Analysis of PLEs’ implementation under OER design as a productive teaching-learning strategy in Higher Education - A case study at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

This paper analyzes the didactic functionality of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) created by students in a master’s program at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED, Spain). The study applies virtual ethnography with a twofold qualitative design, combining Atlas-Ti coding with reticular, category-based social network analysis using UCINET and yED Graph Editor. Findings indicate that using student-designed PLEs and OERs improves digital competence: accessing and searching online, articulating information needs, locating relevant information, selecting resources effectively, navigating sources, and building personal information strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

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Analysis of PLEs’ implementation under OER design as a productive teaching-learning strategy in Higher Education . A case study at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Esteban Vázquez-Cano [evazquez@edu. uned.es](evazquez@edu. uned.es) [Elena Mart](Elena Mart) í [n-Monje](n-Monje) [emartin@flog. uned.es](emartin@flog. uned.es) María Dolores Castrillo de Larreta-Azelain mcastri[llo@flog. uned.es](llo@flog. uned.es) Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain Abstract This paper shows some research which analysed the didactic functionality of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) . They were created by students from the Master’s Degree in Information and Communication Technologies applied to language teaching and processing, at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED, Spain) . A thorough analysis has been carried out based on a virtual ethnography methodological framework, with a twofold qualitative dimension: on the one hand, by using the Atlas-Ti program and on the other hand by following a reticular, category-based social network analysis with UCINET and yED Graph Editor . Results show that the joint use of PLEs and OERs designed by students improves their digital competence, mainly in capabilities such as: accessing and searching for online information; articulating information needs; finding relevant information; selecting resources effectively; navigating between online sources; and creating personal information strategies . Furthermore, the scrutiny of the forums using the reticular social network analysis showshow the main benefits of the implementation of PLEs and OERs are: a student-centric approach, the development of personal knowledge management strategies and the formation of a self-regulated learning model. Keywords Personal Learning Environment, Open Educational Resources, Higher Education, competences, teaching methods . Analysis of PLEs’ implementation under OER design as a productive teaching-learning strategy in Higher Education. A case study at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Análisis de la ejecución PLE ' en fase de diseño REA como una estrategia productiva de enseñanza-aprendizaje en la educación superior . Un estudio de caso de la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Esteban Vázquez-Cano [evazquez@edu. uned.es](evazquez@edu. uned.es) [Elena Mart](Elena Mart) í [n-Monje](n-Monje) [emartin@flog. uned.es](emartin@flog. uned.es) María Dolroes Castrillo de Larreta-Azelain mcastri[llo@flog. uned.es](llo@flog. uned.es) Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain Resumen Este artículo presenta una investigación en la que analizamos la funcionalidad didáctica delos Personal Learning Environment (PLE) y los Open Educational Resources realizados por estudiantes que cursan el “Máster universitario en Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación en la Enseñanza y Tratamiento de Lenguas” de la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) durante dos cursos académicos: 2014-2015 / 2015-2016. Através de una concepción metodológica basada en la etnografía virtual, aplicamos un procedimiento de análisis con una doble vertiente cualitativa mediante el empleo del programa Atlas-Ti y del enfoque reticular-categorial del análisis de redes sociales con la aplicación de UCINET y la representación mediante el visor yED Graph Editor . Los resultados de esta investigación muestran que el empleo conjunto de PLE y OER diseñadospor los propios estudiantes mejora su competencia digital, principalmente en dimensiones como: búsqueda de información en línea, articulación de las necesidades de información, localización de información relevante, selección eficaz de recursos, navegación entre recursos en línea y creación de estrategias personales de información . Además el estudioreticular de los foros mediante técnicas de análisis de redes nos han proporcionado una red en los que los pr

FAQs

What is the main focus of the research on PLEs and OERs?

The research examines the didactic functionality of Personal Learning Environments (PLEs) and Open Educational Resources (OERs) designed by students.

Which methods and tools were used for the analysis?

The study uses a virtual ethnography framework with qualitative analysis via Atlas-Ti and a reticular social network analysis using UCINET and yED Graph Editor.

What benefits were identified from implementing PLEs and OERs?

Results show improved digital competence, along with benefits linked to a student-centric approach, personal knowledge management strategy development, and a self-regulated learning model.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado