Developing Open Educational Resources through Learning Design and Agile Practices

One of the current challenges related to Open Educational Resources (OERs) is how to produce quality and relevant materials to be reused and adapted to different contexts and learning situations. In this paper we present a flexible and systematic method for OERs, called AM-OER, that allows the development of OERs to evolve incrementally, and be modified and improved as needed. Practices of Learning Design are incorporated into the OERs development, making the design more understandable and shareable, and facilitating the reuse and adaptation. We applied AM-OER through a case study involving the development of a course in the software engineering domain. The results obtained suggest the applicability and usefulness of the AM-OER in the development of OERs

AM-OER: An Agile Method for the Development of Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources have emerged as important elements of education in the contemporary society, promoting life-long and personalized learning that transcends social, eco- nomic and geographical barriers. To achieve the potential of OERs and bring impact on education, it is necessary to increase their development and supply. However, one of the current challenges is how to produce quality and relevant OERs to be reused and adapted to different contexts and learning situations. In this paper we proposed an agile method for the development of OERs – AM-OER, grounded on agile practices from Software Engineering. Learning Design practices from the OULDI project (UK Open University) are also embedded into the AM-OER aiming at improving quality and facilitating reuse and adaptation of OERs. In order to validate AM-OER, an experiment was conducted by applying it in the development of an OER on software testing. The results showed preliminary evidences on the applicability, effectiveness and ef ciency of the method in the development of OERs

Desenvolvimento ágil de recursos educacionais abertos

Over the years, the rapid advance of the computer and communication technologies has significantly changed the way in which the society communicates and conducts business. Similarly, changes have occurred in the way in which educational resources are designed, developed and made available to learners. Following this trend, the development and adoption of Open Educational Resources (OERs) has been gaining more supporters across the world, as a means to expand access to knowledge and improve education. Indeed, the free and open distribution of educational resources helps disseminate knowledge, facilitates access to information and promotes the democratisation of access to education, benefiting society as a whole. While OERs can bring benefits to, and impact on education, there are still challenges to their widespread production and adoption. One of the challenges faced by developers (including educators and practitioners) of OERs is to produce quality and relevant learning materials, capable of being reused and adapted in different contexts and learning situations. Also, there is a need for mechanisms that provide higher productivity of the development process and quality of the resulting OERs. This work aims to investigate the development of OERs and establish flexible approaches to effectively support the design and creation of these resources. In this context, an agile method for the development and sharing of OERs, named AM-OER, was established. It is grounded on practices of Software Engineering and on practices of Learning Design. Such practices are embedded in the development of OERs aiming at improving quality and facilitating reuse and adaptation. The ultimate aim of AM-OER is to support the development of quality OERs, able to motivate and guide learners in the process of knowledge construction. Preliminary empirical assessments were conducted to validate AM-OER through its application in the design and creation of courses in the free and open source software development and software testing domain. The results obtained so far have shown that the method is feasible and effective for the design and creation of OERs.Ao longo dos anos, o rápido avanço nas tecnologias computacionais e de comunicação vem alterando de forma significativa o modo com que a sociedade se comunica e conduz seus negócios. De forma análoga, mudanças vêm ocorrendo na maneira com que os recursos educacionais são projetados, desenvolvidos e disponibilizados aos aprendizes. Seguindo essa tendência, o desenvolvimento e a adoção de Recursos Educacionais Abertos (REAs) vêm ganhando cada vez mais adeptos em todo o mundo, como uma forma de ampliar o acesso ao conhecimento e melhorar a educação. De fato, a distribuição livre e aberta de recursos educacionais contribui para a disseminação de conhecimento e facilita o acesso à informação, além de promover a democratização do acesso à educação, beneficiando a sociedade como um todo. Embora REAs possam trazer benefícios e impacto sobre a educação, ainda existem muitos desafios para sua ampla produção e adoção. Um dos desafios enfrentados pelos desenvolvedores (incluindo educadores e praticantes) de REAs é produzir materiais de aprendizagem de qualidade, capazes de serem reusados e adaptados a diferentes contextos e situações de aprendizagem. Evidencia-se também a necessidade de mecanismos que propiciem o aumento da produtividade do processo de desenvolvimento e da qualidade dos REAs elaborados. Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar o desenvolvimento de REAs e estabelecer abordagens flexíveis para apoiar efetivamente o projeto e a criação desses recursos. Nesse contexto, um método ágil para o desenvolvimento e disponibilização de REAs, AM-OER, foi estabelecido. O método é fundamentado em práticas da Engenharia de Software e práticas de projeto de aprendizagem (Learning Design), incorporadas no desenvolvimento de REAs no intuito de melhorar a sua qualidade e facilitar o reúso e adaptação. O objetivo final do método é apoiar o desenvolvimento de REAs de qualidade, capazes de motivar e guiar os aprendizes no processo de construção de conhecimento. Avaliações empíricas preliminares foram conduzidas para validar o AM-OER por meio de sua aplicação no projeto e criação de cursos nos domínios de desenvolvimento de software livre e teste de software. Os resultados obtidos até o momento demonstram que o método é viável e eficaz no projeto e criação de REAs

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field