Contribution of historical Spanish inventions to the knowledge of olive oil industrial heritage

This article presents new research, which has the objective of quantifying the knowledge produced by historical technological innovations in the field of olive oil industrial heritage. It studies inventions related to the mechanical processes of the extraction of olive oil between 1826 and 1966, which are recorded in the Historical Archive of the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office. It uses a new adaptation of the methodology of knowledge management (KM) defined by Nonaka and Takeuchi. We have obtained the knowledge value of each innovation according to the level of technological knowledge registered at the time, while distinguishing between the historical evolution of inventions relating to milling and those relating to pressing. In the first analysis, the results show a recession in the quantitative level of knowledge in the olive oil sector with respect to the technological potential of the time. However, when contrasted with the events relating to industrial heritage at the time, it is possible to account for this technological evolution and prove the validity of the methodology used. The results show that general evolution of the knowledge generated has decreased, particularly in the pressing process, although this is not the case in the milling process.     

Construction of educational knowledge with the Mapuche community through dialogical-kishu kimkelay ta che research

ABSTRACT

This paper reports the development of a Mapuche education programme in the context of indigenous demands and claims in relation to education, specifically the Bafkehce Mapuche community who live in the Araucanía Region of Chile. The central objective defined was to systematise, jointly with the indigenous community, the components defined as educational knowledge in order to generate a Mapuche education. The study was approached using the dialogical-kishu kimkelay ta che methodology, developed jointly with a Maci (responsible for ceremonies), two Kimches (sages), a Gütancefe (bone-setter), Mapuche teachers, and undergraduate teaching students and academics. The results show epistemic and gnoseological categories which differ from the westernised Chilean categories of education, thus allowing a Mapuche education programme to be generated in order to establish a dialogue between educational knowledge in the indigenous context and in the Chilean western context.     

Scaffolding group explanation and feedback with handheld technology: impact on students’ mathematics learning

Based on strong research literatures, we conjectured that social processing of feedback by cooperating in a small group setting—with social incentives to ask questions, give explanations and discuss disagreements—would increase learning. We compared group and individual feedback, using two technologies: (1) Technology-mediated, Peer-Assisted Learning (TechPALS), which uses wireless handheld technology to structure feedback in small groups as they solve fractions problems and (2) a popular desktop product, which provides feedback to individual students as they solve fractions problems individually. Three elementary schools participated in a randomized controlled experiment conducted in the 2007–2008 school year. Students in the TechPALS condition learned more than did the control group students, with effect sizes ranging from d = 0.14 to d = 0.44. Analysis of observational data confirmed that students in the TechPALS condition participated socially in questioning, explaining, and discussing disagreements, whereas students in the individual condition did not. We conclude that an integration of technology, cooperative activity designs and broader educational practices can lead to impact on students’ mathematics learning.     

Coordinating learning analytics policymaking and implementation at scale

Many Latin-American institutions recognise the potential of learning analytics (LA). However, the number of actual LA implementations at scale remains limited, notwithstanding considerable effort made to formulate guidelines and frameworks to support the LA policy development. Guidance on how to coordinate the interaction between the LA policymaking and implementation is mostly missing, leaving a difficult challenge up to practitioners. In this study we propose a coordination model to support future LA initiatives at scale. We explore the problem by comparing two cases in Belgium and Ecuador. Following up we use the LA implementation timeline as a driver for planning the interaction between the policymaking and implementation. We continue by testing an application of the model with LA experts predominantly from Latin-American institutions, asking them to map low-level items of the SHEILA policy framework to four implementation phases. The results of this mapping support that LA policy building can be spread over time, that it can coincide with LA implementation at scale, and that both efforts can be coordinated. It is hoped that this study will provide additional guidance for future Latin-American and other LA initiatives.     

How individualised are the Individualised Education Programmes (IEPs): an analysis of the contents and quality of the IEPs goals

The Individualised Education Programme (IEP) is a fundamental document that describes all educational responses to the additional support needs of students, setting up the guideline for their learning and developmental experiences. Specifically, the IEP goals represent the personal destination translated into desirable behaviours and skills that will enable students with additional support needs to meet their educational and functional needs. This paper analysis the quality of the 2497 IEP goals established for 135 Portuguese students with additional support needs and their fit to the students’ level of severity and educational level. The quality of IEP goals was measured using the Revised IFSP/IEP Goals and Objectives Rating Instrument and the content was categorised in reference to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, version for Children and Youth. Findings showed that goals are generally poorly written, particularly in terms of their measurability and that their quality decreases as students’ progress in education. Results also showed that IEP goals for students with a highly individualised curriculum do not attend to their needs of more functional contents. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for teacher training.     

The parallelism between scientists' and students' resistance to new scientific ideas

This paper compares resistance by scientists to new ideas in scientific discovery with students' resistance to conceptual change in science learning. First, the resistance by students to abandon their misconceptions concerning scientific topics is studied. Next, the resistance by scientists to scientific discovery is studied and some of the causes of such resistance are explored. Some conclusions and direct implications for science teaching are suggested.     

Using a fine-grained multiple-choice response format in educational drill-and-practice video games

When using educational video games, particularly drill-and-practice video games, there are several ways of providing an answer to a quiz. The majority of paper-based options can be classified as being either multiple-choice or constructed-response. Therefore, in the process of creating an educational drill-and-practice video game, one fundamental question to be answered is which is the most appropriate response format? This paper answers this question, proposing a hybrid format that we call fine-grained multiple-choice, where the player constructs their response one element at a time, with each element chosen from a pre-defined set. A comparative study was conducted with second grade students. When comparing the impact of an educational drill-and-practice video game that uses multiple-choice with one that uses fine-grained multiple-choice, we observe that the fine-grained multiple-choice game achieved better results. However, the multiple-choice game was substantially more successful at capturing the students' interest and motivation. Considering the widespread use of the multiple-choice format in game-based learning activities, as well as in interactive activities, this research suggests rethinking what the most suitable answer format might be for each area of the curriculum and for the different types of games.     

Impact of compulsory participation of medical students in a multiuser online game to learn radiological anatomy and radiological signs within the virtual world Second Life

Competitive game-based learning within Second Life enables effective teaching of basic radiological anatomy and radiological signs to medical students, with good acceptance and results when students participate voluntarily, but unknown in a compulsory context. The objectives of this study were to reproduce a competitive online game based on self-guided presentations and multiple-choice tests in a mandatory format, to evaluate its development and student perceptions compared to a voluntary edition in 2015 (N = 90). In 2016 and 2017, respectively, 191 and 182 third-year medical students participated in the game as a mandatory course activity. The mean (±SD) score of the game was 74.7% (±19.5%) in 2015, 71.2% (±21.5%) in 2016, and 67.5% (±21.5%) in 2017 (P < 0.01). Participants valued positively the organization and educational contents but found the virtual world less attractive and the game less interesting than in the voluntary edition. The experience globally was rated with 8.2 (±1.5), 7.8 (±1.5), and 7.1 (±1.7) mean points (±SD) in a ten-point scale, in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 editions, respectively (P < 0.05). Competitive learning games within virtual worlds like Second Life have great learning potential in radiology, but the mean score in the game decreased, acceptance of virtual world technology was lower, and opinion about the game was worse with a compulsory participation, and even worse when dropouts were not allowed. Under the conditions in which this study was conducted, learning games in three-dimensional virtual environments should be voluntary to maintain adequate motivation and engagement of medical students.     

How schools and students respond to school improvement programs: The case of Brazil's PDE

This study uses rich empirical data from Brazil to assess how a government program (PDE) that decentralizes school management decisions changes what goes on in schools and how these changes affect student outcomes. It appears that the PDE resulted in some improvements in management and learning materials, but little change in other areas including evaluation and community relations. However, we find no evidence that schools’ participation in the PDE improved student achievement. The results for grade passing are stronger. Students in PDE schools saw greater increases in grade passing rates than students in non-PDE schools during the period of our study. We also estimate a positive relationship between PDE spending and student gains for those schools in the program, especially for spending on teaching and learning materials and furniture. We find no benefit of electronics spending or spending on teacher training, two of the three largest areas of school investment.