access to higher education; but there has been little research into the impact of this. To address this lack, this study investigated the impact of ICTs on distance education in Sri Lanka with respect to increasing access to higher education. In order to achieve this aim, the research focused on Sri Lanka‟s effort from three perspectives: policy perspective, implementation perspective and user perspective. A multiple case study research using an ethnographic approach was conducted to observe Orange Valley University‟s and Yellow Fields University‟s (pseudonymous) implementation of distance education programmes using questionnaires, qualitative interviewing and document analysis. In total, data for the analysis was collected from 129 questionnaires, 33 individual interviews and 2 group interviews. The research revealed that ICTs have indeed increased opportunities for higher education; but mainly for people of affluent families from the Western Province. Issues identified were categorized under the themes: quality assurance, location, language, digital literacies and access to resources. Recommendations were offered to tackle the identified issues in accordance with the study findings. The study also revealed the strong presence of a multifaceted digital divide in the country. In conclusion, this research has shown that iii although ICT-enabled distance education has the potential to increase access to higher education the present implementation of the system in Sri Lanka has been less than successful.

Especificação de uma metodologia de avaliação para ambientes de gerenciamento de cursos a distância

A Internet pelos mecanismos de informação, comunicação e cooperação que proporciona, vem se afirmando ao longo dos últimos anos, como uma interessante opção à viabilização da educação a distância e a aprendizagem virtual, através do uso de Ambientes de Gerenciamento de Cursos a Distância, que procuram oferecer um amplo e consistente conjunto de ferramentas de suporte à comunicação, às atividades de alunos e de professores, à avaliação e monitoração dessas atividades, bem como à coordenação e à administração do sistema [KIS 2002]. Procurando identificar as características, propriedades e atributos mais relevantes e usualmente oferecidos por ambientes, foram estudados os ambientes: WebCT, TopClass e Learning Space, como referências de ambientes comerciais e AulaNet, TelEduc e EAD UNISC, como exemplos de ambientes acadêmicos. Como resultado desse estudo, foi elaborada uma estrutura hierárquica de três níveis: áreas, funcionalidades e características, onde o primeiro nível, representa as principais áreas de abrangência de um ambiente, o segundo, as funcionalidades consideradas em cada área e, o terceiro, as características que definem cada uma das funcionalidades. A partir dessa estruturação em níveis, foi elaborada e proposta uma metodologia de avaliação para permitir a verificação quantitativa e qualitativa das funcionalidades e características apresentadas por Ambientes de Gerenciamento de Cursos a Distância. Como principais características desta metodologia, podem ser destacadas: a estrutura hierárquica em níveis, a atribuição de pesos aos diferentes níveis de acordo com o grau de importância, a possibilidade de inclusão de ambientes pelos próprios fabricantes ou responsáveis, a disponibilização de um perfil default de avaliação, a apresentação do ranking de ambientes segundo um perfil de avaliação, a comparação de ambientes quanto as suas características e funcionalidades e a possibilidade de alteração ou criação de novos perfis de avaliação, segundo as diferentes necessidades de cada usuário. Para validar essa metodologia, foi desenvolvido e disponibilizado na Web para consulta geral, um sistema de Benchmark, que além de pontuar os sistemas cadastrados segundo o perfil criado nesse trabalho, possibilita a definição de novos perfis para avaliação, assim como consultas e comparações quanto às funcionalidades e às características apresentadas pelos ambientes, auxiliando a diminuir o nível de subjetividade dos usuários, nos processos relacionados à escolha do ambiente mais adequado as suas necessidades.

Entre orquídeas e girassóis :o laboratório de Enfermagem na visão de estudantes

To study the teaching/learning process about the Nursing procedures carried out in the laboratory, and learn both the sapiens and the demens dimensions of such process, is the main purpose of this study. The objectives are to: identify the major laboratory contributions to the teaching/learning process from the point of view of undergraduate students and the feelings they express; describe the difficulties they have identified; and analyze the relevance of the laboratory to this process. As part of the inquiry procedure, four core group meetings were held with 26 undergraduate students who had completed the course on Semiology and Semiotics in Nursing, which is the course where the Nursing laboratory is most needed as a learning space. The analysis, based on a qualitative approach, had as fundamental theoretical support studies made by Friedlander and Hayashida, who deal with learning/teaching in the Nursing laboratory, and by authors who favor humanization in teaching such as, among others, Freire, Maturana, Morin, Assmann. Results point toward the relevance of the Nursing laboratory as a facilitator for the learning/teaching process. In their speech the students repeatedly state that the development of procedures in simulated situations enable them to become more self-assured and technically prepared for caring. In addition, they emphasize that feelings such as fear, lack of confidence, anxiety, anguish and panic become diminished at the time of their clinic experience when they have had previous learning in the laboratory. They have also acknowledged that some difficulties of structural nature have become obstacles to a high-quality learning development. In summary, in spite of the difficulties that have been pointed out by the students concerning the use of the Nursing laboratory in the learning/teaching process, they also recognize that this is the locus par excellence where they can develop their skills and appease their anxieties

Práticas populares de cuidado à criança: o saber/fazer de cuidadoras

Popular practices correspond to the resources used by households, lay people and popular therapists, whose perception of knowledge is constructed in the everyday. In this context, the sick child can become vulnerable to be dependent on a family caregiver, who often decide to employ popular practices. Thus, the child care should be shared between carer and health professional. However, they know little about the resources that the family uses to detect a grievance in infant. Therefore, the present research aimed to analyse the use of popular practices by caregivers of children with zero to five years old. We conducted an exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach, together with 15 caregivers of children who were treated at the Joint Unit Felipe Shrimp, located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. To select the participants, they should be age and above 18 years; be caregivers of children up to five years of age; and reside in the area ascribed the Joint Unit Felipe Shrimp. The data collection took place between September and October 2013, through in depth interview. This step was preceded by the approval of the Health Department of the city of Natal; the direction of the Joint Unit Felipe Shrimp; as well as, the Committee on Ethics in Research from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte with Certificate of Presentation and Consideration Ethics, No 15467013.8.0000.5537. Furthermore, the interviewees formally authorized their participation in the research by signing the consent form. The data were treated according to the technique of content analysis in the form of thematic analysis according to Bardin. This process, four categories emerged: "Types of popular practices used in the care of the child"; "Source of information of popular practices"; "Results obtained with popular practices"; "Factors that hinder the adoption of common practices." The results showed the use of popular practices by caregivers in the case of illness to children such as the homemade preparations with medicinal plants and folk healers. The family environment was referenced as the main learning space and spread of popular practices, which are influenced by cultural relations present in this context. As to the results obtained with popular features, the caregivers said to be satisfactory, and this triggers a feeling of confidence and acceptability of such measures. It is concluded that the use of popular practices in child care persists in everyday most of the participants, despite the hegemony of allopathic therapy. The caregivers stated that such practices are effective and easy to obtain, being secured in context by popular culture. In addition, health professionals, especially nurses, were seldom mentioned by the caregivers as to the information concerning popular resources used by them, which suggests the weakness in dialogic process of negotiating practices between both of them

A organização do trabalho pedagógico no contexto das atividades de leitura e escrita

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Interações orais em língua inglesa no laboratório de multimídia com acesso à Internet

Pós-graduação em Estudos Linguísticos - IBILCE

O lúdico e a educação escolarizada da criança: uma história de (des)encontros

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Leitura, argumentação e ensino de física: análise da utilização de um texto paradidático em sala de aula

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Representações sociais de alunas do ensino fundamental sobre bullying

Este estudo consiste na investigação das representações sociais de alunas da 8ª série do ensino fundamental sobre o fenômeno bullying e suas implicações no processo de escolarização. O problema da pesquisa teve como foco as representações sociais das alunas sobre o bullying. Os sujeitos são estudantes do sexo feminino, com idade entre 13 e 18 anos, regularmente matriculadas em três turmas da 8ª série do ensino fundamental de uma escola da rede estadual de ensino. O lócus da pesquisa foi uma instituição de ensino fundamental e médio da rede pública estadual do município de Castanhal, localizado na região nordeste do estado do Pará. Os objetivos do estudo foram os seguintes: a) Identificar e caracterizar, a partir do pensamento consensual de jovens do ensino fundamental, as imagens e os significados que elas possuem sobre as intimidações, agressões e /ou assédio, caracterizados como bullying; b) Verificar em que situações o bullying ocorre e quais as formas utilizadas com maior frequência entre as alunas; c) Destacar as causas que concorrem para a afirmação de práticas de bullying no ambiente escolar e suas consequências; d) Destacar as percepções das alunas sobre as implicações decorrentes do bullying no processo de escolarização; e) Evidenciar as objetivações e as ancoragens que compõem o processo de construção das RS de jovens sobre o bullying. O estudo teve uma abordagem qualitativa e teve como referencial teórico a Teoria das Representações Sociais de Moscovici (1978) e jodelet (2001). Dentre os referenciais teóricos utilizados constam: Abramavay, 2003; Beaudoin e Taylor (2006), Boneti e Priotto (2009) Constantine (2004) Fante (2005), Lopes Neto e Saavedra (2003) Nascimento (2006; 2011), Middelton-Moz e Zawadski (2007), e Silva (2010). Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta dos dados foram o questionário semi-estruturado e a entrevista grupal. O tratamento dos dados pautou-se na análise de conteúdo de acordo com a abordagem proposta por Franco (2003). Os resultados assinalaram que as representações sociais das alunas sobre o bullying, constituíram-se em maus tratos, cuja imagem se assenta em condutas de agressão verbal, psicológica e física; Ameaça e invisibilidade, na qual a imagem se constitui pelos elementos, diferença, intolerância, desrespeito, inveja, competição e rivalidade; Contradição que corresponde à imagem da escola como um espaço de aprendizagem que se fragiliza e se descaracteriza diante da disseminação da violência e; Educação familiar e escolar que corresponde a imagem do papel da família e da escola como instâncias que partilham a responsabilidade pela orientação e formação dos alunos. As implicações escolares evidenciadas a partir das representações sociais das estudantes sobre o bullying, relacionam-se à uma série de repercussões negativas no processo de escolarização, dentre as quais: dificuldades de aprendizagem, queda do rendimento escolar, absenteísmo e evasão escolar.

O ensino de redação em sites: diálogos em rede

We know that studies on reading and writing take place within the Linguistic for several decades and, with de computer, the language entered the network and this is opening a learning space for writing classes, no more reduced to a classroom but expanded to a universe that has no geographical boundaries, namely de Internet. Our research fits into this context and is part of the project The discourse on writing practices in contemporary Brazilian media: the art making, the pedagogical practice, and the production of meaning to develop discourse analysis on the practice of writing on sites dedicated to teaching and learning of this practice. The main objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between school attendance of redaction - made here as discourse gender, as you know Bakhtin - and the discourse of the sites that constitute our corpus. We set out the hypothesis that the sites are intended for the teaching/learning of writing seeking to create virtually teaching imaginarily conditions similar to those that exist in school attendance of the Portuguese language. We are interested in, therefore, observe, discursively, as the image is created of the interlocutors to which they are intended considering that the enunciators are not in front of those who occupy the place of real students, because they are virtual students. We, too, to know as the gender class manifested itself in those sites, as these sites dialogue with the face-to-face class in relation to ideology, the function of the teacher, the conception of language and writing. The constitution of the corpus was from search tools on the internet. The sites that we analyzed were: alunosonline.com.br, brasilescola.com.br, coladaweb.com.br, guiadoestudante.com.br, infoescola.com.br, mundoeducação.com.br, mundovestibular.com.br, português.com.br, professorjuscelino.com.br and redaçãodissertativa.com.br. The selection was qualitative, considering the...

Percepção de acadêmicos de odontologia sobre o envelhecimento

The changes on learning space where Dentistry Students stay in front of social reality, by university extension, represent a strategy to form dentists according to Brazilian Curricular Directresses. In Araçatuba Dental School (FOA-UNESP), one of alternatives to add students on real locals of dentistry practices is the “Always Smiling Project – Dental Attention for institutionalized elderly in Araçatuba City, São Paulo State – Brazil”. The aim of this study was to verify the self-perception of dentistry students about aging before and after participation in this Project during one school year. To data collection, an instrument with 3 opened questions was performed and applied on 45 students, in the beginning of activities in 2009 and after 8 months. The answers were analyzed by content categorization. The results showed that the perception of students about old people was negative relating them with frail person that needs help and the students’ expectations were higher about clinical aspects of attention. In the end of school year was clear the difference of students’ comprehension about aging and their thoughts demonstrated the empathy resulting from relation. Besides, students related knowledge gain and noted that health attention involve others aspects that are over than biological space. It was possible to conclude that insertion of students in “Always Smiling” contributed to reflection and learn about aging process and suggest that practices like these should be added in Brazilian Universities.

Creating A Research Writing Environment With Personalized Library Instruction

Inman E. Page Library participated in the ARCL's Assessment in Action project led by Academic Librarian kYmberly Keeton. This is the final project poster presented by Ms. Keeton at ALA's 2016 Annual at Orlando, Florida. The poster shows how one faculty library group comes together to explore assessing students’ writing intensive projects in three academic semesters within a scholarly learning space at a Historically Black College University.

The virtual pedagogy initiative

Contemporary Higher Education Institutions must adapt to address government funded calls for expansion and widened participation. The adoption of e-learning strategies, such as the use of the podcasts, can facilitate flexible learning around the needs and expectations of students. In this article we outline a number of e-learning developments at Aston University collectively referred to as the Virtual Pedagogy Initiative. Each of the strands, podcasts, vodcasts, mobile telephony and the campus wide remote broadcasts, are described pedagogically as well as technically. Where possible data highlighting the student response and experience are included. The article begins with the contention that contemporary undergraduates may be qualitatively different and can considered „digital natives?.