A Tale of Two Globes: Exploring the North/South Divide in Engagement with Open Educational Resources

In this chapter we consider what evidence exists of a divide between the Global North and Global South in terms of engagement with open educational resources (OER), understanding engagement as the production and sharing of educational materials online. We discuss whether identifying educators as contributors or consumers of OER can be empirically grounded, and advocate advancing internet access in developing countries to reach a global balance where sharing is key

CHANGES IN JUMP AND SPRINT PERFORMANCES DURING 14 PRESEASONS IN A SPANISH RESERVE ELITE SOCCER TEAM

The aim of this study was to assess the changes in jump and sprint performances after the preseason period across 14 seasons depending on the initial performance level and the playing position in young professional soccer players. In total, 162 soccer players (age = 20.6 ± 1.8 years) belonging to the same reserve team of a Spanish La Liga club participated in this study. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and 5 and 15 m sprints were assessed in each season at the start of the preseason (July), Test 1 (T1), and the start of the competitive period (September), Test 2 (T2), from the 1998 to 2013 seasons. Considering all seasons, a trivial change was found in the sprint (5 m, Effect Size [ES] = −0.01; ±0.11, most-likely; and 15 m, ES = 0.05; ±0.09, most-likely) and countermovement jump (CMJ) performances (ES = −0.03; ±0.07; most-likely) after the preseason, but this varied across the seasons. While the fastest players in 5 m and 15 m tests and the most powerful worsened their performances in sprinting capacity (ES = 0.53–0.65, small very-likely) and in jump ability (ES = −0.54; ±0.25, small very-likely), respectively, the slowest players and the less powerful improved their performance likely/most-likely (ES = −0.33 and −0.68, small and moderate) and very-likely (ES = 0.40; ±0.20, small) after the precompetitive period. The changes in CMJ and sprinting were trivial and trivial/small for all tactical positions. The changes in neuromuscular performance after the preseason were not stable across the seasons and varied depending on the initial performance level. Individualization strategies should be considered in the design of strength and conditioning programs in order to optimize the training process

Emotion In Online Distance Language Learning: Learners’ Appraisal Of Regret And Pride In Synchronous Audiographic Conferencing

In the last few decades, the study of emotions has been considered essential to our understanding of social and human mental lives, as they mediate between what is personally important and the outer world of people, objects and happenings (Oatley & Jenkins, 1996). Despite assumptions that success and failure in language learning are partly determined by learners’ ability to regulate their emotions, there is no research in second language acquisition (SLA) on everyday emotions other than anxiety. Thus, we move away from linguists’ broad conception of affect into the more particular understanding of emotion by emotion theorists, as incorporating phenomenological experiences, cognitive appraisal and some form of coping. Appraisal theory claims that emotions are elicited by evaluations of events and situations in relation to a person’s goals, needs or concerns (Roseman & Smith, 2001). Roseman’s appraisal model proposes seven appraisals of an event that influence emotions: unexpectedness, situational state, motivational state, probability, agency, control potential and problem type (Roseman, 2001). We administered a questionnaire to a large number of distance language learners, and interviewed a sample of respondents to find out about the emotions they felt when using a synchronous audiographic conferencing tool for oral interaction, and also their appraisal of instances of regret and pride, following Roseman’s model. Our analysis revealed that learners overall feel positive emotions more often than negative emotions, and that women report feeling more than men. We found a stable pattern of appraisal for both regret and pride along certain dimensions such as situational state, but varied particularly concerning agency. Our findings suggest that negative emotions should not be ostracised from the process of language learning, and that language learners need to develop an awareness of the origin of their emotions (positive and negative), including self, others and the context of interaction

Flipping with OER: K12 teachers’ views of the impact of open practices on students

In April 2013 the Hewlett-funded OER Research Hub (OERRH) Project, in collaboration with the Flipped Learning Network (FLN), conducted an online survey of flipped educators with the aim of finding out about their use of open educational resources (OER). This paper presents the results of this survey in relation to what school teachers consider to be the impact of OER on students in a flipped classroom. Two brief case studies are introduced to exemplify how OER use leads to increased student engagement in their learning process

Who are the Open Learners? A Comparative Study Profiling non-Formal Users of Open Educational Resources

Open educational resources (OER) have been identified as having the potential to extend opportunities for learning to non-formal learners. However, little research has been conducted into the impact of OER on non-formal learners. This paper presents the results of a systematic survey of more than 3,000 users of open educational resources (OER). Data was collected between 2013 and 2014 on the demographics, attitudes and behaviours of users of three repositories. Questions included a particular focus on the behaviours of non-formal learners and the relationship between formal and non-formal study. Frequency analysis shows that there are marked differences in patterns of use, user profiles, attitudes towards OER, types of materials used and popularity of different subjects. The experience of using OER is fairly consistent across platforms in terms of satisfaction and impact on future behaviour. On the whole, non-formal learners surveyed were highly positive about their use of OER and believe they will continue to use them. With regards to this making formal study more likely some degree of polarization was observed: some believed formal study was now more likely, while others felt it made this less likely. On the whole, while non-formal learners are enthusiastic about using free and online resources, the language and concept of OER does not seem to be well understood in the groups surveyed. A range of findings relating to OER selection and use as well as differences between repositories are explored in the discussion

Open Research

Open Research is an open textbook based on the award winning course of the same name. The course ran two facilitated iterations during 2014 and 2015 on Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU). Open Research was co-authored and delivered by the OER Hub team, leaders in open education research and open research practices. Open Research explores what it means to be more 'open' in your research, ethical considerations, dissemination and the role of reflection. This open textbook also incorporates previous participant contributions into new activity commentary sections

Evaluación de la efectividad de distintos programas motores basados en la interferencia contextual en estudiantes de educación primaria

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los efectos de distintos programas de intervención, aplicados en las clases de educación física y basados en la interferencia contextual (IC), en niños y niñas de tercer curso de educación primaria (9-10 años). 70 niños (35 chicos y 35 chicas) de un colegio público, que cursaban el tercer curso de educación primaria, participaron en el estudio. Los alumnos fueron divididos en cuatro grupos en función del tipo de programa de IC a realizar, siendo testada su capacidad de cambiar de dirección (Modified Agility Test, MAT) y aceleración (tiempo en el sprint de 5 y 15 m) antes y después de las 5 semanas de intervención. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en la capacidad de cambiar de dirección entre el pretest y el postest en el grupo IC baja, en el grupo IC moderada y en el grupo IC variable y no ocurrió lo mismo con el grupo IC alta. Únicamente el grupo de IC baja mostró diferencias significativas entre el pretest y el postest en el sprint de 5 m y ninguno de los programas fue efectivo en la capacidad de aceleración de 15 m. Las características o rasgos de los programas de intervención basados en el nivel de interferencia contextual condicionaron los efectos producidos en la capacidad de aceleración y en el cambio de dirección.The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of different intervention programmes, applied in physical education classes and based on contextual interference (CI), in children in their 3rd year of primary education (9-10 years). Seventy children (35 boys and 35 girls) from a state school, who were in their third year of primary education, took part in the study. The school children were divided into four groups depending on the type of CI programme they were going to carry out. Their capacity to change direction (Modified Agility Test MAT) and acceleration capacity (time for a 5m and 15m sprint) were tested before and after the 5 week intervention. Significant differences were found in capacity to change direction capacity between the pre-test and post-test in the low CI group, the moderate CI group and the variable CI group, but not in the high CI group. Only the low CI group showed significant differences between the pre test and post-test in the 5m sprint and none of the programmes were effective on acceleration capacity in the 15m sprint. The features or characteristics of the intervention programmes based on the level of contextual interference conditioned the effects produced on acceleration and capacity to change direction.O objectivo deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos de distintos programas de intervenção, aplicados em aulas de educação física e baseados na interferência contextual (IC), em rapazes e raparigas do terceiro ano de educação primária (9-10 anos). 70 crianças (35 rapazes e 35 raparigas) de uma escola pública, que frequentavam o terceiro ano de educação primária, participaram no estudo. Os alunos foram divididos em quatro grupos em função do tipo de programa de IC a realizar, sendo testada a sua capacidade para mudar de direcção (Modified Agility Test, MAT) e aceleração (tempo em sprint de 5 e 15 m) antes e depois das 5 semanas de intervenção. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas na capacidade de mudar de direcção entre o pré- teste e o pós-teste no grupo de IC baixa, no grupo IC moderada e no grupo IC variável, não ocorrendo o mesmo com o grupo IC alta. Unicamente o grupo de IC baixa revelou diferenças significativas entre o pré-teste e o pós-teste no sprint de 5 m e nenhum dos programas foi efectivo na capacidade de aceleração de 15 m. As características ou traços dos programas de intervenção baseados no nível de interferência contextual condicionaram os efeitos produzidos na capacidade de aceleração e na mudança de direção