Model and methodology for developing empathy: an experience in computer science engineering

Contribution: This article proposes and applies a new systemic 3-D model and a methodology for empathy awareness and development, integrating different partial approaches found in the literature for developing empathy as a transversal competence. Background: Empathy is a competence linked to collaboration and teamwork. Perspective taking (PT) is an important component of empathy and it is key for professionals today. Even though empathy is valued in computer science engineering (CSE) courses, it is not yet fully addressed as an integral part of the training process. Intended Outcomes: Both the model and the methodology are put into practice with a group of first-year CSE students, highlighting the possibilities of the proposal for this course of studies. The experience presented here is an example of a classroom activity in which awareness and PT are addressed, as key components, in relation to the collaborative work toward achieving empathy. Application Design: The methodological proposal is applied to guide educators’ decisions so that they can work on empathy in the classroom. Responses to several standardized and ad-hoc questionnaires by students from two universities are analyzed. Findings: The results revealed low to medium empathy levels in participating students, but a higher perception of their own empathic ability. The proposed methodology allows students to become aware of and develop some initial changes in relation to empathy, particularly in its PT component, through classroom work

Analysis of Innovative Approaches in the Class Using Conceptual Maps and Considering the Learning Styles of Students

This paper presents innovations to stimulate the autonomy of engineering students by using different active methodologies. The strategies designed to address this problem are based on analyzing students' learning styles and incorporating specific tools into teaching practice, such as "M-eRoDes, " which supports the automatic evaluation and feedback of concept maps created by them. Among the main findings, the students' assessment of the activity "making concept maps" stands out as useful but not easy. Despite the difficulty, or precisely for that reason, the experience has contributed to improve their autonomy and to develop skills to express the knowledge they have learned

Reconsidering the water system of Roman Barcino (Barcelona) from supply to discharge

This paper presents the results of the ‘Roman Barcino Water Network’ Project. This study employed a series of methodologies aiming at joining and interpreting all data available on water supply, distribution, management, use and discharge in the Romancolony of Barcino (modern Barcelona). Analyses of the results substantially modified previous knowledge of Barcino’s water organization and provided one of the few examples in which the whole water system of a Roman city has been tackled. We concluded that the water supply employed a single aqueduct, which divided before entering the city and not two of them as it was previously assumed. Barcino’s water distribution system was designed according to the different uses of water and was conditioned by the city’s particular topography. The results also stress the colony’s ample water availability, which despite its small size, allowed the maintenance of multiple public and private baths as befitted an accommodated population of merchants and administrators

Death Metal: Evidence for the impact of lead poisoning on childhood health within the Roman Empire

The use of lead was ubiquitous throughout the Roman Empire, including material for water pipes, eating vessels, medicine, and even as a sweetener for wine. The toxicity of lead is well established today, resulting in long-term psychological and neurological deficits as well as metabolic diseases. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of lead, and it is likely that the widespread use of this deadly metal among Roman populations led to a range of adverse health effects. Indeed, lead poisoning has even been implicated in the downfall of the Roman Empire. This research examines, for the first time, the direct effect of lead poisoning on the inhabitants of the Empire. It explores whether the dramatic increase in lead during this period contributed to the failure to thrive evident within the skeletal remains of Roman children. Lead concentration and paleopathological analyses were used to explore the association between lead burdens and health during the Roman period. This study includes 173 individuals (66 adults and 107 non-adults) from five sites, AD 1st–4th centuries, located throughout the Roman Empire. Results show a negative correlation between age-at-death and core tooth enamel lead concentrations. Furthermore, higher lead concentrations were observed in children with skeletal evidence of metabolic disease than those without. This study provides the first bioarcheological evidence that lead poisoning was a contributing factor to the high infant mortality and childhood morbidity rates seen within the Roman world