Orientamento universitario ed eLearning: il progetto E-start delle Facolt\ue0 di Agraria e Scienze della Formazione dell\u2019Universit\ue0 degli Studi di Foggia

Il processo di orientamento, non fa riferimento esclusivamente allo sviluppo di competenze di decision making, ma include anche pratiche di accompagnamento dello studente nella prima fase di inserimento in nuovi ambienti di studio che possono apparire complessi e talvolta incomprensibili proprio in ragione della loro novit\ue0 rispetto alle precedenti esperienze formative. Quali supporti le nuove tecnologie possono dare in tale fase di inserimento? I nuovi media restano solo un mezzo di pubblicizzazione degli eventi di orientamento (matricola day, saloni dell\u2019orientamento, orari sportelli, ecc.) o possono, sfruttando le potenzialit\ue0 del web 2.0, divenire strumento di comunicazione fra gli studenti e di confronto con i responsabili dei corsi di studi? Possono i nuovi media facilitare l\u2019inserimento nella realt\ue0 universitaria? La dissertazione presenta un progetto di orientamento e tutorato realizzato nelle Facolt\ue0 di Agraria e Scienze della Formazione dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Foggia realizzato nell\u2019anno accademico 2010-2011. Tale progetto ha previsto un innovativo utilizzo di un corso e-learning per la preparazione ai test di ingresso (a numero programmato per la Facolt\ue0 di Agraria ed ad accesso libero con verifica delle conoscenze iniziali per la Facolt\ue0 di Scienze della Formazione), corso che si \ue8 rivelato centrale per la raccolta di informazioni e diffusione di pratiche per l\u2019ingresso nel mondo universitario

Representations, technologies and competence for Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities (LD) are a core topic in the recent regulatory and scientific debate in Education. Teachers must develop new competence because some students may have reading, writing and math disabilities. For this reason, they have to become mediators and have to create an inclusive organization of learning environments. Starting from this framework and within a research approach on Teachers’ Thinking that takes pre-reflective knowledge in the educational practice of teachers-to-be into account, the research study “Rappresentazioni, tecnologie e competenze per i DSA” (Representations, technologies and competence for LD) has been carried out. This research project, in cooperation between University of Foggia and University of Bari, is made up of a 23-question questionnaire including multiple choice and open questions submitted to 972 teachers in the making

Data Management in Learning Analytics: Terms and Perspectives

On-line teaching environments (like all online environments) acquire extremely high granularity data both on users' personal profiles and on their behavior and results. The modern Analytics environments allow, at various levels and profiles, to have access to data both in aggregate and in individual form. One of the characteristic elements of online teaching environment is that the data is not anonymous but reproduces a personalization and identification of the profiles. Identifiability of the subject is implicit in a teaching process, but access to Analytics techniques reveals a fundamental question: "What is the limit?". The answer to this question should be preliminary to any use of data by users (students) or teachers or instructors or managers of online learning environments. Nowadays, we’re also experiencing a particular moment of change: the entry into force of the European General Data Protection Regulation 679/2016, the general regulation on the protection of personal data which aims to standardize all national legislation and adapt it to the new needs dictated by the evolving technological context. The objective of this work is to propose a list of the problems connected to data management in the context of Digital Education. To this end, an examination of the current legislation (both Italian and European) was conducted with particular reference to the contrast between the need for access (openness) and privacy (protection of users) in online teaching processes. Three points of view were evaluated: the institution that provides, the teacher who produces and the student who uses. The contribution aims to provide an in-depth analysis on the issue of data protection and management that can help the figures involved in the online educational process to understand the evolution of legal instruments regarding the production, management of OER so as to "use" them correctly in a current two-speed context: that of technology and that of legislation

Cluster analysis for tailored tutoring system

Nei corsi online, la presenza di tutor (disciplinari, tecnici, metodologici) \ue8 rilevante per la formazione degli studenti; le attivit\ue0 di tutorato influenzano la qualit\ue0 delle azioni didattiche e contribuiscono a creare ambienti di apprendimento online dinamici e attivi. La ricerca qui presentata mira a definire un modello per la creazione di sistemi di tutoraggio data-driven, strutturato e personalizzato, che rilevi gruppi omogenei di studenti in un corso di laurea erogato in modalit\ue0 prevalentemente a distanza per i quali attuare specifici interventi di supporto. Abbiamo scelto una tecnica di analisi multivariata dei dati, la cluster analysis, e raccolto, selezionato e utilizzato i dati personali e i dati relativi ai risultati accademici degli studenti del primo anno del Corso di Laurea in Digital Education dell\u2019Universit\ue0 di Modena e Reggio Emilia (n=110) per creare gruppi di studenti simili, identificare le caratteristiche comuni degli studenti in ogni gruppo e definire strategie di tutoraggio personalizzate per ogni cluster. L\u2019analisi ha permesso di individuare sei cluster omogenei di studenti e di definire alcune azioni di tutoraggio personalizzate per ciascun gruppo a partire dai risultati conseguiti negli esami del primo anno. Le attivit\ue0 da progettare e proporre riguardano l\u2019approfondimento dei contenuti, la motivazione e la metacognizione, coinvolgono tutor e docenti e possono svolgersi individualmente o in piccoli gruppi.In online courses, the tutoring activities are relevant for the learners\u2019 training; they affect the course quality and imply creating dynamic and active online learning environments. The research aims to define a model based on a structured and data-driven tutoring system to identify homogeneous groups of students attending a blended degree course and, then, set tailored interventions as support. We chose a multivariate data analysis technique, cluster analysis, and used personal data and academic achievements of first-year students (n=110) in Degree Course in Digital Education at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia to create groups of similar learners, identify common characteristics of students in each group and define personalized tutoring strategies for each cluster. The analysis allows identifying six homogeneous clusters of students and defining activities to design that concern the fields of content, motivation and metacognition, involve degree course tutors and teachers, and be carried out individually or in small groups of students

Analysis of MOOC Features in a Regional Platform: Design and Delivery of Courses

At least two motivations make relevant research on regional MOOC providers: (1) they are Learning at scale environments where a large amount of data is produced, the high number of learners can show different approaches to learning, the whole population can be analysed, teaching and instructional design methods can be compared; (2) regional platforms reach the interests and needs of population groups that have only sometimes registered in international platforms. Therefore, we conducted a study at a large scale on EduOpen, an Italian MOOCs platform to which 28 institutions joined. The research aims to describe the current situation on EduOpen MOOCs, identify a latent model for the design and delivery of courses, and detect points of interest to enhance the platform’s procedure. We used courses as statistical units and identified three groups of variables: basic features, design features, and delivery features. We used multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) with descriptive statistics to answer the research questions. MCA is a method for data reduction for qualitative variables in which the categories assumed by the variables play a central role in defining a smaller number of dimensions. We found two dimensions that define the structure that underlies the design process – COURSE DENSITY and CONTENT ATTAINABILITY, and the delivery process – DIFFUSION and PARTICIPATION. Some focal points that EduOpen members can consider improving strategies in the design of the courses are related to the organization of activities and content, the scheduling of activities and whole courses, the levels of interaction in the courses, and the definition of qualified professional figures for design and tutoring

A time series analysis of students enrolled in Italian universities from 2000 to 2021

In the last 20 years, the Italian university system has undergone various transformations. Two reforms (1999 and 2010) redesigned its educational offerings and governance system structure. These were superimposed by severe financial crises (2008, 2012, and 2020 with the pandemic from COVID-19) that eroded the pur-chasing power of families. Since 2005, 11 online universities (“università telematiche” in Italian) have been accredited. These phenomena have affected access to higher education and changed student enrollment flows to various universities. In this paper, we investigate university enrollment trends and mobility over the period 2000-2021, also concerning students’ residence, the type of university chosen, and the geographical location of institutions

Analisi di tassi di completamento e abbandono nei MOOC di EduOpen

The completion rate of massive open online courses (MOOCs) is generally less than 10% of participants. This is due to several factors, many of which cannot be eliminated: spontaneous enrolment, participants’ extreme heterogeneity, self-regulated processes and differences in motivational and cultural profiles. One of the factors that can affect the rate of completing a MOOC is the modality of delivery. The active presence of theteacher and of other support figures in MOOCs, even where criticality is linked to the number of students and the management of the dynamics present in the online learning environment, can qualitatively and quantitatively affect both the levels of interaction and participation of the users and the completion percentages of the course itself. The MOOCs published on the EduOpen Portal provide two specific methods of use: selfpaced and tutoring. The choice of modality, which is defined in the design phase, “impacts” the structure and timing of the course itself, its learning objectives and the types of teaching resources. Consequently, the levels of interaction and evaluation processes are also “calibrated” in relation to the “presence or absence” of support figures in the online environment. The contribution, starting from the first data generated by the Learning Analytics system of the Portal, focuses on analysis of the percentage of the completion/ dropout rate recorded for the entire group of MOOCs published in relation to the delivery methods defined in the design phase of the various courses. In July 2019 there were 247 courses in the catalogue with more than 55,000 users. The final objective of the analysis is to include in the guidelines for the design of a MOOC the results of this first study.Il tasso di completamento di MOOCs e generalmente inferiore al 10% degli iscritti. Questo a causa di diversi fattori, molti non eliminabili, quali: reclutamento spontaneo, estrema eterogeneità degli iscritti, processi di autoregolazione, differenze nei profili motivazionali e culturali. Uno dei fattori che può incidere sul tasso di completamento di un MOOC e rappresentato dalla modalità di erogazione. La presenza attiva del docente e di altre figure di supporto in corsi MOOCs, se pur con le evidenti criticità legate alla numerosità degli studenti e alla gestione delle dinamiche presenti dall’ambiente di apprendimento online può incidere (qualitativamente e quantitativamente) sia sui livelli di interazione e partecipazione degli utenti sia sulle percentuali di completamento del corso stesso. I MOOCs pubblicati sul Portale EduOpen prevedono nello specifico due modalità di fruizione: autoapprendimento e tutorata. La scelta della modalità - definita in fase progettuale - “impatta” sulla struttura e sulle tempistiche stesse del corso, sugli obiettivi di apprendimento e sulla tipologia delle risorse didattiche. Di conseguenza, i livelli di interazione e i processi di valutazione sono “calibrati” anche in relazione “alla presenza o all’assenza” di figure di supporto nell’ambiente online. Il contributo, a partire dai primi dati generati dal sistema di Learning Analytics del portale, si focalizza sull’analisi delle percentuali di completamento/tasso di abbandono registrate sull’intero insieme di MOOCs pubblicati in relazione alle modalità di erogazione definite nella fase di progettazione dei vari corsi. A luglio 2019 i corsi presenti nel catalogo sono 247 con un numero di utenti superiore a 55000 utenti. L’obiettivo finale dell’analisi e quello di includere nelle linee guida alla progettazione dei MOOCs i risultati emersi da questa prima ricerca

Students in Italian online universities: enrollments time series analysis from 2005 to 2021

The advent, in 2004, of online universities in Italy followed the global trend of open and distance learning institutions. Within a brief span, the authorization of as many as 11 online universities was granted. Despite ongoing regulatory revisions and a prevailing skepticism regarding the actual quality of education these institutions furnish, student enrollment continues to rise annually. This study explores enrollment trends in Italian online universities from their inception through 2021, considering concurrent enrollment trends in traditional public and private universities. Additionally, we examine in detail the gender composition, subject areas of degree programs, and, most importantly, the geographic origins of enrolled students

A scoping review on the relationship between robotics in educational contexts and e-health

In recent years, due to technological advancement, research has been directed to the development and analysis of resources and tools related to educational robotics with particular attention to the field of special needs and training actions aimed at learners, teachers, professionals, and families. The use of robotics in all levels of education can support the development of logical and computational thinking, interaction, communication, and socialization, and the acquisition of particularly complex work practices, for example, in the medical field. The adoption of successful educational robotics training practices can be a potential tool to support rehabilitation interventions for disabilities and comprehensive training for students or future professionals in healthcare. A scoping review was conducted on the main topics “education” AND “robotics” with three specific focuses on complementary themes in educational research about ER: (1) teaching and computational thinking, (2) training in the health sector, and (3) education and special needs. The authors systematically searched two online databases, Scopus and Web of Science, up to April 2022. A total of 164 articles were evaluated, and 59 articles were analyzed, in a particular way N = 33 related to computational thinking, N = 15 related to e-health, and N = 11 related to special needs. The following four questions guided our research: (1) What are the educational and experimental experiences conducted through robotics in transdisciplinary fields? (2) What tools and resources are most used in such experiments (educational robotics kit, humanoid robots, telepresence robots etc.)? (3) What are the constitutive elements of the experiments and studies involving robotics and health in educational contexts? and (4) What are those explicitly related to students with special needs? In this study, part of the research project “Robotics and E-health: new Challenges for Education” (RECE) activated at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. RECE aims to investigate the training, educational, cognitive, and legal processes induced by the increasing diffusion of educational robotics and telemedicine in clinical and surgical contexts