Which Learning Analytics for a socio-constructivist teaching and learning blended experience

The contribution describes and problematizes the use of learning analytics within a blended university course based on a socio-constructivist approach and aimed at constructing artefacts and knowledge. Specifically, the authors focus on the assessment system adopted in the course, deliberately inspired by the principles of formative assessment: an ongoing assessment in the form of feedback shared with the students, and which integrates the teacher’s assessment with self-assessment and peer-assessment. This system obviously requires the integration of qualitative procedures - from teachers and tutors - and quantitative - managed through the reporting functions of the LMS and online tools used for the course. The contribution ends with a reflection on the possibilities of technological development of learning analytics within the learning environment, such as to better support constructivist teaching: Learning Analytics that comes closest to social LA techniques providing the teacher with a richer picture of the student’s behaviour and learning processe

Chapter Promoting 21st century skills in Higher Education through collaboration and activities

The paper presents a model of university teaching where students are involved in concrete activities and collaborate while developing key competences for the academic and working future. 52 students of the Degree Course in Psychology at the Sapienza University of Rome participated to the activity. The method of data collection and analysis combines qualitative and quantitative approach. Results show a general perception of skills enhancement and a good appreciation of the course, especially in comparison with traditional learning mode

Role taking and knowledge building in a blended university course

Role taking is an established approach for promoting social cognition. Playing a specific role within a group could lead students to exercise collective cognitive responsibility for collaborative knowledge building. Two studies explored the relationship of role taking to participation in a blended university course. Students participated in the same knowledge-building activity over three consecutive, five-week modules and enacted four roles designed in alignment with knowledge building pedagogy (Scardamalia and Bereiter 2010). In Study 1, 59 students were distributed into groups with two conditions: students who took a role in Module 2 and students who did not take a role, using Module 1 and 3 as pre and post tests. Results showed no differences in participation in Module 1, higher levels of writing and reading for role takers in Module 2, and this pattern was sustained in Module 3. Students with the Synthesizer role were the most active in terms of writing and the second most active for reading; students with the Social Tutor role were the most active for reading. In Study 2, 143 students were divided into groups with two conditions: students who took a role in Module 1 and students who did not take a role. Content analysis revealed that role takers tended to vary their contributions more than non-role takers by proposing more problems, synthesizing the discourse, reflecting on the process and organization of activity. They also assumed appropriate responsibilities for their role: the Skeptic prioritizes questioning of content, the Synthesizer emphasizes synthesizing of content, and the Social Tutor privileges maintaining of relationships. Implications of designing role taking to foster knowledge building in university blended courses are discussed

Molecular recognition in helix-loop-helix and helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper domains: Design of repertoires and selection of high affinity ligands for natural proteins

Helix-loop-helix (HLH) and helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (HLHZip) are dimerization domains that mediate selective pairing among members of a large transcription factor family involved in cell fate determination. To investigate the molecular rules underlying recognition specificity and to isolate molecules interfering with cell proliferation and differentiation control, we assembled two molecular repertoires obtained by directed randomization of the binding surface in these two domains. For this strategy we selected the Heb HLH and Max Zip regions as molecular scaffolds for the randomization process and displayed the two resulting molecular repertoires on lambda phage capsids. By affinity selection, many domains were isolated that bound to the proteins Mad, Rox, MyoD, and Id2 with different levels of affinity. Although several residues along an extended surface within each domain appeared to contribute to dimerization, some key residues critically involved in molecular recognition could be identified. Furthermore, a number of charged residues appeared to act as switch points facilitating partner exchange. By successfully selecting ligands for four of four HLH or HLHZip proteins, we have shown that the repertoires assembled are rather general and possibly contain elements that bind with sufficient affinity to any natural HLH or HLHZip molecule. Thus they represent a valuable source of ligands that could be used as reagents for molecular dissection of functional regulatory pathways