Open University of Catalonia

About: Open University of Catalonia is a education organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Collaborative learning & Educational technology. The organization has 1943 authors who have published 4646 publications receiving 64200 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya & UOC.

From Protest to Political Parties: Online Deliberation in New Parties in Spain

Abstract: The new parties that emerged following the 15-M movement and against the austerity measures in Spain want to build parties open to the participation and deliberation for all the citizenry. To what extent are these ideals being fulfilled? The aim of this article is to describe and assess some of the main online deliberative processes of the two most important parties, Podemos and Barcelona En Comu, following commonly accepted criteria in the literature for measuring online deliberation. Specifically, we have examined the two most-voted proposals from the online platform Plaza Podemos and the online development of the electoral programme of Barcelona En Comu. Thus, we have conducted a content analysis of 713 (Plaza Podemos) and 563 (Barcelona En Comu) posts. Both platforms meet the structural and technical criteria for fostering deliberation, but the external impact is high only in the case of Barcelona En Comu. The deliberative quality of the communication is good but not the criteria of reflexivity, inclusion and plurality.

The Limits to the State

Abstract: The European South is mired in a profound crisis of overaccumulation — a reality that, sadly, demonstrates the veracity of the analysis provided in the preceding four chapters of this book. Thus far, we have located the development of capitalism in Spain within the crisis-ridden development of global capitalism, by providing an account of the material bases for successive cycles of overaccumulation and crisis since the Civil War. We now turn to the fallout from the last cycle of overaccumulation, expressed not only in the destructive devaluations of surplus capital but also in social and political crises. We return, in other words, to the forms of revolt that have been so conspicuous in Spain — and indeed across the European South — since 2008 (see Introduction).

Cultural rights and their contribution to sustainable development: implications for cultural policy

Abstract: This article aims to analyse the meaning and implications of cultural rights for cultural policies concerned with sustainable development. Although references to both cultural rights and sustainable development have become widespread within cultural policy documents in recent decades, the actual conceptual and operational implications often remain vague, as an ambitious discourse that may conceal a poverty of resources and capacities. As a result, the ideal horizon suggested by cultural rights and sustainable development may not always be achieved in practice, nor are the mechanisms to achieve it always well known. In this respect, the article aims to dissect the actual requirements posed by cultural rights and sustainable development, including their different notions and areas of synergy and intersections, in order to shed light on relevant cultural policy approaches. To this end, a range of examples taken from a variety of contexts will also be examined as areas of expressed needs or areas of p...

Older people and the use of ICTs to communicate with children and grandchildren

Abstract: In this research we explore older people’s incentives to use Internet services to communicate with their children and grandchildren, and the factors that make older individuals stop using (or even reject) Internet-mediated communications. We apply the uses and gratifications theory, and the gratification niche of medium concept to understand the way people return to less sophisticated tools of communication once the marginal utility is lost. Our analysis is based on empirical evidence the two authors gathered in a set of case studies. We conducted semi-structured interviews with people aged 60 and over in Barcelona, Romania (Bucharest and rural areas), Toronto, Los Angeles, Montevideo, and Lima. The results show that communicating with children and grandchildren when families get separated is an important motivator that “pushes” the elderly to learn more about the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). We emphasize the fact that once motivation is lost (i.e. when family members ...

Does the type of feedback channel used in online learning environments matter? Students’ perceptions and impact on learning:

Abstract: Dialogic feedback demands an active role by lecturers and students to become effective. However, sometimes students do not engage with the feedback received. The use of technology and different cha...