Propuesta de una arquitectura software basada en servicios para la implementación de repositorios de objetos de aprendizaje distribuidos

Esta investigación se propone facilitar una arquitectura software para la construcción de un sistema capaz de localizar objetos de aprendizaje de forma universal para integrarlos en un sistema de teleformación. Estos sistemas utilizan objetos de aprendizaje que residen en repositorios, accesibles a través de una red de comunicaciones. El objetivo de un repositorio es facilitar la reutilización de dichos recursos educativos, facilitando su acceso. Para reutilizar un objeto de aprendizaje debe ajustarse a algún estándar de etiquetado de metadatos. Los sistemas de teleformación emplean Internet como medio de comunicación de contenidos, sin hacer uso de otras posibilidades. En ellos se integran contenidos almacenados en un repositorio con las herramientas que ayudan a la docencia, y suele ser habitual que no accedan a repositorios externos. La arquitectura existente dificulta la evolución de su desarrollo y accesibilidad. Es necesaria una arquitectura realmente distribuida, en la que cada elemento sea capaz de interactuar con los otros. Se debe sustentar en metadatos asociados a objetos docentes y en protocolos, para poder modificar las herramientas actuales. Se propone la definición de un marco funcional y arquitectónico para la adaptación de un sistema, implementado sobre servicios web y basado en una arquitectura orientada a servicios, que asegure la interoperabilidad entre repositorios de objetos de aprendizaje y que favorezca su reutilización.. En este trabajo, en primer lugar, se analiza el estado actual de los sistemas de teleformación. Se hace hincapié en el estudio de los repositorios que los sustentan y de los estándares que indican cómo construirlos. Se señalan las limitaciones existentes y se definen propuestas para superarlas. Se propone una arquitectura en capas que ha de satisfacer unos requisitos que deberán considerarse en cualquier sistema que se base en dicha arquitectura. Además se definen los componentes necesarios de la arquitectura para asegurar la funcionalidad requerida, el flujo de información y las relaciones entre ellos. Para validar la arquitectura propuesta, se describe un prototipo real creado a partir de los principios propuestos.. En último lugar se exponen las conclusiones y trabajos futuros relacionados con los temas abordados. Se incluyen las fuentes documentales empleadas, sin exhaustividad, dado que el contexto de este trabajo está sometido a cambios continuos..Biblioteca de Ciencias Experimentales. Facultad de Medicina. Campus Universitario; Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, Km.33,600; 28871 Alcalá de Henares; Tel. +34918854500; Fax +34918854864;ES

EduTech: Proposal for the Creation of Virtual Accessibility Assistance Units in Higher Education in Latin America

Technological accessibility constitutes a constant search for positive experiences that support the adoption of processes in their implementation. It is necessary to build management capacities that favor the training in accessibility of the university community considering the inclusion of students with disabilities. The European experience in the application of regulations and good practices in accessibility constitutes a relevant contribution for Latin American universities that need to strengthen their knowledge in attending to diversity, particularly disability. The Erasmus+ EduTech project seeks to improve Accessible Virtual Higher Education by generating a set of recommendations and support tools for inclusive training. One of the major contributions of the project will be the creation of Technological Accessibility Attention Units in each partner university, in charge of implementing the results of the project. In the long term, the project results could impact the educational and occupational insertion of students with disabilities

A framework to foster accessibility in post-pandemic virtual higher education

The SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) forced educational institutions to move their programmes to the virtual world. Several tech-based solutions –including virtual training and tutoring, discussion forums, access to content and information, collaborative platforms, and Open Educational Resources (OER)– were implemented to address this shift and continue to be used in the post-pandemic era due to the advantages they offer, especially for hybrid and blended learning. However, the implementation of these tech-based solutions also revealed several accessibility issues that need to be addressed to fully leverage the technological benefits. This study aims to provide a framework to facilitate the adoption of good practices related to technological accessibility in virtual Higher Education. The implementation of the framework is divided into four basic actions, each of which should be tailored to the constraints and needs for improving accessibility in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The framework’s instantiation in four HEIs serves as a proof-of-concept in real-world scenarios. The preliminary results suggest that the proposal is promising, as it was adaptable to the specific needs of each HEI fostering accessibility and inclusion through technological alternatives that align with their organisational structures and current levels of attention to accessibility.publishedVersio

Quality Assurance in E-learning: A Proposal from Accessibility to Sustainability

Given the importance of developing and offering accessible education for all, indispensable aspects of education for sustainable development (ESD) are needed. This study addresses that need by proposing a quality self-assessment for virtual education from an accessibility perspective. This proposal is based on previous literature about quality assurance in e-learning that considered accessibility and its application in the field of higher education. The bibliographic review was conducted by following Multivocal Literature Review (MLR) guidelines. The initial search returned 999 items from 5 academic databases and 32,200 professional sources from Google. After reviewing the sources, 37 of them were included. Then, the accessibility criteria were identified and integrated into an evaluation model. Such a model is divided into four dimensions: (1) organization, (2) student body, (3) teaching, and (4) infrastructure. The model also includes a set of standards (16), requirements (48), and evidence (63) that apply to each dimension. Moreover, self-assessment guidelines for accessible virtual education were proposed. They included a conceptual and theoretical framework, a self-assessment model, and a methodology for applying the model. The methodology included five phases: planning, model tuning or refinement of the model, evaluation, results, and continuous improvement. As future work, the implementation and validation of the guidelines will be carried out.publishedVersio

Healthcare information technology: a systematic mapping study

I. Objectives This paper presents a systematic mapping of studies related to information systems and technology in the field of healthcare enabling a visual mapping of the different lines of knowledge. In this way, an overview of the scientific literature in this field can be obtained. The map obtained can help to clarify critical aspects of healthcare informatics, such as the main types of information systems, how they integrate with each other, and what are the technological trends in this field. II. Methods Systematic mapping is a technique that defines a process of classifying information in a given area of knowledge. It returns the state of the art in a particular discipline or area of knowledge, establishing a map that describes how knowledge is structured in that particular area. A specific implementation of the methodology for the mapping is proposed and carried out. A total of 1,619 studies that combine knowledge related to information systems, computer science, and healthcare were selected and compiled from prestigious publications. III. Results Results facilitate establishing a distribution of the available literature and identify the papers related to the research questions, obtaining a map of knowledge that structures the different trends and main areas of research, making it possible to address the research questions, and serving as a guide to deepen specific aspects of the field of study. IV. Conclusions Finally, we project and propose future research for the trends that stand out because of their interest and the possibility of deepening them

The use of accessibility metadata in e-learning environments: a systematic literature review

E-learning environments constitute an essential element in education, as they help students to ensure their pass their courses and graduate on time. Although guidelines, techniques, and methods have been presented in some literature in recent years to contribute to the development of accessible e-learning environments that promote digital inclusion, their implementation is challenging. In this context, the use of accessibility metadata not only provides a way to enhance the description of adapted educational resources but also facilitates their search according to the needs and preferences of students, in particular those with disabilities. In this paper, a systematic review was conducted in order to provide the state of the art regarding the use of accessibility metadata in e-learning environments. A total of 746 documents were found during the period from 2012 to 2019, of which 31 were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria relevant to our review. The findings revealed an intensive use of models and standards of accessibility in e-learning environments, however, using accessibility metadata remains underused. In fact, the evaluation of accessibility and adaptability through the use of its metadata was not found. The findings obtained also helped to establish challenges and opportunities in this research field as well as to provide an overview that could support those who generate educational resources to keep their interest in making them accessible.European Commissio

FORMALIZACIÓN DE UN MARCO METODOLÓGICO PARA LA IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE UN PROYECTO EDUCATIVO VIRTUAL ACCESIBLE

The development of education faces a constant evolution and the adoptionof new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for educationis reflected in the inclusion of virtual courses in the educational process.However, accessibility in virtual platforms and courses has not been takeninto account in the educational process, especially in developing countriesthat do not have legislation that encourages the consideration of accessibility, a very important benefit for students with disabilities.This paper proposes a methodology to take accessibility into account inthe different processes of the life cycle of a virtual educational project. Thecreation of this methodology has taken place under an iterative process,based on an international standard, and complemented with practicalexperiences.In order to validate the proposed methodology, an accessible virtualtraining course for teachers was prepared. The methodology was validatedwith an iterative design consisting of three phases. Following this experience, comments and suggestions were gathered from several stakeholders in the virtual education process. As part of a cooperation initiative between European and Latin American universities, the proposed methodology was distributed through mass training for teachers. A total of 12 editions of the prepared course have been taught, 8 editions in a blended-learning approach and 4 courses with an online learning focus. A total of 1,182 teachers have participated in the training experience (509 men and 673 women).This study provides a methodology based on a framework for describingthe quality of educational processes. This will allow any institution to usethis methodology as a reference in order to work on the changes needed to incorporate accessibility into their own production processes for virtual courses.La educación enfrenta una constante evolución y la adopción de las nuevas tecnologías de información y comunicación (TICs) en las actividades académicas se refleja en la inclusión de cursos en modalidad virtual en el proceso formativo. Sin embargo, factores de accesibilidad de las plataformas y los cursos virtuales no se han tomado en cuenta en el  proceso formativo, en especial en países en desarrollo que no cuentan con legislación que incentive a tomar en cuenta la accesibilidad que representa un magnífico beneficio para estudiantes con discapacidad.En este trabajo se propone un marco metodológico de referencia para tomar en cuenta la accesibilidad en los diferentes procesos del ciclo de  vida de un proyecto educativo virtual. La metodología propuesta se ha basado en una norma de estandarización internacional y ha sido complementada con experiencias prácticas implementando cursos virtuales en diferentes contextos.Con el objetivo de validar el marco metodológico, un curso de formación virtual accesible para docentes ha sido preparado. La metodología ha sido validada con un proceso iterativo de tres fases, recolectando comentarios y sugerencias de los distintos actores involucrados en el proceso formativo para mejorar la comprensión y facilidad de uso de la misma. En el marco de una iniciativa de cooperación entre universidades europeas y latinoamericanas, la metodología ha sido difundida mediante un proceso de formación docente a gran escala. Un total de 12 ediciones del curso preparado han sido impartidas, 8 ediciones en formato semipresencial y 4 online. Un total de 1.182 docentes han sido formados (509 hombres y 673 mujeres). Este trabajo aporta una metodología basada en un marco para la descripción de la calidad de procesos de formación. Esto permitirá que cualquier institución pueda tomar como referencia esta metodología y realizar las adaptaciones necesarias para incorporar la accesibilidad en sus procesos de producción de cursos virtuales

Exploring the impact of accessibility in MOOC and OER: a multivocal literature review

Conferência realizada em Lisboa, de 21-23 de outubro de 2020.This report presents a review of the accessibility models in Learning Resources and MOOCs with the aim of establishing common terms in the research of the EduTech project and other projects associated with virtual accessibility in member HEIs. This study is based on the search and analysis of articles and publications related to the subject following the MLR format. The results showed a lack of applicability and data that support the current situation in Latin America, however, the experiences of European projects and regulations that support their sustainability, establish guidelines that could guide implementation processes in higher education institutions in partner countriesCo-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, project EduTech (609785-EPP-1-2019-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Semantic web technologies applied to software accessibility evaluation: a systematic literature review

Software accessibility is a current field of interest. Governments and organizations boost initiatives and legislations to assure universal access. On the other hand, the semantic web is the evolution of the Internet from a web of pages to a web of data. It enables the linked data engineering. It facilitates search of information, data analysis and data sharing. Some studies have applied semantic web technologies to improve software accessibility. Their methods, goals and results are heterogeneous. This systematic literature review aims to review how the application of semantic web technologies has evolved in software accessibility evaluation. First, we defined some main and secondary research questions that would set the context for the review. Then, we defined a search strategy and selection criteria which allowed us to get a set of primary studies related to our research question. We measured the quality of the studies and performed a qualitative analysis. A lack of studies in some of the sub-areas included was revealed. A low impact level was also detected in most cases, so this research field needs to be explored further. Semantic web has a direct application on software accessibility evaluation. However, this review reveals a lack of studies in some important sub-areas. A very low impact of the studies was also detected compared with other studies in the accessibility field. The evolution of this area is slow, so we recommend exploring further the different research branches and trying to generate studies with more impact