Castilla-La Mancha University Research Articles

Group Work Satisfaction At The University: An Innovative Experience In The New Higher Education Degrees

A methodology based on group work to facilitate the assimilation of the concepts and competences to be acquired by university students is presented as part of the teaching activities in second and third courses in the Business and Management Administration Degree at University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM). This methodology allows that students benefit from synergies between group members and complete the training received with one system that permits, in a better way, the achievement of a series of important generic and specific competences.The present article is aimed at assessing student satisfaction after the completion of the group work activity in terms of motivation and involvement. The authors conclude that the degree of satisfaction is acceptable and good and that the activity per se is perceived as having a close relationship to the themes of the corresponding subject. An important collaboration between group members is observed, although there are students who shirk their responsibilities fully.The study concludes that group work is a good teaching and learning tool that facilitates the acquisition of a series of important specific and generic competencies to pass the subject and at a low investment of study time.

A microencapsulation process of liquid mercury by sulfur polymer stabilization/solidification technology. Part I: Characterization of materials

thank Mr. C. Perez Roman (CSIC) for his technical assistance, the LIFE Project (LIFE06/ENV/ES/PRE/03) for its financial support and the project partners Minas de Almaden y Arrayanes S.A., and University of Castilla-La Mancha (specially Drs. J.M. Esbri and P.L. Higueras) for their collaboration. The authors also thank Institute of Applied Geology of UCLM for lending the Mercury Analyzer Lumex RA 915.

Comparative Study Of Platforms For E-Learning In The Higher Education

Castilla-La Mancha University has decided to implement two tools: WebCT and Moodle, Virtual Campus has emerged: www.campusvirtual.ulcm.es. This paper is dedicated to the analysis of said tool as a primary mode of e-learning expansion in the university environment. It can be used to carry out standard educational university activities in accordance with the guidelines set out by the new European Space for Higher Education. New needs continue to present themselves, not only with regard to the exchange of information and documents, but the complete and integrated management of teaching which is carried out using virtual environments and the Internet: e-learning.

HCI curricula in Faculty of Computer Science Engineering at Castilla-La Mancha University (Spain): overview and new proposal

Since 1997 the CHICO research Group has been one of the main promoters of HCI at the Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM) and in Spain. This Group is leading the research and teaching of HCI in the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering (ESI in the Spanish acronym) at this University. Now, with the aim of defining the academic offer adapting it to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA in the Bologna process) and defining the new study plans (curriculum and syllabus design), we propose several changes in the Interactive Technologies profile given in the ESI. These changes should affect the courses of graduate and postgraduate degrees, and the research associated with the development of doctoral dissertations (PhD). This paper presents the previous situation and the changes proposed to consolidate the HCI curriculum for the professionals of Computer Science and Engineering.

Growth in calves of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus)

Body weight evolution was studied for 55 Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) during their first year of life. Deer (30 males and 25 females) were born between April 27 and June 20 at the Experimental Farm of Castilla-La Mancha University in Albacete, Spain (38°57′10″N, 1°47′00″W, 690 m altitude). Animals were kept in an opendoor enclosure on an irrigated pasture mixed of fescue, cocksfoot, lucerne and white clover. They were also fed with a concentrated feed (16% of crude protein) and had free access to water and cereal straw, provided ad libitum.To characterize its growth, deer were weighed weekly (±100g) from their birth to the age of a year and a descriptive analysis was performed. Besides this, an ANOVA was performed to assess the sex-dependent differences. Mean weight at birth was 7.91±0.14(5.6-10.4)kg. Weaning was realized at the age of 18 weeks, which marks the end of the effective lactation in red deer. At this point, body weight was 37.89±0.78(23.5-48.8). At one year of age, body weight was 75.17±12.95(40.70-98.20)kg, being 67.48±1.88kg for females and 81.52±2.27kg for males deer. Despite males were heavier in all weeks, differences were not always significant between weeks 1 and 16. From week 17 to the end of the controlled time, differences were always significant. Weights curve showed that, during lactation, the growth was maximum, decreasing about weaning and increasing when deer recovered of the stress due to it. Weight differences between sexes increased as deer become older. In this first year of life, the phases with the fastest growth rate were the first weeks of life and the last controlled weeks, when deer were almost one year old, timing with spring. Phases with the slowest growth took place at weaning and on autumn.

Hind body condition and weight in primiparous of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) with one, two or three years old at mating

Several studies of mammals have examined the fitness consequences of the age of primiparity, due to primiparous hinds face a trade-off between reproductive effort at first breeding and body growth. Physical condition of hinds is the most important factor determining whether individuals became pregnant. In fact, in yearling hinds there is a positive effect of premating body weight on conception and the onset of puberty depends on her body weight. In addition reproductive effort at first breeding should reduce the amount of body reserves available for growth and maintenance, potentially reducing residual reproductive value.This study examined 103 primiparous hinds of Iberian red deer (Cervus elaphus hispanicus) with one (n=75), two (n=21), or three (n=7) years old at mating, from 1998 up to 2006. They were kept in a 30000 square meters opendoor in the Experimental Farm of Castilla-La Mancha University in Albacete (38° 57′ 10″ North, 1° 47′ 00″ West and 690m above sea level) and they had ad libitum access to food and water. Hinds were weighed weekly on a ± 50g electronic balance, and then they were driven to a small handling box to asses their body condition. General Linear Models were used to examine the effect of the age at first breeding on the following variables: hind weight at mating, precalving and postcalving, weight gain during gestation, weight lost at calving, mating body condition and calf birth weight. The GLMs performed showed a significant effect of hind age at first breeding on mating weight (coefficient: 7.15 ± 1.67; P <0.001), precalving weight (coefficient: 6.31 ± 1.83; P <0.01), and postcalving weight (coefficient: 6.17 ± 1.59; P <0.001), improving all of these variables with hind age. Mating body condition was affected by hind age (P <0.05) too, being greater in primiparous with one year at mating than in those hinds with two or three mating years. Also, the monthly trend in body condition during gestation was different in the three groups of hinds; in hinds with one year at mating body condition improved during two first months, beginning to decrease in the third month of gestation while in the other groups of hinds it was improving practically during all gestation.On the other hand, the minimum mating weight observed to achieve a successful reproduction was 53.5, 58.5, or 71kg in primiparous with one, two or three mating years respectively. Finally, no differences were observed between groups in weight gain during gestation, weight lost at calving or calf birth weight.

Necesidad de la enseñanza de pregrado en geriatría: aportaciones de un nuevo modelo educativo

Introduction to analyse knowledge of geriatrics among students of the Medical Faculty of Castilla-La Mancha University (UCLM) in Spain. Matherial and methods we performed a survey of 93 fifth-year medical students at the UCLM Medical Faculty before and after they attended a 6-week problem-based training program in geriatrics. Results after the learning period, the students had a better knowledge of geriatrics, including its utility, methods, and patient characteristics. At the end of the program, 59.8% were able to identify elderly individuals with potentially reversible, recent-onset disability as the principal users of acute geriatric units; those with stroke, hip fracture or functional decline as the main users of geriatric rehabilitation units and those with cognitive or functional decline, confusion, falls or multiple disorders/medications as the main users of outpatient clinics. Students changed their belief that confusion, depression, urinary incontinence and falls have to be managed by geriatricians. After the program students believed that geriatricians managed more elderly people with good functional status and acute, potentially treatable diseases such as stroke. Conclusions education in geriatrics gives medical students a better understanding of the principal users of geriatric medicine and the methodology used, and prepares them to provide better care to the elderly.