Case studies of personalized learning

Deliverable 4.1, Literature review of personalised learning and the Cloud, started with an evaluation and synthesis of the definitions of personalized learning, followed by an analysis of how this is implemented in a method (e-learning vs. i-learning, m-learning and u-learning), learning approach and the appropriate didactic process, based on adapted didactic theories. From this research a list of criteria was created needed to implement personalised learning onto the learner of the future. This list of criteria is the basis for the analysis of all case studies investigated. – as well to the learning process as the learning place. In total 60 case studies (all 59 case studies mentioned in D6.4 Education on the Cloud 2015 + one extra) were analysed. The case studies were compared with the list of criteria, and a score was calculated. As a result, the best examples could be retained. On average most case studies were good on: taking different learning methods into account, interactivity and accessibility and usability of learning materials for everyone. All had a real formal education content, thus aiming at the core-curriculum, valuing previous knowledge, competences, life and work skills, also informal. Also the availability of an instructor / tutor or other network of peers, experts and teachers to guide and support the learning is common. On the other hand, most case studies lack diagnostics tests as well at the start (diagnostic entry test), during the personalized learning trajectory and at the end (assessment at the end). Also most do not include non-formal and informal learning aspects. And the ownership of personalized learning is not in the hands of the learner. Five of the 60 case studies can as a result be considered as very good examples of real personalized learning

A literature review of personalized learning and the Cloud

In order to provide effective application of the Cloud in education it is essential to know how the learning should and could – if needed – be adapted. In this respect the concept of ‘personalising learning’ is frequently used. But what exactly is personalising learning. And how can it be implemented in using the cloud? The aim of WG3 i-Learner of the School on the Cloud network is to investigate this from the point of view of the learner, whereas WG2 i-Teacher looks on the role of the educators, and WG4 i-Future on the technology. The document has two parts: - The first part starts with an evaluation and synthesis of the definitions of personalized learning (Ch. 3), followed by an analysis of how this is implemented in learning style (e-learning vs. i-learning, m-learning and u-learning, Ch. 4) and learning approach (Ch. 5). To implement this an appropriate pedagogy (Ch. 6) is needed. - The second part is an attempt on how to implement this onto the learner of the future (Ch. 7), as well to the learning process and to the learning place. Recommendations are made in Ch. 8

Insulin-Regulated Trafficking of GLUT4 Requires Ubiquitination

A major consequence of insulin binding its receptor on fat and muscle cells is translocation of the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT4 from an intracellular store to the cell surface where it serves to clear glucose from the bloodstream. Sorting of GLUT4 into its insulin-sensitive store requires the GGA [Golgi-localized, γ-ear-containing, ADP ribosylation factor (ARF)-binding] adaptor proteins, but the signal on GLUT4 to direct this sorting step is unknown. Here, we have identified a role for ubiquitination of GLUT4 in this process. We demonstrate that GLUT4 is ubiquitinated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and that a ubiquitin-resistant version fails to translocate to the cell surface of these cells in response to insulin. Our data support a model in which ubiquitination acts as a signal for the trafficking of GLUT4 from the endosomal/trans-Golgi network (TGN) system into its intracellular storage compartment, from where it is mobilized to the cell surface in response to insulin

Etiology of ovarian failure in blepharophimosis ptosis epicanthus inversus syndrome: FOXL2 is a conserved, early-acting gene in vertebrate ovarian development

Blepharophimosis ptosis epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) is a human disorder caused by mutations in the forkhead transcription factor gene FOXL2 and is characterized by facial dysmorphology combined in some cases with ovarian failure. To better understand the role of FOXL2 in the etiology of ovarian failure in BPES, we examined its expression in embryonic ovaries of mice, chickens, and red-eared slider turtles, representatives of three phylogenetically distant vertebrate groups that have different mechanisms of sex determination. Expression of Foxl2 was detected in early ovaries of all three species around the time of sex determination and was associated with both somatic and germ cell populations in mice. Expression was sexually dimorphic in all cases. Sequence analysis of turtle and chicken FoxL2 orthologues indicated an unusually high degree of structural conservation during evolution. FoxL2 was found to be autosomal in chickens, and therefore unlikely to represent the dominant ovarian-determining gene that has been postulated to exist as a possible explanation for female heterogamety in birds. Our observations suggest that BPES may result from early abnormalities in regulating the development of the fetal ovary, rather than premature degeneration of the postnatal or adult ovary. Further, our results suggest that FOXL2 is a highly conserved early regulator of vertebrate ovarian development

Somatic sex reprogramming of adult ovaries to testes by FOXL2 ablation

In mammals, the transcription factor SRY, encoded by the Y chromosome, is normally responsible for triggering the indifferent gonads to develop as testes rather than ovaries. However, testis differentiation can occur in its absence. Here we demonstrate in the mouse that a single factor, the forkhead transcriptional regulator FOXL2, is required to prevent transdifferentiation of an adult ovary to a testis. Inducible deletion of Foxl2 in adult ovarian follicles leads to immediate upregulation of testis-specific genes including the critical SRY target gene Sox9. Concordantly, reprogramming of granulosa and theca cell lineages into Sertoli-like and Leydig-like cell lineages occurs with testosterone levels comparable to those of normal XY male littermates. Our results show that maintenance of the ovarian phenotype is an active process throughout life. They might also have important medical implications for the understanding and treatment of some disorders of sexual development in children and premature menopause in women