Digital Systems for Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning

Today, Digital Systems and Services for Technology Supported Learning and Education are recognized as the key drivers to transform the way that individuals, groups and organizations “learn” and the way to “assess learning” in 21st Century. These transformations influence: Objectives - moving from acquiring new “knowledge” to developing new and relevant “competences”; Methods – moving from “classroom” based teaching to “context-aware” personalized learning; and Assessment – moving from “life-long” degrees and certifications to “on-demand” and “in-context” accreditation of qualifications. Within this context, promoting Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning, is currently a key issue in the public discourse and the global dialogue on Education, including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and Flipped School Classrooms. This volume on Digital Systems for Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning contributes to the international dialogue between researchers, technologists, practitioners and policy makers in Technology Supported Education and Learning. It addresses emerging issues related with both theory and practice, as well as, methods and technologies that can support Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning. In the twenty chapters contributed by international experts who are actively shaping the future of Educational Technology around the world, topics such as: - The evolution of University Open Courses in Transforming Learning - Supporting Open Access to Teaching and Learning of People with Disabilities - Assessing Student Learning in Online Courses - Digital Game-based Learning for School Education - Open Access to Virtual and Remote Labs for STEM Education - Teachers’ and Schools’ ICT Competence Profiling - Web-Based Education and Innovative Leadership in a K-12 International School Setting are presented. An in-depth blueprint of the promise, potential, and imminent future of the field, Digital Systems for Open Access to Formal and Informal Learning is necessary reading for researchers and practitioners, as well as, undergraduate and postgraduate students, in educational technology.

The Future of Ubiquitous Learning

This book explores emerging pedagogical perspectives based on the design of new learning spaces supported by digital technologies and brings together some of the best research in this field. The book is divided into three themes: foundations of emerging pedagogies, learning designs for emerging pedagogies and, adaptive and personalized learning. The chapters provide up-to-date information about new pedagogical proposals, and examples for acquiring the requisite skills to both design and support learning opportunities that improve the potential of available technologies.

Tailored instructional methods for students with diverse levels of computer knowledge and skills

The purpose of this online course is to ensure new nursing graduate students know how to use computer technologies required to complete academic and research activities. Powerful computers, high speed internet, digitalized resources and databases are widely available in educational institutes. New renovation and updates are being released at faster pace than ever. All these developments are necessary for a student to utilize computer programs and synthesize large amount of data in a limited time for any given academic research project. [See PDF for complete abstract]

Modularity and Integrity Issues in Instructional Engineering

Course materials for e-learning are a special type of information system (IS). Thus, in the development of educational material one may learn from principles, methods, and tools that originated in the Software Engineering (SE) discipline and that are relevant in similar ways in "Instructional Engineering". An important SE principle is mo dularization, which supports properties like reusability and adaptability of code. To foster the adaptability of courseware we present a concept in which learning material is organized as a library of modular course objects. A certain lecturer may customize the courseware according to his specific course requirements. He must consider logical dependencies of and relationship integrity between selected course objects. We discuss integrity issues that have to be regarded for the composition of consistent course materials.

Introduction to public health preparedness for disaster and emergency response

The unprecedented attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent anthrax-related events thrust our nation's often forgotten public health system into the forefront of public attention. A strong public health system with a well-prepared workforce plays a critical role in preparing for and responding to the threat of bioterrorism and other disasters and emergencies. Technical expertise is critical as is a basic awareness and understanding of core public health competencies especially as they relate to disaster and emergency response is also imperative for a public health agency to function as a vital Emergency Response team member. Ideally this training should begin at the Public Health graduate level so as to provide the baseline core tools to be able to function as a vital team member when they are practicing out in the real world. Online learning is an efficient and effective method for providing public health education to in a flexible format to meet the needs of busy student-professions. This Public Health Disaster Preparedness online course developed during an Emergency Response state program practicum is a practical and proficient approach to accomplish this endeavor. ^

Process evaluation of intervention program for prevention of early sexual activity and alcohol use among Hispanic teenagers

Hispanic teens are a high-risk population for initiation of early sexual activity and alcohol use which in turn has numerous social and health consequences. One strategy to address prevention of these behaviors is to implement a capacity building intervention that promotes parent child communication, encompasses their cultural values and community participation. This study describes the process evaluation of a pilot intervention program amongst Hispanic teens and their families living along the Texas-Mexico border. “Girls Lets Talk” is a small group intervention with 10-14 year old teens and their female adult family members that involves education regarding effects of alcohol use and sexual activity as well as activities for monitoring and refusal skills to prevent risky behaviors. Two waves of the program each consisting of at least seven mother daughter dyads were conducted. During the designing process, community advisory board meetings and focus groups were held to review course materials and ensure they were appropriate to the Mexican American culture. Parent and adolescent surveys were administered at the beginning and end of the intervention to assess for psychosocial outcome variables. All sessions received high mean satisfactory scores (mean of 4.00 or better on a five point scale) for both adult and adolescent participants. Qualitative feedback was obtained via debriefing sessions to evaluate experience as well as alter recruitment strategies. A Wilcoxon Sign Rank analysis of the pre and post intervention surveys was done that showed significant changes in some outcome variables such as intentions and confidence for monitoring behaviors for adults and beliefs regarding sexual activity. “Girls Lets Talk” is a promising example of how a process evaluation plan can help develop a theory based health promotion program using the community based participatory research approach. The intervention may also be effective in altering intentions and enhancing self-efficacy among parents and teens in order to decrease risky behaviors such as early sexual activity and alcohol use.^

Report on the practice based culminating experience as teaching assistant for "Pathology and Public Health" class taught at University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston

Objectives. The objectives of this report were to describe current best standards in online education, class competencies, class objectives, class activities and to compare the class competencies, objectives and activities undertaken with the current best practices in online teaching and to provide a list of recommendations based on the most efficacious practices. ^ Methods. Utilizing the key words- online teaching, national standards, quality, online courses, I: (1) conducted a search on Google to find the best standard for quality online courses; the search yielded National Standards for Quality Online Teaching as the gold standard in online course quality; (2) specified class objectives and competencies as well as major activities undertaken as a part of the class. Utilizing the Southern Regional Education Board evaluation checklist for online courses, I: (1) performed an analysis comparing the class activities, objectives, and competencies with the current best standards; (2) utilized the information obtained from the analysis and class experiences to develop recommendations for the most efficacious online teaching practices. ^ Results. The class met the criteria set by the Southern Regional Education Board for evaluating online classes completely in 75%, partially in 16% and did not meet the criteria in 9% cases. The majority of the parameters in which the class did not meet the standards (4 of 5) were due to technological reasons beyond the scope of the class instructor, teaching assistant and instructional design. ^ Discussion. Successful online teaching requires awareness of technology, good communication, methods, collaboration, reflection and flexibility. Creation of an online community, engaging online learners and utilizing different learning styles and assessment methods promote learning. My report proposes that online teaching should actively engage the students and teachers with multiple interactive strategies as evidenced from current best standards of online education and my “hands-on” work experience. ^ Conclusion. The report and the ideas presented are intended to create a foundation for efficacious practice on the online teaching platform. By following many of the efficacious online practices described in the report and adding from their own experiences, online instructors and teaching assistants can contribute to effective online learning. ^

Propuesta de actividades de autoaprendizaje para el nivel A2 de lengua inglesa en la plataforma Moodle

Los objetivos de este proyecto son proporcionar la teoría, los ejercicios y otros recursos necesarios para que los alumnos de la EUIT de Telecomunicación con un nivel A1 en el Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas (MCERL) puedan obtener el nivel A2 en inglés sin necesidad de asistir a clases ni matricularse en cursos presenciales. La plataforma utilizada para conseguir este fin es Moodle, siendo utilizada en la página web de ILLLab. Este curso online sirve para alcanzar los conocimientos requeridos en la asignatura optativa Introduction to English for Professional and Academic Communication I que parte del nivel B1. Se realiza una propuesta de la gramática con sus correspondientes ejemplos y ejercicios basados todos ellos en adaptaciones de actividades publicadas en un corpus de libros de texto. Se añaden recursos (pequeñas lecturas, videos, enlaces) que se consideran apropiados para el tema tratado. Por otro lado, también se persigue solucionar el problema de los cursos de idiomas basados en e-learning ya que no proporcionan las herramientas necesarias para poner en práctica la expresión oral. Para ello, se aporta una aplicación basada en técnicas de reconocimiento de voz, con tres actividades en las que los resultados han de darse de forma hablada y con la correcta pronunciación. Así, se busca dar una base de conocimientos y experiencias prácticas para futuros proyectos basados en herramientas de síntesis y reconocimiento de voz, además de buscar un nuevo enfoque en el estudio de idiomas. Abstract: The objectives of this project are to provide the theory, exercises and other resources for students at the EUIT Telecommunications with A1 level in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (MCERL) in order to get A2 level in English without attending face-to-face courses. The platform used to achieve this aim is Moodle, which is currently being used in ILLLab website. This online course is due to attain the knowledge required in the optional subject Introduction to English for Professional and Academic Communication I which is based on the B1 level. It is a proposal of grammar with corresponding examples and exercises all based on adaptations of activities posted on a corpus of textbooks. It also adds resources (short readings, videos or links) that are appropriate for the subject. On the other hand, this project aims to solve the problem of language courses based on e-learning because these do not usually provide the student with the necessary tools to practice speaking. For this, we develop an application based on speech recognition techniques and propose three activities to practice speaking, and pronunciation. The proposal seeks to provide knowledge and practical experience for future projects based on synthesis tools and voice recognition, and means a new approach to e-learning courses for the study of languages.

UniMOOC: trabajo colaborativo e innovación educativa

Desde que en 2007-2008 se pusiera en práctica por vez primera la metodología MOOC (Cursos Abierto Online y Masivo), el proceso de innovación educativa se ha acelerado gracias a iniciativas tan potentes como Udacity, Coursera o MITx. Su impacto potencial en el mundo universitario y de la enseñanza en general han llevado a replantear el futuro de la educación a gran escala. El éxito de los MOOCs ha sido exponencial, desde los 50 matriculados en el curso de David Wiley sobre Educación Abierta (año 2007) hasta los más de 2.5 millones de inscritos en Coursera en 2012. Hasta este punto, se ha vivido un proceso de reafirmación y apuesta por el modelo tanto por parte de la sociedad como de las instituciones educativas de mayor prestigio en el mundo. A pesar de encontrarnos aun en un marco metodológico claramente experimental, ya nadie puede negar el éxito cosechado por los MOOCs y el previsible futuro que parece aguardarles. En este documento se presenta el caso UniMOOC como el primer MOOC para emprendedores en español, un proyecto que comienza a definirse en la primavera de 2012, y que cuenta con una proyección orientada a alcanzar los 60.000 alumnos en su primera edición.

Estrategia MOOC en la Universidad de Alicante para la Educación Digital del Futuro. UA|edf

La Universidad de Alicante es una de las instituciones de educación superior que ha querido recoger el guante lanzado por la reciente aparición de los cursos en abierto, en línea y masivos (MOOC — Massive Open Online Course) para emprender una iniciativa propia que hemos denominado Educación Digital para el Futuro (UA|edf). Pero antes de tomar decisiones, había que analizar el estado de la situación y, sobre todo, su posible evolución. En este trabajo se expone de forma sintetizada el estudio realizado, se describe la estrategia de implementación adoptada en nuestra institución junto con las decisiones funcionales, técnicas y tecnológicas empleadas para su rápida puesta en marcha y, para finalizar, se discute una política de federación con otras instituciones cuya finalidad es alcanzar una propuesta realista y sostenible.

Consideraciones iniciales del cambio de metodología presencial a MOOC. El caso de Sistemas Inteligentes

La evolución tecnológica afecta a todas las parcelas de actividad humana. Entre los aspectos más sensibles a esta evolución se encuentran la enseñanza y el aprendizaje tanto por su impacto en las competencias profesionales como por su uso para mejorar la calidad y relevancia de la docencia. Los profesores deben asumir un papel director ante esta situación que con el tiempo gana en protagonismo, siendo fundamental abordar la adaptación al cambio metodológico que supone la emergencia de la docencia on-line y la cada vez mayor presencia de los MOOC (acrónimo en inglés de massive open online course). En este trabajo se analiza la docencia on-line de materias de Inteligencia Artificial (IA), utilizando el paradigma de los MOOC como referencia. A tal fin, se revisan las características de los MOOC, sus aspectos metodológicos y sistemas de evaluación. Se particulariza el estudio de los MOOC en IA comparándolos con el enfoque de carácter presencial de la asignatura Sistemas Inteligentes. El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar los aspectos que deberían reenfocarse en esta materia bajo el paradigma MOOC. Deseamos destacar el soporte de la “Red de Investigación en Sistemas Inteligentes. Revisión de objetivos y contenidos de IA en el grado de Ingeniería Informática dentro del EESS” Código de Red ICE: 3300.

Segurança na internet para encarregados de educação : desenvolvimento de um MOOC

Trabalho de projeto de mestrado, Educação e Formação (Área de especialização em E-Learning e Formação a Distância), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2016

Moocs desenvolvidos no ensino superior português : análise de modelos pedagógicos e estratégias de funcionamento utilizados

Dissertação de mestrado, Educação e Formação (Área de especialidade E-learning e Formação a Distância), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2016

Patenting Systems, Patentable Subject Matter, and Prior Art

The International School of Solid State Physics presented the 56th Course"Materials for Renewable Energy” in Erice (Italy), from July 18th to 28th 2012. This course was sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Scientific Research, the Materials Research Society and the European Materials Research Society. The event was hosted at the "Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture”. The school reviewed critical materials issues for the production and storage of renewable and sustainable energy. The aim of the School was to present the state-of-the-art and future perspectives in this critical area. It was to bring together the international community of students, young scientists, and experts in a unique atmosphere for reciprocal benefits in terms of enthusiasm, knowledge and new ideas.

Business information systems:technology, development and management for the e-business with Webct pin card

This is an online course pack consisting of Chaffey: Business Information Systems ISBN: 027365540X and access to a Pearson Education online course ISBN: 0273673491