K-12 schools are more commonly using online learning to supplement traditional classroom learning. Previous online adult education researchers have found no significant differences between traditional and online learning outcomes. However, little research has been done with regard to online General Educational Development (GED)-level learning for adults. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effect of the Skills Tutor program compared with traditional learning on GED student achievement in reading/language arts. The Skills Tutor program was used as a means to address the low GED graduation rates at an adult education program through Memphis City Schools. This research was based on the constructivist learning theory. The research question examined the effect of an online skills program on English/language arts scores among GED students. Scores from the pretests and posttests of 40 adult education students were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine statistical differences between 2 groups. One group (n = 20) received the intervention of the online skills program, Skills Tutor, along with traditional instruction, whereas the other group (n = 20) received traditional instruction delivered by the teacher only. The results indicated the traditional group's adjusted mean scores were significantly higher than the Skills Tutor group scores. Recommendations included additional research with larger samples of students, for a longer period, and focused on the fidelity of implementing of the Skills Tutor program at the local site. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local administration on the current GED program and recommendations for continued research on the instruction that best supports adult learning.

[EN] Abstract Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and in particular, the online variant used to edit and publish new language learning resources are currently seen as a wide-ranging and increasingly influential field in the world of education. The notions "autonomous learning" and "self-access learning" and the need to foster students' motivation and confidence when it comes to starting to learn second and foreign languages are also essential components in this area. This thesis covers all the steps taken throughout the entire process of design, creation, implementation, and validation of new online learning materials in the context of higher education. The research conducted has laid the theoretical foundation to implement new language learning materials and make them accessible to students at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) and also to students who are not official members of this institution who could express their wish to work on them. The outstanding aim has been including the most adequate and efficient items and features in the resulting materials, which would provide students with more reliable and appropriate resources, able to fulfil the requirements and better respond to the expected upper-intermediate level of English (B2, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). The development and implementation of the aforementioned materials, the study, from a contrastive and comparative perspective, of the different learning and assessment modalities, and the analysis of the experiences and opinions given by the students who have participated in the present study have been key components able to present the reader with a clear perspective of some of the most representative features in the field of CALL. One of the main conclusions has been that students have assessed as very positive the resulting materials, as well as the online format used to work on them, and how they still show their preference for the modality that combines this channel with the figure of a lecturer monitoring their learning process as well as their learning outcomes. ¿ / [ES] Resumen Actualmente el Aprendizaje de Lenguas Asistido por Ordenador (ALAO) y, en concreto, la vertiente online empleada para editar y publicar nuevos recursos destinados al aprendizaje de lenguas representan un campo de estudio muy variado y con una influencia cada vez mayor en el ámbito educativo. También juegan un papel esencial en esta área las nociones de "aprendizaje autónomo" y "autoaprendizaje", así como la necesidad de aumentar el nivel de motivación y confianza de los estudiantes que se adentran en el aprendizaje de segundas lenguas o lenguas extranjeras. La presente tesis cubre todos los pasos que han permitido completar un proceso de diseño, creación, implementación y validación de materiales de aprendizaje online en el contexto de la educación superior. La investigación desarrollada ha permitido sentar las bases para implantar materiales de reciente creación destinados al aprendizaje de lenguas y hacerlos accesibles a los estudiantes de la Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), y también a otros de fuera de ella que pudiesen manifestar su deseo de trabajar con ellos. El propósito fundamental ha sido incluir en los materiales resultantes aquellos elementos y aspectos que resultasen más adecuados y eficientes. Este hecho posibilitaría que los estudiantes reciban recursos más fiables y apropiados, capaces de cumplir con los requisitos y responder mejor al nivel intermedio-alto de inglés (B2 en base al Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas). El desarrollo e implantación de los materiales citados, el estudio, desde una perspectiva contrastiva y comparativa, de las diferentes modalidades de aprendizaje y evaluación, así como el análisis de las experiencias y opiniones aportadas por los estudiantes que han participado en el presente estudio han sido aspectos esenciales a la hora de aportar al lector una visión clara de algunos de los rasgos más representativos del campo de estudio conocido como ALAO. Una de las conclusiones más destacables ha sido que los estudiantes han valorado de manera muy positiva tanto los materiales resultantes como el formato online empleado para trabajar con ellos, y cómo todavía muestran su preferencia por la modalidad que combina dicho canal con la figura de un profesor encargado de controlar el proceso de aprendizaje y los resultados obtenidos. / [CA] Resum En l'actualitat, l'Aprenentatge de Llengües Assistit per Ordinador (ALAO) i en concret, el vessant online emprat per a editar i publicar nous recursos destinats a l'aprenentatge de llengües, representen un camp d'estudi molt variat i amb una influència cada vegada major en l'àmbit educatiu. També juguen un paper essencial en aquesta àrea les nocions "aprenentatge autònom" i "autoaprenentatge", així com la necessitat d'augmentar el nivell de motivació i confiança dels estudiants que s'endinsen en l'aprenentatge de segones llengües o llengües estrangeres. La present tesi cobreix tots els passos que han permès completar un procés de disseny, creació, implementació i validació de materials d'aprenentatge online en el context de l'educació superior. La recerca desenvolupada ha permès definir les bases per a implantar materials de recent creació destinats a l'aprenentatge de llengües i fer-los accessibles als estudiants de la Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), i també a d'altres estudiants de fora de la institució que pogueren manifestar el seu desig de treballar-hi. El propòsit fonamental ha estat incloure en els materials resultants aquells elements i aspectes que resultaren més adequats i eficients. Aquest fet possibilitaria que els estudiants reben recursos més fiables i apropiats, capaços de complir amb els requisits i respondre millor al nivell intermedi-alt d'anglès (B2 sobre la base del Marc Comú Europeu de Referència per a les Llengües). El desenvolupament i la implantació dels materials citats, l'estudi, des d'una perspectiva contrastiva i comparativa, de les diferents modalitats d'aprenentatge i avaluació, així com l'anàlisi de les experiències i les opinions aportades pels estudiants que han participat en el present estudi, han estat aspectes essencials a l'hora d'aportar al lector una visió clara d'alguns dels trets més representatius del camp d'estudi conegut com ALAO. Una de les conclusions més destacables ha estat que els estudiants han valorat de manera molt positiva tant els materials resultants com el format online emprat per a treballar-hi, i com encara mostren la seua preferència per la modalitat que combina aquest canal amb la figura d'un professor encarregat de controlar el procés d'aprenentatge i els resultats obtinguts. / Martínez Sáez, A. (2015). Materiales online para el aprendizaje y la evaluación del inglés: análisis, diseño, propuesta y validación de recursos [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/59244 / TESIS / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales

The diploma thesis Education of children in a children's home with a school in Dobřichovice is focused on the issue of education and resocialization of a child in a facility for institutional education and on the preparation of children for future life. The theoretical part defines the chapters Education, Behavioral Disorders, Deprivation and Stress. They are here as an insight into the given issue, what problems and disorders clients come to the children's home with the school and what the workers encounter on a daily basis. A separate chapter consists of the characteristics of a specific children's home with a school, education and development of the child's personality in this facility. The practical part and conclusion deal with the evaluation of coping with stressful situations and conflicts in this facility in the form of questionnaires, interview and summarize the results of research. KEYWORDS education, tutor, institutional upbringing, deprivation, children's home with school, stressful situations and conflicts

Master's thesis contains basic informations about e-learning and describe it by many criteria. It also describes progress and current trends in e-learning and what is needed to create interactive study materials and courses. I analyse most important advantages and disadvantages of these courses. I designed Web-based training system (WBT) for driving school, which is implemented as a program prototype of e-learning system.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / While a writing center tutor may view her role as a coach, a commentator, and a counselor, the tutor actually serves as scaffolding, a temporary, supportive replacement of the processes more experienced writers can manage alone without a tutor, namely, the metacognitive processes of self-assessing, self-monitoring, and self-motivating. Metacognition then becomes the essential factor in adapting writing center practices into the composition classroom. By re-conceptualizing the three roles of a writing center tutor and re-visioning the classroom into a more “pure” learning space, tutor-teachers improve students’ writing skills, increase their engagement, and redirect students’ focus toward the writing process rather than the grade. To demonstrate the efficacy of this adapted writing center approach in the composition classroom, I created an authentic, challenging project in which the pre-project activities, task design, work process, and reflection assignment enact my proposed theory. By adopting this approach, tutor-teachers ultimately empower students and design compositional tasks that act as a catalyst for transforming the way students understand themselves as writers and as students.

The following doctoral thesis, sponsored by Autostrada del Brennero S.p.A. (an Italian highway concession company in charge of managing toll roads) consists on empirical essays at the crossroad between transport and regional economics. They focus on different aspects that directly involve motorways (i.e, safety, intermodality, and commuting dynamics) and they are aimed at providing further evidences that transport institutions and policy makers could take into account throughout their decision-making processes. The first chapter presents a research article that seeks to determine the impact of an average speed enforcement system in reducing highway accidents. Indeed, at the end of 2005, Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI) and the Italian traffic police progressively deployed along the Italian tolled motorway network an average speed enforcement system, named Safety Tutor, able to determine the average speed of vehicles over a long section to encourage drivers to comply with speed limits and improve safety. To empirically test the extent to which Safety Tutor led to a reduction in both total and fatal accidents on Italian highways during the period of 2001-2017, we carried out a generalized difference-in-differences estimation using a unique panel dataset that exploits the heterogeneous accident data within all tolled motorway sectors in a quasi-experimental setting. To deal with the potential endogeneity of the non-random placement of Safety Tutor sites, we utilized an instrumental variable strategy by using the network of motorway sectors managed by ASPI and its controlled concessionaires from 2005 onwards (i.e., when the technology was available) as an instrument to predict Safety Tutor adoption. We found that a 10% increase in Safety Tutor coverage led to an average reduction in total accidents of 3.9%, whereas there is no evidence of a significant causal effect of Safety Tutor in reducing fatal accidents. The second chapter presents a research article that seeks to investigate the inter-modal competition between motorway and high-speed rail (HSR) services, as the extent to which HSR demand could be the result of a modal shift from motorways is a relevant issue in any cost-benefit analysis of HSR investments. Indeed, the development of HSR has had a notable impact on modal market shares on the routes on which its services have been implemented. To analyse whether the HSR expansion in Italy has led to a modal shift from motorway to HSR, we empirically test i) whether HSR openings adjacent to motorway sectors have reduced the total km travelled by light vehicles on these sectors during the period 2001-2017; and ii) whether this reduction has been persistent or even more evident after the opening of on-track competition between two HSR operators. To do so, we carried out a generalized difference-in-differences estimation, using a unique panel dataset that exploits the heterogeneous traffic data within all tolled motorway sectors in a quasi-experimental setting. Our findings reveal that neither HSR openings nor the opening of on-track competition led to a modal shift from motorway to HSR services, as the two transport modes are non-competing. Conversely, HSR expansion had a slightly positive impact on motorway traffic. The third chapter presents a data article in a “data in brief” format that describes a dataset on municipality-to-municipality commuting patterns in Italy over the 1991, 2001, and 2011 censuses aimed at investigating the role of transport infrastructures and the structural transformation of the economy on worker mobility. At this purpose, a core origin-destination dataset on the number of workers moving between municipalities, or within the same municipality, has been linked with further municipality covariates on jobs location, population, and the distances in meters and journey times in minutes between all municipalities. Even though these data are freely available online, they require some tedious work to organize. Therefore, this data article brings the necessary information together and makes the dataset available on request. The dataset offers applied researchers an alternative source of information to shed new lights on the changing shape of urban systems by analysing i) the impact of infrastructural endowment in providing better job accessibility, or ii) the connection between increasing commuting patterns and the structural transformation of the economy due to the tertiarization process from 1991 to 2011.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-17T14:52:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Yonara Magalhaes.pdf: 3488130 bytes, checksum: e183eccb37268ce608c84048d98d467a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-01-31 / Cooperative process of teach-learning at a distance of the society of intelligent agents of environment MATHNET. It is presented architecture of the society of agents of the MATHNET that to provide the process with teach-learning. It is in exchange for distinguished the Tutor Agent and the model of communication, based messages and that it uses the FIPA-ACL Agent Communication Language, between the Tutor Agent and excessively the participant agents of this society. The main characteristics and the paper (responsibilities) of the Tutor Agent describe. Its conceptual model is constructed. Its main Cases Use, interactions with several agents of this architecture and the protocols of communication of the Tutor Agent with the other agents are shaped. The Tutor Agent creates itself using a tool of construction of agents. One implements the Tutor Agent and its Cases Use to inside demonstrate to its relevance and importance of the system and the model of communication. / Processo de ensino-aprendizagem cooperativo à distância da sociedade de agentes inteligentes do ambiente MATHNET. Apresenta-se a arquitetura da sociedade de agentes do MATHNET que provê o processo de ensino-aprendizagem. Destaca-se o Agente Tutor e o modelo de comunicação, baseado em troca de mensagens e que utiliza a Linguagem de Comunicação FIPA-ACL, entre o Agente Tutor e os demais agentes participantes dessa sociedade. Descrevem-se as principais características e o papel (responsabilidades) do Agente Tutor. Constrói-se o seu modelo conceitual. Modelam-se os seus principais Casos de Uso, as interações com os demais agentes dessa arquitetura e os protocolos de comunicação do Agente Tutor com os outros agentes. Cria-se o Agente Tutor utilizando para isto uma ferramenta de construção de agentes. Implementa-se o Agente Tutor e seus Casos de Uso para demonstrar sua relevância e importância dentro do sistema e o modelo de comunicação aqui proposto.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:32:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Valeria de Almeida Furtado.pdf: 2069500 bytes, checksum: 74f545290544847f1d34b2b06f245146 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-14 / In 2002, the Secretary of Education for the State of Minas Gerais began implementation of the Teaching College Course, in the distance learning modality, which was denominated Veredas. The goal was to offer a university level course for professionals who work as teachers at the earliest grades of primary school. The analysis of the results, at the end of the course, showed that the objectives proposed were successfully achieved, considering that, of the 14,136 (fourteen thousand, one hundred and thirty-six) effectively enrolled teachers, 13,749 (thirteen thousand, seven hundred and forty-nine) acting teachers were trained at the higher education level. Eighteen (18) Educational Agencies or AFORs were created and the work in the Varginha (MG) Agency gave rise to the research that culminated in this thesis; it was connected to the University Center of Minas Gerais (UNIS). This research had two general objectives: to understand in-service training of optimized Distance Learning tutors through the reflection promoted, through the act of writing and by attainment of auto-heteroevaluative practice and to show the viability of the guiding principles proposed by the Complex Thought in education for in-service training of Distance Learning tutors and the signs of permanence of the transformations which have taken place in the period of this in-service training. The specific objectives were: survey bibliography in relation to the education of Distance Learning tutors; identify the existing relationships between Complex Thought, writing, assessment and education in in-service training of Distance Learning tutors in the Veredas Project of the AFOR/Varginha; show that the in-service training for Distance Learning tutors was focused on encouraging the auto-heteroevaluative process promoted through writing and the practice of the guiding principles of Complex Thought; and verify whether or not the changes that took place in the educational praxis, throughout the training of Distance Learning educational tutors, during the development of the Veredas Project in the AFOR/Varginha, remained after this program ended, using the reports that the tutors drafted during and following the end of this in-service training for this purpose. Considering that, according to the proposals of Complex Thought, the theory and method are two sides of the same movement and have a symbiotic relationship, transmuting without losing their specificity, the methodology used followed these steps: bibliographic survey aimed at a more profound study on the process of professional Distance Learning service education; detecting the existing relationships between the guiding principles-writing-assessment articulated in the formation of the tutoreducator s identity; and requesting that the 56 (fifty-six) tutor-educators who experienced the process of implementation and development of the Veredas Project (2002 to 2005) in the AFOR/Varginha, register their experiences as tutors for the Higher Learning Teacher Education Course Veredas, in the distance learning modality, in writing, focusing on vital aspects of the personal and professional dynamic. From these reports, 10 categories were chosen: learning; assessment; coordination; team experiences; growth; emotion; study; renewal; transformation; and life. Based upon these results it is possible to state that the triad of guiding principles of Complex Thought, the act of writing and the practice of auto-heteroevaluation constitute the cornerstones of the formation of the Distance Learning tutoreducator s identity in service. It is suggested that other studies be done with the goal of increasing the knowledge that has been crystallized here, as well as holding other teacher training courses, using the Veredas model / No ano de 2002, a Secretaria de Estado da Educação de Minas Gerais deu início à implantação do Curso Normal Superior, na modalidade de educação a distância, denominado Veredas. Teve, como objetivo, graduar em nível universitário profissionais que exerciam a docência nas séries iniciais do ensino fundamental. A análise dos resultados, ao final do curso, constatou que os objetivos propostos foram alcançados com êxito, considerando que, dos 14.136 (quatorze mil, cento e trinta e seis) professores efetivamente matriculados, 13.749 (treze mil, setecentos e quarenta e nove) professores em exercício foram habilitados em nível superior. Foram criadas 18 (dezoito) Agências de Formação AFOR e o trabalho da que se situava em Varginha (MG) deu origem à pesquisa que culminou nesta tese; ela estava vinculada ao Centro Universitário de Minas Gerais (UNIS). Foram dois os objetivos gerais desta pesquisa: compreender a formação em serviço do tutor de EaD otimizada pela reflexão promovida, através do ato de escrever e pela consecução da prática auto-heteroavaliativa e mostrar a viabilidade da aplicação dos princípios-guias propostos pelo Pensamento Complexo na formação em serviço do tutoreducador de EaD e os indícios de permanência das transformações ocorridas no período dessa formação em serviço. Os objetivos específicos foram: levantar bibliografia referente à formação do tutor de EaD; Identificar as relações existentes entre o Pensamento Complexo, escrita, avaliação e formação em serviço de tutoreseducadores de EaD no Projeto Veredas da AFOR/Varginha; mostrar que a formação em serviço do tutor de EaD teve como foco o estímulo ao processo auto-heteroavaliativo promovido através da escrita e da prática dos princípios-guias do Pensamento Complexo e verificar se as mudanças ocorridas na práxis pedagógica, ao longo da formação em serviço do tutoreducador de EaD, durante o desenvolvimento do Projeto Veredas na AFOR/Varginha, permaneceram após o término dessa formação, utilizando, para esse fim, os relatos que os tutores elaboraram durante e após o término dessa formação em serviço . Considerando, segundo as propostas do Pensamento Complexo que teoria e método são duas faces de um mesmo movimento, mantendo-se em simbiose, transmutando-se sem, no entanto, perderem sua especificidade, a metodologia utilizada seguiu os seguintes passos: pesquisa bibliográfica com o objetivo de aprofundar os estudos sobre o processo de formação do profissional de EaD em serviço; detectar as relações existentes entre princípios-guiasÛescritaÛavaliação articuladas na formação da identidade do tutoreducador e para tanto, solicitou-se aos 56 (cinquenta e seis) tutoreseducadores que viveram o processo de implantação e desenvolvimento do Projeto Veredas (2002 a 2005) na AFOR/Varginha, que registrassem através da elaboração de um relato escrito, sua experiência como tutor(a) do Curso Superior de Formação de Professores Veredas, na modalidade a distância, enfocando aspectos vitais da dinâmica pessoal e profissional. Dos relatos foram selecionadas 10 categorias: aprendizagem; avaliação; coordenação; convivência em equipe; crescimento; emoção; estudo; renovação; transformação e vida. É possível afirmar que a tríade princípios-guias do Pensamento Complexo, ato de escrever e a prática da auto-heteroavaliação constitui os pilares sustentadores da formação da identidade do tutoreducador de EaD em serviço. Fica a sugestão de que outros estudos sejam feitos com o objetivo de ampliar os conhecimentos que foram aqui cristalizados, bem como a realização de outros cursos de formação de professores, nos moldes do Veredas

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:57:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Agnaldo Da Conceicao Esquincalha.pdf: 2760765 bytes, checksum: 4b98025a110f8c095d5e0d5b8d626829 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-03-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This work aims at investigating the knowledge revealed by tutors of a distance continuing education course for mathematics teachers. The context of the research was the tutoring system of the Improvement Course in Mathematics, offered by the State Government of Rio de Janeiro from 2011 onwards. Initially we follow the work of 32 tutors over a year between 2011 and 2012 in order to list and classify the types of interventions in discussion forums among the course participants. After considering the results, we offer initial training to freshman tutors in 2012, to promote an improvement in the actions that we consider to be below expectations. Between August 2012 and July 2013 six tutors, the subjects of this research, were followed and participated in a training program in service. For the training of tutors, beyond the specifics of the Improvement Course in Mathematics, we grounded our work on the TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) theoretical framework, assuming that technological, pedagogical and mathematical knowledge skills are fundamental for the exercise of their functions. The research, qualitative in nature, made use of questionnaires and conducting focus groups to collect data, which were interpreted under the light of thematic content analysis. For the triangulation of data, we used the discursive types found in interventions by tutors in the course s discussion forums. Our analysis indicated that affective and attitudinal components play a key role in the exercise of mentoring in this context and, therefore, we concluded the research by proposing the expansion of TPACK theoretical framework, including these components in a fourth type of knowledge, featuring TPACK-OTE (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Online Teacher Education) / Neste trabalho, teve-se o intuito de investigar os conhecimentos revelados por tutores de um curso de formação continuada para professores de Matemática, oferecido na modalidade a distância. O contexto da investigação foi o sistema de tutoria do Curso de Aperfeiçoamento em Matemática, oferecido pela Rede Estadual do Rio de Janeiro a partir de 2011. Inicialmente, acompanhou-se o trabalho de 32 tutores ao longo de um ano, entre 2011 e 2012, a fim de elencar e tipificar suas intervenções realizadas em fóruns de discussão junto aos cursistas. A partir dos resultados, foi oferecida uma formação inicial aos tutores ingressantes em 2012, a fim de promover melhoria nas ações consideradas aquém do esperado. Entre agosto de 2012 e julho de 2013, foram acompanhados, e participaram de um programa de formação em serviço, seis tutores, que constituem os sujeitos desta pesquisa. Para a formação desses tutores, além das especificidades do Curso de Aperfeiçoamento, houve inspiração no quadro teórico TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge), assumindo que os conhecimentos tecnológicos, pedagógicos e de conhecimento matemático são fundamentais para o exercício de suas funções. A pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, utilizou-se de questionários e de grupos focais para coleta de dados, que foram interpretados à luz da análise temática de conteúdo. As tipologias discursivas encontradas nas intervenções realizadas pelos tutores nos fóruns de discussão permitiram a triangulação dos dados. As análises indicaram que componentes afetivo-atitudinais têm papel fundamental no exercício da tutoria no contexto da formação continuada de professores a distância e, por isso, a pesquisa é concluída com uma proposta de expansão do quadro teórico TPACK, incluindo esses componentes em um quarto tipo de conhecimento, caracterizando o TPACK-OTE (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge-Online Teacher Education)