Much of the literature and the academic discussion about the impact of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) in institutional strategic planning has been centred on the US context. However, data shows that although the US are responsible for the largest MOOC platforms and the most successful course provision, it is the European region which accounts for the highest percentage of global MOOC participation. Differently from the US Higher Education system framework, however, in Europe public policy and in particular the European Commission is now driving MOOC institutional uptake. Given the very different institutional, political and cultural contexts, it is interesting to analyse how in these two different regions Higher Education institutions are responding to the challenges of the MOOC phenomena and are integrating it in their own strategic planning. The current research presents the first attempt to conduct a benchmarking study of institutional MOOC strategies in Europe and the US. It's based on a survey launched by the EU-funded project HOME and compares results with a similar survey launched in the US. Results show that are significant differences in how US and European institutions understand the impact of massive forms of open education and also how they perceive the efficiency of digital education and online learning.
Even though citizen and patient engagement in health research has a long tradition, citizen science in health has only recently gained attention and recognition. However, at present, there is no clear overview of the specifics and challenges of citizen science initiatives in the health domain. Such an overview could contribute to highlighting and articulating the different needs of stakeholders engaged in any form of citizen science in the health domain. It may also encourage the input of citizens and patients alike in health research and innovation, policy, and practice. This paper reports on a survey developed by the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA)’s Working Group “Citizen Science for Health,” to highlight the perceived characteristics and enabling factors of citizen science in the health domain, and to formulate a direction for future work and research. The survey was available in six languages and was open between January and August 2022. The majority of the 254 respondents were from European countries, and the largest stakeholder respondent group was researchers. Respondents were asked about their perspectives on the particular characteristics of citizen science performed in health and biomedical research, as well as the challenges and opportunities it affords. Ethics, the complexity of the health domain, and the overlap in roles whereby the researcher is sometimes also the subject of research, were the main issues suggested as being specific to citizen science in health. The top two areas that respondents identified as in need of development were “balanced return on investment” and “ethics.” This publication discusses these and other conditions with references to current literature.
PurposeTo support the development and implementation of exercise programming for people with prostate cancer (PC), we investigated their views on exercise.MethodsOnline survey with open recruitment. We collected data on clinical and sociodemographic variables, experiences with exercise advice, outcome expectations, and preferences. We explored determinants of (1) having been counselled about exercise and (2) preferring supervised exercise.ResultsThe survey was completed by 171 patients (mean age = 70 years, SD = 6.5) from all PC treatment pathways. Sixty-three percent of the respondents reported never having been informed about the potential benefits of exercise. Forty-nine percent preferred exercise to be supervised. Respondents generally reported a positive attitude towards exercise. Seventy-four percent indicated barriers to exercising, including fatigue and lack of access to specific programmes. Outcome expectations were generally positive but moderately strong. Receiving hormonal therapy and younger age were significantly associated with having received exercise advice. Being insured and having higher fatigue levels contributed significantly to the preference for supervised exercise.ConclusionDutch people with PC report receiving insufficient effective exercise counselling. Yet, they are open to exercise and expect exercise to improve their health, although they experience various barriers that limit their ability to exercise.Implications for Cancer SurvivorsThe moderate outcome expectations for exercise of people with PC and their limited recall of exercise counselling highlight the need for better integration of exercise in clinical pathways. The lack of access to specific programming limits the use of evidence-based exercise programmes for people with PC.
Background:Many business intelligence surveys demonstrate that Digital Realities (Virtual reality and Augmented Reality) are becoming a huge market trend in many sectors, and North America is taking the lead in this emerging domain. Tourism is no exception and the sector in Europe must innovate to get ahead of the curve of this technological revolution, but this innovation needs public support.Project partnership:In order to provide labs, startups and SMEs willing to take this unique opportunity with the most appropriate support policies, 9 partner organizations from 8 countries (FR, IT, HU, UK, NO, ES, PL, NL) decided to work together: regional and local authorities, development agencies, private non-profit association and universities.Objective of the project:Thanks to their complementary experiences and know-how, they intend to improve policies of the partner regions (structural funds and regional policies), in order to foster a tourist channeled innovation in the Digital Realities sector.Approach:All partners will work together on policy analysis tasks before exchanging their best initiatives and transferring them from one country to another. This strong cooperation will allow them to build the best conditions to foster innovation thanks to more effective structural funds policies and regional policies.Main activities & outputs:8 policy instruments are addressed, among which 7 relate to structural funds programmes. Basis for exchange of experience: Reciprocal improvement analysis and 8 study trips with peer-review of each partner’s practices. Video reportages for an effective dissemination towards other territories in Europe.Main expected results:At least 16 good practices identified. 8 targeted policy instruments improved. At least 27 staff members will transfer new capacities in their intervention fields. At least 8 involved stakeholders with increased skills and knowledge from exchange of experience. Expected 17 appearances in press and media, including at European level.
