Loading...
20 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 20
- Academic analytics: mapping the genome of the UniversityPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioHigher 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.
- Systematic analysis of quality technology enhanced learning environments in higher education: an organizational perspective 2.0Publication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioTechnology Enhanced Learning Environments (TELE) theme, in Higher Education Institutions (HEI), is a hot topic in research and it has been taken into consideration by the policies of several international organizations and countries. Several evaluation models have been proposed that cover different dimensions of TELE, and the scale of analysis of these models ranges from: i) an organizational, Cartesian, systemic and holistic view; ii) a micro view, in which certain environmental elements are considered (eg material / content, student assessment, tutoring). The HEI are complex organizations with organigrams with several levels of decision and range of action (university, schools/colleges, departments, courses,..). These structures/agents are accountable and act in different levels of TELE ranging from the holistic view, which belongs to the hierarchically superior structures, to the smaller elements of the system, namely each department or course. In this chapter, we do a literature review on how learning organizations are structured and learn by focusing our analysis on the advantages which result in meeting the challenges of this globalized world, where the only constant is change. We also intend to review what has been proposed by examining some of the most significant assessment models of TELE in use today. This analysis will be achieved by positioning these models in a matrix, built on the dimensions proposed by the "E-learning quality - ELQ" model developed by the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. The ELQ model considers ten dimensions (1. Material/content, 2. Structure/virtual environment, 3. Communication, cooperation and interactivity, 4. Student assessment, 5. Flexibility and adaptability, 6. Support: student and staff 7. Staff qualifications and experience, 8. Vision and institutional leadership , 9. Resource allocation, 10. The holistic and process aspect). These dimensions were identified through the analysis of i) policies, projects and working networks developed by several European organizations, ii) policies of governmental agencies and national organizations dedicated to quality assurance in higher education, especially in e-learning, iii) published scientific articles. It is expected that the matrix will reflect a systemic view, where the different evaluation models are contextualized in the dimensions proposed by the ELQ and the links between the models of holistic view and those focusing on smaller elements of the process teaching and learning will be pointed out. Although it is true that to effectively evaluate the global policies of TELE, or each one of their dimensions, it is not enough that the HIE import and apply evaluation models, as it is also essential that these organizations develop and adapt their own working methods and ensure their internal competence. On the other hand, it is equally true that the models are important references that enable each HIE to build and adapt their own assessment mechanisms. The positioning of the different models of evaluation in a matrix, which runs along the critical dimensions of TELE present in the ELQ, with a spectrum analysis between the micro and the macro-scale can be an important tool for the organizations enabling them to define their own evaluation models, identifying who evaluates, what is evaluated and in what context.
- Desenvolvimento e validação de uma escala para avaliação de integração do LCMS no processo formativo no Ensino SuperiorPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioConsidering the importance of the management of Learning Content Management System (LCMS) in pedagogical strategy of higher education modernisation, it becomes essential to develop tools, reliable and adapted to the context, to collect students ' perceptions on the issue. Additionally, it is important that this information may be linked to other sources, in particular, with the reports of LCMS, in such a way as to promote a more coherent management. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the scale "LCMS integration in teaching activities of higher education". The methodological approach to the subject has developed along three steps: 1- Identification and development of the dimensions and writing of individual items; 2-Validation of the content of the instrument by a panel of experts and graduate students with deep experience in the use of the LCMS; 3-Administration of scale and psychometric analysis. The dimensions of the final version of the scale are related very closely with information from reports of LCMS. The objective is to analyze, crossing information from two sources, a factor which potentially increases management effectiveness. It was constituted a convenience sample of 54 students attending undergraduate and master's Universidade Católica do Porto. The results suggest that the scale has good psychometric properties.
- Mudança e inovação pedagógica no ensino superior pela via tecnológica – dimensões de gestão e avaliaçãoPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioOs Ambientes de Aprendizagem Enriquecidos pela Tecnologia (TELE1) são fundamentais na competitividade das Instituições do Ensino Superior (IES). A globalização das fontes do saber, o crescimento da concorrência entre instituições, o encurtamento da duração dos ciclos de formação, o aumento da importância da formação ao longo da vida e o aprofundamento da cooperação entre IES de países diferentes são alguns dos factores que exigem ambientes de aprendizagem tecnologicamente ricos, com base de trabalho online. Os TELE são vistos como suporte fundamental na reengenharia pedagógica, podendo suportar de forma mais efectiva a aproximação a fi losofi as educacionais de cariz mais construtivista. Contudo, apesar dos avultados investimentos, uma parte signifi cativa destes ambientes falha ou fi ca aquém das expectativas. A inadequação das políticas para introduzir mudanças nas organizações por via da tecnologia e a falta de modelos de gestão e avaliação são aspectos que comprometem o sucesso destas iniciativas. Os TELE têm um grande potencial inovador e, por norma, implicam um investimento muito alto que tem de ser justifi cado, demonstrando a relação custo/benefício das tecnologias. Assim, a defi nição de modelos de gestão e de avaliação, que funcionem como guias de acção, são factores fundamentais para efi cácia das acções e garantia da qualidade.Neste trabalho, que decorre da revisão de literatura, apresentamos alguns modelos que orientam o processo de mudança e inovação nas organizações e linhas-guias para avaliação, enquanto instrumento de gestão, de TELE.
- Tecnologia, inovação e educação – Implementação de um sistema de Learning AnalyticsPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioNa Universidade Católica Portuguesa-Porto (Católica-Porto) está em curso o desenvolvimento de um sistema de Learning Analytics (LA), que agrega informação proveniente do Learning Content Management System (LCMS) e do feedback dos estudantes sobre a atividade letiva desenvolvida nesta plataforma tecnológica. Este sistema de LA permite posicionar cada unidade curricular (UC) ou faculdade numa matriz de cinco estádios de integração do LCMS no processo de ensino aprendizagem. Para o efeito foi desenvolvido um sistema de extração e análise de dados no LCMS, formatado de acordo com a matriz e foi construída e validada uma escala para aferição das opiniões dos estudantes sobre o LCMS. O objetivo desta ferramenta é facultar informação passível de ser analisada pelos diferentes níveis hierárquicos da instituição, esperando-se que contribua para potenciar as boas práticas e diminuir os obstáculos no uso do LCMS no processo formativo.
- E-Learning as an educational strategy on islands with low population density: case study in the autonomous Region of AzoresPublication . Ferreira, S. A.; Cardoso, E. L.The Regional Department of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in the 2003- 2004 school year implemented an innovative project for adult learning. The school EB 3/S Vitorino Nemésio, a public school, on Terceira Island, became the first Portuguese school offering adult education mediated through the Internet, serving elementary level (5th grade) to the secondary level (12th grade) adult learners. This research strives to understand to what extend media-based adult education provides an effective answer to geographic and demographic adult education issues in the Azores. Results indicate that this system appears to meet the geographical and demographic needs of the Azores Islands. Nevertheless, there are still unsolved problems related mostly to teacher limitations, more specifically pedagogic and technical skills in the fields of Information and Communication Technologies and e–learning. Adult e-learning also offers the possibilities of teacher and staff continuous training as well as its wider and more effective implementation outside the region.
- DER in Portugal: state-of-the-art of the two major Repositories in Elementary and Secondary EducationPublication . Castro, Cornélia; Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioIn 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.
- Learning analytics in practice: development and implementation of a support system to the management of the teaching activityPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioThe use of technological platforms based online has become increasingly important in the formative activity of higher education. In this context, by its almost universal use in educational institutions, the LCMS (Learning Content Management Systems) stand out. From the activity of students and teachers in these platforms a huge amount of data ends up being recorded, with great potential for management, which are not used. The idea of the Learning Analytics is related to the organization and analysis of these data, transforming them into intelligible information so that people and bodies of Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) can control actions and make more informed decisions, in terms of the adoption strategy of LCMS and the discovery of patterns that enable statistical inferences The Learning Analytics in education is in its infancy at the theoretical level, which is reflected in the difficulty in maintaining a stable discourse, and, even more evident on the practical level of development and use of these systems. This paper presents the results of the work of design, development and operationalization of a Learning Analytics system to assess the integration of the LCMS in the teaching and learning process in higher education. The proposed system combines the reading of data from two sources: from the automated reporting platform and from a scale applied to students. As a methodological approach to the subject the Design Science Research Process model was followed. The results achieved were reflected in a backoffice of the extraction and analysis system within the LCMS and in the development and validation of a scale to assess the integration of the LCMS in the formative process in higher education. In this paper the operation of this system is done in a real context in a face to face Curricular Unit (CU) for the first semester 2013-2014, at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Porto. The results indicate that this system, when crossing data from two sources, has the potential to allow the process of decision making to be more informed by teachers or leaders of the educational institution, opening new possibilities in the field of pedagogy and organizational efficiency
- Cognitive communication 2.0 in the classroom - resonance of an experience in higher educationPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Castro, Cornélia; Andrade, AntónioThe 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.
- Analytics na educação: Da gestão personalizada da atividade de ensino a definição de políticas institucionaisPublication . Ferreira, Sérgio André; Andrade, AntónioPressured by the context of the Information Society, the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are introducing innovation by means of technology, investing in technological platforms - especially the LCMS -, for the development of their educational purpose. These platforms are complemented by other technological systems to support the management of the different aspects of the HEIs’ life. The activity of students, teachers and administrators in these systems result in a huge trail of clicks, which is reflected in the huge volume of data registered. The Analytics idea is simple and has a very high transformative potential: the use of this data allows for a more informed decision-making process, opening the door to a new model in the management of HEIs in educational fields and organizational efficiency. In this study, in theory, the theme of Analytics in the Information Society and within the HEIs is contextualized. In the practical field, it presents two main contributions i) the demonstration of the use of Analytics in practice, from the customized management of the teaching activity to the definition of institutional policies; ii) development of two Analytics systems (Learning Analytics and Academic Analytics) for the management of the educational activity from the data made available by technological subsystems in use at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Porto.