In recent decades, the daily use of ICT has changed literacy practices in our society (

Leptospirosis is an epidemic-prone zoonotic disease that occurs worldwide. In Central America, leptospirosis outbreaks have been reported in almost all countries; Nicaragua in particular has faced several outbreaks. The objective of this study was to stratify the risk and identify “critical areas” for leptospirosis outbreaks in Nicaragua, and to perform an exploratory analysis of potential “drivers”. This ecological study includes the entire country (153 municipalities). Cases from 2004 to 2010 were obtained from the country’s health information system, demographic and socioeconomic variables from its Census, and environmental data from external sources. Criteria for risk stratification of leptospirosis were defined. Nicaragua reported 1,980 cases of leptospirosis during this period, with the highest percentage of cases (26.36%) in León, followed by Chinandega (15.35%). Among the 153 municipalities, 48 were considered critical areas, 85 were endemic and 20 silent. Using spatial and statistical analysis, the variable presenting the most evident pattern of association with critical areas defined by top quintile of incidence rate is the percentage of municipal surface occupied by the soil combination of cambisol (over pyroclastic and lava bedrock) and andosol (over a volcanic ashes foundation). Precipitation and percentage of rural population are also associated with critical areas. This methodology and findings could be used for Nicaragua’s Leptospirosis Intersectoral Plan, and to identify possible risk areas in other countries with similar drivers.

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Limitations of self-reported morbidity measures probably underestimate the results of health inequalities across socioeconomic groups. Improved equity in the use of curative health services can be explained by a number of positive factors that occurred concurrently during the analysis-namely, increased mean household income, reduced economic inequality, the Juntos conditional cash transfer program, and gradual expansion of public health insurance, Seguro Integral de Salud (SIS). Given that SIS expansion is the main public policy for promoting health equity in Peru, it is crucial that future steps in expansion come with a strategy to isolate its contribution to health equity improvements from that of other positive socioeconomic trends.

ResumenEste artículo recoge una revisión sobre la evaluación en el ámbito universitario focalizada sobre la información que se aporta a los estudiantes a partir del análisis de sus resultados de aprendizaje. Para ello, define conceptos como retroalimentación, proalimentación y autorregulación del aprendizaje y los sitúa dentro del proceso de evaluación. Tras segmentar dicho proceso en sus componentes fundamentales, este trabajo se detiene en la relación entre el modo en que se aporta información sobre la evaluación (con especial atención al papel de las TIC) y la forma en que dicha información se utiliza por parte de los estudiantes, considerando variables que afectan a sus antecedentes académicos, sus metas académicas o las estrategias de aprendizaje que utiliza para lograr los resultados de aprendizaje esperados en su currículo formativo. El artículo analiza diferentes alternativas para alinear esas variables y desarrollar un proceso sistemático que conduzca a la autorregulación del aprendizaje de los estudiantes. En ellas se contemplan diferentes formas de participación de los estudiantes en la evaluación (coevaluación, evaluación entre iguales y autoevaluación) y sus consecuencias en el análisis y aprovechamiento de los resultados de la evaluación. El trabajo concluye destacando el papel de las políticas sobre la evaluación del aprendizaje y sus implicaciones en el desarrollo de los procesos de participación de los estudiantes en la evaluación. Palabras clave:Evaluación formativa; retroalimentación; autorregulación; educación superior AbstractThis article presents a review of the assessment in the university focused on the information that is provided to students from the analysis of learning outcomes. To do this, define concepts such as feedback, feedforward and self-regulated learning and places within the assessment process. After segmenting the process into its fundamental components, this work stops at the relationship between how assessment information (with special attention to the role of ICT) and the form is provided that such information is used by the students considering variables that affect academic background, academic goals and learning strategies used to achieve the expected learning outcomes in their training curriculum. The article discusses different ways to align these variables and develops a systematic process leading towards self-regulated learning of students. In these different forms of student participation in the assessment process (co-assessment, peer peer assessment and selfassessment) and their implications for the analysis and use of assessment results they are contemplated. The paper concludes by highlighting the role of policy on assessment of learning and its implications for the development of the processes of student participation in assessment.