The research carried out by the Institute has a multidisciplinary nature and it is oriented to deal with all aspects of the internet technology applied to education: instructional design, the design and implementation of new social tools, of new e-learning tools, the standards for the interoperability among platforms, ubiquitous learning, automatic assessment, statistic analysis, or interaction and user’s interface are reached.
The projects developed are focused on the following main research lines:
- Research and Development of new internet tools and interoperability software. This group researches new formats of contents and multimedia communication tools that ease the socialization and the collaborative work and automatic assessment tools and tracking. It has experience in the design of their own virtual campus (eCampus) and with applications that can be directly adapted to LMS’s existing open sources (Moodle and Sakai). Also it has a large experience in the design of interoperable, reusable and accessible contents (SCORM, IMS QTI, IMS Learning Design, LOM, W3C WCAG, etc.) for different platforms like the mobile devices, e-ink readers, digital television and personal computer and in the design of middleware of interoperability using standards like OKI-OSID and IMS interoperability.
- Research in statistics applied to the use of the Internet resources and to the assessment in the learning field. The group has a large experience in the application of statistics and data mining to sculpt the behavior of the users and to provide the LMS’s with tools for automatic assessment. Internet provides a large number of data about every user, and this information is very worthy if it is treated properly, since it allows to know the different typologies of users and predict future behavior. In the learning field we work to predict future results of a student from their performances in the virtual campus, and the development of software for the automatic assessment of competences from objective questions.
- Research in Game Design principles and Competence-based evaluation methodologies to the assessment in the implementation of simulators. The group has a solid experience in the elaboration of Serious Games and Simulators for the interactive learning of different competences and skills such as industrial (Simusold, a metal welding simulator), medical (application of deformable models to the simulation of the left ventricle activity), educational (a virtual reality simulator of the space and the galaxies for students in primary schools; the recently awarded Glooveth and Yummy Tricks, two serious games dedicated to the education on healthy habits for the kids), cultural (a virtual walkthrough on the “devil’s bridge” of Tarragona) and so on.
- Usability, User Experience and Accessibility. The UserLab was the first Usability laboratory in Spain. In 2005, it received an award for Digital Innovation at the IGC (Internet Global Congress). The activities conducted in this laboratory are related to the Usability and UX R&D area. The Userlab team belongs to our research group. The usability area and user experience works for the improvement of any product or service, combining classic usability and accessibility techniques with experimental methods created by laboratory investigators.
The Institute has been collaborating with the main researchers in the field of learning: Roger Schank, Chuck Severance, Martin Dougiamas, etc.; with universities: UOC (Open University of Catalonia), UNED, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Alberta, Macquarie University, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, etc.; companies and foundations: Moodle, Sakai, LAMS, IMS, IEEE, Socratic Arts, Indra, Ibermática, Telefónica I+D, etc.; in some projects like:
- 2010-2011. Foundation of La Salle Open University.
Law 86/2010 authorizing the creation of the UOLS: www.bopa.ad/bopa/2010/bop22072.pdf
LSOU’s official website: www.uols.org
- 2009-2011. evMIC Project.
Project created to develop an interoperability platform, centered in the user, which allows the creation of virtual environments of learning. Project co-financed by Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce (MITYC). Ref.: TSI-020301-2009-25. Budget: 3.033.183 €.
Project website: www.evmic.es
- 2009-2010. Analyzer of competencies learning results.
Developed a tool for facilitating the assessment and examination skills. Aid for the Improvement of the Educational Quality (MQD2009). Department of Universities, Investigation and Society of the Information (Autonomous Government of Catalonia) (DURSI). AAUR - Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR). Generalitat de Catalunya. Ref.: 2009MQD00163. IP: Lluís Vicent Safont (4 researchers). Budget: 11.520,00 €.
Demonstration: bridgit.housing.salle.url.edu:8181/ResultAnalyzerJEE-war/
Lluís Vicent “Estudio de competencias en la ingeniería y relación con el e-learning” (slides): www.ieec.uned.es/investigacion/eventos_ieee/archivos/Spain%20LlVicent%202008%2002%2021.pdf
- 2008-2011. Edit@ Project: System for interoperatibility of multi-platform content.
Project designed to create a bridge based on standards and open source that allows the interoperability with content management systems already existing in the market. Project co-financed by Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce (MITYC). Ref.: TSI-020301-2008-26. Budget: 5.517.942 €. IP: Lluís Vicent Safont (6 researchers). 89.121,00 €.
Project website: www.proyectoedita.org
Lluís Vicent – edit@ project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfjkpKXLMYQ
Demonstration: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhVgEUXDOU4
Presentation of results: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qsHAWrsYns
- 2008-2010. SVAPD (Visualization System to Help Taking Decisions).
Research of high-level languages which contemplate the viability of capturing the decision used with a new forms of visual systems.
- 2008-2009. Scenario Centered Curriculum Methodology.
Methodology applied in the masters Experiential MBA Online and e-Business.
Methodology used in the Experiential MBA Online: www.beslasalle.net/portal/masters/masters-mba-mbaol-online-presentation | www.beslasalle.net/portal/masters/masters-mba-mbaol-online-faq
And also in the Master in e-Business: www.beslasalle.net/portal/masters/masters-technology-meb-online
- 2007-2009. CAMPUS Project.
Project for the development of socialization tools, contents and inter-operative assessment in different e-learning open source platforms. Project co-financed by Secretariat of Telecommunications and Society of the Information (Autonomous Government of Catalonia) (DURSI). Budget: 3.235.050 €. IP: Lluís Vicent Safont (6 researchers). 279.591,00 €.
Project website: www.lafarga.org/campus/
- 2007-2008. CREA-Concursos.
Analyzing multiplatform possibilities (mobile, web, TDT, IPTV) of the television contests and see the possibilities of interactivity with the audience, as in real time (during the show broadcasting) as asynchronically. Activa Multimèdia.
- 2007-2008. IO-Disgital Project.
Project granted by the Ministerio de Indústria, Turismo y Comercio (Avanza Plan). Participation in the creation of the virtual Community for the promotion of equal opportunities for disabled people.
- 2005. Methodological and technological study for the adaptation of a degree in e-learning format to the new European space of superior education.
National Program of Studies and Analysis. Ministry of Education and Science. SEUI - Secretaría de Estado de Universidades e Investigación / DUNV - Dirección General de Universidades. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. Ref.: EA2005-196. IP: Lluís Vicent Safont (14 researchers). Budget: 18.458,00 €.
- 2004-2006. Improvement of the Technological Platform for the blended education programmes.
Aid for the Improvement of the Educational Quality (MQD2004). Department of Universities, Investigation and Society of the Information (Autonomous Government of Catalonia) (DURSI). AAUR - Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR). Generalitat de Catalunya. Ref.: 2004MQD-00158. IP: Lluís Vicent Safont (9 researchers). Budget: 5.367,00 €.
Paper: fie-conference.org/fie2005/papers/1615.pdf
Virtual Classroom demonstration: www.salle.url.edu/semipresencial/cast/aula_virtual.html | www.salle.url.edu/semipresencial/cat/aula_virtual.html
eLab demonstration: serpens.salleurl.edu/
Interactive Board demonstration (Moodle): www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNFAqV6HHdg
The Institute also has worked in some theoretical projects to define some guidelines for a better online learning, publishing their results in books, magazines, conferences and reports, like the book Multimedia in Education (World Scientific) recently written by Lluís Vicent, Ph.D. with the collaboration of members of Institute (Óscar García, Marc Segarra, et al) and the University of Alberta.
