Abstract

Abstract
There is a great deal of information about caregivers’ suffering. However, there is a lack of scales in Portugal that evaluate this dimension of human behavior. The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt the Caregiver Grief Scale (CGS), developed by Franziska Meichsner, Denise Schinköthe, and Gabriele Wilz (2016) for the German population, to assess the degree of suffering of caregivers. To analyze the instrument’s psychometric properties, we used confirmatory factorial analysis with a sample of 150 caregivers (formal and informal). The results did not confirm the proposal of a 4-factor model (emotional pain, relational loss, complete loss, and loss acceptance), as proposed by the German study. Subsequently, we used the exploratory factorial analysis that suggested a unifactorial model, which confirmatory factorial analysis showed was more adequate for the study sample, with values of: ?² / df = 2.023; CFI = .970; GIF = .923; RMSEA = .083; AIC = 110.724. The internal consistency analysis indicated a Cronbach alpha of .936, and the Composite Reliability was .934. In conclusion, the German Caregiver Grief Scale multifactorial structure was not replicated in the Portuguese sample. For the Portuguese population, the caregivers suffering scale presented a unifactorial construct. In Portugal, it is recommended that future studies be carried out with a differentiated sample of caregivers.

Abstract

Abstract
The project VIRTUAL TUTORING - the virtual tutor as learning mediating artifact in online university education, is an ongoing project, with the main goal of analyzing the pedagogic impact of an anthropomorphic user interface on a typical distance learning environment targeted to support online higher education. It implies the development of 3D rigged avatars that should perform typical online tutor activities. The virtual tutor should mimic a human tutor, being a kind of emphatic interface between the student and the course module in Moodle. But more than this, the virtual tutor should give support in the learning process of the student, working as much as a guide inside the contents offered by the e-learning course. This paper gives an overview of the project present development status.

Abstract
O ensino e aprendizagem da programação de computadores em ambiente e-learning constitui uma área que tem vindo a atrair um interesse crescente tanto por parte das universidades de ensino em rede como pelos investigadores do e-learning. Aprender a programar computadores requer o desenvolvimento de raciocínio lógico da parte do estudante, enquanto aprende a dominar as potencialidades de uma determinada linguagem de programação, a construir estruturas de dados e a desenvolver uma estratégia de resolução de problemas pela sua divisão e modularização em problemas mais simples de mais fácil conquista. Adicionalmente importa que o estudante desenvolva competências de trabalho em grupo, de estudo individual com elevados níveis de concentração para realizar trabalho de revisão e depuração de código fonte. O ensino on-line de programação de computadores é constituído por estes aspetos, exigindo um elevado grau de interação entre estudantes e destes com o professor. Neste artigo, apresentamos um conjunto de reflexões e propostas concretas de estratégias de implementação do ensino e aprendizagem da programação de computadores, de nível universitário, explorando o método de “design” de instruções como uma abordagem do diálogo, uma adaptação da taxonomia de Bloom, com base na experiência e no modelo pedagógico virtual da Universidade Aberta de Portugal.

Abstract
This article presents preliminary findings on the application of both Speculative Design and Game Design towards the conception of two prototypes of serious games with focus on anorexia. The first prototype focuses on psychoeducation of school-age youth, and the second aims to support research and sharing of knowledge about the disease, able to be used in focus groups and interviews. Anorexia is a complex and often fatal disease that has no cure, and by conceiving and playing these first prototypes we were able get a glimpse of the its context, making us more ready for this research’s next stages. © 2019, ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.