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.

A massive data processing approach for effective trustworthiness in online learning groups

Abstract: This paper proposes a trustworthiness-based approach for the design of secure learning activities in online learning groups. Although computer-supported collaborative learning has been widely adopted in many educational institutions over the last decade, there exist still drawbacks that limit its potential. Among these limitations, we investigate on information security vulnerabilities in learning activities, which may be developed in online collaborative learning contexts. Although security advanced methodologies and technologies are deployed in learning management systems, many security vulnerabilities are still not satisfactorily solved. To overcome these deficiencies, we first propose the guidelines of a holistic security model in online collaborative learning through an effective trustworthiness approach. However, as learners' trustworthiness analysis involves large amount of data generated along learning activities, processing this information is computationally costly, especially if required in real time. As the main contribution of this paper, we eventually propose a parallel processing approach, which can considerably decrease the time of data processing, thus allowing for building relevant trustworthiness models to support learning activities even in real time. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Perception of the effects of climate change in winter and summer tourist areas: the Pyrenees and the Catalan and Balearic coasts, Spain

Abstract: In this study, we compare the perception of climate change in two different tourist settings of northeastern Spain: the Catalan Pyrenees and the Catalan Mediterranean coast and the Balearic Islands. We carried out a survey of 906 cases (506 in the coastal areas of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands and 400 in the Catalan Pyrenees) asking residents on those areas to assess the possible effects of climate change on tourist-related activities. While the existence of climate change and of its estimated impacts is widely accepted, we observe statistically significant differences in most of the questions between residents in the coastal areas and residents in the Pyrenees. In general terms, respondents from the Pyrenees display a much higher concern regarding the economic impacts of climate change on tourism. On the other hand, the results also show that some demographic groups, such as women, members of large households, or unemployed, tend to present higher levels of concern. This study may give new hints on which tourist modalities and which groups are more concerned for the impacts of climate change in Mediterranean tourist environments and could translate into more targeted adaptive and mitigation practices.

Pedagoqueer: resistencias y subversiones educativas

Abstract: En el presente texto se revisan las aportaciones de la teoria queer en los discursos y practicas pedagogicas. El analisis se centra en las tematicas de desestabilizacion de la heternormatividad y la normalidad, los discursos sobre el cuerpo y las

Why Don't Girls Choose Technological Studies? Adolescents' Stereotypes and Attitudes towards Studies Related to Medicine or Engineering

Abstract: Gender differences in choice of studies emerge already in adolescence. Two studies with adolescents are presented, the goal of which is to explore the influence of gender by assessing males and females who choose studies related to Medicine or Engineering. Study 1, correlational (N = 330, mean age 15.9, 56.7% girls), shows that girls who choose technology are more poorly appraised than girls who choose other studies. Study 2 (N = 130; mean age 16.77, 56.2% girls), experimental, measures implicit attitudes (using the IAT) towards males and females from Medicine and Engineering. Implicit attitudes are more favorable towards women if they are studying Medicine and towards men if they study Engineering. The results are analyzed with relation to the percentages of boys and girls in the different fields of study.

ICT, Innovation and Productivity: Evidence Based on Eastern European Manufacturing Companies

Abstract: The main motivation behind this study is to evaluate the relationships among ICT, management practices, innovation and human capital in a sample of manufacturing enterprises in Eastern European countries. Using data from the Management, Organisation and Innovation Survey 2009 for a representative sample of 444 companies in Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine and using structural equation modelling and ordinary least squares, we examined direct and indirect determinants of labour productivity. The principal finding that emerged from the study is that wage was the main direct determinant of labour productivity. Moreover, the relationship between ICT and its complementarities and productivity has been established indirectly, mainly by enterprise workers’ use of the ICT. The results of the investigation bridge the gap in insufficient academic research about Eastern European countries, extend existing research on the company-level labour productivity determinants and enable comparison of the results at the international level.