Fomentando o respeto polo medioambiente e a reciclaxe en dous colectivos en risco de exclusión social a través do aprendizaxe-servizo

[Resumo] Neste traballo recóllense tres experiencias ApS realizadas no curso 2016/2017 co alumnado das materias Fundamentos de Física (1ºcurso) e Deseño e Procesado con Polímeros (4º curso) do Grado en Enxeñaría de Deseño Industrial e Desenvolvemento do Produto. O obxectivo era que o alumnado acadase certas competencias académicas e transversais da materia ao mesmo tempo que realizaba unha tarefa en beneficio de tres colectivos en risco de exclusión social; nenos/as con baixo rendemento académico, adultos desempregados e mulleres árabes. Para estes colectivos os estudantes prepararon e impartiron un taller; que no caso das nenas e dos nenos pretendía fomentar neles o respecto polo medioambiente e o pensamento crítico, no caso dos adultos formalos para a busca de emprego no sector dos plásticos e a reciclaxe e, no caso das mulleres árabes, fomentar os valores de convivencia social e o respecto polo medioambiente. O emprego desta ferramenta metodolóxica favoreceu a adquisición de competencias nos estudantes, a avaliación das mesmas polo docente, a relación profesor-estudante e a formación dos estudantes non só en contidos senón tamén en valores[Abstract] This works includes three service-learning experiences carried out in the 2016/2017 course with students of Engineering Degree in Industrial Design and Product Development. The subjects involved in the experiences were Fundamentals of Physics (1st year) and Design and Processing with Polymers (4th year) subjects. The objective was that the students achieve certain academic and transversal skills related with the subjects and, at the same time, carried out a task for the benefit of three groups at risk of social exclusion; children with low academic performance, unemployed adults and Arabian immigrant women. For each group, the students designed and taught a workshop. In the case of children, it was intended to encourage them environment respect and critical thinking; in the case of adults, to train them for searching job in plastic and recycling industries and in the case of arabian women, promote the values of social coexistence and environment respect. This methodology favoured skill acquisition in the students, the assessment by teacher, the teacher-student relationship and the training of students not only in content but also in values

Aprendendo e recordando xuntos experiencias ApS con persoas con enfermidade mental e Síndrome de Down

[Resumo] Neste traballo recóllense dúas experiencias ApS realizadas no curso 2017/2018 co alumnado da materia Fundamentos de Física (1ºcurso) do Grado en Enxeñaría de Deseño Industrial e Desenvolvemento do Produto. O servicio realizouse a dous colectivos; persoas con Alzheimer e persoas con síndrome de Down. O obxectivo era dobre; por unha banda os estudantes debían adquirir as competencias correspondentes á parte práctica da materia e pola outra banda debían tomar conciencia das necesidades de adaptación de materiais ou contornas que poden precisar estes colectivos para que o teñan en conta no seu futuro traballo como profesionais. No caso do colectivo de persoas con Alzheimer os estudantes prepararon un taller no que se traballou o uso da memoria e a psicomotricidade mediante experiencias de reciclaxe e reutilización. No caso das persoas con Síndrome de Down os estudantes prepararon unha feira científica con dous eixos: “A Física para a vida diaria” e “Reciclaxe, redución e reutilización” na que se fomentaron as relacións sociais, o consumo responsable e a aprendizaxe a través da experiencia. A actividade facilitou a adquisición de competencias (académicas e profesionais) e contribuíu a fomentar a responsabilidade social nos estudantes.[Abstract] This works includes two service-learning experiences carried out in the 2017/2018 course with students of Engineering Degree in Industrial Design. The subject involved in the experience was Fundamentals of Physics (1st year). Two groups were involved in the activity; Alzheimer’patients and Down syndrome people. There was a twofold objective; on the one hand, the students have to achieve practical skills of the subject and, on the other hand, to be more aware about the adaptation needs in materials and environments that these people have, in order to take into account in their professional future work. In the case of Alzheimer's group, the students prepared a workshop in which memory and psychomotricity were worked through experiences of recycling and reusing. In the case of people with Down Syndrome, students prepared a “Scientific Fair” with two main axes: "Physics for daily life" and "Recycling, reduction and reuse", the activities were focused on encouraging social relationships, responsible consumption and learning through experience. The activity facilitated the acquisition of competences (academic and professional) and contributed to promoting social responsibility in the students

Aprende física e divírtete

Banco de experiencias de Aprendizaxe Servizo. Convocatoria 2015/201

Aula de reciclaxe e consumo responsable

Banco de experiencias de Aprendizaxe Servizo. Convocatoria 2015/201

Screening of mucoadhesive vaginal gel formulations

Rational design of vaginal drug delivery formulations requires special attention to vehicle properties that optimize vaginal coating and retention. The aim of the present work was to perform a screening of mucoadhesive vaginal gels formulated with carbomer or carrageenan in binary combination with a second polymer (carbomer, guar or xanthan gum). The gels were characterised using in vitro adhesion, spreadability and leakage potential studies, as well as rheological measurements (stress and frequency sweep tests) and the effect of dilution with simulated vaginal fluid (SVF) on spreadability. Results were analysed using analysis of variance and multiple factor analysis. The combination of polymers enhanced adhesion of both primary gelling agents, carbomer and carrageenan. From the rheological point of view all formulations presented a similar behaviour, prevalently elastic and characterised by loss tangent values well below 1. No correlation between rheological and adhesion behaviour was found. Carbomer and carrageenan gels containing the highest percentage of xanthan gum displayed good in vitro mucoadhesion and spreadability, minimal leakage potential and high resistance to dilution. The positive results obtained with carrageenan-xanthan gum-based gels can encourage the use of natural biocompatible adjuvants in the composition of vaginal products, a formulation field that is currently under the synthetic domain.O planejamento racional de formulações para a liberação vaginal de fármacos requer atenção especial às propriedades do veículo, que otimizem o revestimento e a retenção vaginal. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma triagem de géis vaginais mucoadesivos formulados com carbomero ou carragenina em combinação binária com um segundo polímero (carbomero, goma guár ou xantana). Os géis foram caracterizados usando estudos in vitro de aderência, espalhabilidade e potencial de vazamento, bem como medições reológicas (testes de varredura de tensão e frequência) e o efeito de diluição com fluido vaginal simulado (SVF) na espalhabilidade. Os resultados foram analisados utilizando a análise de variância e de fator múltiplo. A combinação de polímeros reforçou a adesão de ambos os agentes gelificantes primários, carbomero e carragenina. Do ponto de vista reológico todas as formulações apresentaram comportamento semelhante, predominantemente elástico e caracterizado por valores de tangente de perda bem abaixo de 1. Não se encontrou correlação entre as medições reológicas e o comportamento de adesão. Os géis de carbomero e carragenina contendo o maior porcentual de goma xantana apresentaram melhor mucoadesão e espalhabilidade, menor potencial de vazamento e maior resistência à diluição in vitro. Os resultados positivos obtidos com géis de carragenina-goma xantana podem incentivar o uso de adjuvantes biocompatíveis naturais na composição dos produtos vaginais, um campo de formulação atualmente sob o domínio de produtos sintéticos

Desenvolvemento de competencias en estudantes implicados e non implicados nunha experiencia aprendizaxe-servizo

[Resumo] Neste traballo empregáronse dúas metodoloxías; o aprendizaxe baseado en proxectos (ABP) e o aprendizaxe-servizo (ApS) para abordar as competencias transversais da materia Fundamentos de Física de primeiro curso do Grao en Enxeñería de Deseño Industrial e Desenvolvemento do Produto. O obxectivo do traballo era valorar o impacto que tiña nos estudantes a participación nun ou noutro proxecto e avaliar as distintas competencias acadadas en función da metodoloxía docente empregada.Nas dúas metodoloxías o estudante é protagonista da súa propia aprendizaxe, favorecese a aprendizaxe cooperativa e colaborativa e, ademais, a avaliación de competencias resulta máis sinxela para o docente, pois pode seguir ao estudante durante todo o proceso. O ApS aporta un valor engadido xa que se realiza demais un servizo á comunidade contribuíndo así a formar os estudantes tamén en valores. A pesar de que todos acadaron as competencias académicas esperadas e outras coma mellora da autoconfianza ou capacidade para a toma de decisións, aqueles que estaban implicados na actividade ApS presentaron outras máis persoais coma empatía, aprender dos que son diferentes ou recoñecemento do seu potencial coma cidadáns e axentes do cambio social. Distintos proxectos ApS deron lugar tamén a distintas competencias[Abstract] In this work, two methodologies were used; project-based learning (PBL) and service –learning (S-L) to address the transversal skills of the subject “Fundamentals of Physics”. This subject is taught in the first year of the Degree in Engineering of Industrial Design and Product Development. The objectives of the work were; to assess the impact on the undergraduate students and to evaluate the skills reached, depending on the type of project in which they were involved. In both methodologies, the student is the protagonist of their own learning process, cooperative and collaborative learning are favoured and the skills evaluation is easier for the teacher, who follow the student during the whole process. Besides, S-L brings added value because a service to the community is performed, which helps to educate students also in values. All the students achieved the programmed skills and others, as self-confident or ability to take decisions. But besides, the undergraduate students involved in S-L activity achieved other personal skills, such as empathy, learning from those who are different or recognition of their potential as citizens and agents of social change. Different S-L projects also lead to different skills

Last Developments in Polymers for Wearable Energy Storage Devices

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] Our modern and technological society requests enhanced energy storage devices to tackle the current necessities. In addition, wearable electronic devices are being demanding because they offer many facilities to the person wearing it. In this manuscript, a historical review is made about the available energy storage devices focusing on super-capacitors and lithium-ion batteries, since they currently are the most present in the industry, and the possible polymeric materials suitable on wearable energy storage devices. Polymers are a suitable option because they not only possess remarkable mechanical resistance, flexibility, long life-times, easy manufacturing techniques and low cost in addition to they can be environmentally friendly, nontoxic, and even biodegradable too. Moreover, the electrical and electrochemical polymer properties can be tunning with suitable fillers giving to versatile conducting polymer composites with a good cost and properties' ratio. Although the advances are promising, there are still many drawbacks that need to be overcome. Future research should focus on improving both the performance of materials and their processability on an industrial scale, where additive manufacturing offers many possibilities. The sustainability of new energy storage devices should not be forgotten, encouraging the use of more environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes.The authors thank the financial support from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovation/FEDER (project ref; PID2020-116976RB-I00) and Xunta de Galicia-FEDER (Program of Consolidation and structuring competitive research units [ED431C 2019/17]). Funding for open access charge from Universidade da Coruña/CISUGXunta de Galicia; ED431C 2019/1

Service-Learning Projects in University Degrees Based on Sustainable Development Goals: Proposals and Results

[Abstract] We present several Service-Learning projects developed considering Sustainable Development Goals to provide the students skills for the support of a sustainable society. This project begins with collecting initial impressions from surveys and reflections to know both the students’ expectations and their degree of involvement in the development of a sustainable society. Next, the students design academic projects taking into account the needs of the specific collective to which the Service-Learning activity is oriented. When this design has finished, such projects are developed with the users and the activity is evaluated. During 2019–2020, these projects were done with four entities oriented to people either with Asperger’s syndrome, Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease or mental health illnesses. A total of 35 and 10 students, respectively, from the Bachelor’s Degree of Engineering in Industrial Design and Product Development and from the Master’s Degree in Professorship of High School have participated in this experience. We analyze the results from the perspective of the different agents involved, considering both qualitative and quantitative metrics. The results show that both users and staff are satisfied with this collaboration between the university and their entities. Moreover, this experience clearly has contributed to a better personal and professional student’s development.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2020/15Xunta de Galicia; ED431G2019/01Agencia Estatal de Investigación de España; TEC2016-75067-C4-1-RAgencia Estatal de Investigación de España; RED2018-102668-TAgencia Estatal de Investigación de España; PID2019-104958RB-C4

Moving to e-Service Learning in Higher Education

[Abstract] Service Learning is a methodology in which students achieve academic and transversal competences related to the curriculum of a subject while performing a service for the benefit of the community. With the COVID-19 pandemic, it was necessary to reorganize the Service Learning activities developed in recent years so that they do not lose their pedagogical value and community service. This scenario has been an opportunity to kick-start an e-Service Learning experience. For that purpose, this work shows how different Information and Communication Technology tools are integrated into an online platform to develop both activities and assessment following an e-Service Learning methodology. Since the experience was performed with two collaborating entities serving people with autism and in two schools of the University of A Coruña, the tools are available not only to professors and students, but also to entities. Our experience includes the assessment of both competences and service satisfaction using different resources for virtual collaborative work. The main contribution of our work is that we have greatly simplified our previous project on-site and also the monitoring of the student’s progress, the work of both professors and students, and the analysis of results, providing a virtual service that responds to user needs.This work has been funded by the Xunta de Galicia (by grants ED431C 2019/17 and ED431C 2020/15, and grant ED431G 2019/01 to support the Centro de Investigación de Galicia “CITIC”), the Agencia Estatal de Investigación of Spain (by grants PID2020-11697RG-I00, PID2020-118857RA-I00 and PID2019-104958RB-C42), and ERDF funds of the EU (FEDER Galicia 2014–2020 and AEI/FEDER Programs, UE)Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2019/17Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2020/15Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/0

Results of the use of Kahoot! gamification tool in a course of Chemistry

[EN] The present study examines the use of Kahoot! as a gamification tool to explore mixed learning strategies. We analyze its use in two different groups of a theoretical subject of the third course of the Degree in Chemistry. An empirical-analytical methodology was used using Kahoot! in two different groups of students, with different frequencies. The academic results of these two group of students were compared between them and with those obtained in the previous course, in which Kahoot! was not employed, with the aim of measuring the evolution in the students´ knowledge. The results showed, in all cases, that the use of Kahoot! has led to a significant increase in the overall marks, and in the number of students who passed the subject. Moreover, some differences were also observed in students´ academic performance according to the group. Finally, it can be concluded that the use of a gamification tool (Kahoot!) in a university classroom had generally improved students´ learning and marks, and that this improvement is more prevalent in those students who have achieved a better Kahoot! performance.Authors gratefully acknowledge funding (Universidad de Valladolid, Área de Formación e Innovación Docente; Project Nº12). The authors wish also to thank David Rixham (White Rose English School, Valladolid, Spain) for performing the English revision.http://ocs.editorial.upv.es/index.php/HEAD/HEAD18Ares, AM.; Bernal, J.; Nozal, MJ.; Sánchez, FJ.; Bernal, J. (2018). Results of the use of Kahoot! gamification tool in a course of Chemistry. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1215-1222. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAD18.2018.8179OCS1215122