Héctor R. Amado-Salvatierra

• PhD
• Galileo University

This work paper describes a process for automatic combination of testing reports for the accessibility of Web applications, obtained by different testing tools and applying different standards on Web accessibility. Interoperability is guaranteed using semantic Web technologies, which allow describing the reports by RDF (Resource Description Framewo...

The growth of education faces a constant evolution, and the adoption of new technologies for education is reflected in the inclusion of virtual courses in the educational process. However, accessibility in cloud-based applications, virtual platforms and online courses has not been widely taken into account in the educational process. In this sense,...

Nowadays, experiences with massive open online courses (MOOCs) are being part of modern engineering degrees, thus providing practical interactive activities to improve teaching-learning strategies with online courses and social community learning with peers from different countries. Additionally, this MOOC movement is being identified as a valuable...

Este trabajo de tesis propone una metodología integral que toma en cuenta la accesibilidad en las diferentes fases del ciclo de vida de un proyecto educativo virtual accesible. Concretamente, la metodología se basa en un marco de referencia internacional con el objetivo que cualquier institución pueda comparar, adaptar y complementar sus propios pr...

La educación enfrenta una constante evolución y la adopción de las nuevas tecnologías de información y comunicación (TICs) en las actividades académicas se refleja en la inclusión de los cursos virtuales en el proceso formativo. Sin embargo factores de accesibilidad de las plataformas y los cursos virtuales no se han tomado en cuenta en el proceso...

Studies show that feedback greatly improves student learning outcomes, but achieving this level of personalization at scale is a complex task, especially in the diverse and open environment of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). This research provides a novel method for using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology to enhance the feedback...

Nowadays, many digital learning tools can be integrated into a course to enhance the teaching–learning process. It is a fact that technology is changing how students learn and how professors teach. The growing utilization of AI chatbots in education to support students' learning underscores the importance of identifying critical aspects related to...

La pandemia de la COVID-19 puso de manifiesto la necesidad de formar adecuadamente al profesorado universitario en relación con las competencias digitales y la utilización de tecnología para apoyar los procesos educativos, incluyendo la generación de contenidos, la impartición de la docencia o la evaluación del estudiante, entre otros. Esta formaci...

In this chapter, the importance of learning analytics in higher education is addressed, along with the exploration of challenges and opportunities associated with its implementation. The lack of competence in educational data analysis is highlighted as a significant barrier to its effective use. Many instructors lack the necessary knowledge to util...

Resumen. Las actividades de aprendizaje comunmente utilizadas en los MOOC son los foros de discusión, actividades interactivas utilizando herramientas web 2.0 y cuestionarios, pero existen otras estrategias de aprendizaje que se pueden implementar en los MOOC, las cuales permiten que los estudiante practiquen y evidencien el aprendizaje obtenido; u...

Resumen. Las altas tasas de inscripción que experimentan los MOOC, se ven afectadas por altos porcentajes de deserción, que oscilan cerca del 90%. Por lo anterior, se hace necesario buscar y proponer opciones que mejoren la experiencia de aprendizaje y logren mejores porcentajes de finalización en dichos cursos. En el presente trabajo se muestra có...

Learning Analytics is a vast concept and a rapidly growing field in higher education used by professors to measure, collect and analyze digital learning records to improve learning, generate new pedagogies, and make decisions about technology-driven learning. The following article presents a mapping and systematic literature review on Learning Anal...

The research area related to the use of Learning Analytics and the prediction of student performance is multidimensional; therefore, it can be explored and analyzed through different perspectives. This research addresses the relationship between pedagogical interventions based on Learning Analytics and student learning performance. The research pro...

Conversational pedagogical agents offer a wide range of possibilities when incorporated into virtual training courses. In the context of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), the interaction with the students must scale, and usually there is no human interaction, so a good configuration of conversational pedagogical agents provides a potential to pro...

Semantic interoperability issues of international e-Government data exchanges have not been solved up until now. In the case of social security institutions, the data exchange operations have some particularities that make that the non-ambiguous definition of core concepts used in the institutions has a key impact on the success and quality of syst...

Abstract— the purpose of this paper is to present an innovative framework to enhanced learners engagement and motivation on massive open online learning environments. It investigates the impact of applying Educational Data Mining in combination with Learning Analytics techniques, through a framework called Digital Learning Ecosystem (DLE) to provid...

This paper presents the characteristics of the digital divide (DD)in the Latin American countries on the example of: Bolivia, Brazil; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Finland; Guatemala; Poland. The purpose of the text is to show the scale of the phenomenon, the most vulnerable groups (including the DD determinants)and practices facilitating digital in...

The study discussed in this paper had two principal objectives. The first objective was to stimulate engagement of participants in a virtual learning environment through the invitation to write an application essay on their motivation to be part of the learning experience. This first experience presented a positive reaction in terms of participatio...

The purpose of this paper is to present the application of an electronic circuit simulation software as a complementary tool that helps the students to better understand the theory and functioning of electronic circuits in a massive open online course (MOOC). It investigates the impact of integrating various learning activities using circuits simul...

MOOCs have become a widely used form of online education offering open education. Cloud-based tools are broadly used for business and private purposes, and can also enrich learning experiences and engage learners. In this paper, we pursue the original ideal of c-MOOCs and explore the advantages and issues – on both the teaching and the technologica...

Resumen. La experiencia de aprendizaje que un estudiante tiene en un curso está relacionada con la calidad que se presenta en los diferentes elementos que conforman dicho curso, de igual manera, se relaciona con factores intrínsecos al estudiante, como las expectativas e interés que tenga en el curso, motivación y autogestión, entre otras. En el ca...

Resumen. Varias instituciones a nivel nacional e internacional, debido a su expansión, han decidido implementar cursos virtuales. Por lo que requieren que sus colaboradores o docentes sean tutores virtuales, es decir, expertos en la gestión de aprendizaje en línea; quienes deben conocer las diferencias entre la enseñanza presencial y la enseñanza v...

Por muchos años se ha mantenido la creencia de que es trabajo exclusivo del profesor enseñar a los estudiantes cómo aplicar la teoría, algo que ellos a su vez han debido aprender posiblemente en su trabajo, o de distintas situaciones en el mundo real. En un MOOC el reto de lograr que el estudiante haga la conexión entre teoría y práctica es mayor,...

This work presents an innovative framework with the aim to create full engagement for the learners on massive open online learning environments through a connectivist approach as an example of an adaptive learning experience. The proposed framework relies on the importance of creating engaging experiences before, during and after the finish of a co...

Resumen. En cursos de electrónica básica la práctica es fundamental para desarrollar conocimiento y habilidades. En clases presenciales esta necesidad se puede suplir con la asistencia a laboratorios debidamente equipados. Sin embargo, cuando el curso está en formato MOOC, se deben plantear alternativas que brinden al estudiante la posibilidad de l...

This work presents a thought-provoking experience to unbundle higher education through the preparation of hybrid postgraduate degrees. The hybrid degrees are based on a MOOC full-path specialization and the traditional face-to-face instruction. In the proposed configuration, one of the institutions (host) transforms or creates a postgraduate degree...

The fast and constant evolution of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought on cultural, social and economic changes. Educational institutions (EIs) are aware that both students and teachers need to acquire digital competence to meet up actual and future workforce needs. Society needs individuals to handle a variety of thinking an...

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are currently a popular phenomenon in the online learning world. Today many institutions offer MOOCs. This phenomenon has not only created a new trend in online education, it also has been adopted by a number of institutions around the world, allowing spaces for research in pedagogical, technological and organiza...

The adoption of new technologies for education is changing, and it is reflected for instance, in the use of cloud-based applications for experimental practices in engineering courses and the inclusion of virtual courses in the educational process. Additionally, Educational Institutions are preparing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as a tool to...

This work presents an innovative framework with the aim to elicit engagement and motivation from learners on massive open online learning environments. Specifically the idea is to propitiate a learning ecosystem for a strong academic motivation and engagement. The proposed framework relies on the importance of creating engaging experiences before,...

The Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) movement is part of the learning ecosystem nowadays. Several educational institutions are offering a myriad of courses from different topics. However, it is evident that the courses are facing a high drop-out rate, while some students, classified as lurkers, are used to enroll to the courses and read specific...

This work presents an innovative framework with the aim to create full engagement for the learners on massive open online learning environments through a connectivist approach. The proposed framework relies on the importance of creating engaging experiences before, during and after the finish of a course to increase learners’ participation and redu...

En la actualidad es posible identificar diferentes iniciativas que tienen como objetivo mejorar la experiencia de vida de personas con discapacidad para que puedan tener una vida plena y en igualdad de condiciones con el resto de la población. En el presente trabajo se presenta la propuesta que el proyecto ACAI-LA ha realizado para incorporar aspec...

Resumen. Este artículo está enfocado en compartir los desafíos y consideraciones prácticas que se tuvieron al diseñar e implementar el MOOC "Tecnologías Digitales Emergentes para la Enseñanza Virtual" que forma parte del MicroMaster Program e-Learning: crea actividades y contenidos para la enseñanza virtual, que Universidad Galileo imparte actualme...

This paper describes a process for automatic combination of testing reports for the accessibility of Web applications, obtained by different testing tools and applying different standards on Web accessibility. Interoperability is guaranteed using semantic Web technologies, which allow describing the reports by RDF (Resource Description Framework) t...

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have become an important online learning tool for educators and learners, but one of the major issues are the high drop-out rates. Recent research suggests not only to identify and support learners at-risk to drop-out but also to differentiate between the group of healthy attrition (intentionally leaving the MOOC...

This work explores on the different phases of the student’s participation in a MOOC. For this particular study three phases of a MOOC are defined: pre-MOOC, MOOC and post-MOOC. This work presents an innovative framework with the aim to create full engagement for the learners on massive open online learning environments. The proposed framework was p...

This work presents an innovative framework with the aim to create full engagement for the learners on massive open online learning environments. The proposed framework was prepared with the aim to increase the engagement and motivation of the student from the enrollment step to the start of the course, but the most important objective is to extend...

RESUMEN Los MOOCs suponen una revolución en el acceso a la educación superior y tienen un gran potencial para mejorar la empleabilidad de profesionales de distintos sectores. Sin embargo, mientras que el movimiento MOOC ha tenido un gran impacto en Estados Unidos y Europa, en Latinoamérica hay pocas universidades que hayan desarrollado sus propios...

The rapid and constant pace of change in technology and the increasing involvement of educational institutions in the massive online open courses (MOOC) movement elicit a large myriad of opportunities and challenges. One of the main issues is the reported high dropout rate. In this sense, gamification strategies have been proposed as a complement t...

Nowadays a large myriad of learning strategies are being implemented to improve MOOC learning experiences, learning outcome and retention. In this sense, gamification strategies have been proposed as a complement to learning approaches to provide a more powerful and motivational learning experience to the students. Examples of gamification strategi...

Nowadays, the implementation of virtual campuses is a reality, both in academic settings and in the workplace. However, there are several challenges associated with the implementation of effective learning outcomes via e-learning. In this chapter in particular, the use of e-learning to reach students with disabilities and the barriers that they may...

Purpose – This paper aims to present an approach to achieve accessible and inclusive Virtual Education for all, but especially intended for students with disabilities. This work proposes main steps to take into consideration for stakeholders involved in the educational process related to an inclusive e-Learning. Design/methodology/approach – The p...

Innovation in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) is constantly evolving, and social media, MOOCs and big data are some of the technologies improving education through cloud environments. A cloud education environment (CEE) uses external cloud-based applications for learning activities. This paper will explore on technical interoperability using a s...

busca de una educación inclusiva de calidad. La segunda edición se ha realizado a partir de la experiencia de impartir e implementar los procesos propuestos en diversos talleres en varios países en América Latina. Esta nueva versión busca orientar al lector en los productos que debe obtener para cada una de las tareas y relaciona claramente que téc...

Constant evolution of technology triggers a large myriad of research related to accessibility in Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). In the same way, international initiatives provide guidelines to create accessible web content, but educational institutions, especially in Latin-America (LA), are not aware of the VLE barriers that could affect stud...

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are constantly adopting Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to improve and enhance the learning process. In this sense, constant evolution of assistive technologies helps users with disabilities to have a complete set of choices to access digital content while working with Virtual Learning Environme...

Innovation in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) is constantly evolving, and this includes virtual learning environments (VLE). A cloud education environment (CEE) is a VLE that uses external cloud-based (Web 2.0) tools for learning activities; those tools are loosely coupled to the VLE. To achieve a real CEE, interoperability between systems is ne...

Learning tools interoperability is a well-identified challenge tackled by different approaches such as the IMS Global LTIv2 definition. This paper presents a study to achieve interoperability in a cloud-based educational environment for external tools loosely coupled to form a virtual learning environment. This research builds on the W3C community...

In this paper we focus on an approach to using cloud-based (Web 2.0) tools for MOOCs applying a new version of an innovative architecture for 'cloud learning activities orchestration' (CLAO). This works presents the CLAO, and examine its effectiveness for the use of learning activities in the cloud for MOOC experiences, presenting results and findi...

The constant evolution of assistive technologies helps users with dis-abilities to have a myriad of choices to access digital content, and the application of accessibility standards and their relationship with assistive technologies enable and potentiate user interaction with web based systems for everyday activities. In the context of education th...

This paper delves into the sixth CDIO standard, Engineering Workspaces, to make accessible to all students, virtual workspaces. The paper describes the way to use the accessible Moodle learning platform, which has been adapted by the authors, following the specification IMS Global Access for All v3.0. It takes into consideration the preferences and...

Many universities are contemplating offering online courses in an open environment. This paper describes the early experiences of massive open online courses. One such experience was from Galileo University in Guatemala where open online courses was offered as early as 2005. Based on this experience and responding to two major European reports, Gal...

The research area of self-regulated learning (SRL) has shown the importance of the learner’s role in their cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies to self-regulate their learning. One fundamental step is to self-assess the knowledge acquired, to identify key concepts, and review the understanding about them. In this paper, we present an experiment...

Cloud education environments consider all the cloud services, such as Web 2.0 applications, content, or infrastructure services. These services form an e-learning ecosystem which can be built upon the learning objectives and the preferences of the learner group. A great variety of existing cloud services might be re-purposed for educational activit...

This article presents a case study for the project “E-Inclusion to people with disabilities. Implementation of accessibility standards in the process of course design in virtual learning environments”, the objective of the project is to develop an innovative on-line educational program through pilot course experimentation, introducing key competenc...

Learning through Social Network Sites, like Facebook, is a trending topic nowadays, especially since many studies report that students spend more time online in this type of sites. In this article, a case study of a collaborative learning activity with university professors is presented in the context of an online course. From a CSCL perspective, w...

Social Network Sites such as Facebook are being now used by many academics for learning purposes, taking into account studies that report that a majority of young students spend more time in socially related online activities when compared to time in classroom. In online education there are mature models for creating and conducting learning experie...