Andreja Istenic Starcic

ICT‐supported learning for inclusion of people with special needs: Review of seven educational technology journals, 1970–2011

Research and development of information and communication technology ( ICT)-supported learning for people with disabilities has not received adequate attention. It is also difficult to access research findings and developments in this field. Under the ENABLE Network of ICT Supported Learning for Disabled People (2011-2014) project, an emerging European Union reference point portal for end-users will provide this information for a broad audience. In the design phase of the project idea, the authors of this paper conducted a review of papers indexed in Web of Science to provide a needs assessment and a design template for the project objectives. The results of the search clearly showed that ICT-supported learning for people with special educational needs is in the domain of the educational technology journals, with more papers published in the British Journal of Educational Technology than in any other journal. This paper presents the results of a content analysis of all papers published from 1970 to 2011 in seven educational technology journals indexed in Web of Science. More papers were published from 2006 to 2011 (44.7%) than during any other of five periods examined. Findings in terms of ICT intervention, disability groups, groups of study participants by relationship with ICT, and research design, together with trends in published studies in terms of mainstreaming and inclusion, are presented. The main objective of the study was to identify the level of inclusion through analysis of educational context (special schools [30.51%], mainstream schools [28.81%] and general support for life [40.68%]). Based on content analysis, ICT interventions were classified into the two categories of technical intervention in the pedagogical context (62.71% of all papers published) and technical intervention in the wider context (37.29% of all papers published), with nine paper types identified: papers on ICT access, papers on teaching and learning methods, papers on development and testing of ICT solutions, reviews, assessments, papers on inclusion, papers on behavioural and social development, papers on use of information technology and papers on interaction. Papers were also categorised according to types of disability and according to groups of study participants by relationship with ICT. Published papers were divided into four categories by research design: descriptive (49.15%), developmental (26.27%), experimental (17.8%), and developmental and experimental (6.78%). During the period from 1970 to 2000, papers examined design of learning materials with regard to particular categories of disability and particular accessibility needs, while papers published after 2000 also discussed universal design. Based on the review, the authors of this paper have identified a need for application of universal design principles in research and development of learning environments to provide equal accessibility and inclusive education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing nursing ethical competences online versus in the traditional classroom

Background: The development of society and science, especially medical science, gives rise to new moral and ethical challenges in healthcare. Research question/objectives/hypothesis: In order to respond to the contemporary challenges that require autonomous decision-making in different work contexts, a pedagogical experiment was conducted to identify the readiness and responsiveness of current organisation of nursing higher education in Slovenia. It compared the successfulness of active learning methods online (experimental group) and in the traditional classroom (control group) and their impact on the ethical competences of nursing students. The hypothesis set in the experiment, hypothesis 1 (the experimental group will be successful and will have good achievements in comprehension and application of ethical principles) was confirmed based on pre-tests and post-tests. The hypothesis tested by the questionnaire, hypothesis 2 (according to the students, the active learning methods online in the experimental group have a positive impact on the development of ethical competences) was confirmed. Research design: The pedagogical experiment was supported by a multiple-case study that enabled the in-depth analysis of the students’ attitudes towards the active learning methods in both settings. Participants and research context: The study included Slovenian first-year nursing students (N = 211) of all the enrolled students (N = 225) at the University of Ljubljana and University of Primorska in the academic year 2010/2011. Ethical considerations: Before the study ethical permission was obtained from the managements of both participating faculties. The students were given all the necessary information of the experiment before the tutorials. Findings: No significant difference was found between the two learning settings and both had a positive impact upon learning. The results of the content analysis show that the students’ active engagement with the active learning methods in the group enables the development of ethical competences and the related communicative competences, interpersonal skills, collaboration and critical thinking. Discussion: Active learning methods in the settings compared, online and the traditional classroom, enabled the development of a higher level of knowledge defined by the ability of critical thinking and reflective response, the core of ethical competences. Students develop ethical competence through active engagement in a group work, role play and discussion, and there is no difference between online or traditional learning settings. Conclusion: In the healthcare, it is crucial for providers to be capable of making autonomous decisions and managing various communication situations and contexts in which the moral attitudes and ethical sensibility are essential.

Potentials of the tangible user interface (TUI) in enhancing inclusion of people with special needs in the ICT-Assisted learning and e-accessibility

In the modern society, inclusion of persons with disabilities in the mainstream education is increasingly enhanced. The presented example focuses on inclusion of individuals for whom their learning environment is created and adapted according to their special needs and capabilities. In establishing the learning environment, the role of multimedia and ICT is important. Persons with disabilities are often disadvantaged in ICT and in participating in the classroom collaborative activities. The paper presents a novel interactive application utilizing tangible user interface (TUI) as an alternative input device for computer-supported collaborative learning and game based-learning. In the final part of our paper, we summarize the main findings and results of evaluation of our interactive game for the ICT-assisted learning of people with special needs often having them tested in a real educational environment. The findings indicate high usability of TUI for people with physical impairment and severe to mild learning difficulties for whom it enables inclusive ICT and e-accessibility.

Publication patterns in the social sciences and humanities: evidence from eight European countries

This study investigates patterns in the language and type of social sciences and humanities (SSH) publications in non-English speaking European countries to demonstrate that such patterns are related not only to discipline but also to each country’s cultural and historic heritage. We investigate publication patterns that occur across SSH publications of the whole of the SSH and of economics and business, law, and philosophy and theology publications in the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Flanders (Belgium), Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. We use data from 74,022 peer-reviewed publications from 2014 registered in at least one of the eight countries’ national databases and for 272,376 peer-reviewed publications from the period of 2011–2014 registered in at least one of the seven countries’ national databases (for all countries except Slovakia). Our findings show that publication patterns differ both between fields (e.g. patterns in law differ from those in economics and business in the same way in Flanders and Finland) and within fields (e.g. patterns in law in the Czech Republic differ from patterns in law in Finland). We observe that the publication patterns are stable and quite similar in West European and Nordic countries, whereas in Central and Eastern European countries the publication patterns demonstrate considerable changes. Nevertheless, in all countries, the share of articles and the share of publications in English is on the rise. We conclude with recommendations for science policy and highlight that internationalization policies in non-English speaking countries should consider various starting points and cultural heritages in different countries.

Digital Storytelling and Mobile Learning: Potentials for Internationalization of Higher Education Curriculum

The professions are becoming global and required are intended students’ learning outcomes to ensure intercultural communication; therefore, the prospective students’ learning outcomes include those for working in international and multicultural environments. Higher education needs to be responsive to students’ cultural background and to engage them in intercultural exchange by creating authentic cultural contexts guaranteeing authentic learning, which requires integration of students’ authentic social practices. Mobile technology providing instant information access and connectivity supports new types of learning relationships, connecting students outside the immediate classroom context. Mobile technology is transforming social practices and facilitates learning embedded in social practices. Students are engaged in cross-cultural learning and thus develop knowledge, skills and attitudes from within the context meeting other cultures. Social networking sites for collaborative learning are recognized as useful and allow students to experience authentic cultural and authentic social practices that they use in non-academic activities and as such merging formal and informal learning. Digital storytelling was applied in computer supported collaborative international learning. The collaborative learning took place in academic year 2016/17 involving two Slovenian, two Taiwanese and one Russian class.

User-centred app design for speech sound disorders interventions with tablet computers

Traditional speech and language pathology practice (SLPP) faces challenges delivering effective and timely therapy due to long waiting lists, the need for regular practice outside the clinic and a lack of children’s motivation to engage in persistent practice. Technology has untapped potential to address these issues and improve SLPP. This paper describes the design of a tablet app for delivering technology-enhanced therapy for children with speech sound disorders and investigates the impact of the use of apps on SLPP. The initial design was informed by a nation-wide survey of speech-language pathologists (SLPs). The quantitative analysis disclosed that even though SLPs positively perceive mobile technology, they do not currently fully exploit it in their practice due to a lack of apps in their native language and the limited usefulness of apps in foreign languages. Using a user-centred design process, a multidisciplinary team created three prototypes and a final version of an app that has been tested in real therapeutic sessions during everyday practice and informed by feedback from SLPs and children. The observation analysis is presented based on an adaptation of Koole’s FRAME model. The qualitative findings indicate that SLPs identify mobile apps as enabling greater mobility, allowing new therapeutic approaches, creating possibilities for practice outside the therapeutic setting and increasing children’s motivation, supporting greater persistence to practise in the context of the therapy.

Environment protection and university technical curriculum

This paper deals with a university degree in Environmental Engineering as a part of university studies in Engineering and shows engineering fields in which environmental engineering studies have been established as stand-alone studies globally. Furthermore, the paper gives a short overview of environmental engineering education in Slovenia, and then looks in detail at the integration of environmental engineering studies with study programmes offered at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana. In 1998, the first ever in Slovenia technical studies in environmental engineering were introduced, i.e. the four-year university study Water Management and Communal Engineering (VKI). In 2009, it was transformed into a new two-stage Bologna study programme Water Management and Environmental Engineering (VOI). The paper presents the basic indicators of the VKI studies (enrolment, graduates, average grades, study duration, drop-out), which formally expires in the academic year 2015/16, and compares them with those of the pre-Bologna university study programme in geodetic engineering.