Online readiness in universities from disabled students’ perspective

The aim of online universities is to increase learning accessibility for all students. After some years of existence, online higher education should be analysed in terms of its preparedness to meet the learning needs of people with disabilities. This paper presents a study that sheds light on the level of readiness of online higher education institutions by examining students’ views of a well-established online university, using a research-based questionnaire. The research involves all students with disabilities studying at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), with an effective participation of 421 students. The conclusion of the paper is generally highly positive concerning the extent to which the university has overcome barriers and provided satisfactory academic accommodations. However, the results do indicate a need for a more comprehensive and specific solutions for dealing with unmet needs, especially for those students with mental disabilities

Interaction patterns over time in online discussion

The following study aimed at exploring and understanding how higher education students develop interconnections and interaction patterns over time during an online collaborative task using a form of online discussion. A micro-genetic study was carried out by zooming in into four groups of students that showed extreme grading results in their final product. The study took place in a Psychology course at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) where 63 students participated in a two-week online discussion using two different interactive tools. These two different types of online discussion did not appear to affect students' interaction patterns, but groups using the Annotation tool did focus more on cognitive matters, while the space for discussion at the UOC had a more balanced focus on both social and cognitive dimensions. Continuous and meaningful feedback also proved to provide important conditions for this type of online collaborative task, which requires students to construct and maintain a shared conception of a problem over time

Imagen, evocación y relato

Actualmente, encontramos en la etapa de secundaria un número importante de adolescentes que muestran serias dificultades a la hora de poder expresar los conocimientos adquiridos durante el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Las causas que pueden aparecer tras esta dificultad pueden ser diversas. Este trabajo se centra en aquellos adolescentes que no mostrando ninguna causa que justifique aparentemente su dificultad de actuación en este ámbito, parecen tener problemas a la hora de expresarse a partir de la lengua escrita. Para estudiar estos aspectos hemos seleccionado un grupo de estudiantes de edades comprendidas entre los 14 y 15 años, procedentes de las unidades de adaptación curricular (UACs) a los que se les presentó una información visual (video-clip musical en lengua inglesa) con una estructura narrativa mediante la cual podían interpretar el texto verboicónico. Posteriormente se administró una ficha en la cual debían responder por escrito a una serie de preguntas sobre los vídeos que permitían estudiar diferentes estructuras y procesos relacionados con la lengua escrita. Los resultados muestran diferentes actuaciones que permiten localizar las dificultades de la lengua escrita en diferentes niveles de procesamiento

ePatients on YouTube: analysis of four experiences from the patient's perspective

Background: Many patients share their personal experiences and opinions using online video platforms. These videos are watched by millions of health consumers and health care professionals. Although it has become a popular phenomenon, little is known about patients who share videos online and why they do so. Objective: We aimed to explore the motivations and challenges faced by patients who share videos about their health and experiences on YouTube. As part of a conference discussion, we asked several patients actively engaged on YouTube to make a video explaining their motivations. This paper discusses these videos. Methods: In this qualitative study, we performed an analysis of the videos created by 4 patients about their self-reported motivations and challenges they face as YouTube users. First, two judges compared the transcriptions and decided the exact wording when confusing content was found. Second, two judges categorized the content of the videos to identify the major themes. Results: Four main categories emerged: (1) the origin or cause for making the first video, (2) the objectives that they achieve by continuing to make videos, (3) the perception of community, and (4) the negative consequences of the experience. Conclusions: The main reason for making videos was to bridge the gap between traditional health information about their diseases and everyday life. The first consequence of sharing their life on YouTube was a loss of privacy. However, they also experienced the positive effects of expressing their feelings, being part of a large community of peers, and helping others to deal with a chronic condition

Big Data y Psicología: ¿una oportunidad para el Internet de las Personas?

En este trabajo se reflexiona sobre el concepto big data y su relación con la Psicología en ámbitos como la evaluación, la intervención, la investigación y la docencia. El concepto big data hace referencia literal al uso de grandes bases de datos, pero también a las tecnologías y metodologías que permiten recogerlas a través de dispositivos de diversos tipos, entre los que destaca el teléfono inteligente o smartphone.La Psicología no puede ser ajena al desarrollo de esta tecnología, y debe trabajar a varios niveles para hacer posible que los profesionales accedan lo antes posible a estas herramientas, y se pase de la mera fascinación a la concreción de estudios y a la investigación para que contribuyan al avance de la disciplina

Estudio piloto de diseño de un sitio web para el bienestar de cuidadores de niños con parálisis cerebral

The objective is to present a website designed to improve the quality of life of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy and show data concerning its usefulness. The website was developed in accordance with scientific literature about caregivers' burden. We organized the website around different sections (e.g. family communication, learning to relax) and social support forums. The interactive features of the site were designed to accommodate different caregivers' needs and enable them to choose different pathways according to their own individual needs. Participants were 10 caregivers who took part in a pilot study and completed a questionnaire to analyze the usefulness of the website after five months using it. Preliminary results suggested that the website was useful for participants. The most useful sections were the 'peer-to-peer' and the professional forums. This study shows the potential of an online intervention for parents of children with cerebral palsy.El objetivo del artículo es presentar un sitio web diseñado para mejorar la calidad de vida de cuidadores de niños con parálisis cerebral y mostrar los datos correspondientes a su utilidad. Este sitio fue desarrollado acorde con la literatura científica sobre el tema de carga de los cuidadores y se organizó en torno a diferentes secciones (comunicación familiar, aprender a relajarse, entre otros) y foros de apoyo social. Las características interactivas del sitio fueron diseñadas para satisfacer las necesidades de los cuidadores, eligiendo diferentes caminos en función de las propias. En el estudio piloto participó una muestra de 10 cuidadores que completaron un cuestionario para analizar la utilidad del sitio web después de cinco meses de usarlo. Los resultados preliminares sugieren que este fue útil para los participantes y que las secciones de mayor utilidad fueron la denominada 'de par a par' y los foros profesionales. El presente trabajo muestra el potencial de una intervención en línea, para padres de niños con parálisis cerebral