E-MOVE project : a case of successfulcooperation of European academic librariesof distance teaching universities

El Library and Learning Support Working Group (LLSWG) ��s una xarxa europea de professionals de biblioteca i de la informaci�� i educadors dins de l'Associaci�� Europea d'Universitats d'Ensenyament (EADTU). EADTU ��s l'organitzaci�� que representa tant les universitats obertes i d'ensenyament a dist��ncia com els consorcis nacionals d'institucions d'ensenyament superior actius en els camps d'educaci�� de dist��ncia i e-learning. El 2005 l'Associaci�� Europea d'Universitats d'Ensenyament de Dist��ncia (EADTU) presentava a la Comissi�� Europea una proposta de projecte sobre Mobilitat Virtual anomenada E-MOVE. El projecte inclo��a, entre d'altres, un paquet de treball referent a biblioteca i suport a l'aprenentatge al context de mobilitat virtual. Aquest fou desenvolupat pel LLSWG de l'EADTU.

Engaging students in an e-learning experience : how to manage information resources through wikis and web blogs

The purpose of this paper is to describe the collaboration between librarians and scholars, from a virtual university, in order to facilitate collaborative learning on how to manage information resources. The personal information behaviour of e-learning students when managing information resources for academic, professional and daily life purposes was studied from 24 semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The results of the content analysis of the interview' transcriptions, highlighted that in the workplace and daily life contexts, competent information behaviour is always linked to a proactive attitude, that is to say, that participants seek for information without some extrinsic reward or avoiding punishment. In the academic context, it was observed a low level of information literacy and it seems to be related with a prevalent uninvolved attitude.

Psychological distress in health sciences college students and its relationship with academic engagement

Objective: To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its relationship with academic engagement (absorption, dedication and vigor), sex and degree among students from four public universities. Method: A non-experimental,comparative correlational, quantitative investigation without intervention. Study population: 1840 nursing and physical therapy students. The data collection tool used was a questionnaire. Results: A 32.2% prevalence of psychological distress was found in the subjects; a correlation between vigor and psychological distress was found for all of the subjects and also for women. High absorption and dedication scores and low psychological distress scores predicted higher vigor scores. Conclusion: The risk of psychological distress is high, especially for women. Women seem to have a higher level of psychological distress than men. Vigor, energy and mental resilience positively influence psychological distress and can be a vehicle for better results during the learning and studying process.







A influ��ncia do e-learning no capital humano

Na Europa e nas ��ltimas d��cadas do S��culo XX, a emerg��ncia da Sociedade de Informa����o veio impor ��s organiza����es a necessidade de que, para al��m das inova����es tecnol��gicas, haja uma preocupa����o relativamente aos bens intang��veis como a informa����o, as novas metodologias de trabalho e o know how (Batista, 2002). Paralelamente a estas inova����es, as Institui����es de Ensino Superior t��m contribu��do para a evolu����o do Capital Humano, como ativo intang��vel intr��nseco ao Homem. Em Portugal e no contexto do Ensino/Forma����o a Dist��ncia parecem continuar a existir, ainda, em algumas institui����es, problemas de identifica����o, e de descrimina����o das vantagens no que concerne �� estrutura aberta e flex��vel, com o estudante/formando a ter algumas dificuldades em adaptar o seu perfil e interesses profissionais ao tipo de aprendizagem que mais se lhe adequa. O e-learning surge como um m��todo de Ensino/Forma����o a Dist��ncia, s�� poss��vel com a especificidade dos processos pedag��gicos e em complementaridade com as Tecnologias de Informa����o e Comunica����o (TIC), uma vez que s��o estas que lhe d��o o suporte necess��rio �� sua concretiza����o. O e-learning ao proporcionar novas formas de comunica����o, de intera����o e de confronto de ideias, permite uma aprendizagem baseada na partilha de saberes, tendo em considera����o as experi��ncias e os objetivos profissionais dos formandos. Dentro destes pressupostos, ach��mos importante fazer uma investiga����o a partir de Institui����es de Ensino Superior Portuguesas, de modo a percebermos qual o papel e a influ��ncia que o e-learning desempenha nos objetivos das organiza����es acad��micas em geral e no Capital Humano dos seus Estudantes/Formandos em particular. A partir da quest��o da investiga����o foram definidos os objetivos e hip��teses de investiga����o de modo a que ao ser enunciada uma metodologia esta englobe fatores que foquem os elementos necess��rios �� confirma����o, ou n��o, dos pressupostos enunciados. Foi analisada documenta����o diversa, criado um question��rio e conduzidas entrevistas, de modo a obter e potenciar a informa����o necess��ria e suficiente para o efeito. A recolha de dados para posterior an��lise e os resultados depois de interpretados, permitir��o responder aos prop��sitos expressos desde o in��cio da investiga����o.

Gesti��n de la actividad no presencial y autoevaluaci��n de competencias = Management of student learning outside the classroom and the self-evaluation of competences

La asignatura troncal ���Evaluaci��n Psicol��gica��� de los estudios de Psicolog��a y delestudio de grado ���Desarrollo humano en la sociedad de la informaci��n��� de laUniversidad de Girona consta de 12 cr��ditos seg��n la Ley Org��nica de Universidades.Hasta el a��o acad��mico 2004-05 el trabajo no presencial del alumno consist��a en larealizaci��n de una evaluaci��n psicol��gica que se entregaba por escrito a final de curso yde la cual el estudiante obten��a una calificaci��n y revisi��n si se solicitaba. En el caminohacia el Espacio Europeo de Educaci��n Superior, esta asignatura consta de 9 cr��ditosque equivalen a un total de 255 horas de trabajo presencial y no presencial delestudiante. En los a��os acad��micos 2005-06 y 2006-07 se ha creado una gu��a de trabajopara la gesti��n de la actividad no presencial con el objetivo de alcanzar aprendizajes anivel de aplicaci��n y soluci��n de problemas/pensamiento cr��tico (Bloom, 1975)siguiendo las recomendaciones de la Agencia para la Calidad del Sistema Universitariode Catalu��a (2005). La gu��a incorpora: los objetivos de aprendizaje, los criterios deevaluaci��n, la descripci��n de las actividades, el cronograma semanal de trabajos paratodo el curso, la especificaci��n de las tutor��as programadas para la revisi��n de losdiversos pasos del proceso de evaluaci��n psicol��gica y el uso del foro para elconocimiento, an��lisis y cr��tica constructiva de las evaluaciones realizadas por loscompa��eros

The Library for learning service charter

Presentaci�� de la missi�� i els serveis per a l'aprenentatge que ofereix la Biblioteca Virtual de la UOC.

Developing models for online academic advising

Peer-reviewed

The organizational structure of online academic advising

Academic advising is a key element for learning success in virtual environments that has received little attention from researchers. This paper focuses on the organizational arrangements needed for the delivery of academic advising in online higher education. We present the general dimensions of organizational structures (division of labor, hierarchy of authority and formalization) and their possible forms when applied to academic advising. The specific solution adopted at the Open University of Catalonia is described and assessed in order to draw general conclusions of interest for other institutions.

Quality of Learners' Time and Learning Performance Beyond Quantitative Time-on-Task

Peer-reviewed

Engaging students in an e-learning experience : how to manage information resources through wikis and web blogs

The purpose of this paper is to describe the collaboration between librarians and scholars, from a virtual university, in order to facilitate collaborative learning on how to manage information resources. The personal information behaviour of e-learning students when managing information resources for academic, professional and daily life purposes was studied from 24 semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The results of the content analysis of the interview' transcriptions, highlighted that in the workplace and daily life contexts, competent information behaviour is always linked to a proactive attitude, that is to say, that participants seek for information without some extrinsic reward or avoiding punishment. In the academic context, it was observed a low level of information literacy and it seems to be related with a prevalent uninvolved attitude.

Time patterns and perceptions of online learning success factors

Online learning provides the opportunity to work on academic tasks at any time at the same time as doing other activities, such as using in web 2.0 tools. This study identifies factors that contribute to success in online learning from the students�� perspective and their relationship with time patterns. A survey of learning outputs was used to find relationships between students�� satisfaction, knowledge acquisition and knowledge transfer with time for working on academic tasks. In this study, 199 students from a university in Mexico completed the survey. Findings suggest that knowledge transfer has a significant association with the number of hours online per day, hours spent on social networks and the use made of e-learning during working hours. Learner satisfaction has a strong relationship with the time in years a learner has been using the Internet and the number of hours devoted to the course per week. The findings of this research will be helpful for faculty and instructional designers for implementing learning strategies.

An��lisis de una experiencia de aprendizaje basado en proyectos en la asignatura de Fundamentos de F��sica = Project based learning: analysis of an experience in Introductory Physics courses

In this work we present and analyze the application of an experience of Project Based Learning (PBL) in the matter of Physics II of the Industrial Design university degree (Girona University) during 2005-2006 courses. This methodology was applied to the Electrostatic and Direct Current subjects. Furthermore, evaluation and self evaluation results were shown and the academic results were compared with results obtained in the same subjects applying conventional teaching methods

Gesti��n de la actividad no presencial y autoevaluaci��n de competencias = Management of Student Learning Outside the Classroom and the Self-evaluation of Competences

Psychological Assessment is a core subject of Psychology studies, and of the university degree Human development, at the University of Girona and according to the University regulations, had 12 credits. Until the 2005-06 academic years, the student work conducted outside the classroom consisted of undertaking a psychological assessment that was written and handed in at the end of the course. From this the student obtained a qualification and a review if they applied for it In accordance with the European Credits for Higher Education, this subject was reduced to 9 credits, which is the equivalent of a total of 255 hours of in-class work and outside the classroom. In the 2006-07 academic year we created a guide to manage the student���s experiences outside the classroom, with the objective of encouraging the application of problem solving/critical thinking (Bloom, 1975), in line with the recommendations of the Catalonia Agency for University System Quality (2005). The guide includes: learning objectives, evaluation criterions, a description of activities, work week timetable for the whole course, programmed tutorials to review all steps of the psychological assessment process, and the use of a web-based virtual forum for the transfer of knowledge, analysis and constructive critiques of the assessment done by themselves and their colleagues

Undergraduate palliative care teaching in Swiss medical faculties: a nationwide survey and improved learning objectives.

BACKGROUND: In 2007, a first survey on undergraduate palliative care teaching in Switzerland has revealed major heterogeneity of palliative care content, allocation of hours and distribution throughout the 6 year curriculum in Swiss medical faculties. This second survey in 2012/13 has been initiated as part of the current Swiss national strategy in palliative care (2010 - 2015) to serve as a longitudinal monitoring instrument and as a basis for redefinition of palliative care learning objectives and curriculum planning in our country. METHODS: As in 2007, a questionnaire was sent to the deans of all five medical faculties in Switzerland in 2012. It consisted of eight sections: basic background information, current content and hours in dedicated palliative care blocks, current palliative care content in other courses, topics related to palliative care presented in other courses, recent attempts at improving palliative care content, palliative care content in examinations, challenges, and overall summary. Content analysis was performed and the results matched with recommendations from the EAPC for undergraduate training in palliative medicine as well as with recommendations from overseas countries. RESULTS: There is a considerable increase in palliative care content, academic teaching staff and hours in all medical faculties compared to 2007. No Swiss medical faculty reaches the range of 40 h dedicated specifically to palliative care as recommended by the EAPC. Topics, teaching methods, distribution throughout different years and compulsory attendance still differ widely. Based on these results, the official Swiss Catalogue of Learning Objectives (SCLO) was complemented with 12 new learning objectives for palliative and end of life care (2013), and a national basic script for palliative care was published (2015). CONCLUSION: Performing periodic surveys of palliative care teaching at national medical faculties has proven to be a useful tool to adapt the national teaching framework and to improve the recognition of palliative medicine as an integral part of medical training.