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Organized to focus world-wide public attention on the massive gender inequalities in many areas of the world, a seminar entitled "Women and Literacy Development--Constraints and Prospects" was held in Sweden during August 1991. This book presents conference papers by female literacy experts from 12 developing nations (three in Latin America, five in Africa, three in Asia, and one in the South Pacific Region) on the literacy situation for girls and women in their respective countries. Papers in the book are: (1) "Women and Literacy Development in the Third World: A Rapsodic Overview" (Eve Malmquist); (2) "Women and Literacy Development in India" (Anita Dighe); (3) "Women and Literacy Development in Pakistan" (Neelam Hussain); (4) "Flowers in Bloom: An Account of Women and Literacy Development in Thailand" (Kasama Varavarn); (5) "Women and Literacy Development in the South Pacific Region" (Barbara Moore); (6) "Illiterate Rural Women In Egypt: Their Educational Needs and Problems: A Case Study" (Nadia Gamal El-Din); (7) "Women and Literacy Development in Botswana: Some Implementation Strategies" (Kgomotso D. Motlotle); (8) "Women and Literacy Development in East Africa with Particular Reference to Tanzania" (Mary Rusimbi); (9) "Women and Literacy Development in Mozambique" (Teresa Veloso); (10) "Women and Literacy Development: A Zimbabwean Perspective" (Maseabata E. Tsosane and John A. Marks); (11) "Women and Literacy Development in Mexico" (Geraldine Novelo Oppenheim); (12) "A Post-Literacy Project with the Women of the Indian Community of San Lorenzo, Colombia" (Mirvan Zuniga); (13) "Gender Subordination and Literacy in Brazil" (Fulvia Rosemberg); (14) "Women and Literacy: Summary of Discussions at the International Linkoping Seminar" (Ulla-Britt Persson and Neelam Hussain); and (15) "Concluding Remarks, Suggestions and Recommendations" (Eve Malmquist). (RS)

Ten papers and four abstracts of papers from the University of South Africa's Conference on Distance Education are presented. They include: "Access to Higher Education and Training in the South Pacific: The Role of Telecommunications and Distance Education" (Som Naidu); "Distance Education in Japan" (Takashi Sakamoto); "The University for Distance Education in Colombia: An Alternative Form of Education" (Linda Gladys Behaine de Cendales); "Development of Distance Education in Sri Lanka" (Dayantha Wijeyesekera); "Distance Education in India: Application of Modern Technology" (K.K. Sud); "The Teaching of Life Sciences at Everyman's University" (Ruth Arav); "Distance Teaching as an Integral Part of the In-Service Education of Mathematics, Physical Science and Biology Teachers" (Jan Nel, Dave Finnemore, Steve Rhodes); "UNISA's Documentation Section" (B.J. van der Walt); "Interactive Multi-media Learning: A Business Case Study in Distance Learning" (abstract only, R.C. Johnson); "Distance Learning: The South African Air Force Experience" (Neville Parkins); "Text Design in Distance Education: Print and Facilitating Adult Education" (abstract only, John Aitchison): "Distance Education in Developing Countries: The Indian Scene" (abstract only, B.S. Jain); "Distance Education and the Educator's Regime of Literacy" (abstract only, John Aitchison); and "Review of the Goals, Methods, Accountability and Future Planning of the Department of Library and Information Science of the University of South Africa" (Anna Louw). (LB)

The purpose of this paper is to present an exploration on the response of parents of two rural multigrade schools facing the homeschooling activities in the context of pandemics. To frame a comparative perspective some conceptual work was done about new rurality and family structure before interviewing parents of both schools about distribution of tasks among family members, distribution of time and technological support. The study concluded that the traditional structure of rural families made easy to carry on with the tasks of home, labor and education. [For the complete Volume 21 proceedings, see ED629259.]

Demographic features are commonly used in Educational Data Mining (EDM) research to predict at-risk students. Yet, the practice of using demographic features has to be considered extremely problematic due to the data's sensitive nature, but also because (historic and representation) biases likely exist in the training data, which leads to strong fairness concerns. At the same time and despite the frequent use, the value of demographic features for prediction accuracy remains unclear. In this paper, we systematically investigate the importance of demographic features for at-risk prediction using several publicly available datasets from different countries. We find strong evidence that including demographic features does not lead to better-performing models as long as some study-related features exist, such as performance or activity data. Additionally, we show that models, nonetheless, place importance on these features when they are included in the data--although this is not necessary for accuracy. These findings, together with our discussion, strongly suggest that at-risk prediction should not include demographic features. Our code is available at: https://anonymous.4open.science/r/edm-F7D1. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630829.]

The objective of this paper is to report the preliminary results of a telecollaborative project between a Brazilian university (UTFPR) and a Colombian university (Universidad de Pamplona) that both offer a Licentiate degree in English. The project had two purposes: a pedagogical one to show student-teachers how they can develop their communication skills in English in a collaborative way by sharing information with other student-teachers from a different culture, and a technological one to put future teachers in contact with some technological tools. The paper is divided into three parts: (1) a brief description of the context and the participants; (2) the project itself -- the first steps, the objectives, and the tasks; and (3) the Brazilian view of the whole process/project as well as the students' feedback. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

This paper summarizes the results of a systematic review of the digital maturity models identified in the literature. This review is completed with the purpose to build, in a later stage of the project, a model to assess the digital maturity of the service provider companies in Colombia. To develop this systematic review, the scientific databases of Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science and EBSCO were consulted. After applying some exclusion filters, 23 maturity models designed for service provider companies were identified, and they were compared with the enterprise architecture layers proposed by ArchiMate 3.0.1. As a result, it was concluded that the digital strategy and the business model layers are the most considered ones in the maturity models; on the other hand, the implementation and migration layer is only included by one of the analyzed models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the behavior of non-structural masonry built with horizontal hollow clay bricks. The aims of the study are to reduce the structural vulnerability of houses built with this type of bricks in seismic zones of Latin America, especially Colombia and Ecuador. The tested specimens were 50 centimeters wide, approximately 10 centimeters thick and 1 meter high. The retrofitting methods consisted of two types of reinforcement: the first one with a 3:1 sand:cement ratio. (S:C) mortar overlay with 2.5 centimeters thick for overlay the welded wire mesh (WWM) (ϕ4mm/15cm) adhered to the masonry with plastic anchors on each face of the wall. The second one with the use of mortar overlay reinforced with steel fibers (SF20) using a dosage of 20 kg/m3, with an average thickness of 2.5 centimeters and a 3:1 S:C ratio. The experimental program included the testing of 13 axial compression specimens, 4 prisms for compression with WWM reinforcement, 4 prisms for compression with SF20 reinforcement, 4 with plain mortar overlay and 1 control masonry without any type of reinforcement, only with hollow bricks. Each type of reinforcement was assessed using a monotonic quasi-static axial compression test and 3 quasi-static cyclic tests. The results showed that SF20 reinforcement increases the compressive strength, controls crack growth, but the failure mode is fragile. On the other hand, the WWM reinforcement shows a lower compressive strength, but a less fragile failure mode since the more cracks are visualized and their size increases as the load increases in the test. This is also evident in the load-deformation curves. The WWM reinforcement does contribute to life safety, by holding the collapsed clay block fragments between the mortar diaphragms. In addition, it was observed in the experimental tests that the resistance can be increased by ensuring a continuous anchorage that holds the WWM on both faces of the horizontally drilled bricks. Finally, as a conclusion, the increase of resistance by SF20 reinforcement generates stiffer prisms for compression, but it would not guarantee life protection in case of cracking or collapse of masonry walls; on the other hand, WWM does allow greater deformations, despite not having a similar resistance as the walls reinforced by SF20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and English as a medium of instruction (EMI) are emerging as the preferred contexts of language learning. CLIL and EMI classes continue to proliferate in schools around the globe. The aim of this paper is to investigate the current research trends in studies of motivation to learn within EMI and CLIL settings. We sought to identify the current countries of research, educational levels, and themes that prevail in EMI and CLIL motivation research. We performed a topic search of the keywords "CLIL" or "EMI" and the keyword "motivation" in the "Web of Science" database for Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) articles published in 2020. We analyzed 17 articles related to motivation within EMI or CLIL contexts. The results showed that European countries produced the most research, with Spain being the most prolific. A majority of the studies took place at the secondary and tertiary levels of education. Comparative studies of CLIL or EMI contexts with that of traditional classrooms emerged as the prevailing theme. Future research could include more studies regarding the impact of CLIL on students at the primary level of education, in addition to studies of students from varied socio-economic backgrounds. [For the complete Volume 19 proceedings, see ED613922.]

Foreign Language (FL) classrooms should be places where, at a minimum, communication is taking place in the foreign language being taught and intercultural understanding is also being developed. However, in countries where the majority of students are from a single cultural background, it is often difficult to keep students on-task if they do not have to use the language they are studying. Virtual Exchange (VE) ensures students interact with their online peers in the FL, as it becomes the lingua-franca. However, student attitudes toward such VE in the FL classroom are still not fully understood. This paper researches students' attitudes toward one VE, the International Virtual Exchange Project (IVEProject). Each iteration of the IVEProject is for eight weeks. Students interact asynchronously on Moodle forums in text, audio, and video. More than 15,000 students from 15 countries have participated in at least one of the VE carried out since 2016. Online surveys are carried out at the end of each exchange. Results suggest students have an overall positive attitude toward incorporating VE into FL and intercultural classes. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

In an attempt to understand whether Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) could foster students' self-directed learning, this paper analyzes a self-directed learning experience by means of a language app: Duolingo. In this study, higher education language students were encouraged to use Duolingo outside of the classroom. The data collected via app tracking, surveys and semi-structured interviews reveal that the low activity in the app contrasts the high value students attribute to it. Students indicated that the low activity is due to other obligations in their lives. They also expressed the need of external motivation to finish the course. The study suggests that mentoring and modeling are still needed in the development of self-directed study skills and it highlights the importance of implementing different data collection techniques to understand what students think and do in MALL. [For the complete volume of short papers, see ED572005.]

The purpose of this paper is to present an exploration on the response of parents of two rural multigrade schools facing the homeschooling activities in the context of pandemics. To frame a comparative perspective some conceptual work was done about new rurality and family structure before interviewing parents of both schools about distribution of tasks among family members, distribution of time and technological support. The study concluded that the traditional structure of rural families made easy to carry on with the tasks of home, labor and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) put forth by the United Nations (UN), the main challenges facing humanity approaching to the year 2030 are as follows: no poverty; zero hunger; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; and climate action among others (United Nations, 2015). To achieve these goals is necessary to know the Nexus between Water, Energy and Food known in the literature as WEF Nexus. This paper attempts to establish relationships between Water (sanitation and potable water), Energy (modern cooking fuels), and Food (food scarcity). The results are based on The Quality of Life National Survey (QLNS) collected by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE, 2017). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the influence of innovation on Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSME) performance in Colombia through the 403-MSMES-survey analysis. In particular, this paper measures the effect of participation in R&D alliances, product innovation, and process innovation on it. MSME performance is measured through a composite index, estimated through Principal Components Analysis -PCA- using polychoric correlations, which is based on eight self-reported assessments of MSME performance. Then, this measure of performance is related to 1) MSME participation in R&D alliances, and 2) the product and process development stance of the MSME based on an adaptation of the Miles and Snow business classification scheme, by means of an ANOVA and a linear regression. Colombian SME's are not significantly benefitted from participation on R&D alliances. Instead, their performance appears to be dependent upon their internal innovation efforts directed to product development. Moreover, the results suggest that imitators get a performance almost as high as innovators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work addresses the importance of innovation in entrepreneurial and business education to ensure that students develop the ability to make complex decisions and solve complex challenges. The intention was to incorporate the complexity theory in decision-making and problem-solving in business and entrepreneurship. To achieve this, we present the results of the first phase of our project, aiming to scale the levels of complex thinking in university students, discuss the need for business and entrepreneurship students to develop complex thinking competency (including its sub-competencies of critical, systemic, scientific, and innovative thinking) in the complexity of the business environment, analyze the relevance of system elements, apply their inductive and deductive reasoning, and create appropriate and relevant solutions. Our findings suggest that an educational model focused on developing complex thinking and its four sub-competencies can enable entrepreneurs to integrate sustainable development, increase their social engagement and critical thinking, develop their imaginative intelligence and discursive and reflective skills, and thus improve their decision-making and problem-solving processes. In the future, we plan to extend this analysis to the behavior of real-life entrepreneurs. [For the full proceedings, see ED654100.]

The purpose of this research is to solve the problem of producing research (academic journals, books, book chapters) based on the curriculum. In this sense, the methodology called NODE PROJECTS has been developed. Its objective is to promote and manage collaborative scientific research based on the needs of the environment at a national and international level, generating new knowledge and innovation. The node projects are aimed at empathetic students with a theme and scenarios for its development so that they can participate as co-researchers and/or research assistants. Its scope is national and/or international depending on the nature of each project. Thus, it has been possible to evidence in a master's program, the development of a total of 86 research projects and their dissemination, during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in a much higher percentage than in previous years. These projects are built within the courses assigned to the line of research within the academic path of the program. The suggested research route is three 48-hour courses per term. The topics to be included in the courses would range from the formulation of the research project to the results, discussion, conclusions and of course its publication. [For the full proceedings, see ED656038.]

The intention of the present paper is to show that people have a series of educational needs in the era of information, so that they can become competent digital citizens. These educational needs are evident in the policies promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, which were well known to Latin American governments of the decades from the 1960s to the 1990s. Therefore, it is to be hoped that the educational reforms of 1990s have elements based on the principles of education that they advanced, which emphasises the preparation of subjects in the digital era, based on advances in information and communication technology, focusing on the teaching and learning of computer science. [For the complete Volume 17 proceedings, see ED596826.]

The aim of this paper is to answer the question of which International agendas influence education policy and practices in the Colombian Faculties of Law education. It is organized into two sections: first, there is a short introduction explaining policy transfer in general education and the key features of the Program for International Students Assessment (PISA), the standard marking design which is widely used to evaluate law students in Colombia. I then analyze the arguments for implementing this kind of standardized test in entitling law students to become lawyers in this country. Following this, I draw some conclusions about the implications of this analysis for Law faculties in Colombia. The main argument of this paper is that education in Law should not be measured by standardized tests such as PISA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using both data from my dissertation and ideas from my most recent research and academic projects, this paper will discuss some challenges and potential opportunities that the inextricable links between literacy and technology pose for second language educators in this decade and beyond. In the first part of this paper, I will describe a series of considerations about the use of technology within literacy development. These ideas from a group of teachers and teacher educators suggest that a heightened sense of audience, more access to writing genres within technological devices, and more availability of resources are some of the advantages of these connections between literacy and technology. However, they also believed that teachers need to make better sense of how to use and maximize technology for literacy development in their classroom and teacher education programs. The second part of the paper will introduce two ongoing proposals that, in my opinion, are helping address these issues that these participants described. Both proposals look at ideas such as multimodality as a concept that illustrates how to best link literacy and technology. The first proposal is the creation of WebQuests within one of the preservice courses at UPB-Medellín. The second proposal is the multinational research project "Learning by Design". This section of the paper will explain what each is about, how it is being carried out, and the possibilities for other researchers to contribute to these ideas in their own contexts.

The Colombian Ministry of Environment, Housing and Territorial Development issued the Policy for Integrated Water Resources Management in 2010, with the formulation of Basin Management Plans (POMCA) as a key component. The main purpose of these plans is to support land use planning and sustainable management of renewable natural resources. Since the announcement of the policy; however, advances in the formulation of POMCAs have been limited, due to the need of generating knowledge and the necessary information to formulate such plans. To contribute to the generation of such knowledge, we developed HidroCHEP: a Toolbox to support the formulation and hydrologic characterization of Colombian basins. In this paper, we report the design, architecture, implementation and use of the toolbox, to understand the climatic variability of the country and to improve predictions in ungauged basins. The use of the toolbox is illustrated and evaluated through its application in three pilot river basins (Pamplonita, Gualí and Ceibas) each with different level of available hydrologic and climatic data. This paper focuses on the use of the toolbox for the development of one of the products required by the technical guide for the formulation of POMCA, in the Pamplonita river basin. Main advantages and disadvantages of its application are evaluated. It is demonstrated that the toolbox has the potential to support the formulation of POMCAs in the country and to contribute to integrated national water resources management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microlearning has increased its popularity for course designs in eLearning environments due to short attention spans and time constraints. The objective of this designed-based research is to describe the multiple iterations of design, development, and revision of a general framework for creating a microlearning reading mobile application. First, we present the components from the perspective of users and for the execution of a software architecture that allows a modular approach. Understanding the pedagogical features of mobile learning: personalization, authenticity, and collaboration are included as part of the IPAC framework to create it. This app was developed in different phases: Analysis and exploration, design and construction, evaluation and reflection, redesign and reconstruction and final critical reflections. The findings link design-based research (DBR) as a methodology that allows engaging in theory building and development of reading applications. It also reveals engagement in reading skills, satisfactory usability ratings and a rise in students' awareness towards new types of texts. [For the complete proceedings, see ED639262.]

Previously a framework for integrating web resources providing educational services in dotLRN was presented. The present paper describes the application of this framework in a rural school in Cauca--Colombia. The case study includes two web resources about the topic of waves (physics) which is oriented in secondary education. Web classes and educational resources are designed for a group of 35 tenth graders using the LMS. The academic performance was compared with a second group of 35 students oriented in the traditional way. The objective is to compare the academic performance and effectiveness of using LMS during the educational process. [For full proceedings, see ED571430.]

This paper presents a discussion on potential conflicts originated by sensorimotor distractions when learning with mobile phones on-the-move. While research in mobile learning points to the possibility of everywhere, all the time learning; research in the area suggests that tasks performed while on-the-move predominantly require low cognitive processing. This work uses Bloom's taxonomy to identify low and high order thinking activities associated to the functionalities of a mobile phone. It also provides preliminary results from a survey identifying correlations between high and low cognitive processing tasks and locations involving users' sensorimotor engagement. [For the full proceedings, see ED571335.]

This paper seeks to contribute in the search for mechanisms that support firms in facing the challenges, uncertainty, and turbulence that characterize the markets in which they compete. Specifically, this work focuses on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), given their relevance at the international level, for their contribution to GDP and employment creation. Particularly, because of their smaller size and low possession of tangible resources, they are vulnerable to the risks of the economic cycle. This forces them to develop capabilities to cope with these challenges and ensures their survival in the long term. In this sense, the development of an adaptive dynamic capability constitutes one of the alternatives to achieve this. Given that these capabilities are located within the intangible assets of the organization, this work proposes, their combination as variables of the Intellectus Model components in which are integrated to achieve the required organizational "dynamization". Based on a review of the literature of the dynamic capabilities and intellectual capital approach, this research proposes the variables of the main components of intellectual related with adaptive capability of organization. This results in a model adapted to the specific conditions of the Colombian SMEs, allowing its dynamization and adaptation to highly changing environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of digital technology is a fundamental pillar of health ecosystem. Through virtual healthcare, members can obtain information about their health policies, evaluate their symptoms and obtain recommendations about care according to the risk level identified. The main objective is to coordinate the healthcare of members through Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this paper, the results from a first year implementation of a virtual healthcare program from a private insurance company in Colombia are discussed. There were 3,045 pediatric virtual consultations in 2017 and 9,364 in 2018, equivalent to 10.1% of the total pediatric emergencies attentions. The number of cases that were resolved through the virtual channel was 78.3% and the satisfaction of the users was approximately 94.0%. Virtual healthcare has resulted in about $100,000 US Dollars in cost savings for the insurance company. The implementation of virtual healthcare has had an impact on health of people through immediacy in care, increased member's satisfaction through easy user experience, mobility, savings in out-of-pocket expenses, and optimizes the use of resources in providing health services by reducing investments in physical infrastructure and saving costs when compared to person-to-person healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agents responsible of execution of physical infrastructure projects of the Government of Antioquia must know the theories and concepts related to the socio-environmental management of physical infrastructure projects. In the absence of tools and the little information on the subject, it is necessary to build a m-learning tool to facilitate to public functionaries, contractors and communities assimilate the knowledge and contribute to generate the minimum environmental impacts on the environment. The objective of this paper is to present MGSAI Tutorial System, designed to support the learning process and appropriation of knowledge to public functionaries, contractors and communities. This work is divided in three parts; in the first, it presents the results of the review of the state of the art; in the second, the methodology used in the construction of the intelligent tutorial system (ITS), in the third part explains MGSAI tutorial Expert System as a case of application. [For the full proceedings, see ED562096.]

During their school life, students learn mathematical topics that can be considered essential for the understanding of the property of density in the set of real numbers. Therefore, we detected a need to design and elaborate a Hypothetical Learning Path to include topics to help promote the learning of this property. This report shows results of a first stage of an educational experiment as part of an ongoing research. It describes how through the trajectory, high school students are able to recognize ways of finding numbers in an interval using various semiotic representations. We also describe some difficulties that students had to recognize the non-existence of a successor in real numbers. [For the complete proceedings, see ED630060.]

The paper presents the most important results from a study in argumentative communication skills, developed in three engineering undergraduate programs from year 2012 until 2014. The work was performed by a multidisciplinary group in two Colombian regions. During year 2012, professors noted that senior students had problems in both oral and written communication. Therefore, engineering professors decided to join expert faculty in communication skills and to design a long-term project to help students. The project was meant to improve these skills, and it included four phases. Phase one diagnosed basic communication skills. Phase two employed an academic intervention. Phase three developed a new diagnosis in argumentative writing skills. Finally, phase four developed a different intervention for argumentation. The first two phases included students from the first cohort as the reference group and students from a different cohort as the experimental group. The research evaluated data by means of one rubric and one student opinion survey. Both tools were validated by experts. Results show performance improvement in the second cohort after the intervention. The outcome agrees with related work reported in the literature. During phase three, professors performed a diagnosis through the curriculum, specifically in argumentation. The study encompasses students enrolled in different courses and semesters from Electrical, Electronics and Systems Engineering at Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla, Colombia), and a course from Electrical Engineering at Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Medellín Campus). Results show students achievement in argumentation, which was used to design a pedagogical intervention to improve student performance. Phase 4 assessed the same skill in the new cohort, executed the intervention and finally evaluated the results. The academic intervention was carefully planned in every phase. During the intervention, the group used multimedia tools as video and Academic Blackboard in order to make a homogeneous strategy in all engineering programs in different places in the country. Additionally, the professors employed a Google Docs form in order to speed up evaluation process. The students wrote argumentative essays before and after the intervention, employing the "Five Paragraph Essay" technique. Statistical analysis shows improvement; therefore, we can conclude that it was possible to enhance argumentation skills of the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper relates the "Agile School", an emerging archetype of the enterprise architecture: "Processes of Organizational Leadership" for leading and managing strategies, tactics and operations of forming in Higher Education Institutions. Agile School is a system for innovation and deep transformation of University Institutions in which it starts with the identity and it ends at the self-governance and social responsibility, around satisfaction and transcendence by the outcomes at environment, resources and people. Our work research is based on the "Executables Enterprise Architectures" using "Lean and Agile methodologies through of Serious Play paradigm" for linking the senses with emotional and cognitive areas as a means to accelerate identification, analysis and problem solving, enhance decision-making and develop commitment actions by all stakeholders. With Agile School, it is possible to acknowledge and reach consensus to propose architectural solutions supported in the holistic views of individuals and collectives, using simulation scenarios of past and future, to build concrete and clear architectures that enable innovation and iterative improvement using information and communication technologies through of real and virtual environments. With this perspective it could ensure efficient and effective quality of design and development according of required products and services. Particularly, Agile School is based in the "Educational Process Maturity Model--EPMM/PE" with five high performance levels, in which products or services are on a continuous improvement due to innovation, competitiveness, flexibility and productivity. [For the complete proceedings, see ED557311.]

This study measured changes in cultural awareness levels between two groups of US students in their third semester of a Spanish class. One group (experimental group) collaborated via Skype with a group of English language learners from a Colombian university and the other group (control group) did not. The experimental group met seven times during the semester to discuss a variety of cultural topics such as health care and gastronomy. The control group addressed the same topics by examining them among members of the same class. Both groups answered a pre and post self-awareness questionnaire. Mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) results showed significant differences between the two groups. There was no change in scores from pretest to posttest for the control group, but scores in the trained group increased significantly. Students from the treatment group show substantial gains in skills, knowledge, and awareness of themselves in their interactions with others in one semester. [For the complete proceedings, see ED600837.]

New requirements for a better sustainable energy policy around the world is easy to observe, many projects in sustainable energy are developed wherein the academia works together the authorities and commercial firms such as electrical grid utilities. In distribution transformers one of the suggested solutions is to replace mineral oils used as dielectric and coolant for natural ester fluids, they provide improved technical properties making them a safe substitute of mineral oil. Natural esters are based on clean technology in order to guarantee requirements from utilities. The main goal of the present paper is to present a technical-economic analysis obtained from five years of applications of oil-immersed transformers using natural ester fluids in Colombia. The methodology considers forty-four oil-immersed distribution Transformers, a half use mineral oil and the other side use natural ester, operating under the same load regime. Results evidenced the feasibility of implementing this technology because the costs are very similar and the reduction of risks and environmental impact is considerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are some documented problems with street dogs in many cities of Colombia (South America). In addition, the number of purebred dogs offered in the Colombian market is enormous. It seems that some of the consumers in this country prefer buying purebred dogs than acquiring non-purebred dogs from a shelter or from the street. Thus, the purpose of this research is to examine some variables that might explain this particular consumer behavior and its consequences on the dogs’ welfare. The results show that materialistic consumers want to possess purebred dogs. The dogs owned by this type of consumers exhibit more behavioral problems. The problems perceived by the owners influence their intention to abandon their dogs, and more materialistic consumers present a higher intention to get rid of the animal. Finally, the conclusions of this paper include a series of guidelines related to consumers’ materialism in Colombia and its influence on the dogs’ welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade of the twentieth century (1990-2000), the electricity industry around the world changed their organization towards a market-based structure. The foundation of this restructuring process relies on resource adequacy mechanisms to address investments in the provision of electricity. In 2019, Colombia will turn 25 years since the establishment of the wholesale electricity market, with no significant changes since the creation of the resource adequacy mechanism in 1994. The new challenges that have emerged over the years and the desire of the government to foster a cleaner energy mix requires an overall analysis of the electricity-market's competition. Allegations of market power that discourage the social welfare of final users of electricity, interventions from the government side to the electricity market due to the exacerbation of climate change and repeated market failures constitute enough evidence for a re-designing project. This paper revises in detail the three markets that conform the wholesale electricity market, which are: i) the forward contract market, ii) the reliability charge and iii) the spot market. Using data form the Colombian system operator, an economic-statistical analysis is performed to determine the existence of a threat in the competition caused by market power in the provision of electricity. In line of the findings by Wolak and Bushnell, the results showed that the interaction of forward-contracts and the spot market represent a mitigation strategy for market power that policy makers should seize in the future. Also, this paper shows evidence of a lack of competition and reliability from fossilfuel power plants during extreme weather conditions, like during the last El Niño Phenomenon in 2015-2016, which suggests a neuralgic policy change towards a greener generation of electricity in order to address more competition. Finally, this paper suggests a change of the paradigm in the resource adequacy of electricity towards a greener energybased system. Green growth opportunities can be financed through improvement in market failures in Colombia and the divestiture of non-competitive fossil-fuel power plants. Using wind speed data from NASA at 50 meters at the location of the incoming wind farm project in Colombia and real hydroelectricity generation, this paper shows a complementary product that should be regulated in order to mitigate spikes in the electricity tariffs during drought seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If climate change is to be addressed, research demonstrates that 80% of coal reserves should remain underground. This research focuses on Colombia, the world's fifth largest coal exporter, and elucidates socioeconomic and environmental conflicts at various scales, revealing the deeply complex socioeconomic processes involved in a global energy transition. The research probes social power relations, repression, rights and violence. Based on 14 months of field research in Colombia, this paper highlights the ongoing links between environmental violence, imperialism, fossil fuel extraction, energy transition, and unequal ecological exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of time that people, especially young people, spend on communicative activities in social media is rapidly increasing. We are facing new arenas with great potential for learning in general and for language learning in particular, but their impact on learning is not yet acknowledged as such in educational practice (e.g., Conole, 2010; Lewis, Pea, & Rosen, 2010; Thorne, 2009). The aim of this case study is to scrutinize how social networking sites (SNSs) serve as new contexts for learning when implemented in school practices. The focus is mainly on how students frame (Goffman, 1974/1986) this activity to scrutinize the implications for their language learning and how they learn to communicate in culturally relevant and productive ways. By applying a socio-cultural-historical theoretical view of communication (Vygotsky, 1939/1978; Wertsch, 1998), this paper reports findings from ethnographic data of a Facebook group in formal English learning contexts with students aged between 13-16 years old comprising one school class in Colombia, Finland, Sweden and Taiwan, respectively. The results indicate that the students' communication was characterized by a) a communication in response to institutional requirements, b) their customary interaction in social media, or c) a juxtaposition of both. [For the complete volume, see ED574893.]

This article examines types of interaction from the perspective of intervening agents and interaction outcomes. We argue that the strategic combination of these types of interaction with certain core features (such as dosified input, attainable goal-setting, personalization and collaboration) contribute to creating a more effective relationship between instructional design, use and the interactional purposes of learning activities. The paper also offers instructors and course designers various considerations regarding the pedagogical nature of learning activities and the actions that both learners and instructors can carry out to optimize the online educational experience. Consideration for emergent trends in research on related areas are also presented. (Contains 1 table and 1 footnote.)

This paper is based on a study of the perceptions of the distance education mode compared with face-to-face teaching on the part of students on the university distance education programme at the University of Antioch over the period from 2001 to 2007. It is not possible to ignore the close links between educational processes and social, economic, administrative, cultural and political conditions, not only at the beginning of the course, but throughout its existence. The goal of higher education is to promote the development of a professional approach on the part of its students, irrespective of whether they study at a distance or physically attend a campus of the university. When comparing the two modes of delivery (distance and face-to-face) in higher education, while controlling for a number of other personal and demographic variables, it was possible to confirm that there were no significant differences that could be attributed to different modes of delivery. This is not an accident, and arises because of the pedagogic orientation of the primary and secondary schools, which direct their efforts to the delivery of information and the development of basic skills rather than the development of students who are skilled in observation, analysis, synthesis and have leadership qualities which would fit them to direct the process of social change. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

English language education policies have attracted the attention of researchers in applied linguistics and English language teaching world-wide in the last few years. Some contend that English language skills are vital if a country is to participate actively in the global economy and individuals are to have access to knowledge for social and economic development (Richards, 2008). Others claim that behind the spread of English is a growing transnational business with headquarters in Britain and the USA (Canagarajah, 1999; Phillipson, 1992). The problem is that language policies are ideological although the ideology may not be acknowledged by practitioners or theorists (Ricento and Hornberger, 1996). ELT professionals--teachers, material designers, textbooks writers, program developers, administrators, consultants or academics--are involved in one way or another with the processes that involve the spread of English and they need tools to investigate how the language became so dominant and why, to teach and use English in a way that suits their needs. This paper presents the approach proposed by Ricento and Hornberger (1996) to analyze foreign language education policies. Then, the approach is used to examine the English language education policies in Colombia and Mexico. The aim is to acquire a better understanding of how the ideology transmitted with, in and through English language has penetrated these two Latin American countries. [For complete volume, see ED567040.]

In this paper, we present a proposed methodology, supported by a system of indicators, to characterize the professional activity developed by the retired professors of Higher Education Institutions -HEI-, and some results of applying it in one of the most important institutions of Colombia, this in order to establish whether pensioners may still be taken into account as the Intellectual Capital of HEI after retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present and discuss a partnership pilot experience in building capacities for research use in a diversity of health related organizations in three Colombian cities. The project was a collaborative enterprise made possible by pooling resources from a knowledge and practice network: a research center - ASSALUD, a women's civil society organization - CASA DE LA MUJER/Women's House, and a knowledge network - Colombian Health Policy and Systems Research Network, and funding from WHO-AHPSR. A multidisciplinary group of professionals belonging to a mix of local and national public, private and civil society organizations completed a diploma course with curriculum tailored to local needs, based on situation analysis and the application of a self-assessment tool focused on measuring institutional capacity for research use. The application of the self-assessment tool "Is Research Working for You?" developed and validated by Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) provided a foundation for the development of an educational curriculum in the form of a 120-hour diploma course, split into ten modules and offered in Bogota, Cali and Manizales (three of the country's largest cities). In keeping with participant profiles and the degree of professionalization and specialization of the health workers and others involved in the universe assessed, responses indicate all institutions are well staffed in terms of university professionals, although these professionals lack the proper infrastructure, skills and tools to tackle the goal of promoting informed policy decisions. Agreements were signed with seven prestigious universities that certified the completion of the academic program. A mixture of 17 public and private, national and local health-related institutions and civil society organizations were invited to participate. Sustainability of this experience with its pilot conditions is not realistic. The universities involved can only sustain the commitment in market conditions. But if change in this field is to come about, a larger effort must be made by those in research centers to try to influence the allocation of public funding to this effect.The paper is organized in three sections. First, it offers background information on the conceptual model and the context in which the project takes place. Second, it addresses the framework of the case and discusses main findings. Third, it points to lessons learned in the development of the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurs constitute a key economic driving force for many emerging economies. In this paper, we explore how political environments affect entrepreneurial processes and outcomes in firms. We present a theory that explains how political turmoil influences entrepreneurial networking and moderates planning processes. We test this theory using a sample of 730 new ventures in Colombia from 1997-2001. This paper directs attention to the primary influence of political institutions in emerging economies on entrepreneurial processes and outcomes and highlights the need for governments to make institutional changes that will aid in the emergence and growth of entrepreneurial organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to depict and analyze certain features of the internal armed conflict in Colombia with the objective of discussing how it constitutes a way of experiencing social order. The first part deals with some of the prevalent depictions of the Colombian armed conflict and its protagonists, the guerrillas and the paramilitary. The analysis focuses on the presuppositions in some of the hegemonic explanations of the armed conflict that define it as not having to do with the abuses of an almighty state, but instead with the spaces it leaves open in society. In the second part, the paper interrogates the 'regulatory' practices of armed agents over civil populations in different parts of the country through the tension between their role as agents of conflict, but also as agents of order in local settings. And finally, the third section refers to a central feature of the current dynamic of the armed conflict and the implications of its redefinitions within the government of Alvaro Uribe Vélez as a 'terrorist threat' and not an armed conflict. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capitalist development in frontier regions presents particular sets of issues to capital and capitalist states. Frontiers regions are by definition situated on the border between regions of effective state control and regions outside of that control. The development of capitalist modes of production through coercive mechanisms thus remains vulnerable to further outward expansion ("exit" strategies of frontier labor) while the use of more consensual forms of capitalist domination is limited by the capacity for capital and states to offer incentives to frontier laborers. Using comparative-regional and historical methods, the present paper examines the development and consolidation of three difference capitalist modes of production in Colombia: the coffee sector, banana sector, and the coca sector. The author finds that that the formation of consensual and coercive forms of domination depends upon the capacity for capitalist agencies to negotiate beneficial terms of trade in world markets for the frontier commodities produced. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the relevance of management and leadership as a key to understanding barriers to and factors promoting educational innovation. An empirical study in Colombia supports the claim that these dimensions are still underexplored and should receive more attention in order to understand issues related to ICT integration in education. Case studies reveal that different types of leaders using a variety of management deploy different strategies for successful (or unsuccessful) innovation. This work is useful for scholars studying ICT integration, school administrators and education policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the relevance of an underexplored dimension in ICT integration: the policy enactment of educational innovation. More concretely, this work focuses in the complexity of policy enactment in local contexts in which ICT policies yield uncertain effects. Drawing on an empirical study in one Colombian region, the findings reveal a set of issues related to policy translation and policy positions, two key aspects of Stephen Ball's policy enactment theory. The findings and reflections invite the expansion of research in the field of ICT polices. This work is useful for scholars examining ICT integration, school administrators and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The six descriptive position papers were prepared after selection for the Multi-National Workshop on Basic and Functional Education for Adults. Those selected are significant innovative programs of adult education in other countries that may have direct applicability to improving program practices in various parts of the world. The six programs described are: Adult Education in Tanzania; A National Movement; The Functional Literacy and Family Life Planning Project (Thailand); Accion Cultural Popular (Colombia); Concorde--Honduras; Functional Education for Family Life Planning Project (Neuva Ecija, Philippines); and Village Polytechnics--Kenya. Each paper describes in detail the program's setting, organization and administration, program and activities, educational strategy, and future activities and projections. (BP)

The interdependence between education and culture is of growing importance. Interest is growing in the relationship between the two, because of the pace of technological change, the effects of social currents, and the decision by the United Nations General Assembly to observe 1988-1997 as the World Decade for Cultural Development. One of the main objectives of education is to prepare the young for integration into society. The school also can serve as a cultural center of a given community, by providing a meeting place and cultural link between teachers, adults, children, and the communities in which they live. Educators can take advantage of the positive effects of the mass media upon society both through the use of educational technology in teaching and through teaching students how to use and critically evaluate the media. Schools can promote cultural awarness and development with the help of cultural and ancillary workers in curricular activities. Education increasingly is taking on the dimension of cultural project, while culture is considered an indispensible tool of education. (SG)

The performance of business logistics is one of the fundamentals in supply chain management. It is not just about having good logistics to enter the markets, but it is necessary to maintain and increase competitiveness. Consequently, a reference model is required that reflects the main characteristics of the organization and logistics management of the main international companies. Through a benchmarking process with this model, each firm can identify the main weaknesses on which it must work to accelerate the development of its logistics. The purpose of this article is to present the results of twenty years of study of logistics performance in Latin American companies through the application of the Logistics Reference Model (MLR). Since 1998, this tool has been applied several times in Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba and has been improved and updated. In addition, the results of the tool are related to the Logistics Performance Index of the countries studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a short description on the influence of ICT access and use thereof on individuals in some stages of their lives. The authors conducted exploratory work with a web-based form to know high school students' access to ICT and use conditions and their possible impact on their skills. The students are part of a higher education preparation program, oriented by Universidad Nacional de Colombia and Secretaría de Educación in Bogotá, Colombia. The Churchill's methodology is used to build the survey and some responses are analyzed. We discuss some ideas that show that there is a positive impact (at least on a small scale) of ICT use on students. Despite less favorable economic conditions, a high percentage of students have computer and Internet services at home, as this may be regarded as a basic services. Main uses and needs are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to show results of a research conducted at the Instituto de Investigaciones Ambientales del Pacífico John Von Neumann -IIAP, government entity located in the region of Chocó, Colombia, responsible for developing scientific and technological research to improve welfare in the region, and conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The problem analyzed is the impact of corporate governance decisions -CG- on compliance with the institutional mission, which is stated in two questions: What is the connection between the diverse interests of actors in the CG and the dysfunction in the processes of decision making? and, How governance decisions affects the achievement of the mission purposes? The methodology used is the case study, addressed as empirical research of a qualitative-descriptive type, by applying four ethnographic techniques: participant observation, in-depth interviews, document analysis and expert forums. The results obtained are shown through five test groups: a) CG actors; b) limiting aspects to the CG actors; c) issues that limit the direction and control of the Institute; d) factors that limit the effectiveness of the decision making processes; e) effects of corporate decisions on achieving the mission objectives of the Institute. The findings show that the usefulness of the results served to make a proposal for restructuring the CG of the Institute, based on four aspects: a) update the administrative regulations for the levels of the general assembly, board of directors and general management; b) update the statutes as a mechanism to prevent conflicts of interest between the interests of actors in the CG; c) adjust the mechanism of management and control; and d) adjust the strategic planning process. The discussion of the results allows to highlight the importance of the participation in decisions making of the CG, in a government entity that should be socially legitimized strengthening democratic processes to resolve the challenges of the Choco region in Colombia: conservation of the biological and cultural diversity; food security; land ordering; and institutional strengthening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]