La puesta en marcha del proyecto Universia-OCW en la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid: OCW-UC3M

Ponencias del VI Workshop REBIUN sobre proyectos digitales: Las bibliotecas digitales en el espacio global compartido celebrado en la UNED en Madrid del 19 y 20 de octubre de 2006

From OCW to MOOC: Deployment of OERs in a Massive Open Online Course. The Experience of Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)

The emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is focusing all its attention on open education. There is growing interest in creating MOOCs, which can be done by transferring OCW courses to MOOC format. However, a series of doubts arise regarding the pros and cons implied in this transformation. In this paper we discuss the conclusions derived from our experience at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid with a widely disseminated OCW course that was satisfactorily converted into a MOOC. This experience has allowed us to compare two different models of open education initially based on the same content. We also analyze the difficulties incurred in the transformation process and present strategies to successfully carry out this change

Materials, Models, and the Market for Paintings in Early Colonial Quito, 1550-1650

Based mainly on unpublished documents, this study covers a wide range of materials and artistic models, available for painters in the local market since the beginning of the colony. It includes both records like imported paintings, its themes, features and prices; brushes, supports, pigments, binders, blotters and other pictorial making elements; as well as market conditions in the buying/sale of materials and art works. Evidence shows the richness of styles and materials, both local and imported, which the first painters of Quito had reached

Public-private delivery of insecticide-treated nets: a voucher scheme in Volta Region, Ghana.

BACKGROUND: Coverage of vulnerable groups with insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in Ghana, as in the majority of countries of sub-Saharan Africa is currently low. A voucher scheme was introduced in Volta Region as a possible sustainable delivery system for increasing this coverage through scale-up to other regions. Successful scale-up of public health interventions depends upon optimal delivery processes but operational research for delivery processes in large-scale implementation has been inadequate. METHODS: A simple tool was developed to monitor numbers of vouchers given to each health facility, numbers issued to pregnant women by the health staff, and numbers redeemed by the distributors back to the management agent. Three rounds of interviews were undertaken with health facility staff, retailers and pregnant women who had attended antenatal clinic (ANC). RESULTS: During the one year pilot 25,926 vouchers were issued to eligible women from clinics, which equates to 50.7% of the 51,658 ANC registrants during this time period. Of the vouchers issued 66.7% were redeemed by distributors back to the management agent. Initially, non-issuing of vouchers to pregnant women was mainly due to eligibility criteria imposed by the midwives; later in the year it was due to decisions of the pregnant women, and supply constraints. These in turn were heavily influenced by factors external to the programme: current household ownership of nets, competing ITN delivery strategies, and competition for the limited number of ITNs available in the country from major urban areas of other regions. CONCLUSION: Both issuing and redemption of vouchers should be monitored as factors assumed to influence voucher redemption had an influence on issuing, and vice versa. More evidence is needed on how specific contextual factors influence the success of voucher schemes and other models of delivery of ITNs. Such an evidence base will facilitate optimal strategic decision making so that the delivery model with the best probability of success within a given context is implemented. Rigorous monitoring has an important role to play in the successful scaling-up of delivery of effective public health interventions

El proyecto OCW de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid: aspectos organizativos, académicos, técnicos y jurídicos. El portal OCW-UC3M

13 págs.-- Publicado en: Boletín de la Asociación Andaluza de Bibliotecarios, t. 57, n. 4, Oct-Dic 2007.Durante años las universidades han utilizado Internet y otras tecnlologías digitales para desarrollar y proporcionar educación. Sin embargo, hasta hace poco, la mayoría de los contenidos didácticos en Internet estaban encerrados bajo una clave de acceso dentro de sistemas propietarios y, por tanto, inaccesibles para usuarios externos. El movimiento por los recursos académicos abiertos (OER) pretende vencer estas barreras, fomentando y posibilitando a la vez compartir libremente los contenidos.Las universidades tienen varias razones para estar involucradas en los proyectos de publicación de materiales didácticos en abierto: desde el argumento altruista de que compartir conocimiento es bueno y conforme a la tradición académica; o bien que es posible mejorar la calidad y reducir los costes de producción de contenidos mediante la posibilidad de compartir libremente éstos y su eventual reutilización. Por otro lado, resulta convincente para las relaciones públicas de la institución tener un proyecto de este tipo ya que supone un escaparate para atraer a nuevos estudiantes. Y asimismo, el acceso abierto a contenidos acelerará el desarollo de nuevos recursos de aprendizaje, estimulando la mejora e innovación de éstos.Publicad

The Men’s Safer Sex Trial: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of an interactive digital intervention to increase condom use in men

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the feasibility of an online randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the Men’s Safer Sex website, measuring condom use and sexually transmitted infection (STI). METHODS: For this study 159 men aged ≥16 with female sexual partners and recent condomless sex or suspected STI were recruited from three UK sexual health clinics. Participants were randomised to the intervention website plus usual clinic care (n = 84), or usual clinic care only (n = 75). Online outcome data were solicited at 3, 6, and 12 months. RESULTS: Men were enrolled via tablet computers in clinic waiting rooms. Software errors and clinic Wi-Fi access presented significant challenges, and online questionnaire response rates were poor (36% at 3 months with a £10 voucher; 50% at 12 months with £30). Clinical records (for STI diagnoses) were located for 94% of participants. Some 37% of the intervention group did not see the intervention website (n = 31/84), and (as expected) there was no detectable difference in condomless sex with female partners (IRR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.96). New acute STI diagnoses were recorded for 8.8% (7/80) of the intervention group, and 13.0% (9/69) of the control group over 12 months (IRR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.90). CONCLUSIONS: It is likely to be feasible to conduct a future large-scale RCT to assess the impact of an online intervention using clinic STI diagnoses as a primary outcome. However, practical and technical challenges need to be addressed before the potential of digital media interventions can be realised in sexual health settings

Bespoke drug discovery training for low-middle income countries

Working in drug discovery is difficult for many institutions due to the need for resources, funding, and in-country expertise. The Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infective Research (WCAIR) is responding to the unmet training needs for individuals/institutions working in drug discovery in low-middle income countries. Through their training program, individuals can undertake a practical placement, either online or at the center, with access to a dedicated trainer from their field of research. Practical placements are tailored to the needs of the individual/institute to enable capability building on return to their home institute. In addition to training placements, the center is focused on building partnerships by supporting institutes to work in drug discovery. Here we highlight WCAIR's training program and the partnerships that have developed from this.</p