Language and interaction in online asynchronous communication in university level English courses

Interaction involves people communicating and reacting to each other. This process is key to the study of discourse, but it is not easy to study systematically how interaction takes place in a specific communicative event, or how it is typically performed over a series of repeated communicative events. However, with a written record of the interaction, it becomes possible to study the process in some detail. This thesis investigates interaction through asynchronous written discussion forums in a computer-mediated learning environment. In particular, this study investigates pragmatic aspects of the communicative event which the asynchronous online discussions comprise. The first case study examines response patterns to messages by looking at the content of initial messages and responses, in order to determine the extent to which characteristics of the messages themselves or other situational factors affect the interaction. The second study examines in what ways participants use a range of discourse devices, including formulaic politeness, humour and supportive feedback as community building strategies in the interaction. The third study investigates the role of the subject line of messages in the interaction, for example by examining how participants choose different types of subject lines for different types of messages. The fourth study examines to what extent features serving a deictic function are drawn on in the interaction and then compares the findings to both oral conversation and formal academic discourse. The overall findings show a complex communicative situation shaped by the medium itself, type of activity, the academic discipline and topic of discussion and by the social and cultural aspects of tertiary education in an online learning environment. In addition, the findings may also provide evidence of learning.  

Selektiva traditioner i grundskolans tidigare år : Lärares olika betoningar av kvalitéer i NO-undervisningen

The aim of this study was to elucidate the selective traditions of Swedish primary school teachers in using inquiry-based learning.  Material from thirteen interviews where teachers described their own inquiry practice was used to study the selective traditions along with the qualities these traditions emphasized. Four different selective traditions were identified: the fact oriented, the activity oriented, the collaboration oriented and the community oriented traditions. Different qualities were emphasized in the different traditions, for instance regarding whether teaching and inquiry should be difficult, correct, free or fun.

Role of headmasters, teachers and supervisors in knowledge transfer about occupational health and safety to pupils in vocational education

Background Young people are at an increased risk for illness in working life. The authorities stipulate certain goals for training in occupational health and safety (OHS) in vocational schools. A previous study concluded that pupils in vocational education had limited knowledge in the prevention of health risks at work. The aim of the current study, therefore, was to study how OHS training is organized in school and in workplace-based learning (WPL).   Method The study design featured a qualitative approach, which included interviews with 12 headmasters, 20 teachers, and 20 supervisors at companies in which the pupils had their WPL. The study was conducted at 10 upper secondary schools, located in Central Sweden, that were graduating pupils in four vocational programs.   Result The interviews with headmasters, teachers, and supervisors indicate a staggered picture of how pupils are prepared for safe work. The headmasters generally give teachers the responsibility for how goals should be reached. Teaching is very much based on risk factors that are present in the workshops and on teachers’ own experiences and knowledge. The teaching during WPL also lacks the systematic training in OHS as well as in the traditional classroom environment.   Conclusion Teachers and supervisors did not plan the training in OHS in accordance with the provisions of systematic work environment management. Instead, the teachers based the training on their own experiences. Most of the supervisors did not get information from the schools as to what should be included when introducing OHS issues in WPL.

The Value of Using Interns in the Academic Library

Graduate programs in library and information science programs provide strong theoretical foundations in information systems, library organization, library history, management, collection management to support user needs, reference, information literacy instruction, and specialized information resources. While practical course projects create approximations of professional librarianship, the best hands-on learning experiences include work-based learning through internship placements in actual libraries. Internships immerse students in valuable hands-on practical work in real-workd settings. Internships also learn from the interns' perspectives on library processes and challenges, while also providing library professionals with enriching opportunities to mentor library students and convey knowledge to future generations of professionals.

AAERO : ambiente de aprendizado para o ensino de redes de computadores orientado a problemas

Atualmente, a sociedade tem experimentado uma grande transformação devido à crescente incorporação da tecnologia em seu cotidiano. Estas mudanças demonstram o grande avanço tecnológico experimentado nas últimas décadas, principalmente na área de Redes e Telecomunicações. Este contexto tem gerado uma crescente procura por profissionais desta área, com um perfil que privilegie, além do conhecimento técnico, outras habilidades consideradas importantes, como o pensamento crítico, o auto-aprendizado e a habilidade para trabalhar em equipe, habilidades estas que não são normalmente focadas nos cursos atuais. Estas habilidades são estimuladas nas abordagens centradas nos alunos, com destaque ao Problem-Based Learning (PBL), uma abordagem na qual o aluno é exposto a problemas, sem nenhum conhecimento prévio, e que, para resolvê-los, precisa pesquisar e analisar novas informações, visando sua aplicação na solução dos mesmos. Apesar da grande utilização do PBL em diversas instituições no mundo, existem poucas ferramentas de software que dão apoio para sua total aplicação. Por outro lado, mesmo sendo bem estruturado, o PBL não sugere indicações de como assimilar melhor novas experiências, de como buscar o conhecimento em experiências anteriores e como desenvolver problemas atuais e interessantes com características reais. Estas dificuldades podem ser minimizadas com a utilização do CBR (Case-Based Reasoning). Entre as aplicações CBR desenvolvidas especificamente na área de Redes de Computadores, pode-se destacar o sistema DUMBO, um sistema CBR, desenvolvido na UFRGS, especificamente para o diagnóstico de problemas em Redes de Computadores. A integração com o DUMBO permite à abordagem PBL ser aplicada com maior eficiência, utilizando sua biblioteca de casos como ferramenta de pesquisa e para a sugestão de novos problemas a partir de casos reais e atuais. Com base nestas afirmações, este trabalho apresenta a proposta e o desenvolvimento de um protótipo de ambiente de aprendizado para o ensino de Redes de Computadores, utilizando a abordagem PBL em conjunto com a abordagem CBR através do sistema DUMBO.

Integrating open innovation in the social innovation process: an exploratory study

Inovação tem se tornado um fenômeno cada vez mais complexo e dinâmico, com a mudança de um paradigma focado na inovação industrial, onde a inovação acontecia no produto ou no processo de fabricação, para outro baseado no conhecimento, muito mais amplo. Além disso, o conhecimento e a competência técnica não são mais considerados como um monopólio do departamento de pesquisa e desenvolvimento. Isto trouxe mudanças nas práticas de inovação, que se tornaram mais abertas e levaram as empresas a interagir cada vez mais com o seu ambiente. Por outro lado, a inovação tecnológica, cujo primeiro objetivo é de criar valor para a empresa, tem experimentado alguns limites para resolver problemas sociais, como o aquecimento global. As novas tecnologias têm a capacidade de melhorar a qualidade de vida de muita gente, mas não é suficiente. É nesse contexto que surge outro tipo de inovação, cujo objetivo é de maximizar o impacto positivo na sociedade: a inovação social. Estes dois paradigmas de inovação, mais adequados aos desafios atuais, têm alguns pontos em comum na sua integração com o ambiente externo: a sociedade e outros atores da inovação. No entanto, praticamente não existem estudos integrando inovação aberta e inovação social. Este trabalho estuda a integração destes dois modelos a partir de uma pesquisa exploratória, realizando entrevistas em profundidade com 11 dirigentes de organizações sociais. As iniciativas sociais parecem atrair mais organizações externas para colaborar do que empresas com fins lucrativos, já que são mais altruístas. Parecem integrar essas pessoas e procurar por mais ajuda, especialmente no momento de escalar o negócio. Ainda que algumas organizações têm como prioridade institucionalizar a inovação aberta, outras veem isto como secundário ou simplesmente não sabem como fazer. Isto resulta em uma colaboração mais informal, que não é focada em atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento, prática ausente nas empresas da nossa amostra.

Diagnóstico de enfermagem: estratégia educativa fundamentada na aprendizagem baseada em problemas

Este estudo teve por objetivo avaliar a eficácia de uma estratégia de ensino sobre diagnósticos de enfermagem, fundamentada na aprendizagem, baseada em problemas no desempenho do raciocínio clínico e julgamento diagnóstico dos discentes de graduação. É estudo experimental, realizado em duas fases: validação de conteúdo dos problemas e aplicação da estratégia educativa. Os resultados mostraram melhora na capacidade de agrupamento dos dados dos discentes do grupo experimental. Conclui-se que houve influência positiva da estratégia implementada

Nas asas de Ícaro: uma análise da Pedagogia Freinet do 2º ao 5º ano do Ensino Fundamental na perspectiva da ação docente continuada

Célestin Freinet was one of the most memorable educators of the twentieth century. He presented some educational alternatives that had the objective of stimulating the construction of pedagogic actions to promote the social development of the student based upon a work centered on the free expression as the way to self-structure the knowledge. With a permanent proposal of research based on the enquiry-based learning, Freinet set human capacity (cognitive, social-affective, psychometrical) taking cooperation in consideration on the processes of knowledge construction. Based on this referential, this present work has the objective to show Freinet s pedagogy in a continuous teaching action from 2nd to 5th grade focusing the teacher s discourse and also the educative practice of the students of a city public school in Natal. The observed work revealed the teacher s discourse and educative experience and delineated the students development while immersed into Freinet s educational practice. By virtue of the nature and specificity of the theme that guided our research, we chose a qualitative approach to it, as a way of conducting ourselves during our investigative process. We observed and analyzed the method that was used to conduct the activities in the classroom, as well as the ways of expression that the children used through drawings, words (oral text), or through writing. We highlight, among the written texts, the individual and collective texts, and also letters and notes, which during some moments served as a base to express a diversity of languages. The results, after a analyzing the research data, point towards a teaching practice that favors the construction of a significant learning process through the grasping of the school environment, on which all these factors are based: society, knowledge acquisition, abilities, attitudes and values. This learning process also strengthens human solidarity bonds and mutual tolerance, on which the student s social life is seated.

O impacto das tarefas de aprendizagem mediadas pela lousa digital interativa na motivação situacional de aprendizes de inglês

Some authors have suggested that learning tasks conducted in L2 classes can motivate learners in different ways. Similarly, Interactive Whiteboards (IWB) have already been linked as drivers to engagement and enthusiasm in L2 classes, which may cause some impact on affective variables that influence learning (e.g. motivation). This crosssectional mixed-methods study aims to understand how situational motivation caused by learning tasks mediated by the IWB impact participants. We seek to answer the following research questions: (1) How does motivation as a personality trait of the learner relate to his/her additional language learning performance?, (2) How does the type of learning task mediated by the IWB impact the learner s motivation?, (3) How does motivation vary along the learning task mediated by the IWB? and (4) What is the relation between the learning task motivation and the learners perception about the task mediated by the IWB? Data collection lasted four months with 29 learners from a private language school. The instruments used were the following: (a) an initial questionnaire (adapted from the Attitudes/Motivation Test Battery by GARDNER, 2004), (b) situation-specific on-line scales to assess learners motivation in three moments: before, during and after the task, and analyze how motivation varies along the task; (c) class observations and field notes resulting from these observations, (d) participants end-of-course grades to understand the connection between academic success and their motivational profiles and (e) a final questionnaire with the qualitative purpose to know learners perceptions about the tasks mediated by the IWB. Our theoretical framework is based on Task-Based Learning and cognitive aspects present in tasks (WILLIS, 1996; SKEHAN, 1996), theories on motivation and second language learning (GARDNER, 2001; DÖRNYEI e OTTÓ, 1998; DÖRNYEI, 2000; 2002) and conceptions about L2 learning mediated by technology (GIBSON, 2001; OLIVEIRA, 2001; MILLER et al, 2005). Our results do not point out to a significative correlation between learners end-of-course grades and their motivational profiles. However, they indicate that there is some variability in situational motivation along the tasks, even among learning tasks from the same type. Furthermore, they show that learners report different perceptions for each learning task and that the impact of the IWB on participants did not have a large proportion

Beta: uma ferramenta para geração de testes de unidade a partir de especificações B

Formal methods and software testing are tools to obtain and control software quality. When used together, they provide mechanisms for software specification, verification and error detection. Even though formal methods allow software to be mathematically verified, they are not enough to assure that a system is free of faults, thus, software testing techniques are necessary to complement the process of verification and validation of a system. Model Based Testing techniques allow tests to be generated from other software artifacts such as specifications and abstract models. Using formal specifications as basis for test creation, we can generate better quality tests, because these specifications are usually precise and free of ambiguity. Fernanda Souza (2009) proposed a method to define test cases from B Method specifications. This method used information from the machine s invariant and the operation s precondition to define positive and negative test cases for an operation, using equivalent class partitioning and boundary value analysis based techniques. However, the method proposed in 2009 was not automated and had conceptual deficiencies like, for instance, it did not fit in a well defined coverage criteria classification. We started our work with a case study that applied the method in an example of B specification from the industry. Based in this case study we ve obtained subsidies to improve it. In our work we evolved the proposed method, rewriting it and adding characteristics to make it compatible with a test classification used by the community. We also improved the method to support specifications structured in different components, to use information from the operation s behavior on the test case generation process and to use new coverage criterias. Besides, we have implemented a tool to automate the method and we have submitted it to more complex case studies

Contribuição à mudança curricular na graduação da Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu

Descreve-se a inovação pedagógica de dois casos na graduação médica: uma matéria denominada Saúde Coletiva III, com (Administração, Ciências Sociais, Epidemiologia, Ética e Nutrição em Saúde Publica) e a disciplina de Semiologia Pediátrica. Para descrição e avaliação dos casos, utilizaram-se métodos qualitativos. A Saúde Coletiva III foi organizada por núcleos temáticos: Problemas em Saúde Publica; Nutrição em Saúde Publica; Planejamento em Saúde. O modelo de ensino centrou-se na problematização de situações vivenciadas na prática da Saúde Publica, trabalhando-se em centros, serviços e organizações de saúde. A Semiologia Pediátrica privilegiou a atenção integral à saúde da criança. O modelo de ensino centrou-se na aprendizagem baseada em problemas e no aprendizado prático da semiologia pediátrica em diferentes cenários, enfatizando-se o ensino ambulatorial. Privilegiou-se o trabalho em pequenos grupos, com a orientação docente. A principal missão voltou-se à utilização de estratégias que valorizassem o ensino centrado no estudante e sua capacidade de construir conhecimento com autonomia. No caso da Pediatria, avançou-se rumo a Medicina Integral, com enfoque amplo do modelo de atenção à criança. A Saúde Coletiva aproximou-se da Medicina Comunitária problematizando situações concretas no SUS e na atenção primária. O estudo mostra a possibilidade de inovação no ensino, e podendo contribuir para a mudança institucional.

Teaching in the community: Changing and implementing a new curriculum

The Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu is changing to, and implementing a new curriculum aimed at integrating teaching and learning in the community. Emphasis is on preparing the community settings for teaching, learning and providing health care. A particular task is staff development with emphasis on problem-based learning (PBL) and training medical and nursing students in the leadership to participate in this process. The new curriculum includes the gradual introduction of clinical practice during First Year, integration of the basic sciences with clinical sciences, through integrated modules studied in small groups, and maintenance of the two year clerkship. The undergraduates are introduced gradually to the community: 8% of the total curriculum during First Year, 10% during Second Year, 10% during Third Year, 20% during Fourth Year, 30% during Fifth and Sixth Years. The basic health units at primary care level, and the regional specialty outpatients and hospitals at the second level, are the main teaching sites. An Education Development Committee was established to discuss the strategies for supporting the changes and to structure the planning for promoting the gradual transformation of staff development. After 18 months of implementation of the curriculum, there followed discussions and monitoring of the objectives of changes in medical education at our school. Successful implementation of the new curriculum would fail, if the objectives were not absorbed by every member of the implementation Committee.

Trabalhando com estratégias de ensino-aprendizado por descoberta na área da saúde: a problematização e a aprendizagem baseada em problemas.

Considering the changes in teaching in the health field and the demand for new ways of dealing with knowledge in higher learning, the article discusses two innovative methodological approaches: problem-based learning (PBL) and problematization. Describing the two methods' theoretical roots, the article attempts to identify their main foundations. As distinct proposals, both contribute to a review of the teaching and learning process: problematization, focused on knowledge construction in the context of the formation of a critical awareness; PBL, focused on cognitive aspects in the construction of concepts and appropriation of basic mechanisms in science. Both problematization and PBL lead to breaks with the traditional way of teaching and learning, stimulating participatory management by actors in the experience and reorganization of the relationship between theory and practice. The critique of each proposal's possibilities and limits using the analysis of their theoretical and methodological foundations leads us to conclude that pedagogical experiences based on PBL and/or problematization can represent an innovative trend in the context of health education, fostering breaks and more sweeping changes.

Grupo interdisciplinar: Construção de unidade educacional sistematizada em aprendizagem baseada em problemas

In 2003 the construction team of the 1st grade of the medical and nursing courses from a medical school began a work aiming at curriculum reconstruction, and restructured cognitive contents and the integration of basic and clinical aspects, in order to adapt to the incentive program for Curriculum Changes (PROMED) which allows for the continuity of curricular innovations. This team worked considering the group dynamics, a method already used in tutorial sessions which teachers have some familiarity with. For a good group performance the team participants were divided into two subgroups: one for constructing educational problems and the other for doing cognitive assessment exercises. The team and the subgroups met weekly, and every 15 days the group met for socialization of information, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the process and/or products. A good adhesion, an active involvement of participants and satisfaction expressed by each participant with their inclusion in the group were reflected in the final product and contributed to the subjects' commitment to the proposal. This way, in the process the individual transformations and relations in a situation requiring the collaboration of professionals were essential in the process of permanent curricular reconstruction.