António Andrade

Academic Analytics: Mapping the Genome of the University

Higher education institutions have multiple technologic subsystems for administrative, pedagogical management, and quality purposes, which gather an immense volume of data from various sources and which do not communicate with each other. The domain of the analytic performances in education emerges from the need to aggregate multiple sources of data, which the complexity of treatment associated with the ease of mobilizing selected information will make it possible to understand reality and optimize management actions. In this paper, we present the architecture and results achieved in the development of an academic analytics aggregator of multiple sources of data on the educational activity.

Conception of a management tool of Technology Enhanced Learning Environments

This paper describes the process of the conception of a software tool of TELE management. The proposed management tool combines information from two sources: i) the automatic reports produced by the Learning Content Management System (LCMS) Blackboard and ii) the views of students and teachers on the use of the LCMS in the process of teaching and learning. The results show that the architecture of the proposed management tool has the features of a management tool, since its potential to control, to reset and to enhance the use of an LCMS in the process of teaching and learning and teacher training, is shown.

Academic analytics: Anatomy of an exploratory essay

Investment in technological subsystems to support the activity of teaching and learning and the various areas of the life of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is of increasing importance in the implementation of the policy and strategy of these organizations. Each of these subsystems collects a huge amount of data that, if properly organized, can provide useful information for decision making and informed action, which results in the need to articulate the strategic vision with Information Systems. This study aims to identify the technological requirements and understand the technical difficulties in accessing data sources of different technological subsystems in order to facilitate dialogue between the departments which hold the data to build a future Academic Analytics in a HEI. To achieve these goals a prototype was conceived which involved the aggregation, cleansing and standardization of data sources and resulted in a database that integrates records from three data sources—the LCMS (Learning Content Management System), academic management services and quality management services. This prototype allows reports and analysis to be made. Future studies for the development and implementation of Academic Analytics that can produce information to support decision making and control of the HEI’s activity are also possible.

ICT in Portuguese reference schools for the education of blind and partially sighted students

Technology has become an essential component in our society and considering its impact in the educational system, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) cannot be dissociated from the educational process and, in particular, from pedagogical practices adopted for students who are blind or partially sighted. This study focuses on Portuguese reference schools for the education of blind and partially sighted students, regulated by the Decree-Law No. 3/2008, in which are concentrated the human and material resources that can offer an educational response with quality for these students with special education needs. The study intends to analyse the perceptions of the teachers, who teach visually impaired students in middle school and secondary school education in these reference schools, of their knowledge, teaching and training in the area of ICT, as well as of the real ICT integration in the teaching and learning of these students. A survey, which has been applied to these teachers in the 2012/13 school year, was adopted as a method of data collection. The results reveal a sample confident in their technological capabilities, however with little resourcefulness in some tools and software specific to the area of visual impairment and a very significant number of teachers ignoring many of these. The implementation of ICT with students who have visual disabilities is lower compared with the sighted students. The lack of specific training is considered to be the main obstacle for teachers, with regard to the real integration of ICT in the teaching and learning of these students.

Conception of a formative distance service about modalities of payment in e-Commerce

The paper starts with an overview of the state of the art in technology mediated service in the e-learning field about payments in the e-Commerce market. With the fast grow of distance learning technologies it is important to think about some innovations in the pedagogic strategies to improve education. The students have different learning styles and the tutor needs to support those needs, to ensure the quality of learning and keep them motivated. As an answer to a lack of organized information in this field we create a module about different modalities of payment in e-Commerce as a formative mediated technology service using the platform BlackBoard coursesites to deliver and mediate the instruction, supported in different types of communication (synchronous and asynchronous).

E-commerce as an entry mode in foreign markets: A systemic approach to the assessment of opportunities

In todays competitive environment, where companies are searching for new and convenient ways to communicate and deliver their products and services to their consumers, ecommerce presents itself as an irrefutable decision as a means of access to international markets. However, for the internationalization done through this channel to result favorably, it is necessary this decision to be supported by a method of analysis to increase full understanding of firms competitive landscape, as well as its internal competencies, before deciding the entry mode to use, which will be facilitated by the use of e-commerce. Based on a dynamic methodological design grounded on an action-research approach, an exploratory research in the industry of sports supplements was conducted, with the primary objective of designing a simplified model for the assessment of opportunities of internationalization through ecommerce.