Aprendizaje basado en juegos para aprender una segunda lengua en educación superior

Digital games offer a promising platform to engage students in second language practice. Recently, leading academics have made research contributions on the benefits of game-based learning. Hence, this study aims to gather empirical findings that shed light on the effectiveness of games in second language learning. To do this, a systematic literature review of scientific articles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus has been carried out, considering various inclusion/exclusion criteria. In total, ten scientific articles that meet all the inclusion/exclusion criteria have formed the sample and have served to answer the research questions posed. After a thorough analysis, evidence on both the pedagogical implications of digital game-based learning in second language acquisition and the effects of this form of learning on the development of skills and/or linguistic aspects stands out. Based on the results, it can be concluded that it is important for teachers to select games according to the type of competences they want to work on so that learning is meaningful and motivating. To this end, it is necessary for teachers to promote opportunities for interaction between peers that encourage second language practice and to offer additional help to students who have never played the game selected for second language learning.  Los juegos digitales ofrecen una plataforma prometedora para involucrar al alumnado en la práctica de un segundo idioma. Recientemente, académicos de renombre han hecho aportaciones en sus investigaciones sobre los beneficios del aprendizaje basado en juegos: De ahí que en esta investigación se trata de encontrar hallazgos empíricos que nos den luz sobre la efectividad de los juegos en el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua. Para ello, se ha realizado una revisión sistemática de literatura de artículos científicos indexados en Web of Science y Scopus atendiendo a diversos criterios de inclusión / exclusión. En total, se ha contado con una muestra de diez artículos científicos que cumplen todos los criterios de inclusión / exclusión, y que han servido para dar respuesta a las preguntas de investigación planteadas. Tras un minucioso análisis, se han resaltado evidencias sobre las implicaciones pedagógicas del digital game-based learning en el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua y los efectos en el desarrollo de habilidades y/o aspectos lingüísticos. De los resultados se extrae que es importante que los docentes seleccionen el juego, de acuerdo con el tipo de competencias que se quiere trabajar, para que el aprendizaje sea significativo y motivante. Para ello, es necesario que el profesorado promueva oportunidades de interacción entre compañeros, que favorezcan la práctica de una segunda lengua, y que ofrezca ayuda adicional al alumnado que nunca ha jugado al juego seleccionado para el aprendizaje de una segunda lengua

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

Strategies for Business Management Innovations to Improve Competitiveness

Some African business leaders were, in 2019, less competitive because they continue to use traditional business management practices and have failed to incorporate advanced technology. Taking advantage of new management strategies and innovative technology to increase their global competitiveness will benefit African businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study, grounded in Burns’ transformational leadership theory, was to explore strategies that business leaders in Seychelles have used to implement management innovations to improve competitiveness. The participants consisted of 5 business leaders from 5 large innovative business organizations operating successfully and based in Mahe, Seychelles. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with the participants and from official company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting the data, and drawing conclusions. The themes that emerged from the study were the importance of innovative business leaders, the critical role of the Internet and technological innovations for business competitiveness, and why having a competitive business environment contributes to business innovations and success. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business owners to improve organizational performance and create more job opportunities, resulting in a better local economy that provides families and local communities with a better standard of living. When business leaders apply a positive business culture and create an excellent work environment, the social well-being of their communities may also improve