CEDH - Contribuições em Revistas Científicas / Contribution to Journals
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- Partilhamos, aprendemos, crescemosPublication . Palmeirão, Cristina; Miranda, Manuela
- Across the axes: faculty perceptions of professional development programmes in higher educationPublication . Gil, Maitê; Sousa, Rita Tavares deFaculty professional development is a multifaceted process involving various models of continuing education; it benefits from a combination of practices that foster professional autonomy and transformative learning. Formal programmes typically include structured workshops and courses, while their impact depends on their relevance to faculty teaching contexts. However, informal activities, such as peer conversations, also play a significant role in faculty learning. Thus, the literature shows that a balanced approach that blends formal and informal methods, transmissive and transformative actions, creates a more effective professional development agenda. In this context, this paper presents an exploratory case study assessing faculty members’ perceptions of the different possibilities regarding professional development in Higher Education. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with three teachers identified as key participants, as they are highly committed to their professional development, regularly taking part in a variety of training activities. The findings reveal that participants valued activities spanning the formal-informal and transmissive-transformative axes. However, their perspectives on the initiatives were shaped by two lenses: the specific characteristics of each initiative in terms of form and purpose and the profile of the teacher.
- Using a chatbot for student onboarding and learning in projects: technology as an enabler of active learningPublication . Lopes, Erik T.; Altoé, Yasmim Bezerra Oliveira; Prazeres, Pedro Gonçalves; Araujo, Luiza Oliveira de; Monteiro, Simone Borges Simão; Mesquita, Diana; Pedersen, Jens Myrup; Lima, Rui M.Using technologies as enablers of active learning methodologies is a recurring topic in the scientific literature. Various tools have been developed and applied in engineering education, yielding promising results. The rapid development and widespread adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) language models have recently sparked discussions on their use, regulation, and evaluation in the teaching and learning process. Chatbots represent a relevant application, offering opportunities such as enhancing the learning process, providing rapid and personalised access to knowledge, and enabling iterative support that benefits students. Additionally, chatbots can be applied in administrative and support activities, potentially reducing faculty workload, which is one of the challenges in adopting active learning approaches. Given this, this article presents a method for developing a chatbot using low-code tools to accelerate the onboarding process for the Erasmus+ Egalitarian project, which focuses on solid waste management and waste pickers. Organised into iterative cycles, this project has already engaged students of various nationalities, addressing challenges related to initial problem contextualisation, knowledge management, and the diverse concepts and tools adopted. Thus, students and faculty members who participated in the first three cycles of the project evaluated the developed tool, highlighting strengths and areas for improvement and comparing their experiences with and without the chatbot. The results indicate the feasibility of chatbot development without requiring programming skills, the potential of generative AI to provide fast and direct access to knowledge, and an improved experience for participants in projects involving active learning. Finally, this tool enables gradual and iterative training throughout the project cycles, reducing the effort required from faculty members and experienced students in the onboarding process in each new cycle.
- Institutional support for active learning: a case study in Portugal and BrazilPublication . Reis, Ronara Cristina Bozi dos; Mesquita, DianaThe labor market has demanded technical and transversal competences from graduates. In higher education, these competences are developed and/or enhanced through activities related to active learning approaches, which places the student at the center of the learning process. Much has been written the importance of active learning for students' professional development. Less has been known about the institutional strategy that enables opportunities for students to develop such competences and prepare them effectively for their professional practice. This research proposes a case study as a methodological approach, considering two universities, Portugal and Brazil. The object of study is the relationship between active learning and professional practice in the context of higher education, considering the institutional initiatives that prevail in both countries. The main objective is to analyze, from an institutional perspective, how active learning contributes to the development of competencies in the context of higher education. The data was collected first by document analysis of the strategic plans of the studied institutions, followed by interviews with institutional stakeholders in both countries. Preliminary results suggest that institutional support is fundamental, indispensable, and necessary for active learning to fulfill its role as a tool in building competences for students' professional practice. Although there is discourse on active learning as a methodology for student protagonism, in the studied institutions, its adoption is more strongly linked to individual initiatives of teachers than to robust institutional support. It is possible to identify programs and projects in which the student is the protagonist in the institutions. However, this is related to the teacher's performance and not necessarily to institutional criteria that encourage the teacher to adopt active learning strategies as the main tool in building competences for students' professional practice.
- Workshop - how to develop a chatbot in less than 90 minutes: hands-on workshop on emerging technologies for active learningPublication . Lopes, Erik T.; Mesquita, DianaIn recent years, the rapid advancement of digital technologies, particularly generative artificial intelligence (AI), has significantly influenced how teaching and learning are designed, delivered, and experienced within higher education. One notable and increasingly relevant application is using chatbots as supportive tools for educators and students. Chatbots can reduce administrative workload, enhance student engagement, and enrich pedagogical strategies by facilitating active learning and personalised support. Despite their potential, these tools remain underexplored in many academic environments. This workshop offers an accessible and practice-oriented introduction to chatbot development, aimed at participants from all disciplines, regardless of their technical background. Through a structured six-step methodology and the use of Microsoft Copilot Studio, attendees will be guided through designing, building, and deploying a functional chatbot for active learning. The session combines theoretical insights with hands-on activities, including discussions on the broader implications of AI in education, exploration of advanced platform features, and critical reflections on technical and pedagogical limitations. By the end of the experience, each participant will have created a chatbot prototype applicable to their teaching practices or personal projects and will have gained a deeper, more critical understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence in contemporary educational contexts.
- Scenario-based competence assessment for developing behavioral competences in engineering education: a systematic literature reviewPublication . Pereira, Rafael R.; Souza, Mariane C. de; Silva, Bibiana P. da; Peres, Fernanda A. P.; Brasil, Antonio D.; Mesquita, DianaCompetence assessment and development are constantly evolving, following methodological and technological advances. Scenario-based competency assessment as a tool to develop behavioral competencies has gained prominence in response of criticism of traditional assessment methods. Unlike conventional approaches, scenario-based assessment uses hypothetical situations based on real contexts, allowing participants to demonstrate their competencies in simulated environments that reflect everyday professional situations. The study aims to understand the state-of-the-art applicability of scenario-based behavioral competency assessment in engineering education. The researchers analyzed studies aligned with the central theme through a systematic review. The methodology followed the PRISMA guidelines, ensuring rigor in data screening, organization, and analysis. The results of this study show that, despite the intriguing and promising potential of scenario-based assessment, there is a significant gap between its practical application and its academic exploration in engineering. The analysis revealed a still limited mosaic of publications, suggesting that this approach, although recognized in other areas, such as medicine and education, remains largely unexplored in engineering education. This scenario highlights the need for further research and strategic planning to enable broader and more effective adoption of this methodology.
- Development and validation of a scale to measure students’ feelings about school: an exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis approachPublication . Serra, Lídia; Alves, José Matias; Pinheiro, GenerosaOver the past fifty years, schools have undergone significant changes in terms of technology and digitalization, as well as pedagogical, organizational, social, and cultural shifts, which have led to transformations in relationships between students and teachers, peers, and within the broader school environment. Dynamic contexts impose new challenges to teaching and learning, and emotions, feelings, and moods play a central role in this process. Understanding students’ relationships with the school can provide valuable insights into their engagement, well-being, and academic success. However, this problem remains under-evaluated in school practice due to the lack of simple tools that can capture students' emotional experiences in a regular and contextualized manner. This study aims to address this gap by developing a scale to evaluate middle and high school students' interactions with peers and teachers, perceptions of school climate, teaching and learning, and assessment. The study used a 31-item questionnaire, and a survey was conducted with students aged 10 to 19 years old. An exploratory factor analysis (N = 200) and a confirmatory factor analysis (N = 300) were performed to identify and validate a hypothetical construct that explains the observed variables. Then, using an exploratory design to examine the preliminary structure and psychometric properties of the Exploratory Students’ School Experience Scale (ESSES), the study reached two models. While one model exhibited good fit, the other model reflected a balance between statistical adequacy and conceptual parsimony, aiming to retain a structure that is both interpretable and psychometrically sound.
- Leader-expressed forgiveness and team performance: a two-paths modelPublication . Rego, Arménio; Valverde, Camilo; Oliveira, Eduardo; Silard, Anthony; Cunha, Miguel Pina e; Sobral, FilipaAs role models and salient sources of social information, forgiving leaders are prosocial facilitators of team interactions, with consequences for team performance. Through a multi-source field study (227 teams/leaders) and a vignette-based experiment (101 teams), we show that (a) leader-expressed forgiveness predicts team performance through, serially, team forgiveness climate and team helping behavior, and (b) this indirect effect is stronger when the strength (i.e., the consistency of expressed forgiveness across team members) of leader-expressed forgiveness and team forgiveness climate are high. Findings also show that (a) leader-expressed forgiveness predicts team performance through, serially, team psychological safety and team creativity, and (b) this indirect effect is stronger when the strength of leader-expressed forgiveness is high. Our findings suggest that forgiving leaders may play an important role as enactors of several team processes and emergent states that make teams more effective.
- Pedagogical relationship and teaching strategies in higher education: the students’ perspectivePublication . Miranda, Francisca; Santos, Inês França; Soares, DianaThe pedagogical relationship and the relational climate in the classroom are dimensions identified as crucial for the academic performance and well-being of university students. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of this relationship and identifying the teaching methods most valued by students is essential to promoting more effective teaching. The present study aimed to answer the following research questions, based on university students’ perceptions: How do students characterize their pedagogical relationship with teachers?; How does teacher interaction and involvement influence the student learning experience?; Which classroom models and teaching strategies are most valued by students?; What types of materials and resources provided by teachers are most valued by students? The study involved 151 university students from a Portuguese higher education institution, mostly female (51.7%) and aged between 18 and 54 years old (M= 20.15; SD= 3.26). The students were attending a bachelor’s (94.7%) or master’s degree (5.3%) in different areas: Management (66.2%), Psychology (12.6%), double program in Law and Management (11.3%), Economics (5.3%), Accounting and Finance (2.0%), Master of Science (0.7%), Microbiology (0.7%), and Sound and Image (0.7%). They were asked to complete an online questionnaire that included, in addition to sociodemographic characterization questions, six open-ended questions. Sociodemographic data were analyzed using IBM SPSS, and NVIVO facilitated the content analysis of the open-ended questions. The results point to a positive pedagogical relationship, with teachers' availability being particularly notable. Data shows that teacher interaction and involvement are considered essential to the learning experience, as supportive and engaged teachers facilitate content understanding and increase student motivation. Students seem to value class models that combine lectures with debates, case studies, and practical projects, and they appreciate practical materials such as solved exercises and slides presentation. The results will be discussed in light of the practical implications for improving the quality of learning in higher education.
- School leadership and organization in times of complexity: paths to a collaborative and regenerative schoolPublication . Pinheiro, Generosa; Alves, José Matias; Serra, LídiaThis article describes a possible metamorphosis of school grammar—the underlying structures, practices, and norms that shape how schools function—through the organization of teaching by educational teams. Educational teams can serve as catalysts for transforming schools into more personalized, flexible, interactive, and adaptive systems. It also discusses the implications of these structural changes for the shift toward more integrative leadership models, such as collaborative and regenerative leadership. Hence, the article tries to fill a conceptual gap concerning how educational teams can serve as a structural level for reconfiguring the traditional grammar of schooling through an integrative lens that implies school actors. To present further implications for practice, this article, a conceptual analysis, examines the role of principals, middle leaders, and teacher leaders in building these leadership perspectives. This whole approach emphasizes the importance of a joint, articulated and holistic effort, which will require a change of vision and purpose, but also of structures, of leadership and of the school cultures, in an ecological dynamic, to achieve the sustainable success of the school and the attainment of the goals of quality, equity, diversity and social justice.