Collaborative Projects Using Wikis - Simon Kemp

This is one of a series of short case studies describing how academic tutors at the University of Southampton have made use of learning technologies to support their students.

W2 Interdisciplinary Projects

Slides summarising discussions, activities and links

W4 Interdisciplinary Projects

Slides, notes and links summarising presentation, discussions, activities and further reading

Community Health Managers: A Pilot Pedagogic Experience in the University of Rosario

The “Grupo de Estudios en Sistemas Tradicionales de Salud” from the School of Medicine of Universidad del Rosario, in agreement with the “Instituto de Etnobiología”, has designed a training course for a new health agent (the community health manager) meant to consider in its curriculum the difficulties, deficiencies and successes of the Primary Health Care Program. In particular, we have attended OMS suggestions in terms of adequate training of local leaders who should look for self-responsibility and selfdetermination in health care coverage. This training proposal is meant to take into account diverse cultures and traditions in order to offer health care models able to consider cultural particularities, epidemiological profiles, and contextual possibilities, with an intercultural point of view. Hence, the training course’s objective is to offer working tools so that community leaders be able to value and promote traditional health knowledge and practices; seek for food security by means of recovery of traditional productive systems or adaptation of appropriate technologies; environment conservation; use of medicinal plants especially in self-care, and stimulation of community and institutional health promotion activities. Preliminary evaluation suggests that this new health agent will be able to set bridges between communities and health care offers available, always looking for healthy ways of life, culturally and environmentally friendly.

Preliminary population study of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism determination in a pilot group of students from the University of Rosario

 Introduction: the 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an essential enzyme in folate metabolism; their polymorphisms have been associated with heart disease risk increase, obstetric problems, neural tube defects in fetuses and cancer susceptibility. This gene has a single nucleotide polymorphism, a C-T change at nucleotide 677, which affects significantly its enzymatic activity. Objective: because of the biological importance of this enzyme and the Colombian population genetic heterogeneity characteristic, a study was performed to determine allele and genotype frequencies of MTHFR C677T polymorphism in healthy individuals, taking into account that in Colombia there are only studies that have involved case-control methodology. Methods: we analyzed this polymorphism trough the amplification of the DNA of a 206 students sample population. Additionally, Colombian overall frequencies were calculated, using data from healthy controls reported in other studies. Results: a Hardy-Weinberg disequilibri m was found in the sample tested. For the Colombian data, we found that the global population was in equilibrium. Conclusion: T allele population frequency seems to be under positive selection pressure, which is reflected in the population allele increase, despite its deleterious effect. A Spanish study reported similar results and identified folic acid supplementation on expectant mothers as a probably cause of this change. 

Excessive work or addiction to work: workaholism in a Colombian company. Pilot study trough application of DUWAS test

This paper examines the workaholism phenomenon in different work situations in Colombian company. Workaholism was defined as the individual’s steady and considerable allocation of time to work, which is not derived from external necessities (1). The research studies about workaholics and workaholism have been increasing a lot in the last years (2). Workaholism is an addiction that actually is affecting a lot of people around the world and has serious consequences in personal life, in the community and also in economy. Some of these researches are directed to explore ways to diagnose when a person is workaholic and when this situation may affect the performanceof the individual in work, daily life activities and especially in psychosocial area. Objective: this pilot study contributes to identify if Colombian workers present the main characteristicsof workaholism and if the job they perform is related to the presence of the characteristics of this addiction. Materials and method: for this pilot study used the Dutch Work Addiction Scale(DUWAS), this test suggests when a person has work addiction, trough the evaluation of two main components working excessively and working compulsively. Results: the study find differences for the two groups: the 67% of the AE group are over the average while only the 33% of the members of the O group are over it. Conclusions: these percentages show that the combinations of the components of workaholism are more evident in the population belonging to the administrative/executive jobs group, giving evidence that workaholism is presented in greater proportion in the population performance management positions.

Occupational therapy and its relevance in social projects. relationships, learning and opportunities: collection of experiences of University of Alberta Mscot students in Bogotá, Colombia

Occupational therapists are equipped to promote wellbeing through occupation and to enable participation and meaningful engagement of people in their social and physical environments (WFOT, 2012). As such, the role of the occupational therapists is profoundly linked to the social, cultural and environmental characteristics of the contexts in which occupations take place. The central role that context plays in occupational performance creates an interesting dichotomy for the occupational therapist: on one hand, a profound understanding of cultural and social factors is required from the Occupational Therapy (OT) in order to develop a meaningful and successful collaboration with the person; on the other hand, the ability of the occupational therapists to recognize and explore the contextual factor of an occupation-person dyad transcends cultural and spatial barriers. As a result, occupational therapists are equipped to engage in international collaboration and practice, and as such face unique and enriching challenges. International fieldwork experiences have become a tool through which occupational therapists in training can develop the critical skills for understanding the impact of cultural and social factors on occupation. An OT student in an international fieldwork experience faces numerous challenges in leading a process that is both relevant and respectful to the characteristics of the local context: language, cultural perceptions of occupation and personhood, religious backgrounds, health care access, etc. These challenges stand out as ethical considerations that must be considered when navigating an international fieldwork experience (AOTA, 2009). For more than five years now, the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine (FRM) of the University of Alberta (UoFA) and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario (UR), Bogota, Colombia, have sustained a productive and meaningful international collaboration. This collaboration includes a visit by Dr. Albert Cook, professor of the FRM and former dean, to the UR as the main guest speaker in the International Congress of Technologies for Disability Support (IBERDISCAP) in 2008. Furthermore, Dr. Cook was a speaker in the research seminar of the Assistive Technology Research Group of the Universidad del Rosario. Following Dr. Cook’s visit, Professors Liliana Álvarez and Adriana Ríos travelled to Edmonton and initiated collaboration with the FRM, resulting in the signing of an agreement between the FRM and the UR in 2009, agreement that has been maintained to this day. The main goal of this agreement is to increase academic and cultural cooperation between the UR and the UofA. Other activities have included the cooperation between Dr. Kim Adams (who has largely maintained interest and effort in supporting the capacity building of the UR rehabilitation programs in coordinating the provision of research placement opportunities for UR students at the UofA), an Assistive Technology course for clinicians and students led by Dr. Adams, and a research project that researched the use of basic cell phones to provide social interaction and health information access for people with disabilities in a low-income community in Colombia (led by Tim Barlott, OT, MSc, under the supervision of Dr. Adams). Since the beginning, the occupational therapy programs of the Universidad del Rosario and the University of Alberta have promoted this collaboration and have strived to engage in interactions that provide further development opportunities for students and staff. As part of this process, the international placement experience of UofA OT students was born under the leadership of: Claudia Rozo, OT program director at UR, placement and academic leadership of Elvis Castro and Angélica Monsalve, professors of the occupational therapy program at UR; and Dr. Lili Liu, OT department director at UofA, Cori Schmitz, Academic coordinator of clinical education at the UofA; and Tim Barlott and Liliana Álvarez leading the international and cross-cultural aspect of this collaboration.This publication summarizes and illustrates the process of international placement in community settings in Colombia, undertaken by occupational therapy students of the University of Alberta. It is our hope that this document can provide and document the ethical considerations of international fieldwork experience, the special characteristics of communities and the ways in which cultural and social competences are developed and help international students navigate the international setting. We also hope that this document will stimulate discussion among professional and academic communities about the importance and richness of international placement experiences and encourage staff and students to articulate their daily efforts with the global occupational therapy agenda.

Experi??ncia pilot de Formaci?? Permanent de mestres (FOPI) a Cornell?? : balan?? del primer any de l'experi??ncia (1984). 'Experiencia piloto de Formaci??n Permanente de maestros (FOPI) en Cornell?? : balance del primer a??o de la experiencia (1984)'

1.-Experimentar una metodolog??a de Formaci??n Permanente de los directores y maestros basada en la propia realidad y con una dimensi??n institucional, y no ??nicamente individual. 2.-Elaborar un material b??sico para los futuros cursos de directores y de los maestros de ciclo inicial, de Lengua, de Ciencias y de Ciencias Sociales. 3.-Colaborar con las escuelas de maestros para la realizaci??n de las pr??cticas de sus alumnos. La intenci??n ??ltima es la de provocar una estrategia de cambio en las escuelas de la zona. 19 escuelas (17 p??blicas y 2 privadas), aproximadamente 500 profesores y m??s de 15000 alumnos pertenecientes a la zona de Cornell??. El dise??o de la experiencia consta de cinco niveles: 1.-Planteamiento de objetivos generales y contextualizaci??n. 2.-Presentaci??n de los agentes de la experiencia (personas e instituciones que promueven, dise??an, realizan y eval??an la experiencia de una forma directa). 3.-Actuaci??n directa, siguiendo unas orientaciones (grupo, materia, transferencia, evaluaci??n), con los maestros participantes. 4.-Incidencia generalizada de los objetivos de la experiencia y el grupo de trabajo en el funcionamiento global de las escuelas. 5.-Incidencia sobre los alumnos manifest??ndose en la mejora de las formas de aprendizaje y del nivel alcanzado. Quafe-80 aplicado al principio y al final de la experiencia (26 ??tems). Informes: 1.-De los inspectores de la zona de las visitas realizadas en los centros y en las clases. 2.-Resumen de cada director respecto a la tem??tica que se ha tratado en las diferentes reuniones de la escuela (ciclo, Departamento, etc.). 3.-Resumen de cada grupo de trabajo basado en la informaci??n de los maestros asistentes. Estad??stica descriptiva. En este primer a??o de experimentaci??n no se han dado los recursos materiales necesarios para facilitar a las escuelas su tarea. Ser?? necesario hacerlo, ya que los recursos m??nimos son parte importante del proceso de renovaci??n que se pretende poner en funcionamiento en las escuelas que siguen este Plan de Formaci??n Permanente Institucional. Se prev?? que el trabajo previsto en el segundo a??o en la l??nea de profundizar en los diferentes aspectos, permita hacer una valoraci??n m??s elaborada de este grado alcanzado.

Primary didactic projects celebrations. 'Proyectos didácticos de primaria : celebraciones'.

Trabajo realizado por el Seminario Permanente de Inglés, compuesto por 14 profesores durante tres cursos académicos (95/96, 96/97, 97/98) y coordinado por los autores mencionados

Projects : Hallowe' en, Christmas, St. Valentine' s, April Fools Day : proyectos para estudiantes de inglés del primer ciclo de secundaria : inglés : English Festivals : (primer ciclo de secundaria obligatoria) : material para el profesor.

Estos proyectos van dirigidos a alumnos de primer y segundo curso del primer ciclo de secundaria obligatoria. Sus objetivos intentan que el alumno ponga en práctica las cuatro destrezas básicas (entender, hablar, leer y escribir) y, sobre todo, que comunique y se comunique aunque sea con pobreza lingüística. Se persigue también que el alumno reflexione sobre las similitudes y diferencias entre su propia cultura y la lengua objeto de su aprendizaje y profundice en ambas. Como material complementario estos proyectos pueden ser utilizados por profesores que usan libro de texto. La duración de cada proyecto es de una media de 7 sesiones, dejando la ampliación o reducción de los mismos a los criterios de necesidad de cada profesor y grupo de trabajo.

GCSE history for OCR pilot. Teacher's resource.

Este Cd-Rom permite descargar desde la dirección web de la editorial, el material de apoyo y orientación para el docente en la enseñanza de cada unidad del curso de historia. Su contenido se adapta a las pruebas de evaluación que realiza el organismo llamado Oxford Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) para alcanzar el título de General Certificate Secondary Education (GCSE). Este material online se completa con los libros para los estudiantes.

Mathematics pilot. Teacher guide.

Desarrollado específicamente para el OCR, la guía para profesores ofrece un enfoque innovador a la enseñanza de la matemática funcional. Muy visual, su objetivo es dar a los estudiantes una apreciación más profunda del valor de las matemáticas en sus vidas y de la contribución que pueden aportar a las situaciones profesionales y sociales. Sus objetivos son enseñar a los estudiantes a:decidir sobre los métodos matemáticos a utilizar en una situación determinada; seleccionar el uso de información matemática; utilizar los procedimientos matemáticos adecuados; interpretar los resultados y sacar conclusiones.

Mathematics pilot.

Desarrollado específicamente para el OCR, su objetivo es dar a los estudiantes una apreciación más profunda del valor de las matemáticas en sus vidas, con gran cantidad de ejemplos y una serie de contextos específicos, y de la contribución que puede aportar a las situaciones profesionales y sociales. Los materiales propuestos cubren las necesidades en los niveles 1 y 2 el. En ambos niveles, cada documento se compone de tres diferentes tareas cada una igualmente ponderada.

Projects with young learners.

Forma parte de una serie que orienta al profesor en aspectos clave de la enseñanza de la lengua. Contiene ideas prácticas y materiales para planificar, organizar y llevar a cabo proyectos de trabajo con niños de cinco a trece años. Incluye actividades y hojas de ejercicios que pueden fotocopiarse.