放送大学におけるデジタル・リテラシー教育 : 習得スキルの定着

　本研究は、面接授業「初歩からのパソコン」の受講で習得した放送大学生のデジタル・リテラシー・スキル（以下「DLスキル」）の定着状況把握を目的に実施した。この授業を2010年度２学期から2013年度１学期の間に受講した在学生に2013年11月に郵送アンケートを実施した。調査結果は、DLスキルの種類により、定着したもの、低下したもの、向上したものがあること、DLスキルの定着には、受講生の年齢、受講生のパソコン・インターネットの利用頻度が影響を及ぼしていること、DLスキルの向上とパソコン・インターネット利用頻度の間に相関があること、DLスキルの定着には、受講生のその後の学習方法が影響を及ぼしていることを示した。受講直後から本調査の期間に低下したDLスキルについて、授業後のスキル活用の機会を増加させる必要性が示唆された。また、定着効果のあるテレビ授業「遠隔学習のためのパソコン活用」の受講と同好会等への参加を促す必要性が示唆された

放送大学におけるデジタル・リテラシー教育の展開と成果

　放送大学では、自宅や職場で学習する多様な学生のニーズに応えるため、Webによる授業配信、オンライン履修登録、電子図書館サービスを含むICTを活用した学生サービスを提供しているが、十分な利用には至っていない。これは、放送大学にパソコンやインターネットの利用経験が少ない高齢学生が在籍するためだと思われる。そこで、学生によるICT環境の学習への活用を促進しWebを通じた学習の機会を拡張すべく、面接授業「初歩からのパソコン」を2010年度２学期から全国50箇所の学習センターで毎年少なくとも年１回開設し、共通シラバス、共通テキストを用いた実習を含む12時間の集中授業を、アシスタントの協力を得て本部教員が担当した。FDセミナーや実践報告の共有を含むPDCAサイクルを通じた教材と授業内容の改訂により、授業改善を行ってきた。各学生の学習目標の達成度と自己効力感を測るため、事前・事後に記入してもらったチェックリストによる学習効果を測定した結果、一定の学習効果が認められた。また、事前に記入してもらったチェックリストを年齢により比較した結果、高齢学生のICTスキルが低い傾向が認められた。この授業の受講を希望する学生が許容できる人数を超えたことにより、年に複数回開設して学習センターの非常勤講師が担当するケースも生じている。また、本部教員が地域に学習共同体を構築するのが困難なことにより、2013年２学期以降は主に各学習センターの非常勤講師がこの授業を担当している

Changing patterns of perceived ICT skill levels of elderly learners in a digital literacy training course

Background. In 2010, the Open University of Japan began offering a one-semester face-to-face digital literacy (DL) training course at each of its 50 study centers to help elderly students use personal computers (PC) and the Internet for study. A series of checklists was completed by students before and after each DL training course to assess their achievement. Objectives. This study identified the degree to which students’ perceived information and communication technology (ICT) skills had changed one to three years after completion of the DL training course. It revealed which skills were retained and which skills declined. Methods. A survey questionnaire was sent to 2,112 students who took the DL training course and we received 1,153 responses. Questions focused on students’ daily use of a PC and the Internet, and opportunities to learn DL skills after the training course. The same items were used in a checklist to assess ICT skills, and the two sets of data were compared to identify the level of retention of 18 ICT skills. Results. Overall, scores for 16 of the 18 ICT skills declined. It was found that students who used a PC and the Internet more frequently and those who continued learning by self-instruction or peer learning in the community retained their ICT skills. Contributions. Visualization of changing patterns in ICT skills helped identify insufficient elements of the DL training course. This information is useful in refining course content and in planning post-course support for DL training attendees.Published versio

Specific Conformational Change in Giant DNA Caused by Anticancer Tetrazolato-Bridged Dinuclear Platinum(II) Complexes: Middle-Length Alkyl Substituents Exhibit Minimum Effect

Derivatives of the highly antitumor-active compound [{<i>cis</i>-Pt­(NH₃)₂}₂­(μ-OH)­(μ-tetrazolato-<i>N2</i>,<i>N3</i>)]²⁺ (<b>5-H-Y</b>), which is a tetrazolato-bridged dinuclear platinum­(II) complex, were prepared by substituting a linear alkyl chain moiety at C5 of the tetrazolate ring. The general formula for the derivatives is [{<i>cis</i>-Pt­(NH₃)₂}₂(μ-OH)­(μ-5-R-tetrazolato-<i>N2</i>,<i>N3</i>)]²⁺, where R is (CH₂)_<i>n</i>CH₃ and <i>n</i> = 0 to 8 (complexes <b>1</b>–<b>9</b>). The cytotoxicity of complexes <b>1</b>–<b>4</b> in NCI-H460 human non-small-cell lung cancer cells decreased with increasing alkyl chain length, and those of complexes <b>5</b>–<b>9</b> increased with increasing alkyl chain length. That is, the <i>in vitro</i> cytotoxicity of complexes <b>1</b>–<b>9</b> was found to have a U-shaped association with alkyl chain length. This U-shaped association is attributable to the degree of intracellular accumulation. Although circular dichroism spectroscopic measurement indicated that complexes <b>1</b>–<b>9</b> induced comparable conformational changes in the secondary structure of DNA, the tetrazolato-bridged complexes induced different degrees of DNA compaction as revealed by a single DNA measurement with fluorescence microsopy, which also had a U-shaped association with alkyl chain length that matched the association observed for cytotoxicity. Complexes <b>7</b>–<b>9</b>, which had alkyl chains long enough to confer surfactant-like properties to the complex, induced DNA compaction 20 or 1000 times more efficiently than <b>5-H-Y</b> or spermidine. A single DNA measurement with transmission electron microscopy revealed that complex <b>8</b> formed large spherical self-assembled structures that induced DNA compaction with extremely high efficiency. This result suggests that these structures may play a role in the DNA compaction that was induced by the complexes with the longer alkyl chains. The derivatization with a linear alkyl chain produced a series of complexes with unique cellular accumulation and DNA conformational change profiles and a potentially useful means of developing next-generation platinum-based anticancer drugs. In addition, the markedly high ability of these complexes to induce DNA compaction and their high intracellular accumulation emphasized the difference in mechanism of action from platinum-based anticancer drugs