How teachers' perceptions affect the academic and language assessment of immigrant children

Recent research evidences inconsistencies in teachers' practice regarding skills assessment of L2 students. Scientific evidence supports that less experienced teachers have lower orientation toward multiple task-tests for non-native students. Research questions: Whether school teachers as having different teaching training and unequal teaching experience with non-native students perceive differently a four-skills scale. Purpose of the study: This study intends to analyse the importance degree between the four skills/tasks: reading, writing, speaking and listening, in the perspective of school teachers. Method: 77 teachers, aged 32-62, with (and without) experience in teaching and adapting materials for immigrant students, divided into six groups according to their scientific domain. Assessment tools included a scale for judgement of four academic tasks adapted from the original “Inventory of Undergraduate and Graduate Level: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening Tasks (Rosenfeld, Leung & Ottman, 2001). Main Findings: 1) different degrees of importance attributed by teachers on tasks that should be included in academic and language test for immigrant students; 2) perceptions of teachers are determined by predictors in this order: scientific domain, experience with multicultural classes and lower prediction from teaching service and age; 3) different results between american and portuguese samples answering the same questionnaire.

French good practice guidelines for management of the risk of low back pain among workers exposed to manual material handling: Hierarchical strategy of risk assessment of work situations

International audience

Adaptação de um instrumento de rastreio cognitivo, o MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) para população cabo-verdiana

Dissertação de Mestrado, Neurociências Cognitivas e Neuropsicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2016

[In search of] Digital biomarkers for objective pain assessment

Pain is a highly complex phenomenon involving intricate neural systems, whose interactions with other physiological mechanisms are not fully understood. Standard pain assessment methods, relying on verbal communication, often fail to provide reliable and accurate information, which poses a critical challenge in the clinical context. In the era of ubiquitous and inexpensive physiological monitoring, coupled with the advancement of artificial intelligence, these new tools appear as the natural candidates to be tested to address such a challenge. This thesis aims to conduct experimental research to develop digital biomarkers for pain assessment. After providing an overview of the state-of-the-art regarding pain neurophysiology and assessment tools, methods for appropriately conditioning physiological signals and controlling confounding factors are presented. The thesis focuses on three different pain conditions: cancer pain, chronic low back pain, and pain experienced by patients undergoing neurorehabilitation. The approach presented in this thesis has shown promise, but further studies are needed to confirm and strengthen these results. Prior to developing any models, a preliminary signal quality check is essential, along with the inclusion of personal and health information in the models to limit their confounding effects. A multimodal approach is preferred for better performance, although unimodal analysis has revealed interesting aspects of the pain experience. This approach can enrich the routine clinical pain assessment procedure by enabling pain to be monitored when and where it is actually experienced, and without the involvement of explicit communication,. This would improve the characterization of the pain experience, aid in antalgic therapy personalization, and bring timely relief, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of patients suffering from pain.

Concepts and tools for comprehensive sustainability assessments for tourism destinations: a comparative review

This paper reviews a wide range of tools for comprehensive sustainability assessments at whole tourism destinations, covering socio-cultural, economic and environmental issues. It considers their strengths, weaknesses and site specific applicability. It is intended to facilitate their selection (and combination where necessary). Tools covered include Sustainability Indicators, Environmental Impact Assessment, Life Cycle Assessment, Environmental Audits, Ecological Footprints, Multi-Criteria Analysis and Adaptive Environmental Assessment. Guidelines for evaluating their suitability for specific sites and situations are given as well as examples of their use.

A educação tecnológica como disciplina de opção de escola e os novos desafios do professor no ano de transição

Relatório de estágio apresentado à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Ensino da Educação Visual e Tecnológica no Ensino Básico

Práticas de avaliação formativa na aula de matemática: um estudo no 2º ciclo

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa para obtenção de grau de mestre em Educação Matemática na Educação Pré- Escolar e nos 1º e 2º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Fluvial system restoration – case study: river Tua

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia do Ambiente, Perfil de Engenharia de Sistemas Ambientais

Ensino, aprendizagem e avaliação no Ensino Superior: Perspetivas e práticas

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências da Educação - Especialidade de Desenvolvimento Curricular

International journal of engineering education

This work presents an analysis of the assessment tools used by professors at the Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya to assess the generic competencies introduced in the Bachelor’s Degrees in Engineering. In order to conduct this study, a survey was designed and administered anonymously to a sample of the professors most receptive to educational innovation at their own university. All total, 80 professors responded to this survey, of whom 26% turned out to be members of the university’s own evaluation innovation group (https://www.upc.edu/rima/grups/grapa), GRAPA. This percentage represents 47% of the total GRAPA membership, meaning that nearly half of the professors most concerned about evaluation at the university chose to participate. The analysis of the variables carried out using the statistical program SPSS v19 shows that for practically 49% of those surveyed, rubrics are the tools most commonly used to assess generic competencies integrated in more specific ones. Of those surveyed, 60% use them either frequently or always. The most frequently evaluated generic competencies were teamwork (28%), problem solving (26%), effective oral and written communication (24%) and autonomous learning (13%), all of which constitute commonly recognized competencies in the engineering profession. A two-dimensional crosstabs analysis with SPSS v19 shows a significant correlation (Asymp. Sig. 0.001) between the type of tool used and the competencies assessed. However, no significant correlation was found between the type of assessment tool used and the type of subject, type of evaluation (formative or summative), frequency of feedback given to the students or the degree of student satisfaction, and thus none of these variables can be considered to have an influence on the kind of assessment tool used. In addition, the results also indicate that there are no significant differences between the instructors belonging to GRAPA and the rest of those surveyed

Web2.0, knowledge sharing and privacy in E-learning

Quand le E-learning a émergé il ya 20 ans, cela consistait simplement en un texte affiché sur un écran d'ordinateur, comme un livre. Avec les changements et les progrès dans la technologie, le E-learning a parcouru un long chemin, maintenant offrant un matériel éducatif personnalisé, interactif et riche en contenu. Aujourd'hui, le E-learning se transforme de nouveau. En effet, avec la prolifération des systèmes d'apprentissage électronique et des outils d'édition de contenu éducatif, ainsi que les normes établies, c’est devenu plus facile de partager et de réutiliser le contenu d'apprentissage. En outre, avec le passage à des méthodes d'enseignement centrées sur l'apprenant, en plus de l'effet des techniques et technologies Web2.0, les apprenants ne sont plus seulement les récipiendaires du contenu d'apprentissage, mais peuvent jouer un rôle plus actif dans l'enrichissement de ce contenu. Par ailleurs, avec la quantité d'informations que les systèmes E-learning peuvent accumuler sur les apprenants, et l'impact que cela peut avoir sur leur vie privée, des préoccupations sont soulevées afin de protéger la vie privée des apprenants. Au meilleur de nos connaissances, il n'existe pas de solutions existantes qui prennent en charge les différents problèmes soulevés par ces changements. Dans ce travail, nous abordons ces questions en présentant Cadmus, SHAREK, et le E-learning préservant la vie privée. Plus précisément, Cadmus est une plateforme web, conforme au standard IMS QTI, offrant un cadre et des outils adéquats pour permettre à des tuteurs de créer et partager des questions de tests et des examens. Plus précisément, Cadmus fournit des modules telles que EQRS (Exam Question Recommender System) pour aider les tuteurs à localiser des questions appropriées pour leur examens, ICE (Identification of Conflits in Exams) pour aider à résoudre les conflits entre les questions contenu dans un même examen, et le Topic Tree, conçu pour aider les tuteurs à mieux organiser leurs questions d'examen et à assurer facilement la couverture des différent sujets contenus dans les examens. D'autre part, SHAREK (Sharing REsources and Knowledge) fournit un cadre pour pouvoir profiter du meilleur des deux mondes : la solidité des systèmes E-learning et la flexibilité de PLE (Personal Learning Environment) tout en permettant aux apprenants d'enrichir le contenu d'apprentissage, et les aider à localiser nouvelles ressources d'apprentissage. Plus précisément, SHAREK combine un système recommandation multicritères, ainsi que des techniques et des technologies Web2.0, tels que le RSS et le web social, pour promouvoir de nouvelles ressources d'apprentissage et aider les apprenants à localiser du contenu adapté. Finalement, afin de répondre aux divers besoins de la vie privée dans le E-learning, nous proposons un cadre avec quatre niveaux de vie privée, ainsi que quatre niveaux de traçabilité. De plus, nous présentons ACES (Anonymous Credentials for E-learning Systems), un ensemble de protocoles, basés sur des techniques cryptographiques bien établies, afin d'aider les apprenants à atteindre leur niveau de vie privée désiré.

Façons de faire l’évaluation formative d’enseignants de français sénégalais : une analyse de leurs savoirs pratiques en contexte d’effectifs pléthoriques au Lycée.

Cette recherche documente les façons de faire l’évaluation formative d’enseignants de français du Lycée exerçant en contexte de classes pléthoriques au Sénégal. Le choix récent dans ce pays de l’approche par compétences invite à privilégier cette fonction de l’évaluation, au regard de son potentiel pour la progression des apprentissages des élèves (Allal & Mottier Lopez, 2005; Black & Wiliam, 2009; Morrissette, 2010). Cependant, les orientations ministérielles concernant sa mise en œuvre sont très générales, et jusqu’ici, la recherche a laissé dans l’ombre son application en contexte de classes pléthoriques. Puisant au domaine des savoirs pratiques (Schön, 1983) et à une vision interactive et située de l’évaluation formative (Mottier Lopez, 2007; Morrissette, 2010), j’ai conduit une démarche de recherche collaborative auprès de 14 enseignants de français exerçant dans le même Lycée, ponctuée par 6 entretiens de groupe. Un premier registre d’analyse a décrit des façons de faire rattachées à trois dimensions de la pratique de l’évaluation formative: l’analyse du contexte de la pratique, la construction négociée du savoir et la gestion de l’effectif. Un second registre d’analyse de leurs façons de faire en contexte d’«étrangeté culturelle» (Douville, 2002) a permis de conceptualiser leur savoir-évaluer en relation avec leur façon d’interpréter les problèmes qui se posent aux élèves, leur conception de l’erreur et leurs manières de réinventer les modes d’accomplissement traditionnels de l’évaluation ancrés dans la culture scolaire.

Le développement et la mise à l’essai d’une formation sur l’évaluation et la gestion du risque de violence à l’aide de la grille DASAfr. auprès d’intervenants dans le domaine de la psychiatrie légale

Rapport de stage présenté à la Faculté des sciences infirmières en vue de l'obtention du grade de Maître ès sciences (M.Sc.) en sciences infirmières option formation

Alteración del centro de gravedad y riesgo de caída en pacientes con trastornos neurológicos. Bogotá. 2014

Introducción: el objetivo de la rehabilitación en los pacientes neurológicos es reducir su discapacidad, potencializar su funcionalidad y promover su independencia para así permitirle desempeñar un rol activo en la comunidad. Por esta razón, es de gran importancia prevenir la aparición de eventos adversos en esta población mediante la detección temprana de factores de riesgo que conllevan a pacientes con enfermedad cerebro vascular a presentar caídas y a su vez le permita a los profesionales de la salud generar estrategias para minimizar su incidencia, complicaciones y/o secuelas. Objetivo: determinar los factores relacionados con la alteración del centro de gravedad y riesgos de caída en paciente con trastornos neurológicos Metodología: se realizó un estudio cuantitativo descriptivo exploratorio retrospectivo donde se tuvieron en cuenta pacientes diagnóstico de enfermedades neurológicas que presentaron o no antecedentes de caídas junto con otros criterios de inclusión y exclusión, tomados de las bases de datos de la institución Mobility Group. Resultados: Se evaluaron en total 19 sujetos (52,6 % hombres) con edad media de 48,37 años. Se clasificaron en dos grupos (alto y bajo riesgo de caída ) de pacientes según la aplicación de la escala de riesgo de caída de J.H. Downton a los cuales se aplicó estadística descriptiva para describir su comportamiento en referencia a factores como diagnóstico clínico, presencia de dolor, fuerza y tono de miembros inferiores en los principales grupos musculares , clasificación de espasticidad y finalmente con la alteración de la trayectoria del centro de gravedad según la valoración realizada con el dispositivo THERA-TRAINER BALANCE.

Design and management of sustainable built environments

The United Nation Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes it clear that climate change is due to human activities and it recognises buildings as a distinct sector among the seven analysed in its 2007 Fourth Assessment Report. Global concerns have escalated regarding carbon emissions and sustainability in the built environment. The built environment is a human-made setting to accommodate human activities, including building and transport, which covers an interdisciplinary field addressing design, construction, operation and management. Specifically, Sustainable Buildings are expected to achieve high performance throughout the life-cycle of siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and demolition, in the following areas: • energy and resource efficiency; • cost effectiveness; • minimisation of emissions that negatively impact global warming, indoor air quality and acid rain; • minimisation of waste discharges; and • maximisation of fulfilling the requirements of occupants’ health and wellbeing. Professionals in the built environment sector, for example, urban planners, architects, building scientists, engineers, facilities managers, performance assessors and policy makers, will play a significant role in delivering a sustainable built environment. Delivering a sustainable built environment needs an integrated approach and so it is essential for built environment professionals to have interdisciplinary knowledge in building design and management . Building and urban designers need to have a good understanding of the planning, design and management of the buildings in terms of low carbon and energy efficiency. There are a limited number of traditional engineers who know how to design environmental systems (services engineer) in great detail. Yet there is a very large market for technologists with multi-disciplinary skills who are able to identify the need for, envision and manage the deployment of a wide range of sustainable technologies, both passive (architectural) and active (engineering system),, and select the appropriate approach. Employers seek applicants with skills in analysis, decision-making/assessment, computer simulation and project implementation. An integrated approach is expected in practice, which encourages built environment professionals to think ‘out of the box’ and learn to analyse real problems using the most relevant approach, irrespective of discipline. The Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environment book aims to produce readers able to apply fundamental scientific research to solve real-world problems in the general area of sustainability in the built environment. The book contains twenty chapters covering climate change and sustainability, urban design and assessment (planning, travel systems, urban environment), urban management (drainage and waste), buildings (indoor environment, architectural design and renewable energy), simulation techniques (energy and airflow), management (end-user behaviour, facilities and information), assessment (materials and tools), procurement, and cases studies ( BRE Science Park). Chapters one and two present general global issues of climate change and sustainability in the built environment. Chapter one illustrates that applying the concepts of sustainability to the urban environment (buildings, infrastructure, transport) raises some key issues for tackling climate change, resource depletion and energy supply. Buildings, and the way we operate them, play a vital role in tackling global greenhouse gas emissions. Holistic thinking and an integrated approach in delivering a sustainable built environment is highlighted. Chapter two demonstrates the important role that buildings (their services and appliances) and building energy policies play in this area. Substantial investment is required to implement such policies, much of which will earn a good return. Chapters three and four discuss urban planning and transport. Chapter three stresses the importance of using modelling techniques at the early stage for strategic master-planning of a new development and a retrofit programme. A general framework for sustainable urban-scale master planning is introduced. This chapter also addressed the needs for the development of a more holistic and pragmatic view of how the built environment performs, , in order to produce tools to help design for a higher level of sustainability and, in particular, how people plan, design and use it. Chapter four discusses microcirculation, which is an emerging and challenging area which relates to changing travel behaviour in the quest for urban sustainability. The chapter outlines the main drivers for travel behaviour and choices, the workings of the transport system and its interaction with urban land use. It also covers the new approach to managing urban traffic to maximise economic, social and environmental benefits. Chapters five and six present topics related to urban microclimates including thermal and acoustic issues. Chapter five discusses urban microclimates and urban heat island, as well as the interrelationship of urban design (urban forms and textures) with energy consumption and urban thermal comfort. It introduces models that can be used to analyse microclimates for a careful and considered approach for planning sustainable cities. Chapter six discusses urban acoustics, focusing on urban noise evaluation and mitigation. Various prediction and simulation methods for sound propagation in micro-scale urban areas, as well as techniques for large scale urban noise-mapping, are presented. Chapters seven and eight discuss urban drainage and waste management. The growing demand for housing and commercial developments in the 21st century, as well as the environmental pressure caused by climate change, has increased the focus on sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS). Chapter seven discusses the SUDS concept which is an integrated approach to surface water management. It takes into consideration quality, quantity and amenity aspects to provide a more pleasant habitat for people as well as increasing the biodiversity value of the local environment. Chapter eight discusses the main issues in urban waste management. It points out that population increases, land use pressures, technical and socio-economic influences have become inextricably interwoven and how ensuring a safe means of dealing with humanity’s waste becomes more challenging. Sustainable building design needs to consider healthy indoor environments, minimising energy for heating, cooling and lighting, and maximising the utilisation of renewable energy. Chapter nine considers how people respond to the physical environment and how that is used in the design of indoor environments. It considers environmental components such as thermal, acoustic, visual, air quality and vibration and their interaction and integration. Chapter ten introduces the concept of passive building design and its relevant strategies, including passive solar heating, shading, natural ventilation, daylighting and thermal mass, in order to minimise heating and cooling load as well as energy consumption for artificial lighting. Chapter eleven discusses the growing importance of integrating Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) into buildings, the range of technologies currently available and what to consider during technology selection processes in order to minimise carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. The chapter draws to a close by highlighting the issues concerning system design and the need for careful integration and management of RETs once installed; and for home owners and operators to understand the characteristics of the technology in their building. Computer simulation tools play a significant role in sustainable building design because, as the modern built environment design (building and systems) becomes more complex, it requires tools to assist in the design process. Chapter twelve gives an overview of the primary benefits and users of simulation programs, the role of simulation in the construction process and examines the validity and interpretation of simulation results. Chapter thirteen particularly focuses on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation method used for optimisation and performance assessment of technologies and solutions for sustainable building design and its application through a series of cases studies. People and building performance are intimately linked. A better understanding of occupants’ interaction with the indoor environment is essential to building energy and facilities management. Chapter fourteen focuses on the issue of occupant behaviour; principally, its impact, and the influence of building performance on them. Chapter fifteen explores the discipline of facilities management and the contribution that this emerging profession makes to securing sustainable building performance. The chapter highlights a much greater diversity of opportunities in sustainable building design that extends well into the operational life. Chapter sixteen reviews the concepts of modelling information flows and the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), describing these techniques and how these aspects of information management can help drive sustainability. An explanation is offered concerning why information management is the key to ‘life-cycle’ thinking in sustainable building and construction. Measurement of building performance and sustainability is a key issue in delivering a sustainable built environment. Chapter seventeen identifies the means by which construction materials can be evaluated with respect to their sustainability. It identifies the key issues that impact the sustainability of construction materials and the methodologies commonly used to assess them. Chapter eighteen focuses on the topics of green building assessment, green building materials, sustainable construction and operation. Commonly-used assessment tools such as BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED) and others are introduced. Chapter nineteen discusses sustainable procurement which is one of the areas to have naturally emerged from the overall sustainable development agenda. It aims to ensure that current use of resources does not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Chapter twenty is a best-practice exemplar - the BRE Innovation Park which features a number of demonstration buildings that have been built to the UK Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes. It showcases the very latest innovative methods of construction, and cutting edge technology for sustainable buildings. In summary, Design and Management of Sustainable Built Environment book is the result of co-operation and dedication of individual chapter authors. We hope readers benefit from gaining a broad interdisciplinary knowledge of design and management in the built environment in the context of sustainability. We believe that the knowledge and insights of our academics and professional colleagues from different institutions and disciplines illuminate a way of delivering sustainable built environment through holistic integrated design and management approaches. Last, but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the chapter authors for their contribution. I would like to thank David Lim for his assistance in the editorial work and proofreading.