Biblioteca Digital

Este projecto foi realizado na Universidade da Madeira, no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática e tem como título “Plataforma para o suporte de Blended Peer Assisted Learning”. Ao longo da nossa pesquisa sobre os vários métodos de aprendizagem online, deparamo-nos com uma grande lacuna que abrange a maior parte dos sistema de ensino assistidos por computador, ou seja, todas elas preocupam-se com a passagem de conhecimentos, mas raras são aquelas que têm em atenção o tipo de utilizador, qual a seu percurso académico e profissional, qual a metodologia que fará com que o mesmo capte melhor os conteúdos, etc. Com este objectivo em mente, e tendo em atenção as diversas plataformas e metodologias de ensino existentes, optou-se por elaborar uma arquitectura de uma plataforma capaz de centralizar na mesma, um conjunto de funcionalidades e metodologias que possibilitassem um acompanhamento mais específico do utilizador, proporcionando um maior conhecimento, através do qual poderia encaminhar o utilizador para a estratégia de aprendizagem que mais se adequasse a um utilizador com as suas características. Como se poderá constatar no decorrer desta dissertação, a plataforma desenhada e o módulo desenvolvido têm como base teórica o Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) e as suas estratégias de aprendizagem. O PAL é um conceito relativamente novo...

Esta tese tem como objeto de estudo os mecanismos de reputação em comunidades virtuais de aprendizagem implementadas através de redes de compartilhamento Peer-to-Peer. Os sistemas de reputação, modelados através da TIS de Piaget e dos conceitos de comunidade e sociedade apresentados por Ferdinand Tonnies consistem na contribuição desta tese e visam a eficiente implantação de Comunidades Virtuais de Aprendizagem através de Peer-to-Peer. A implementação de Comunidades Virtuais de Aprendizagem através de redes de compartilhamento Peer-to-Peer apresenta diversos aspectos a serem observados. Podemos considerar como fator positivo a popularização do conceito pelo compartilhamento de materiais na Internet, com o aumento do numero de usuários de softwares como o e-mule e o kazaa. Como limitante, temos principalmente a dificuldade de identificação de relevância dos materiais disponibilizados em relação ao contexto de aprendizagem que se pretende estabelecer. Considerando que a identificação de origem e relevância é uma condição indispensável à constituição de Comunidade Virtuais de Aprendizagem, faz-se necessário estabelecer mecanismos de reputação que contemplem tais questões. O conceito de valor, o estabelecimento de critérios de avaliação para os objetos disponibilizados...

This poster presents a pilot project on non-conventional learning strategies based on students’ active participation in real-life FLOSS projects. The aim of the project is to validate the hypothesis that the peer-production model, which underlies most FLOSS projects, can enhance the learning-teaching process based on extensive and systematic collaborative practices.

Introduction: One of notable initiatives in improving the academic education is to use the abilities of students to learn together in a new and effective system of peer learning. In this regard, Education  Development Center in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences proceed to implementation and study of the curriculum and teaching methods course in the form of peer learning for college students of nutrition science and survey the efficacy of this implementation.

Many of the instructional practices that have been advanced as intrinsically motivating are inherent in socio-constructivist learning environments. There is now emerging scientific evidence to explain why interactive learning environments promote the intrinsic motivation to learn. The “two-body” and “second person” approaches have begun to explore the “dark matter” of social neuroscience: the intra- and inter-individual brain dynamics during social interaction. Moreover, studies indicate that when young learners are given expanded opportunities to actively and equitably participate in collaborative learning activities they experienced feelings of well-being, contentment, or even excitement. Neuroscience starts demonstrating how this naturally rewarding aspect is strongly associated with the implication of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway during social interaction. The production of dopamine reinforces the desire to continue the interaction, and heightens feelings of anticipation for future peer-learning activities. Here we review how cooperative learning and problem-solving interactions can bring about the “intrinsic” motivation to learn. Overall, the reported theoretical arguments and neuroscientific results have clear implications for school and organization approaches and support social constructivist perspectives.

For a long time, games were associated to entertainment activities, limited to recreation. The electronic games have as pioneer Willy Higinbotham, a physicist from Brookhaven National Laboratories that created in 1958 a simple game of tennis that was implemented in an oscilloscope. Since then, some failures occurred in the acceptance of such products. However, with the advent of new virtual worlds, more interactive and visually rich, capable of providing a rich communication, the current games online multi-player become a valuable tool for practice of collaborative learning. The collaboration, per se, is a strong goal in education that needs to be encouraged and exercised. This goal needs to be encouraged and exercised by the means available. In this context, the computer games deserve a lot of attention. The increasing presence and richness of the computer games gather favorable conditions to a process of knowledge construction through effectively collaborative activities. This paper proposes a model for building collaborative games, based on the assumption that cooperation leads to peer learning. The concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) defined by Vygotsky is essential to the understanding of their ideas about the relationship between development and learning. The study of the relationship game and education...

non-peer-reviewed

peer-reviewed; Background: The benefits of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) are well established with positive effects on examination scores, student satisfaction and personal and professional development reported. PAL is increasingly utilised as a resource within medical education where the restrictions on resources have forced teachers to look at creating new educational environments which can be delivered at a lower cost. This study sought to evaluate the processes at work as the emphasis of PAL research to date has largely been on the consideration of student outcomes. Methods: Fifth-year medical undergraduates, who had completed their communication skills modular training and attended a preparatory workshop, facilitated a role-play session for their second-year colleagues within an Early Patient Contact programme. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to collect data at different time points in order to establish the views of peer learners and tutors towards this new method of teaching. The data was analysed according to the principles framework analysis using N-vivo software. Themes were shared and debated with the multidisciplinary team of authors and a concordance of views on common themes was reached after discussion and debate. Results: Analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of three thematic categories: Learning Environment...

peer-reviewed; The Design Studio is seen as an integral part of all design practice, both professional and educational. It is the creative environment where ideas are conceived, developed and shared amongst the collective. In the design student’s eyes, however it can sometimes have associations with ‘work’ and assignments causing negative connotations. These associations can dilute the creative atmosphere of the studio and lead to strategic learning on the students’ part where they strive for marks instead of a holistic learning experience. This paper explores student design ‘work’, undertaken outside the conventional studio setting, through a series of novel design-based activities which emphasise collaboration and participation. The intention of these is to encourage voluntary (not assessment driven) participation in creative practices within an environment that is fun and light-hearted. The first activity was a co-design project between design students and community partners. The second involved a number of short multi-disciplinary projects between Product Design, Marketing and Architecture students, using a design slam format (short design challenges where the ideas developed during these projects are generated and realised over a limited period of time). The final activity was a strategy used to encourage informal interclass dialogue between design students through an open platform where parity exists between students and lecturers. This paper draws together the experiences of both students and tutors from these activities and reflects on how informal learning activities can engage...

peer-reviewed; In the late nineteenth century Christopher Columbus Langdell, Dean of Harvard Law School, introduced a new pedagogy in law that was designed around Socratic teaching. Prior to this, most common law jurists had emphasised the importance of artificial, natural law reasoning which was prone to be more subjective, speculative, value laden, and ultimately illogical (Davies, 1994, p. 110). This new pedagogy placed law cases at the centre of students’ learning, and demanded much more from the students in terms of analysis and defence of legal explanations. In particular, it involved a case-dialogue method, where students are called upon to recount facts, argue legal principles and explain their reasoning in the lecture hall before an authoritarian lecturer. All of this was designed to mirror the combative realities of adversarial proceedings. So, for example, in a lecture, the lecturer might demand of a student the facts of a case, the legal points at issue, the court’s reasoning by reference to other cases, the underlying legal doctrine or principle, and the effect that an altered fact pattern might have on the outcome.; PUBLISHED; Not peer reviewed

peer-reviewed; Physics Education Research (PER) has shown that students leave the physics classroom holding the same misconceptions about physics they had when they entered. PER has demonstrated that these misconceptions are often deeply held and are difficult to change. The literature indicates that Peer Learning has advantages compared with traditional methods in producing conceptual change and that there are a number of potential benefits for utilising undergraduates as Peer Leaders in Peer Learning programmes. Gartner, Kohler, and Riessman (1971) summarised a number of beneficial cognitive processes that occur when Peer Leaders prepare for Peer Learning sessions. It is believed that in reviewing, organising and teaching the material, they may gain a better understanding of the subject. However, little or no literature exists on the effect participation has on Peer Leaders or their experience of a Peer Learning programme. In particular, few studies determining the effect of participation on the Peer Leaders in physics at third level exist. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of becoming a Peer Leader, to investigate the experience of becoming a Peer Leader, and to illuminate the implications of using undergraduate Peer Leaders in physics tutorials at third level. A model of Peer Learning was designed and implemented in physics tutorials at the University of Limerick and the Peer Leaders selected for this study had direct experience of undergraduate introductory physics courses. This Peer Learning model involved students working in cooperative groups with an undergraduate Peer Leader as a facilitator of their learning. Training was provided to the Peer Leaders to ensure that they created an environment where the students were actively and productively engaged with the material and with each other. Action research was chosen as the central methodology of this thesis...

peer-reviewed; The use of peer learning and peer assessment has gained increasing interest in higher education driven by both its educational value and by its ability to provide students with the opportunity to develop important transferrable skills. This paper reports on the use of peer learning and peer assessment with a cohort of four-year undergraduate physiotherapy students and an eighteen month taught post-graduate teacher education programme. The study observed the students’ engagement in the process, surveyed their opinions on the activity at the end of the experience and conducted one focus group discussion with a subset of students from each cohort. The study found that the vast majority of respondents felt that the experience was valuable and enjoyable. However, when asked to indicate whether it was a fairer method of assessment there were more varied responses. Similarly when asked whether their peers should have a greater say in their overall grade the majority disagreed. Views on the educational value of the experience appeared to differ between the two cohorts of students. The study highlights the influence of a prevailing assessment cultures on students’ engagement in peer learning which requires consideration when including such pedagogical approaches.

Background: Peer assisted learning in the form of peer feedback has been used in a range of settings for medical education and assessment. Clinical skills are an important and vital aspect of undergraduate medical education. Clinical skills learning has been enhanced by incorporating peer assisted learning in medical curricula. Aim: To assess the usefulness of peer observer feedback sheets as a tool for structured peer feedback in enhancing early undergraduate clinical skills learning. Method: An innovative tool enabling peer feedback in history taking and physical examination skills was distributed to small student groups in year 1 and year 2 undergraduate clinical skills tutorials throughout the 2008 academic year. A questionnaire regarding the usefulness of this tool in helping with clinical skills learning was then distributed to all first and second year medical students for evaluation at the end of the second semester in the 2008 academic year. Results: The results supported some usefulness of this tool in helping early undergraduate medical students with clinical skills tutorials. At the end of the academic year, 71.5% of year 1 and 62.4% of year 2 students found this tool 'useful' to 'extremely useful'. Conclusion: Peer observer feedback sheets were perceived by the majority of a cohort of first and second year medical students to be useful in clinical skills teaching and learning. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this tool on actual student performance and how this will impact on low performing students.; C. Khaw...

Understanding what to do about policy reform is the (relatively) easy part, our clients tell us. The hard part is figuring out how to do it. The path to reform is fraught with the details of practical implementation, the challenges of working with stakeholders, and the mammoth task of ensuring that a reform is both effective and politically sustainable. That's why the best sources of wisdom on how to do it are the reformers themselves who have been there and done that. So, during last September's doing business launch in Kigali, Rwanda, the authors were delighted that government colleagues from Mauritius who have successfully implemented reforms offered to host a peer-to-peer learning event for African governments on business regulation reform.

The purpose of my study was to explore what and how university students learned from their experiences working as peer educators. In my study, I was only interested in investigating peer educators working in formal peer education programs within the post-secondary setting. I defined learning as “a comprehensive, holistic, transformative activity that integrates academic learning and student development” (italics in original, ACPA & NASPA, 2004, p. 2). I used a modified version of the CAS 2009 learning outcomes framework to understand what peer educators learned. Those six CAS learning outcomes are: knowledge acquisition, construction, integration, and application; cognitive complexity; intrapersonal development; interpersonal competence; humanitarianism and civic engagement; and practical competence. I adopted a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory approach to the study of the content and context of peer educators’ learning. I selected participants for my study from a pool of peer educators of a student affairs’ learning assistance peer education program at a mid-sized Ontario university. I conducted face-to-face, in-depth interviews with seven peer educators. My research revealed what peer educators in a single peer education program learned; it also provided insight into their experience of learning within the peer education program...

The ability to receive regular peer feedback on learning should, in theory, be valuable to learners. A formative view will be presented in this study in which information is collected and used as feedback for student learning. This differs from summative practices where the purpose is to make judgments about the extent to which learning has taken place. This case study takes place in a first year master’s Occupational Therapy (OT) course where the focus is on the development of communication skills. These skills are developed through interviewing and assessment strategies. This case focuses on the feedback received by students from their peers based on the clinical interviews that were conducted. Peers in this study are members of the same learning team who have been divided into these groups for the purpose of learning together. Students in this course receive both written and oral peer feedback during peer assessment exercises. This feedback is formally reflected on by students as self-assessment. Although, both peer and self-assessments are used for formative purposes in this course, the primary focus of this study is on peer assessment. Six participants were recruited for this study. The data for this inquiry consisted of transcripts from six semi-structured interviews and a focus group as well as written artifacts from the course. The data analysis revealed three core themes related to both the peer assessment process and peer feedback. Motivation for Learning and Awareness of Growth or Development were identified as two key themes relating to student learning. The third theme identified was Factors that Impacted the Learning Experience which had to do with how students felt about having engaged in the peer assessment process. A unique finding regarding the latter theme centered around the time factor required to take on the roles...

Objective: To discuss cognitive and sociocultural learning theory literature related to athletic training instructional and evaluation strategies while providing support for the application of these practices in the didactic and clinical components of athletic training education programs.

The study examined various methods of peer learning and their effectiveness in undergraduate nursing education. Using a specifically developed search strategy, healthcare databases were systematically searched for peer-reviewed articles, with studies involving peer learning and students in undergraduate general nursing courses (in both clinical and theoretical settings) being included. The studies were published in English between 2001 and 2010. Both study selection and quality analysis were undertaken independently by two researchers using published guidelines and data was thematically analyzed to answer the research questions. Eighteen studies comprising various research methods were included. The variety of terms used for peer learning and variations between study designs and assessment measures affected the reliability of the study. The outcome measures showing improvement in either an objective effect or subjective assessment were considered a positive result with sixteen studies demonstrating positive aspects to peer learning including increased confidence, competence, and a decrease in anxiety. We conclude that peer learning is a rapidly developing aspect of nursing education which has been shown to develop students' skills in communication...

peer-reviewed; Over the past decade or so the open education movement has continued to gather momentum in higher education, spurred on by increasing demand for more flexible education options; by the potential of developments in technology and infrastructure; by advocacy at policy level; and by initiatives and developments at national and international levels. Open educational resources (OER1), one element of the open education movement, have seen exponential growth in this period. Navigating this OER landscape poses a number of important issues and questions for the practice of teaching and learning. From an educational development perspective, the focus rests on investigating how both students and teachers can use and share open educational resources in ways that optimally enhance teaching and learning.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of the research practice gap as it is perceived in the field of software requirements engineering. An analysis of this gap has shown that two key causes for the research-practice gap are lack of effective communication and the relatively light coverage of requirements engineering material in University programmes. We discuss the design and delivery of a Masters course in Software Requirements Engineering (SRE) that is designed to overcome some of the issues that have caused the research-practice gap. By encouraging students to share their experiences in a peer learning environment, we aim to improve shared understanding between students (many of whom are current industry practitioners) and researchers (including academic staff members) to improve the potential for effective collaborations, whilst simultaneously developing the requirements engineering skill sets of the enrolled students. Feedback from students in the course is discussed and directions for the future development of the curriculum and learning strategies are given.; Comment: Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Information Technology: New Generations (ITNG 2009)