The Aula EspaZio Gela and the Master of Space Science and Technology in the Universidad del País Vasco (University of the Basque Country)

We present the Aula EspaZio Gela, a facility dedicated to teaching Space Science and Technology at the master and doctorate level at the University of the Basque Country (Spain), and to promoting the development of this field in both public and private sectors. The one-year master's degree in Space Science and Technology (60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System)) offers a group of compulsory courses which give way afterwards to a set of elective matters in which students choose one of two tracks: the scientific, primarily oriented to basic research at the University, or the technological, leading to the space industry and space agencies. After completion of the master thesis, our students have direct access to a PhD in both curricular lines. Here we detail the main features of the master's degree and the experience acquired in three years, including a comparative opinion survey to the students. We also describe the facilities at the Faculty of Engineering consisting of a specific classroom (Aula EspaZio Gela), an Astronomical Observatory, and different laboratories.     

Dialogue in a distance education physics course

This study investigated the kinds of dialogues utilized by Open University students while studying an intermediate level physics course. Research objectives were twofold: to document what dialogue types, mediated through which resources, were (1) generally utilized by students as they learned; and (2) were specifically utilized by students to overcome conceptual difficulties. It was found that all students initially chose individual study characterized by intrapersonal dialogue. Only when individual study failed did students opt for interpersonal dialogue. This finding conflicts with the assumed importance often ascribed to interpersonal dialogue by some distance education theorists.     

Criss-cross heart three-dimensional printed models in medical education: A multicenter study on their value as a supporting tool to conventional imaging

The utility of three-dimensional (3D) printed models for medical education in complex congenital heart disease (CHD) is sparse and limited. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of 3D printed models for medical education in criss-cross hearts covering a wide range of participants with different levels of knowledge and experience, from medical students, clinical fellows up to senior medical personnel. Study participants were enrolled from four dedicated imaging workshops developed between 2016 and 2019. The study design was a non-randomized cross-over study to evaluate 127 participants' level of understanding of the criss-cross heart anatomy. This was evaluated using the scores obtained following teaching with conventional images (echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging) versus a 3D printed model learning approach. A significant improvement in anatomical knowledge of criss-cross heart anatomy was observed when comparing conventional imaging test scores to 3D printed model tests [76.9% (61.5%–87.8%) vs. 84.6% (76.9%–96.2%), P < 0.001]. The increase in the questionnaire marks was statistically significant across all academic groups (consultants in pediatric cardiology, fellows in pediatric cardiology, and medical students). Ninety-four percent (120) and 95.2% (121) of the participants agreed or strongly agreed, respectively, that 3D models helped them to better understand the medical images. Participants scored their overall satisfaction with the 3D printed models as 9.1 out of 10 points. In complex CHD such as criss-cross hearts, 3D printed replicas improve the understanding of cardiovascular anatomy. They enhanced the teaching experience especially when approaching medical students.     

Interpersonal coordination tendencies shape 1-vs-1 sub-phase performance outcomes in youth soccer

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of interpersonal coordination tendencies on performance outcomes of 1-vs-1 sub-phases in youth soccer. Eight male developing soccer players (age: 11.8 ± 0.4 years; training experience: 3.6 ± 1.1 years) performed an in situ simulation of a 1-vs-1 sub-phase of soccer. Data from 82 trials were obtained with motion-analysis techniques, and relative phase used to measure the space-time coordination tendencies of attacker-defender dyads. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was then used to quantify the unpredictability of interpersonal interactions over trials. Results revealed how different modes of interpersonal coordination emerging from attacker-defender dyads influenced the 1-vs-1 performance outcomes. High levels of space-time synchronisation (47%) and unpredictability in interpersonal coordination processes (ApEn: 0.91 ± 0.34) were identified as key features of an attacking player's success. A lead-lag relation attributed to a defending player (34% around ?30° values) and a more predictable coordination mode (ApEn: 0.65 ± 0.27, P < 0.001), demonstrated the coordination tendencies underlying the success of defending players in 1-vs-1 sub-phases. These findings revealed how the mutual influence of each player on the behaviour of dyadic systems shaped emergent performance outcomes. More specifically, the findings showed that attacking players should be constrained to exploit the space-time synchrony with defenders in an unpredictable and creative way, while defenders should be encouraged to adopt postures and behaviours that actively constrain the attacker's actions.     

Potencial De La Educación a Distancia Para Reducir Brechas De Aprendizaje En Educación Superior: Una Mirada Al Caso Colombiano

ABSTRACT

One of the main needs of Latin America, besides education coverage, is to reduce learning gaps in higher education. In order to respond to such need, many strategies have been designed, worldwide, to impact the demand and provision of higher education programs. Among these strategies we can find grants and scholarships, financial aids, and others. Many have been the options that have been proposed to raise the provision of higher education programs, such as offering technology-supported education modalities like blended-learning, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and distance and online education. This paper aims to explore the potential of the provision of distance education programs to close learning gaps in Colombia’s higher education. In order to do so, we present an estimatation of the effects that students and programs characteristics can have on the results of the test “Saber PRO” (a Colombian standardized test that measures the level of competences developed by students in different higher education programs). This estimation was done applying a mixed model (Hierarchical Linear Modeling-HLM) based on the information of 451,358 students who were assessed in their last phase of their university major. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018.

The econometrics estimations show that controlling individuals’ backgrounds and the characteristics of different academic programs, the variables that were highly associated with the reduction of learning gaps among individuals registered in distance programs compared to face-to-face programs are the students’ age and their cognitive backgrounds (grades in standardized tests taken before their undergraduate studies). The results show that we could expect distance education to become an efficient mechanism to contribute to the reduction of learning gaps in higher education. The quantitative findings suggest a series of research questions that invite to reflect about the potential of distance education in medium-income countries.     

Interpersonal coordination tendencies shape 1-vs-1 sub-phase performance outcomes in youth soccer

This study investigated the influence of interpersonal coordination tendencies on performance outcomes of 1-vs-1 sub-phases in youth soccer. Eight male developing soccer players (age: 11.8 ± 0.4 years; training experience: 3.6 ± 1.1 years) performed an in situ simulation of a 1-vs-1 sub-phase of soccer. Data from 82 trials were obtained with motion-analysis techniques, and relative phase used to measure the space-time coordination tendencies of attacker-defender dyads. Approximate entropy (ApEn) was then used to quantify the unpredictability of interpersonal interactions over trials. Results revealed how different modes of interpersonal coordination emerging from attacker-defender dyads influenced the 1-vs-1 performance outcomes. High levels of space-time synchronisation (47%) and unpredictability in interpersonal coordination processes (ApEn: 0.91 ± 0.34) were identified as key features of an attacking player's success. A lead-lag relation attributed to a defending player (34% around -30° values) and a more predictable coordination mode (ApEn: 0.65 ± 0.27, P < 0.001), demonstrated the coordination tendencies underlying the success of defending players in 1-vs-1 sub-phases. These findings revealed how the mutual influence of each player on the behaviour of dyadic systems shaped emergent performance outcomes. More specifically, the findings showed that attacking players should be constrained to exploit the space-time synchrony with defenders in an unpredictable and creative way, while defenders should be encouraged to adopt postures and behaviours that actively constrain the attacker's actions.