Academic analytics: mapping the genome of the University

Higher education institutions have multiple technologic subsystems for administrative, pedagogical management, and quality purposes, which gather an immense volume of data from various sources and which do not communicate with each other. The domain of the analytic performances in education emerges from the need to aggregate multiple sources of data, which the complexity of treatment associated with the ease of mobilizing selected information will make it possible to understand reality and optimize management actions. In this paper, we present the architecture and results achieved in the development of an academic analytics aggregator of multiple sources of data on the educational activity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Models and instruments for assessing technology enhanced learning environments in higher education

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação do Ensino Recorrente Mediatizado na Região Autónoma dos Açores [Enquadramento Metodológico]

No ano lectivo 2003/2004, a Secretaria Regional da Educação e Cultura, da Região Autónoma dos Açores, implementou um projecto inovador no ensino recorrente. A Escola Básica 3/ Secundária Vitorino Nemésio tornou-se a primeira escola portuguesa com ensino recorrente mediatizado via internet. Decorridos quase cinco após a sua implementação, este sistema não só se mantém, como está generalizado a toda a região. A definição de um modelo de avaliação que permita compreender o modo como o ensino recorrente mediatizado está organizado, como funciona e com que resultados é fundamental. Optámos pelo estudo de caso como forma de abordagem à problemática, na medida em que permite uma observação detalhada de um contexto ou acontecimento específico. Neste artigo, fazemos o enquadramento metodológico da investigaçã

Cognitive communication 2.0 in higher education: to tweet or not to tweet?

Research has been fertile in producing studies on pedagogical change and innovation through technology in Higher Education Institutions, namely the integration of the social media in pedagogical practice. However, there is a lack of studies on the integration of the social media in the particular field of lectures. In this context, commonly practiced, the teacher faces a wide audience and feels the need to activate mechanisms of direct instruction, for reasons of economy of time and because it is the most dominant pedagogical model. As a result there is a communication paradigm 1.0 (one-way communication, one-to-many, low or non-existent interaction). In this study, exploratory and quantitative in nature, an approach to the thematic of the exploration of the social media in order to upgrade the cognitive communication from 1.0 to 2.0 (many-to-many, interaction between all the participants) in lectures was made. On the approach to the problem, we explored a PowerPoint presentation with the integration of the micro blogging tool Twitter, as a basis for addressing the characteristics of cognitive communication 2.0. For data collection a questionnaire was designed, based on literature, and intended to evaluate several dimensions of the resource used, namely: i) pedagogical issues, ii) technological aspects, iii) cognitive learning; iv) interactions in the classroom; v) positive behavior in the classroom and vi) negative behaviour in the classroom. The results indicate that students recognize the potential of this tool in the dimensions assessed. Twitter integration in PowerPoint allowed the teacher and the students to read each other’s views and each had the opportunity to contribute to the debate. It also allowed the release of multiple choice questions to the audience, with answers via Twitter and projection of results via PowerPoint. This way, a true cognitive communication 2.0 took place.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DER in Portugal: state-of-the-art of the two major Repositories in Elementary and Secondary Education

In the last decade, there has been an expansion of Repositories of Digital Educational Resources (DER), funded and stimulated by government authorities and non-profit institutions, in order to publish, collect, distribute and pre-serve DER. In this environment, inspired by the Open Content Movement, it is recognized the importance of the vast heri-tage of DER, produced by the collective intelligence, for pedagogical innovation. Following this trend, in Portugal, about three years ago, two repositories were created at the elementary and secondary education levels: Schools Portal, of Gov-ernment responsibility with a generalist vocation, covering the entire spectrum of the curriculum and the House of Sciences, headed by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which is a private institution of public utility, and dedicated to the areas of natural and exact sciences. In this study the state of the art of these two repositories is presented once they are the ones most visible in Portugal in what concerns the main dimensions that interfere on their quality. The methodology of data col-lection was based on the analysis of the portals from the point of view of the producers and users of the DER of the reposi-tories. The main results and conclusions are presented and considerations about the factors that in the future may contribute to the sustainable improvement of some of the characteristics of the repositories covered in this study are stated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Digital educational resources repositories in lower and middle education in Portugal: quality criteria in the international context

The thematic of Digital Educational Resources (DER) and digital educational repositories at primary and secondary education levels is of growing centrality in the educational themes in the international debate. In order to make it easier for teachers and students to find the best and relevant learning resources and to encourage teachers’ uptake of innovative materials and learning styles, authorities and/or companies in European countries have launched web based educational repositories. Following this trend, about two years ago, three major institutions in Portugal have launched their repositories: Portal das Escolas (ME), Casa das Ciências (FCG) and BOA (INESC-ID). After examining the state of the art of educational repositories in Europe, it was found that those three Portuguese repositories are not mentioned in recent European reports and so the study here presented seemed to be very relevant. This work aims to develop a descriptive and comparative study, in order to characterize the reality of the Portuguese repositories and compare it with European examples of good practices. To guide this investigation, the following question was theorized: “How are the Portuguese institutional repositories, for primary and secondary education levels, positioned in what concerns international quality criteria?” Our methodology design is a qualitative one and of type i) descriptive, as it is intended to characterize the main Portuguese institutional DER repositories for primary and secondary school education, aiming to assess the key dimensions that affect their quality and ii) comparative since it has in view comparing those repositories with reference European ones. In this sense, Lektion in Sweden and Scoilnet, Portal for Irish Education in Ireland are considered. The study was undertaken from the view of the DER producers and users. As a tool for data collection it was used a framework of analysis built on the Guía para la Evaluación de Repositorios Institucionales e Investigación (GERII), a joint publication of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and other organizations in the fields of Education, Science and Technology (Villar et al, 2010). The GERII guide includes a set of guidelines for the creation and evaluation of a repository, bringing together a battery of 31 evaluation criteria, distributed over seven dimensions that any repository must accomplish to meet quality and therefore was considered an excellent basis for our analysis. Comparing the three Portuguese repositories, target of this study, with two reference European repositories in order to contextualize the national reality in the international arena will stand for the Portuguese institutions that hold the repositories as an opportunity for improvement. Thus, Portuguese teachers will have an increased chance to access an eclectic collection of quality resources, in order to diversify their teaching strategies.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Cognitive communication 2.0 in the classroom - resonance of an experience in higher education

The communication in the classroom is often carried out on a one-to-many basis, with the teacher, before an audience of dozens of students, playing a traditional role. In this context, still commonly practiced, it is pertinent to introduce mechanisms of interaction mediated by technology, since research shows a significant correlation between the use of technology, the time spent in social media and the engagement of students. In fact, literature shows that social media has attracted the interest of academics more likely to use technology in education, who thereby seek new ways to motivate their students to a more active learning. The adoption of cognitive communication 2.0 morphology, in traditional contexts such in communication one-to-many, is a challenge to be overcome. We consider so of great importance creating and evaluating resources and pedagogical practices that are aligned with this new paradigm. In this study, we intend to make a contribution to understanding the problematic of the morphology of cognitive communication in the context of the classroom in Higher Education, with the integration of web 2.0 tools. On the approach to the problem, we have explored a PowerPoint presentation with the integration of the micro blogging tool Twitter, as a basis for addressing the characteristics of cognitive communication 2.0. For data collection a questionnaire was designed, based on literature, and intended to evaluate several dimensions of the resource used, namely: i) pedagogical issues, ii) technological aspects, iii) cognitive learning; iv) interactions in the classroom; v) positive behaviour in the classroom; vi) negative behaviour in the classroom. The goals of this study are: i) to validate the instrument for data collection, ii) to assess the perceptions of students regarding the effects of the resource and pedagogical practices used in the classroom dynamics iii) to set in context and to relate the cognitive communication 2.0 in the classroom with other components of the Hybrid Institutional Personal Learning Environment. This is an exploratory type research, since it seeks to provide a greater familiarity with the problem and to identify dimensions and items to be included in the questionnaire. The data collected will be processed under a quantitative perspective. Considering, therefore, the nature of the study we did not seek to establish correlations between variables, but only to identify trends, using descriptive statistics. It is expected that the results obtained will contribute to the articulation of web 2.0 tools with traditional cognitive communication in the classroom, in such a manner that positive impacts will result in pedagogical and technological effectiveness and thus in students learning achievements.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Os sistemas energéticos para habitação autossustentável em clima português: simulação e análise energética

Tese de mestrado integrado, Engenharia da Energia e do Ambiente, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2015In 2010, the European Union launched the Directive 2010/31/EU on the Energy Performance of Buildings, with the objective of improving the energy performance of buildings taking into account local bioclimatic conditions. This policy also aims to inforce the requirent of all new buildings to be infrastructure with nearly zero- energy NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building), as from December 2020 . This study portraits a typical single-family housing in the context NZEB (Net Zero Energy Building) through a photovoltaic system in Portuguese climate. Taking into consideration the great climatic diversity throughout the Portuguese territory, four geographical areas were selected with different characteristics to target this study - the areas selected were: Bragança, Coimbra, Lisbon and Faro. Using the EnergyPlus program, dynamic simulations were made of the parameters that influence energy efficiency in a building, being its geometry and orientation; the type of cooling system; and finally, its lighting efficiency and appliance efficiency. There were analyzed all of the variations of these parameters in order to identify the best configuration possible of constituents in the building systems, taking simultaneously an energy and environmental perspective. With the purpose to study the influence of geometry on the thermal behavior of a building, two models with distinct geometries were analyzed: a model called "Passive House" - which represents a housing provided with "passive solar construction", with low needs of heating and cooling; and a second model, called "House Glazed" - that represents a house with large glass areas, which tend to have higher energy requirements in the cooling season. Through the Solterm program, photovoltaic and solar thermal solar systems were sized so as to meet the annual energy needs for each model. It was also analyzed the economic impacts of solar photovoltaic system to verify its viability in each building.Em 2010, a União Europeia lançou a Diretiva 2010/31/EU para o Desempenho Energético de Edifícios, tendo como objetivo a melhoria do desempenho energético dos edifícios atendendo às condições bioclimáticas locais. Esta diretiva também visa obrigar todos os edifícios novos a serem edifícios com necessidades quase nulas de energia, nZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Building), a partir de Dezembro de 2020. Este trabalho enquadra uma típica habitação unifamiliar, no contexto NZEB (Net Zero Energy Building), através de um sistema fotovoltaico, em clima português. Tendo em conta a grande diversidade climática ao longo de todo o território português, foram selecionadas quatro áreas geográficas com características distintas para alvo deste estudo – as regiões escolhidas foram: Bragança, Coimbra, Lisboa e Faro. Com recurso ao programa EnergyPlus, foram realizadas simulações dinâmicas dos parâmetros que influenciam a eficiência energética num edifício, nomeadamente a sua geometria e orientação; tipo de sistema de climatização; eficiência da iluminação e eficiência dos eletrodomésticos. Foram analisadas as variações destes parâmetros, para identificar a melhor configuração dos sistemas constituintes do edifício, numa perspetiva energética e ambiental. Com objetivo de analisar a influência da geometria no comportamento térmico de um edifício, foram analisados dois modelos com geometrias distintas: um modelo denominado “Casa Passiva” – que representa uma habitação provida com “construção solar passiva”, com baixas necessidades de aquecimento e arrefecimento; e um segundo modelo, denominado de “Casa Envidraçada” – na qual representa uma habitação com grandes áreas envidraçadas, que tende a ter maiores necessidades energéticas na estação de arrefecimento. Através do programa Solterm, foram dimensionados os sistemas solar térmico e solar fotovoltaico, de modo a atender a necessidade energética anual para cada modelo. Foram também analisados os impactos económicos do sistema solar fotovoltaico para verificar a sua viabilidade em cada edifício

Analytics no Ensino Superior : métodos e ferramentas para apoio à gestão da atividade de ensino

As Instituições do Ensino Superior (IES) recebem hoje públicos heterogéneos e uma nova geração de estudantes imersos num quotidiano interligado pelo digital que esperam aprender em contextos mais flexíveis, suportados na tecnologia e no trabalho colaborativo. Pressionadas por este ambiente social, estas organizações procuram introduzir a inovação pela via da tecnologia, investido em sistemas tecnológicos na tentativa de dar respostas pedagógicas e organizacionais eficientes. Na presente investigação, partindo do contexto da Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Centro Regional do Porto (Católica-Porto), procurou-se aprofundar a compreensão do fenómeno da introdução da mudança e inovação pela via da tecnologia, nos campos pedagógico e organizacional, nas IES. Centrou-se a análise na gestão dos Ambientes de Aprendizagem Ricos em Tecnologia (TELE - Technology Enhanced Learning Environments) através dos sistemas de Analytics (Learning Analytics e Academic Analytics). A aproximação metodológica à problemática da gestão da atividade de ensino em TELE nas IES foi realizada com recurso a um modelo de duas etapas. A primeira etapa assume um cariz qualitativo e justifica-se pelos objetivos do estudo que são descritivos, na medida em que se pretendeu caracterizar o TELE da Católica-Porto na complexidade do contexto, relativamente às dimensões críticas de qualidade. Concomitantemente, esta fase do estudo teve uma tónica explicativa, pois, pretendeu-se identificar os fatores facilitadores e as condicionantes no uso e integração da tecnologia, em particular do Learning Content Management System (LCMS), na atividade formativa para enquadrar os resultados da segunda etapa da investigação. O design science foi a aproximação seguida na segunda etapa, em que se concebeu, desenvolveu e operacionalizou um sistema de Learning Analytics para aferição do grau de integração do LCMS (o subsistema tecnológico central no TELE da Católica-Porto) no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, com propósito de ser utilizado na gestão. Esta fase da investigação contemplou, também, o desenvolvimento de um segundo artefacto tecnológico – protótipo de Academic Analytics – para a gestão da atividade de ensino na instituição, que agrega dados já existentes em três subsistemas tecnológicos: LCMS, Serviços Administrativos (Sophia) e Sistema de Garantia Interna de Qualidade (SIGIQ). Os resultados indicam que a Católica-Porto tem dado passos na construção de um TELE. Contudo a integração do LCMS, a plataforma tecnológica de uso institucionalizado e mais generalizado, ainda está muito aquém das reais potencialidades que oferece. O estudo também demonstrou que os sistemas de Learning Analytics e Academic Analytics têm elevado potencial para a gestão da atividade de ensino. Deste trabalho resultam como principais contributos teórico-práticos: i) sistematização do conhecimento sobre principais dimensões que condicionam a qualidade do TELE e a sua gestão; ii) sistematização do estado da arte na temática do Analytics em educação e as potencialidades e dificuldades do seu uso na prática; iii) desenvolvimento de dois sistemas de Analytics para gestão da atividade de ensino.Nowadays, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) receive heterogeneous public and a new generation of students immersed in a daily life which is digitally interconnected and who expect to learn in more flexible environments, supported by technology and collaborative work. Pressured by this social environment, these organizations seek to introduce innovation via technology, and they invest in technological systems in an attempt to give effective pedagogical and organizational responses. In the present study, based on the context of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Centro Regional do Porto (Católica-Porto), we sought to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon of introducing change and innovation in HEIs by means of technology in the pedagogical and organizational fields. The study was focused on the analysis of the management of Technology Enhanced Learning Environments (TELE) through systems of Analytics (Learning Analytics e Academic Analytics). A methodological approach to the problem of managing teaching in TELE in HEIs was carried out by using a two-step model. The first step has a qualitative nature and is justified by the objectives of the study which are descriptive, as we intended to characterize Católica-Porto’s TELE on the complexity of the context, as far as the quality of critical dimensions is concerned. Concomitantly, this phase of the study had an explanatory emphasis, as we tried to identify the facilitating factors and the constraints in the use and integration of technology, particularly the Learning Content Management System (LCMS), in the teaching activity, in order to contextualize the results of the second stage of the study. The design science was the approach followed in the second stage, in which a system of Learning Analytics was developed and operationalized to measure the degree of integration of the LCMS (the central technological subsystem in Católica-Porto’s TELE) in the teaching and learning process, with the purpose to be used in management. This phase of research also included the development of a second technological artifact – a prototype of Academic Analytics – for the management of the teaching activities at the institution, which aggregates data that already exists on three technological subsystems: LCMS, Administrative Services (Sophia) and Services of Quality Management (SIGIQ). The results indicate that Católica-Porto has taken steps in building a TELE. However the integration of the LCMS, the technological platform of institutionalized and widespread use, is still far behind the true potential it offers. The study also showed that the systems of Learning Analytics and Academic Analytics have high potential for the management of the teaching activity. The main theoretical and practical contributions of this study are: i) systematization of knowledge about key dimensions that affect the quality of TELE and its management; ii) systematization of the state of the art on the topic of Analytics in education and the strengths and difficulties of its use in practice; iii) development of two systems of Analytics for managing the teaching activity

Morphological aspects of data processing in school management. The Analytics potential

As ondas de choque da Sociedade de Informação chegaram à Universidade e as plataformas tecnológicas impuseram-se como suportes fundamentais na transformação pedagógica e na gestão das várias dimensões de atuação das Instituições do Ensino Superior (IES). Estas plataformas recolhem um enorme volume de dados que progressivamente têm sido aproveitados para uma análise avançada e no suporte à tomada de decisão informada, nomeadamente através de sistemas de Learn Analytics (centrados em métricas que fornecem informação aos departamentos, professores e alunos sobre questões relacionadas com a organização e funcionamento dos cursos ou atividades de aprendizagem dos estudantes) e Academic Analytics (direcionados para o plano da gestão institucional, visando dotar os diretores e administradores de informação relativa às vertentes financeira, capital humano ou alocação de recursos, podendo ter também uma componente nacional ou internacional na comparação de sistemas). Neste trabalho, apresenta-se o estado da arte da utilização dos sistemas de Analytics na Educação, com exploração de casos práticos da sua aplicação, enfatizando-se os aspetos morfológicos desde o acesso e preparação dos dados até à partilha e tomada de decisão. Paralelamente, são exploradas questões relacionadas com aspetos éticos e implicações na organização e cultura das IES que decorrem da utilização destes sistemas.The shock waves of the Information Society have reached University and technology platforms have imposed themselves as key supports in the pedagogical transformation and management of the different dimensions of the performance of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). These platforms collect a huge volume of data that has gradually been used for advanced analysis and as a support for informed decision making, in particular through the Learn Analytics systems (focusing on metrics that provide information to departments, teachers and students on issues related to the organization and functions of the courses or students learning activities) and Academic Analytics (directed for the planning of institutional management, to provide the directors and managers with information on financial aspects, human capital or allocation of resources, and may also have a national or international component in comparison of systems). In this paper, we present the state of the art of usage of the Analytics systems in education, with the analysis of practical cases of its implementation, with emphasis on the morphological aspects from access and data preparation to sharing and decision making. At the same time, issues related to ethical aspects are explored, as well as the implications in the organization and culture of HEIs that result from the use of these systems.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio