Integrated approach to foreign language in the building engineering degree at the Universidad Politécnica Madrid

The European Union has been promoting linguistic diversity for many years as one of its main educational goals. This is an element that facilitates student mobility and student exchanges between different universities and countries and enriches the education of young undergraduates. In particular,a higher degree of competence in the English language is becoming essential for engineers, architects and researchers in general, as English has become the lingua franca that opens up horizons to internationalisation and the transfer of knowledge in today’s world. Many experts point to the Integrated Approach to Contents and Foreign Languages System as being an option that has certain benefits over the traditional method of teaching a second language that is exclusively based on specific subjects. This system advocates teaching the different subjects in the syllabus in a language other than one’s mother tongue, without prioritising knowledge of the language over the subject. This was the idea that in the 2009/10 academic year gave rise to the Second Language Integration Programme (SLI Programme) at the Escuela Arquitectura Tecnica in the Universidad Politecnica Madrid (EUATM-UPM), just at the beginning of the tuition of the new Building Engineering Degree, which had been adapted to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) model. This programme is an interdisciplinary initiative for the set of subjects taught during the semester and is coordinated through the Assistant Director Office for Educational Innovation. The SLI Programme has a dual goal; to familiarise students with the specific English terminology of the subject being taught, and at the same time improve their communication skills in English. A total of thirty lecturers are taking part in the teaching of eleven first year subjects and twelve in the second year, with around 120 students who have voluntarily enrolled in a special group in each semester. During the 2010/2011 academic year the degree of acceptance and the results of the SLI Programme are being monitored. Tools have been designed to aid interdisciplinary coordination and to analyse satisfaction, such as coordination records and surveys. The results currently available refer to the first semester of the year and are divided into specific aspects of the different subjects involved and into general aspects of the ongoing experience.

Evolutionary computation of forests with Degree- and Role-Constrained Minimum Spanning Trees

Finding the degree-constrained minimum spanning tree (DCMST) of a graph is a widely studied NP-hard problem. One of its most important applications is network design. Here we deal with a new variant of the DCMST problem, which consists of finding not only the degree- but also the role-constrained minimum spanning tree (DRCMST), i.e., we add constraints to restrict the role of the nodes in the tree to root, intermediate or leaf node. Furthermore, we do not limit the number of root nodes to one, thereby, generally, building a forest of DRCMSTs. The modeling of network design problems can benefit from the possibility of generating more than one tree and determining the role of the nodes in the network. We propose a novel permutation-based representation to encode these forests. In this new representation, one permutation simultaneously encodes all the trees to be built. We simulate a wide variety of DRCMST problems which we optimize using eight different evolutionary computation algorithms encoding individuals of the population using the proposed representation. The algorithms we use are: estimation of distribution algorithm, generational genetic algorithm, steady-state genetic algorithm, covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy, differential evolution, elitist evolution strategy, non-elitist evolution strategy and particle swarm optimization. The best results are for the estimation of distribution algorithms and both types of genetic algorithms, although the genetic algorithms are significantly faster.

La evaluación de la competencia comunicativa específica en el ámbito de la ingeniería y la arquitectura

La progresiva internacionalización de las universidades españolas convierte a estas organizaciones en escenarios plurilingües. El español convive en ellos con otras lenguas, en especial el inglés, como vehículo de acceso y transmisión de conocimiento especializado. Esto requiere un proceso de alfabetización académica en lengua extranjera que tendrían que asumir las universidades de acogida, con objeto de preservar a los alumnos de los fracasos en los programas internacionales. Por el momento, en España, los programas de grado o de posgrado no establecen filtros con umbrales lingüísticos mínimos de acceso, a excepción de algunas universidades que se limitan a requerir certificados de grado de dominio del español general. No existen exámenes públicos de ingreso, o exámenes propios de postadmisión, que evalúen la habilidad lingüística comunicativa en contextos académicos. En este trabajo, se parte de la hipótesis de que los exámenes que certifican un grado de dominio de español general no sirven al propósito de discriminar a los alumnos capaces de seguir con éxito los programas de las universidades. Para verificarla, se desarrolla una prueba de examen específica que mida la capacidad de emplear el español en contextos académicos. La prueba se centra en las tareas que se revelan, en una primera fase exploratoria de la investigación, como más necesarias en lo que se refiere al uso del español como lengua vehicular: las clases magistrales. Una vez pilotada, se administró junto con otras destinadas a evaluar el grado de dominio de la lengua en contextos generales. Los resultados obtenidos del contraste de estas mediciones y de diversos análisis de los datos arrojan evidencias de que este tipo de prueba mide un constructo específico: la habilidad de uso del español en contextos académicos. ABSTRACT The progressive internationalization of Spanish universities has transformed these organizations into plurilingual scenarios. Spanish lives in them sharing the stage with other languages, especially English, as a means of access and transmission of expert knowledge. This requires a process of academic literacy in foreign language that host universities should assume, in order to safeguard students from failures in international programs. At the moment, in Spain, undergraduate or graduate programs do not set filters with minimum language requirements to gain access, except for some universities that merely require certificates of general Spanish. There are no Spanish language public admission exams, or post-enrollment tests of their own, to assess the communicative language ability of foreign students in academic contexts. In this dissertation, we start from the hypothesis that those tests that certify the student degree of mastery of the Spanish language do not serve the purpose of discriminating against students capable of successfully pursuing university programs. To prove it, a specific test that measures the ability to use Spanish in academic contexts was developed. This language test focused on the tasks associated with the most common genre, which revealed prominent in a first exploratory phase of the investigation, related to the use of Spanish as a means of instruction: university lectures. Once piloted, the test was administered along with others designed to assess the degree of mastery of the language in general contexts. Contrast results of these measurements and various analyzes of the data showed evidence that this type of test measures a specific construct: the ability to use Spanish in academic contexts.

Evaluación de la pertinencia de maestrías en ingeniería : aplicación en la Universidad de Piura, Perú

La formación de postgrado en ingeniería es muy importante para mejorar la competitividad y lograr el desarrollo en los países. Para ello es necesaria una fuerte vinculación de la universidad con su entorno socio económico de modo que los objetivos que se plantea en sus programas formativos sean coherentes con las necesidades reales de los beneficiarios: los estudiantes, la universidad y la comunidad. Es decir, los programas deben ser pertinentes. Y en los países en vías de desarrollo este tema es aún más importante. Se necesita modelos de evaluación que midan este grado de adecuación entre los objetivos de los programas con las necesidades de los estudiantes y las partes interesadas. Sin embargo, los modelos de evaluación existentes tienen principalmente fines de acreditación y están diseñados para evaluar la eficacia, es decir si los resultados obtenidos están de acuerdo con la misión y los objetivos planteados. Su objetivo no es medir la pertinencia. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo diseñar un modelo de evaluación de la pertinencia de maestrías en ingeniería y aplicarlo a un caso concreto. Se trata de maestrías que ya están en funcionamiento y son dictadas en una universidad en un país en desarrollo. Para diseñar el modelo se define primero el concepto de pertinencia de una maestría en ingeniería haciendo una revisión bibliográfica y consultando a expertos en los temas de pertinencia de la educación superior y formación en postgrado en ingeniería. Se utiliza una definición operativa que facilita luego la identificación de factores e indicadores de evaluación. Se identifica dos tipos de pertinencia: local y global. La pertinencia global está relacionada con la inserción de la maestría en el sistema global de producción de conocimiento. La pertinencia local tiene tres dimensiones: la personal, relacionada con la satisfacción de necesidades de los estudiantes, la institucional, relacionada con las necesidades e intereses de la universidad que acoge a la maestría y la pertinencia social, ligada a la satisfacción de necesidades y demandas de la comunidad local y nacional. El modelo diseñado es aplicado en la maestría en Ingeniería Civil con mención en Ingeniería Vial de la Universidad de Piura, Perú lo que permite obtener conclusiones para su aplicación en otras maestrías. ABSTRACT Graduate engineering education is very important to improve competitiveness and achieve development in countries. It is necessary a strong linkage between university and its socio economic environment, so that programs objectives are consistent with the real needs of the students, university and community. That is to say programs must be relevant. And in developing countries this issue is very important. Evaluation models to measure the degree of adequacy between the programs objectives with the needs of students and stakeholders is needed. However, existing evaluation models have mainly the purpose of accreditation and are designed to evaluate the efficacy. They evaluate if the results are consistent with the mission and objectives. Their goal is not to measure the relevance. This work aimed to design a model for evaluating the relevance of master's degrees in engineering and applied to a specific case. They must be masters already in operation and are taught at a university in a developing country. In order to build the model, first concept of relevance of a master's degree in engineering was defined. Literature was reviewed and we consulted experts on issues of relevance of higher education and graduate engineering education. An operational definition is used to facilitate the identification of factors and evaluation indicators. Local and global: two types of relevance were identified. The global relevance is related to the inclusion of Master in the global system of knowledge production. The local relevance has three dimensions: personal, related to meeting students' needs, institutional, related to the needs and interests of university that houses the Master and social relevance, linked to the satisfaction of needs and demands of local and national community. The designed model is applied to the Master degree in Civil Engineering with a major in Traffic Engineering of Universidad de Piura, Peru which allowed to obtain conclusions for application in other masters.

Assessing the suitability of student interactions from Moodle data logs as predictors of cross-curricular competencies

In the past decades, online learning has transformed the educational landscape with the emergence of new ways to learn. This fact, together with recent changes in educational policy in Europe aiming to facilitate the incorporation of graduate students to the labor market, has provoked a shift on the delivery of instruction and on the role played by teachers and students, stressing the need for development of both basic and cross-curricular competencies. In parallel, the last years have witnessed the emergence of new educational disciplines that can take advantage of the information retrieved by technology-based online education in order to improve instruction, such as learning analytics. This study explores the applicability of learning analytics for prediction of development of two cross-curricular competencies – teamwork and commitment – based on the analysis of Moodle interaction data logs in a Master’s Degree program at Universidad a Distancia de Madrid (UDIMA) where the students were education professionals. The results from the study question the suitability of a general interaction-based approach and show no relation between online activity indicators and teamwork and commitment acquisition. The discussion of results includes multiple recommendations for further research on this topic.

Educational Needs and Future Prospects in the Field of Health and Safety at Work in Spain

Aiming to identify educational needs to promote employment in the field of Occupational Health and Safety in Spain, this paper analyses the matching degree between the existing university educational offer and the professional demand. Results indicate that the new official Masters are well driven but, at graduate level, a broad range of topics regarding occupational hazards should be promoted and the scope of cross subjects should be expanded. New profiles that are emerging within this field are also identified.

Labor risk prevention culture encouragement among students from building degree in the Technical University of Madrid

The influence of training in labor risk prevention and the development of the resulting pre-emptive culture are analyzed within this paper. In order to achieve this, a quantitative analysis of the students of Building Degree in the Technic University of Madrid has been developed. This study has been made in all grades, valuating the previous knowledge acquired during compulsory education. It must be kept in mind that the students in 3rd and 4th grade have received general and specific compulsory training in prevention and safety in the building sector.

Elaine M. Aber

Elaine M. Aber was the first white student to graduate from Lincoln University. She later joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, becoming one of the first whites in Jefferson City to join a predominately African American sorority. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Education from Lincoln University and later a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Aber worked as a counselor for the Missouri State of Employment Services until she retired in 1985. One of her greatest professional accomplishments was being published in the Journal of Educational Sociology February 1959 for her article, “A Reverse Pattern of Integration”. She achieved much success due to her ability to work in a diverse environment.

Harriet Robinson

Born on September 10, 1917, in Jefferson City, Harriet Robinson is a child of two Lincoln University alumni. Robinson and her siblings also attended Lincoln Laboratory School and the University, but she was unable to finish her degree due to the Depression. Robinson worked in retail until she entered a federal re-training program. In 1969 she was hired at Lincoln University as a switchboard operator, and later worked as a library assistant at Page Library. For twenty-three years, Robinson helped students and faculty with their research, retiring in 1992. While at Page Library, she also had other responsibilities, such as keeping the Lincoln Collection. She recognized the historical importance of objects, salvaging things such as the “Blue Tiger” Café Window. Robinson has assisted people working on graduate and doctoral degrees, and several books have been dedicated to her. Her knowledge of Lincoln University is extensive, and many are fortunate that she has always shared her passion for history.

Carolyn Mahoney

Dr. Carolyn Mahoney initiated her undergraduate career at Mount St. Scholastic College in Atchison, Kansas, and returned to her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee to attend and graduate Summa Cum Laude with the Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mathematics from Siena College. She received a Master’s of Science degree in 1972 and a PhD degree in 1984, both in mathematics, from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Mahoney was the 18th President and the first female president of Lincoln University. She brought a depth of familiarity with public and educational organization to Lincoln University. Her involvement in establishing a university on the west coast coupled with her experience as a professor and administrator, gave Mahoney the experience she needed to guide Lincoln University.

3.3 University of Missouri awarded a law degree to Lloyd Gaines in 2006

In 2006, a law degree was posthumously awarded to Lloyd and accepted by his nephew, George Gaines.

3.4 University of Missouri Doctor of Law Degree to Lloyd Lionel Gaines

On May 13, 2006, University of Missouri awarded Lloyd Gaines Doctor of Law degree.

PERFIL DA PRODUÇÃO ACADÊMICA SOBRE A REDE GLOBO DE TELEVISÃO

Este trabalho tem por objetivo traçar o perfil da produção acadêmica sobre a Rede Globo de Televisão. Para isto, utilizamos como fonte de pesquisa teses de doutorado e dissertações de mestrado defendidas em programas de pós-graduação no Brasil e repertoriadas no banco de teses da CAPES. Foram analisadas 145 publicações acadêmicas no período de 1987 a 2006. Na abordagem analítica do perfil desta produção destacam-se: ano de produção; instituição de ensino de origem; região geográfica; nível acadêmico, área de estudo e gênero dos autores.(AU)

PERFIL DA PRODUÇÃO ACADÊMICA SOBRE A REDE GLOBO DE TELEVISÃO

Este trabalho tem por objetivo traçar o perfil da produção acadêmica sobre a Rede Globo de Televisão. Para isto, utilizamos como fonte de pesquisa teses de doutorado e dissertações de mestrado defendidas em programas de pós-graduação no Brasil e repertoriadas no banco de teses da CAPES. Foram analisadas 145 publicações acadêmicas no período de 1987 a 2006. Na abordagem analítica do perfil desta produção destacam-se: ano de produção; instituição de ensino de origem; região geográfica; nível acadêmico, área de estudo e gênero dos autores.(AU)

Genetic instability of cancer cells is proportional to their degree of aneuploidy

Genetic and phenotypic instability are hallmarks of cancer cells, but their cause is not clear. The leading hypothesis suggests that a poorly defined gene mutation generates genetic instability and that some of many subsequent mutations then cause cancer. Here we investigate the hypothesis that genetic instability of cancer cells is caused by aneuploidy, an abnormal balance of chromosomes. Because symmetrical segregation of chromosomes depends on exactly two copies of mitosis genes, aneuploidy involving chromosomes with mitosis genes will destabilize the karyotype. The hypothesis predicts that the degree of genetic instability should be proportional to the degree of aneuploidy. Thus it should be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the particular karyotype of a highly aneuploid cancer cell on clonal propagation. This prediction was confirmed with clonal cultures of chemically transformed, aneuploid Chinese hamster embryo cells. It was found that the higher the ploidy factor of a clone, the more unstable was its karyotype. The ploidy factor is the quotient of the modal chromosome number divided by the normal number of the species. Transformed Chinese hamster embryo cells with a ploidy factor of 1.7 were estimated to change their karyotype at a rate of about 3% per generation, compared with 1.8% for cells with a ploidy factor of 0.95. Because the background noise of karyotyping is relatively high, the cells with low ploidy factor may be more stable than our method suggests. The karyotype instability of human colon cancer cell lines, recently analyzed by Lengnauer et al. [Lengnauer, C., Kinzler, K. W. & Vogelstein, B. (1997) Nature (London) 386, 623–627], also corresponds exactly to their degree of aneuploidy. We conclude that aneuploidy is sufficient to explain genetic instability and the resulting karyotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity of cancer cells, independent of gene mutation. Because aneuploidy has also been proposed to cause cancer, our hypothesis offers a common, unique mechanism of altering and simultaneously destabilizing normal cellular phenotypes.