Analogue-digital theaching application of new technologies to learning and continous evaluation in technical subjects in engineering and architecture higher education

Teaching technical subjects on Architecture and Engineering has been developed traditionally using lecture and master class methodology. During them, the professor presented the content using the resolution of practical problems as a complement for theoretical reasoning. This sessions were generally support by an analogic resource: the blackboard. In recent years, despite the introduction of new technologies in the classroom, this methodology has become more static. In most cases, explanations have been supported only by slides created with the assistance of computer programs, making into minority the use of the blackboard. This has produced the generalization of “death by PowerPoint” phaenomenon. With regard to evaluation systems, there have been no substantial changes between these two different teaching methods despite the widespread implementation of competency-based learning system introduced by European Higher Education Area (EHEA) since 1999. Learning of students continues being verified by the realization of a final exam about the theoretical and practical contents of the subject. This paper presents a teaching methodology focused on encouraging active student participation both during the course of the class and outside. The application of learning for information and communications technology (ICT) makes its essential basis. Simultaneously, a continuous evaluation system capable of maintaining the attention on the subject has been implemented. The static attendance combined with traditional evaluation systems by a final exam produces an accumulation of information by the student revised and learned just to pass the final exam. This scheme has been changed getting a higher motivation of students to the continuous learning process. This system has been applied since the 2012/2013 academic year in technical subjects of Bachelor in Architecture in the Universities of Malaga and Seville through an Educational Innovation Project financed by University of Malaga. Results obtained by this experience show an increasing involvement of students during the course of the classes as well as a better engagement during the whole semester. In addition the using of this methodology has had a positive impact on the pass rate of subjects being involved usually lower than the average of Bachelor and University degree.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Eleventh graders’ learning experiences through a whatsapp group in EFL.

In this twenty first century, it is known that technological advances have been having a notable influence in teenagers’ lifestyle. Actually, researchers have identified a situation in Moderno Engativá School, a private school in Bogota where eleventh graders use their cell phones interacting with social networks and applications throughout their classes. Consequently, instead of avoiding the use of these devices and apps, researchers decided to take advantage of these technological resources and use them as a support for the English class in order to promote different learning experiences and in this way analyzing them. Therefore, the objective of this research project was to analyze students’ learning experiences during the participation in a WhatsApp group in EFL. This qualitative study was an Action Research which generates a cycle on the situation identified. The pedagogical implementation was divided in six activities which involved the four language skills –speaking, writing, listening and reading- using that application in order to provide participants with a learning experience in which they could share and interact with their classmates. Lastly, the instruments chosen to collect data were a focus group implemented at the beginning, journals after each session during the implementation, and finally a questionnaire in which participants expressed the most significant experiences for them in a general way about all the activities developed in the WhatsApp group

Gateway to College: Lessons from Implementing a Rigorous Academic Program for At-Risk Young People

Despite efforts to improve the high school graduation rate in the United States, an estimated 7,200 students drop out of high school every day -- a staggering 1.3 million every year. Further, a recent report by the Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University projects that by 2020, nearly 65 percent of U.S. jobs will require at least some college education, out of reach for those who are unable to earn a high school diploma. Much more comprehensive alternative education programs are needed that put dropouts and students at risk of dropping out on a path to earn high school diplomas while also providing them with the academic skills and support necessary to be successful in their postsecondary pursuits

A gentle transition from Java programming to Web Services using XML-RPC

Exposing students to leading edge vocational areas of relevance such as Web Services can be difficult. We show a lightweight approach by embedding a key component of Web Services within a Level 3 BSc module in Distributed Computing. We present a ready to use collection of lecture slides and student activities based on XML-RPC. In addition we show that this material addresses the central topics in the context of web services as identified by Draganova (2003)

A framework for design engineering education in a global context

This paper presents a framework for teaching design engineering in a global context using innovative technologies to enable distributed teams to work together effectively across international and cultural boundaries. The DIDET Framework represents the findings of a 5-year project conducted by the University of Strathclyde, Stanford University and Olin College which enhanced student learning opportunities by enabling them to partake in global, team based design engineering projects, directly experiencing different cultural contexts and accessing a variety of digital information sources via a range of innovative technology. The use of innovative technology enabled the formalization of design knowledge within international student teams as did the methods that were developed for students to store, share and reuse information. Coaching methods were used by teaching staff to support distributed teams and evaluation work on relevant classes was carried out regularly to allow ongoing improvement of learning and teaching and show improvements in student learning. Major findings of the 5 year project include the requirement to overcome technological, pedagogical and cultural issues for successful eLearning implementations. The DIDET Framework encapsulates all the conclusions relating to design engineering in a global context. Each of the principles for effective distributed design learning is shown along with relevant findings and suggested metrics. The findings detailed in the paper were reached through a series of interventions in design engineering education at the collaborating institutions. Evaluation was carried out on an ongoing basis and fed back into project development, both on the pedagogical and the technological approaches

The Teaching of English Vocabulary through the Multisensory Approach to Older Adults in a Private Nursing Home in Pereira, Colombia

El siguiente documento es un proyecto de investigación cualitativo cuyo objetivo es integrar la teoría andragógica y el enfoque multisensorial para facilitar el aprendizaje de vocabulario en inglés a adultos mayores. Adicionalmente, este estudio es una iniciativa para incluir a los adultos mayores en un proceso de educación bilingüe ya que esta población casi no ha sido tomada en cuenta para la realización de proyectos bilingües. Por esta razón, este proyecto propone nuevas oportunidades para futuras investigaciones El presente estudio fue implementado en el hogar del anciano Casa Santa María en Pereira, Colombia. Este proyecto fue llevado a cabo en 10 clases en las cuales las participantes aprendieron 47 palabras relacionadas con su contexto inmediato. Las participantes del proyecto fueron cuatro mujeres, quienes tenían más de 60 años de edad. Las cuatro fueron consideradas como un proceso de muestreo típico intencional para recopilar los datos, los cuales fueron interpretados por los investigadores. Además, durante la implementación del estudio, tres métodos de recolección de datos fueron empleados: observaciones, diarios de campo, y entrevistas. Los datos recogidos fueron analizados aplicando la teoría fundada, y después de este análisis los datos sugirieron que a) las estrategias de aprendizaje autodirigido pueden facilitar el éxito del aprendizaje de vocabulario y b) los sentidos de los adultos mayores tienen diferentes usos dependiendo de la etapa de la clase. Para concluir, el enfoque multisensorial es efectivo para enseñar vocabulario en inglés a adultos mayores junto con los principios andragógicos

TLAD 2010 Proceedings:8th international workshop on teaching, learning and assesment of databases (TLAD)

This is the eighth in the series of highly successful international workshops on the Teaching, Learning and Assessment of Databases (TLAD 2010), which once again is held as a workshop of BNCOD 2010 - the 27th International Information Systems Conference. TLAD 2010 is held on the 28th June at the beautiful Dudhope Castle at the Abertay University, just before BNCOD, and hopes to be just as successful as its predecessors.The teaching of databases is central to all Computing Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems and Information Technology courses, and this year, the workshop aims to continue the tradition of bringing together both database teachers and researchers, in order to share good learning, teaching and assessment practice and experience, and further the growing community amongst database academics. As well as attracting academics from the UK community, the workshop has also been successful in attracting academics from the wider international community, through serving on the programme committee, and attending and presenting papers.This year, the workshop includes an invited talk given by Richard Cooper (of the University of Glasgow) who will present a discussion and some results from the Database Disciplinary Commons which was held in the UK over the academic year. Due to the healthy number of high quality submissions this year, the workshop will also present seven peer reviewed papers, and six refereed poster papers. Of the seven presented papers, three will be presented as full papers and four as short papers. These papers and posters cover a number of themes, including: approaches to teaching databases, e.g. group centered and problem based learning; use of novel case studies, e.g. forensics and XML data; techniques and approaches for improving teaching and student learning processes; assessment techniques, e.g. peer review; methods for improving students abilities to develop database queries and develop E-R diagrams; and e-learning platforms for supporting teaching and learning

The seamless integration of Web3D technologies with university curricula to engage the changing student cohort

The increasing tendency of many university students to study at least some courses at a distance limits their opportunities for the interactions fundamental to learning. Online learning can assist but relies heavily on text, which is limiting for some students. The popularity of computer games, especially among the younger students, and the emergence of networked games and game-like virtual worlds offers opportunities for enhanced interaction in educational applications. For virtual worlds to be widely adopted in higher education it is desirable to have approaches to design and development that are responsive to needs and limited in their resource requirements. Ideally it should be possible for academics without technical expertise to adapt virtual worlds to support their teaching needs. This project identified Web3D, a technology that is based on the X3D standards and which presents 3D virtual worlds within common web browsers, as an approach worth exploring for educational application. The broad goals of the project were to produce exemplars of Web3D for educational use, together with development tools and associated resources to support non-technical academic adopters, and to promote an Australian community of practice to support broader adoption of Web3D in education. During the first year of the project exemplar applications were developed and tested. The Web3D technology was found to be still in a relatively early stage of development in which the application of standards did not ensure reliable operation in different environments. Moreover, ab initio development of virtual worlds and associated tools proved to be more demanding of resources than anticipated and was judged unlikely in the near future to result in systems that non-technical academics could use with confidence. In the second year the emphasis moved to assisting academics to plan and implement teaching in existing virtual worlds that provided relatively easy to use tools for customizing an environment. A project officer worked with participating academics to support the teaching of significant elements of courses within Second LifeTM. This approach was more successful in producing examples of good practice that could be shared with and emulated by other academics. Trials were also conducted with ExitRealityTM, a new Australian technology that presents virtual worlds in a web browser. Critical factors in the success of the project included providing secure access to networked computers with the necessary capability; negotiating the complexity of working across education, design of virtual worlds, and technical requirements; and supporting participants with professional development in the technology and appropriate pedagogy for the new environments. Major challenges encountered included working with experimental technologies that are evolving rapidly and deploying new networked applications on secure university networks. The project has prepared the way for future expansion in the use of virtual worlds for teaching at USQ and has contributed to the emergence of a national network of tertiary educators interested in the educational applications of virtual worlds