Distance Education in Speech-Language Therapy

Speech-language pathologists/therapists have been using a different service delivery model known for almost 40 years as telepractice, so they can meet the growing demand for assessment, intervention, consultancy, and also distance learning in their scope of practice. As far as the authors could review, the literature highlights a number of benefits for students, teachers, parents, and stakeholders, as well as evidence for the delivery of professional services at a distance within the clinical and educational settings. There are few studies regarding the effectiveness of telepractice intervention in this field. To their knowledge, there are no European Portuguese studies. The chapter illustrates up to date international applications of telepractice and distance learning in speech-language therapy services. It has currently increased in order to respond to the world crisis related to COVID-19 in which social self-isolation and personal dislocations are being implemented, forcing this professional to adapt to this new reality.

Learning Objects in Hybrid Teaching Potential and Challenges for Their Use in the Context of Brazilian Education

In the context of distance education, one aspect materialized by educational technology is through the use of learning objects (LO). These elements can be defined as educational digital resources that favor students' interaction with many languages and different media. This chapter aims to present two scenarios. The first one involves a case study about the production of didactic content. This study will focus on teaching and will consist of showing the rationale behind the content production method used by the company and the methodology used in the construction of learning objects in the context of a learning unit. The second scenario will consist of students' views by means of a survey conducted with more than 4 thousand students from higher education institutions (HEIs) from different regions of Brazil who consume the content and make use of the learning objects. The reflections point to the pedagogical potential of learning objects but also to concerns in view of great challenges posed by hybrid teaching within the Brazilian scenario.

Blended Learning

Blending technology and education is considered a strategy to obtain various benefits, among which one of the most prominent has been enhancing students' engagement. The implementation of hybrid education at university is a clear example of this combination. Thus, considering the relevance of the theme, mainly in the modern world, the purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the contributions of hybrid teaching to the student's learning process in higher education. To this end, a qualitative research was conducted, through in-depth interviews at a private, community, confessional, and philanthropic university in Brazil. The data obtained was processed using the content analysis method, and the following contributions to the students' learning process were verified: flexibility of time, space and pace; greater retention of the content, which is available on the online platform; autonomy and constant updating in the face of changes in the modern world and better performance in terms of grades.

Analysis of Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Implementation of the Flipped Classroom in the Context of Higher Education

The study and investigation around educational models and teaching and learning methodologies is a theme that has long aroused the interest of the academic environment in higher education, both in the period before the advent of digital technology, as in current times in which technology is strongly embedded in the various teaching and learning processes, which involve classroom and distance-learning classes and courses, both in the context of e-learning and b-learning. Understanding how people learn and understand the themes presented in the classroom in face-to-face and e-learning is fundamental for planning and implementing processes that allow teachers to apply teaching and learning methodologies that can be efficient and effective. The main objective is to carry out a critical reflection on b-learning teaching, about the implementation of the teaching and learning methodology of the flipped classroom, one of the variants of b-learning teaching, supported by the results of a field investigation carried out with 152 students (n=152) of higher education.

Evaluating the Quality of an Online Course in Information Literacy Applied to Engineering Students

An academic library created an online course in information literacy skills in 2007 for engineering students. This chapter reports the evaluation of the course's effectiveness in developing those skills. In the academic year 2015/2016, a case study with a mixed-methods approach was applied to 5th-year students (N=91) enrolled in a course unit for Master Dissertation's preparation in the informatics and computing engineering programme. Students showed high confidence in their information literacy skills. Online assignments' performance was good, but activities revealed quality issues. Performance in the course unit's assignments reveals a poor application of acquired skills. But satisfaction is high: students value independent learning and online access to resources and content. Despite evidence of some positive impact, the course lacks effectiveness due to issues in the course unit's assignments. Needed improvements include a better realignment with students' needs and a redesign with an instructional model to assure the promotion of students' success.

Quality Practices in Higher Education Distance Learning

This chapter is an attempt to systematize the available knowledge in quality assurance and assessment in higher education distance learning, taking into consideration that information is consubstantiated mostly in grey literature produced in the past decade. It begins by framing the historical and the political approach to quality and accountability and then opts for an approach the outline the analyses, using the concept of distance learning as a system. This approach, which is a classical theoretical framework, considers the following sub-systems: management and administration; instructional design; teaching, provisions on teaching and learning; the teacher and the tutor; and students. As for the procedural aspects, it looks at the official information issued by specialized agencies that develop standards, benchmarks, audit and accreditations schemes, and to the information of the institutions themselves, in order to identify the most important topics and practices concerning quality assessment development and assurance.

The Potential of Distance Education for the Inclusion of Students in Higher Education

We live in a changing world, where the role of educational institutions is being transformed. The available technologies allow new conditions to access learning; however, as they evolve very fast, sometimes it is challenging to track this evolution regarding the changes that entail to all of us, which may contribute to a digital divide if it is not well addressed. This chapter intends to present distance education as a reliable modality to include students in higher education. For that, it presents the universal design for learning and its crucial role to make inclusive virtual learning environments. Like every modality that exists, there are some challenges that need to be addressed, as well as some benefits that allow to see the potential of this modality to learning, overcoming some adversities that may occur, like the lack of time to go to face-to-face education or even the need of social isolation by risk of getting a disease.

Student-Centered Assessment Practices

This chapter aims to describe the assessment practices used in a PBL (project-based learning) approach, adopting an integrated view, where teaching, learning, and assessment are student-centered. It explores the assessment methods, moments and participants in the teaching and learning process. Assessment procedures, criteria, and tasks will be carefully presented, as well as the benefits and constraints which they entail. Based on the significant and consolidated experience acquired with the implementation of PBL, since the year 2005, in this context, along with the scientific research produced to continuously evaluate and improve this learning approach, authors will present guidelines for the successful implementation of student-centered assessment practices in the context of PBL approaches in higher education.

The ePortfolio

As we stand at the threshold of enhanced higher education curricula to meet global standard, this chapter contributes to the on-going discussion on reforms in higher education by clarifying the important role of e-portfolios as technology-enhanced formative and summative assessments of authentic tasks across the continuum in medical education. Medical educators should become adept with technological advancement and apply the same in designing learning experiences that effectively integrate technology in building a conceptual understanding of medical concepts. e-Portfolios are best suited for evaluating skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, leadership and management, and other real-life skills needed to cope with the global demands of the 21st-century global healthcare workplace. The use of portfolios as a workplace-based assessment tool has emerged as an exciting opportunity for learners to record and analyze their learning in a digital environment. The role of reflective learning in a constructivist approach is emphasized.

Reliability of Digital Formative Assessment Practices and Instruments

The rise of enthusiasts in mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), benefiting from well-established benefits of consuming audiovisual content for autonomous learning, has proliferated during the last decade. Simultaneously, there is constant debate about how reliable digital evaluation systems are, and therefore, what are the best instruments/practices to assess language learning remotely? After contextualizing the motivation for this research, this chapter will provide a rundown of state of the art related to digital learning assessment, with a particular focus on online formative assessment practices and adaptive learning systems, as well as contexts they were implemented. The purpose is to identify valid practices, pinpointing strengths and weaknesses and ending with an assessment instrument proposal for an online collaborative platform (OCP), in which learners—either autonomously, or supported by their EFL teachers—follow steps to get certification in a given communicative skill, by the consuming, mapping, producing, and uploading audiovisual content.