The impact of software-as-a-service on business models of leading software vendors : experiences from three exploratory case studies

The number of software vendors offering ‘Software-as-a-Service’ has been increasing in recent years. In the Software-as-a-Service model software is operated by the software vendor and delivered to the customer as a service. Existing business models and industry structures are challenged by the changes to the deployment and pricing model compared to traditional software. However, the full implications on the way companies create, deliver and capture value are not yet sufficiently analyzed. Current research is scattered on specific aspects, only a few studies provide a more holistic view of the impact from a business model perspective. For vendors it is, however, crucial to be aware of the potentially far reaching consequences of Software-as-a-Service. Therefore, a literature review and three exploratory case studies of leading software vendors are used to evaluate possible implications of Software-as-a-Service on business models. The results show an impact on all business model building blocks and highlight in particular the often less articulated impact on key activities, customer relationship and key partnerships for leading software vendors and show related challenges, for example, with regard to the integration of development and operations processes. The observed implications demonstrate the disruptive character of the concept and identify future research requirements.

An examination of grade three mathematics textbooks for problem solving strategies

Three grade three mathematics textbooks were selected arbitrarily (every other) from a total of six currently used in the schools of Ontario. These textbooks were examined through content analysis in order to determine the extent (i. e., the frequency of occurrence) to which problem solving strategies appear in the problems and exercises of grade three mathematics textbooks, and how well they carry through the Ministry's educational goals set out in The Formative Years. Based on Polya's heuristic model, a checklist was developed by the researcher. The checklist had two main categories, textbook problems and process problems and a finer classification according to the difficulty level of a textbook problem; also six commonly used problem solving strategies for the analysis of a process problem. Topics to be analyzed were selected from the subject guideline The Formative Years, and the same topics were selected from each textbook. Frequencies of analyzed problems and exercises were compiled and tabulated textbook by textbook and topic by topic. In making comparisons, simple frequency count and percentage were used in the absence of any known criteria available for judging highor low frequency. Each textbook was coded by three coders trained to use the checklist. The results of analysis showed that while there were large numbers of exercises in each textbook, not very many were framed as problems according to Polya' s model and that process problems form a small fraction of the number of analyzed problems and exercises. There was no pattern observed as to the systematic placement of problems in the textbooks.

The impact of a training program in phonological awareness on children's early writing

This study examined the effects that a training program in phonological awareness had on the early writing skills of children in a Grade One class in the Lincoln County Separate school system. The intent of the training program was to provide consistent and systematic practice in the manipulation of the phonological structure of language. The games and activities of the training program were related to a framework of developmental phonological skills and practised in a group setting during an unstructured period of the regular classroom schedule. The training program operated three days in a six-day cycle for approximately twenty minutes a day, from November until mid-March. All children were tested at the outset and conclusion of the study to determine level of functioning in letter identification, word recognition, verbal intelligence, phonological awareness and spelling. Results of the pre-tests and post-tests were compared to determine differences between the experimental and control groups over time. In addition, a systematic analysis of the children's writing looked at the development of the spelling of regular and irregular words. The results of this study provided strong support for the hypothesis that the treatment group would progress through the stages of early writing development more quickly than children without such training. On the basis of differences between the groups over time, it was evident that training in phonological awareness had a direct positive effect on the spelling of regular words for children during the early stages of writing. The training program did not have a significant effect on the spelling of irregular words. Test results evaluating phonological awareness indicated a significant difference within each group over time but no significance between the groups during the experimental period. It would appear that the results of these tests reflect maturational changes in the child rather than causal effects of the training program. Nor did the effects of the training program transfer significantly to other aspects of language. Although some of the hypotheses considered were not supported by the study, the results do indicate that children during the early stages of writing development can benefit from a training program in phonological awareness. The theoretical direction for effective programming as a result of this study is discussed. The educational implications of training phonological awareness concurrent to beginning efforts in writing are considered.

ORIENTA: Programa de acción tutorial de la Universidad de Valladolid. Diplomatura de Educación Social. Escuela Universitaria de Educación de Palencia

El Programa ORIENTA de acción tutorial con alumnado de primer curso es un Proyecto elaborado por un grupo de profesores de la Escuela Universitaria de Educación de Palencia, para la Diplomatura de Educación Social. Se enmarca dentro Plan de Innovación Docente en el marco del EEES del Vicerrectorado de Calidad e Innovación Docente de la Universidad de Valladolid. El principal objetivo del Proyecto es que la tutoría, como una de las funciones que desarrolla un profesor universitario (y aunque tradicionalmente se ha restringido a la docencia impartida por el propio profesor) se amplíe hacia otros aspectos relativos al desarrollo integral del alumno en su paso por la Universidad. Otros objetivos planteados son que el alumnado optimice su entorno de aprendizaje, que participe en la Institución a todos los niveles y la orientación en la elección de itinerarios curriculares. Respecto al profesorado, deseábamos analizar y debatir acerca de la titulación con la ayuda de los estudiantes, tanto en sus contenidos como en su organización, identificando carencias y proponiendo soluciones. Todo ello debía redundar en una mejora de la calidad de la titulación, haciendo más atractiva la opción de cursar esta especialidad. Durante el curso académico 2008/09, seis profesores hemos tutorizado a 40 alumnos de la Diplomatura de Educación Social, recién llegados al mundo universitario, realizando un seguimiento de octubre a junio a través de sesiones de tutoría organizadas en gran grupo, grupos reducidos (de 5-7 alumnos) e individuales. Como apoyo tecnológico hemos utilizado la plataforma Moodle de la UVa para mantener un contacto permanente y dar respuesta (a través de los foros) a cuestiones que se producían entre las sesiones de tutoría. El punto de partida era la consideración de la tutoría como un proceso basado en el encuentro o reunión entre un docente y uno o varios de sus estudiantes con la finalidad de intercambiar información, analizar, orientar o valorar un problema o proyecto, debatir un tema, discutir un asunto y que ello resultara útil para el desarrollo académico y personal del estudiante. A partir de esta definición, el grupo de profesores debatimos sobre las sesiones de tutoría hasta llegar a un consenso sobre su temporización y contenidos, analizando y debatiendo sobre los resultados obtenidos en cada sesión con la finalidad de ir aplicando las conclusiones extraídas en el menor tiempo posible. Los resultados has sido satisfactorios, detectando una mejora desde el punto de vista académico en el alumnado entre los dos cuatrimestres y comparado con cursos anteriores. Asimismo, el alumnado se ha implicado en mayor medida con la Institución desde cargos académicos hasta actos culturales y ha mejorado su relación con el profesorado de la titulación. Por último señalar que el Proyecto ha supuesto una gran carga de trabajo añadido para el profesorado, que no ha visto apoyada su tarea por el resto de compañeros ni reconocida por el equipo directivo, teniendo la sensación de caminar por nuestra cuenta, a pesar de ser una convocatoria de la propia Universidad

Jornades d'intercanvi d'Educació Social Bilbo-Girona: 17 i 18 de maig de 2007, Universitat de Girona

Va ser a mitjans de maig quan vam poder fer tangible el petit projecte que mesos enrere havíem estat elaborant. Uns cinquanta companys i companyes de Bilbo arribaven a Girona per poder participar a les Jornades d'Intercanvi sobre Educació Social

Un Estudio de caso sobre la formación del profesorado de educación primaria en didáctica de la lengua y la literatura

Nuestro trabajo se fundamenta en primera instancia en las investigaciones que tratan y adoptan el conocimiento de los profesores como objeto de estudio y que vienen realizándose desde hace algunas décadas, arrancando de los prestigiosos trabajos de Lee Shulman (1987, 1991, 1992) y su equipo, donde se insiste en la importancia del contenido en la enseñanza y, sobre todo, donde se caracteriza el llamado “conocimiento didáctico del contenido”. Estos estudios han dado lugar a variadas líneas de investigación, impulsadas por autores tan prestigiosos como Grossman (1990), Leinhardt (1992), Clandinin et alii (1992), Connelly y Clandinin (1988), etc., líneas que han intentado conformar una base de conocimiento para la enseñanza centrándose en análisis relacionados con la comparación entre el conocimiento formal y el práctico; el conocimiento informado por los propios profesores; el conocimiento de la materia y su papel en la enseñanza; el conocimiento didáctico, de los aprendices, de los currículos y el didáctico del contenido o los procesos cognitivos de los profesores antes y durante la enseñanza. Se han aportado incluso nuevos lenguajes, como es el caso de los trabajos de Connelly y Clandinin (1985); se han estudiado los componentes usados en la construcción del conocimiento, el conocimiento previo de los docentes, las teorías implícitas de los profesores, el conocimiento práctico personal, las rutinas docentes, imágenes y creencias; se han descrito varios tipos de conocimiento (conocimiento para, en y de la práctica), y se habla últimamente de la adquisición social del conocimiento, proponiéndose “la indagación como actitud” (Cochran-Smith y Lytle, 1999)

Solució mental i solució motriu en la iniciació als esports col·lectius en l'Educació Primària

The adjustment of the teaching learning contents in Physical Education, requires of a rigorous analysis that permits to adjust them to the maximum with the educational needs of the student body. It has been approached an investigation study in the one which have intervened pupils, boys and girls, of two different populations, Girona and Madrid in order to prove and analyse the motor and mental components of the student body in the real situation of the game. The hypothesis that we have treated are:if it exists differences between the boys and girls of the educational levels studied in the motor and mental solution in the sports initiation, additionally, the differences that they can exist between the courses and what distance is verified between the study ages to approach a physical activity that implies an initial step to the hour of teaching the collective sports in the classes of Physical education. They have been employed three measure instruments: the first permits to analyse the mental solution without need of practice employing situation photographs of the real game with those which the pupils must choose to who to happen; the second is a pass test that permits to prove the technical dominance to use in a collective sport and the third is a real game situation that permits to put in manifesto the relationship between the mental behaviour and the motor of the pupil. This real game situation is ‘the game of ten pass’ (Blázquez,1986; Torres,1993). The results demonstrate that it do not exist differences between the two sexes in the study ages. In the case of the technical execution level, there is a considerable increase with the age and it is slightly greater in the kids that in the girls. In the case of the real game, we find ourselves with a great variability in the results and we cannot conclude that there are relative differences to the sex in none of the three courses. Respect at participation level during the game is confirmed that the pupils that more participate are not the pupils than more balls lose, what permits to guarantee the idea of the fact that it is convenient to use the real game practice as direct learning element. Finally, there is no a high correlation between the execution level measured in the test of technical execution and the decision execution during the game

Social sciences & humanities index.

Quarterly issues with separate vol. numbering (v. 53-61) cumulated annually.

Open-Source Computerized Patient-Reported Outcomes: Case Studies Illustrating Fifteen Years of Evolution

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06