17043 research outputs found
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Boost 4 Career: um programa de intervenção nos recursos de carreira. Relação com o currículo
No full text(Re)Search for Career: Intervenção de carreira à distância, empregabilidade e equidade social no acesso ao mercado de trabalho (PTDC/CED-EDG/0122/2020) Financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT - Universidade do Minho e Universidade Aberta. Equipa multidisciplinar: psicólogos da carreira e educacionais, especialistas em educação, sociólogos https://projetor4c.com
Biologia das plantas
No full textVersão atualizada do capitulo 2 do manual "Complementos de Biologia", da UAb (http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/10604).O documento pedagógico aborda a biologia das plantas, incluindo sua estrutura, funções, processos de nutrição e reprodução, taxonomia, com foco nas plantas avasculares e vasculares. É utilizado em unidades curriculares de 1º ciclo da Universidade Aberta
A luta pelo bem escasso: estratégias de captação de alunos e a importância do marketing educacional na escola profissional X
No full textTese de Mestrado em Administração e Gestão Educacional, apresentada à Universidade AbertaA expansão do ensino profissional em Portugal ganhou impulso com a entrada na Comunidade Económica Europeia dado o financiamento do Fundo Social Europeu. A Lei de Bases do Sistema Educativo (1986) instituiu a escolaridade obrigatória e reformulou o ensino técnico, enquanto o Decreto-Lei n.º 26/89 criou escolas profissionais privadas com apoio estatal. Este modelo vigorou até 2004, quando o ensino profissional foi integrado nas escolas públicas, sendo posteriormente reforçado com a extensão da escolaridade obrigatória até aos 18 anos (2009) e, recentemente, com medidas que facilitaram o acesso ao ensino superior (2020).
Este percurso reflete uma tentativa de valorização e universalização do ensino profissional, todavia trouxe desafios às escolas, precisaram redefinir as estratégias de divulgação e captação de alunos. O tipo de liderança tem vindo a revelar-se central na adaptação à mudança e à necessária inovação.
A investigação analisa o caso de uma escola profissional privada, examinando a liderança e as estratégias de marketing educativo escolhidas para atrair estudantes. O estudo combina métodos qualitativos e quantitativos, incluindo análise documental e entrevistas a diversos atores escolares.
Os resultados apontam para uma convergência entre diretores e agentes de divulgação na promoção dos cursos e no apoio à escolha dos alunos. Observa-se que a Escola Profissional X adota uma abordagem equilibrada, conjugando métodos tradicionais, como outdoors, e a modernidade – o digital. Apesar do reconhecimento da eficácia das campanhas, verifica-se que a decisão dos alunos assenta sobretudo em recomendações pessoais e redes de amizade, ainda que influenciada por interesses, aprendizagens práticas e contextos sociais.The expansion of vocational education in Portugal gained momentum with Portugal's entry into the European Economic Community, thanks to funding from the European Social Fund. The Basic Law of the Education System (1986) established compulsory education and reformed technical education, while Decree-Law No. 26/89 created private vocational schools with state support. This model remained in effect until 2004, when vocational education was integrated into public schools. It was subsequently reinforced with the extension of compulsory education until age 18 (2009) and, recently, with measures that facilitated access to higher education (2020).
This path reflects an attempt to enhance and universalize vocational education. However, it has brought challenges to schools, requiring them to redefine their marketing and student recruitment strategies. Leadership has proven to be crucial in adapting to change and necessary innovation.
This research analyses the case of a private vocational school, examining leadership and educational marketing strategies chosen to attract students. The study combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including document analysis and interviews with various school stakeholders.
The results point to a convergence between principals and marketing agents in promoting courses and supporting student choice. It is observed that Vocational School X adopts a balanced approach, combining traditional methods, such as billboards, with modern digital methods. Despite the recognition of the campaigns' effectiveness, it is observed that students' decisions are mainly based on personal recommendations and friendship networks, although influenced by interests, practical learning, and social contexts
Development of computational thinking skills to improve the learning of programming languages in vocational education
No full textThe study analyzes the development of computational thinking in students of the 1st year of the Professional Technical Course of Informatics-Systems, exploring the potential of digital platforms Code.org and Tinkercad. These tools, based on block programming and text, prove to be effective in promoting the gradual learning of programming languages, while encouraging autonomy, creativity and problem-solving. The research adopts the qualitative Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, which combines flexibility and scientific rigor, allowing the integration of theory and practice in collaboration with students. Data collection includes interviews, observations and practical use of the platforms, which are later analyzed in the MAXQDA 24 software. The focus is on identifying factors that influence the quality of learning in VET education. In summary, it is concluded that the integration between computational thinking, programming languages and digital platforms represents an innovative pedagogical approach, aligned with the technical and socio-emotional skills required in the twenty-first century.LE@D (Laboratório de Educação a Distância e eLearning), Universidade Abert
Angústia: an autoethnographic and phenomenological analysis of the documentation of subjectivity through artificial intelligence
No full textThis article examines the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the creative process behind the short film Angústia, highlighting the role of Generative AI in documenting subjective concepts. It explores the intersection of technology and artistic expression, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of human-machine collaboration. The study employs an autoethnographic approach, where the author reflects on personal experiences with AI tools, alongside a phenomenological perspective that examines the creative process of generating prompts and video sequences. By combining these methods, the research aims to assess the influence of AI on artistic decision-making and its role in shaping audiovisual narratives
Using the “framework for assessment of app’s usefulness in pronunciation learning” to choose a mobile app on european portuguese
No full textA way to help learners to improve their pronunciation in a foreign language is to encourage them to use computer-assisted pronunciation training (e.g., Rogerson-Revell, 2021), especially tools allowing their learning to become more autonomous, accessible, ‘on-the-move’, and adjusted to their personal goals and needs. The mobile apps exhibit all these affordances and can even be designed to respond to challenges of specific learners’ groups more directly (e.g., difficulties in the rhotics’ pronunciation by Cantonese speakers learning European Portuguese (EP) as L2 – see Amorim et al., 2022). However, the mobile apps proposed for pronunciation training should present not only the general properties of a good language learning tool, but also the specific research-based requirements for pronunciation learning and teaching.
This paper aims to observe the adjustment level to the requirements for pronunciation learning in the apps which are currently available for EP and compare it with the results obtained in a similar study completed in 2022. After using several inclusion criteria (e.g., English as the vehicular language to learn EP, availability of a free version with daily unlimited time of use), ten promising apps will be selected. These will then be analyzed according to the “Framework for Assessment of App’s Usefulness in Pronunciation Learning”, which was created for the previous study already mentioned and was based on the “Pedagogical Framework for Mobile Assisted Language Teaching and Learning” by Kukulske-Hulme et al. (2015), the “Framework for Language Learning App Evaluation” by Rosell-Aguilar (2017), and the “Framework for Pronunciation Teaching” by Author (2022). The findings from this analysis will be compared to the main findings obtained in 2022, which were (1) the inexistence of an app with all the needed properties for pronunciation learning and (2) the identification of the three most useful mobile apps to learn EP pronunciation at that moment (despite their limitations). The present study will end with a list of the main aspects to consider/improve when designing apps for pronunciation learning and teaching
Early retinal changes in type 2 diabetes detected by texture-based OCT analysis: potential approach for subclinical diabetic retinopathy diagnosis
No full textBackground:
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is often diagnosed many years after diabetes onset, highlighting the need for early diagnosis. The current study aimed to assess whether texture analysis of computed optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal images can identify (very) early retinal changes. We previously reported retinal texture changes in a type 1 diabetes animal model. This study extends this approach to a type 2 diabetes model exhibiting subtler, more gradually developing retinal alterations to further explore its potential for detecting texture changes when DR-related retinal alterations are minor, strengthening its promising value.
Methods:
OCT scans and electroretinograms were acquired at baseline and 4, 8, and 12 weeks after initiating the diabetes induction protocol. Automated OCT segmentation, retinal thickness computation, and texture analysis were performed. Blood-retinal barrier permeability, glial reactivity, neuroinflammation, and nitrosative stress were assessed.
Results:
Retinal texture was affected in the inner plexiform layer and inner/outer photoreceptor segments. At weeks 8 and 12, autocorrelation, cluster prominence, correlation, homogeneity, information measure of correlation II, inverse difference moment normalised, inverse difference normalised, and sum average texture metrics significantly increased/decreased. Importantly, seven of these metrics were also altered in our previous study with type 1 diabetic animals. Type 2 diabetic retinas presented subtle thinning and impaired function, along with a slight reduction in tight junction proteins immunoreactivity, without affecting the blood-retinal barrier.
Conclusions:
The findings from this study indicate that texture analysis can identify subtle retinal changes during early, clinically silent stages of disease, when biological alterations remain minimal. This highlights its potential utility for the early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, though further clinical validation is needed.This study was supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal: 2020.07432.BD, PEst UIDB/04539/Base/2020 and UIDP/04539/Programatico/2020, PEst UIDB/04950/Base/2020 and UIDP/04950/Programatico/2020 and PEst UIDB/04539/Base/2025 and UIDP/04539/Programático/2025. This study was also supported by the Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia (SPD), Portugal: Bolsa Charneco da Costa—Investigação Fundamental em Diabetologia, Bolsas e Prémios SPD 2024
Assessment of the self-perception and real level of digital competence of online university students
No full textLos avances tecnológicos han transformado la educación superior, ofreciendo nuevas oportunidades y desafíos a través de las plataformas de formación online. Las universidades deben adaptarse para equipar a los estudiantes con las competencias digitales esenciales para poder desenvolverse en este mundo digitalizado. Este estudio se centró en conocer la autopercepción y el nivel de competencia digital de estudiantes en línea formándose para ser futuros docentes. Participaron 276 estudiantes en dicho programa de educación. El instrumento de medición fue el «DigCompEdu Check-in», administrado con una escala Likert de 1 a 5. Los resultados mostraron que los estudiantes percibieron su competencia digital como moderada-baja. Sin embargo, el análisis reveló un dominio más avanzado en ciertas áreas, con puntuaciones superiores. Las áreas con mayor puntuación incluyeron 'Pedagogía digital' y 'Empoderamiento de los estudiantes', y con menor puntuación áreas de mejora, como la evaluación digital y el uso seguro de recursos. Esta investigación destacó la discrepancia entre la autopercepción y el nivel real de competencia digital.Technological advances have transformed higher education, offering new opportunities and challenges through online training platforms. Universities must adapt to equip students with the essential digital skills to be able to function in this digitalised world. This study focused on knowing the self-perception and level of digital competence of online students training to be future teachers. 276 students participated in the online education modality. The measurement instrument was the "DigCompEdu Check-in", administered with a Likert scale from 1 to 5. The results showed that students perceived their digital competence as moderate-low. However, the analysis revealed more advanced mastery in certain areas, with higher scores. The highest-scoring areas included 'Digital Pedagogy' and 'Student Empowerment', and the lowest-scoring areas for improvement, such as digital assessment and the safe use of resources. This research highlighted the discrepancy between self-perception and the actual level of digital competence
Students' perspectives on sustainability competences and pedagogical approaches: groupings and interrelations results from 17 international case studies
No full textHigher education institutions (HEIs) have been incorporating sustainability into their curricula, which is crucial for providing students with the skills and knowledge to help societies become more sustainable. During the last 15 years, there has been increasing research on sustainability competences and the pedagogical approaches to develop them. There have been proposals on lists of competences, pedagogical approaches, their groups and their links. However, most research has focused on the perspective of educators, with limited research from the students' perspective. This paper aims to provide the students' perspective of the groups of sustainability competences, groups of pedagogical approaches, and how these connect. A survey was developed for this purpose, which was applied to participants from 17 HEIs worldwide. The responses obtained were analysed in a five-step
process: Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, Principal Component analysis (PCA) to detect the competence and pedagogical approaches groups, correlations between the groups and regressions between the groups. The PCA analysis resulted in three competences' groups and confirmed the three pedagogical approach groups. The analyses showed differences in the competences' groups between the students' and educators' perspectives. The regression analysis groups shows how the pedagogical approach groups develop the competences' groups from the students' perspective. Developing sustainability competences requires a change in the higher educational system, where the educators' and students' perspectives need to converge so that the sustainability competence–based education model is more efficient and effective in educating the future leaders, decision-makers, educators, management and professionals
Knowledge and perceptions of regional anesthesia and block room usage among orthopaedic surgeons and nurses
No full textBackground: The performance of regional anesthesia (RA) in a block room (BR) may have an impact on the efficiency of the orthopaedics operating room (OR). The aim of this study was to understand the knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding RA and BR.
Methods: Two types of pilot surveys were developed and applied in three independent hospitals. Statistical validation of the survey was performed (Cronbach alpha coefficient and factor analysis), followed by its restructuring. Validated surveys were randomly delivered to orthopaedists and OR nurses from our institution, and a descriptive analysis was performed.
Results: The pilot surveys presented a Cronbach alpha of 0.533 and 0.417 in the orthopaedic and OR nurse groups, respectively.
Two questions in each survey were removed, increasing the internal consistency of the final restructured surveys. There was a total of 126 validated surveys completed (46 by orthopaedists and 76 by OR nurses). Both groups consider that, compared with general anesthesia, RA is associated with better pain control (95.7%/93.4%), fewer side effects (63%/73.7%), and improved patient satisfaction (84.7%/69.7%). Both groups would choose RA for themselves (89.1%/89.5%) and recommend it to a family member (89.1%/92.1%). Regarding BR, 80.4% of orthopaedists agreed that it is associated with less time wasted in anesthetic preparation, higher productivity (65.2%), and greater efficacy (65.2%).
Conclusions: Most orthopaedists and OR nurses recognized the various benefits of RA. Orthopaedists agreed that BR improves outcomes and provides efficiency gains in the OR. Genuine support from the entire OR team can play a critical role in the change