Reading and writing in Higher Education: A Portuguese case study

This study aims to present the main aims of a study skills project developed in two main interrelated sections: diagnosis and intervention. In the diagnosis process, the used a questionnaire (Queststud) directed to the students allowed the assessment of the comprehension/retention and writing levels of competence. On the other hand, through the use of the Questprof specifically directed to their professors, we aimed to assess the students’ level of competence based on their experiences during classes. In the intervention process, a “Study Skills Workshop” was developed where students have the opportunity of experiencing specific reading comprehension, retention and writing strategies and develop their skills in order to overcome their own difficulties

Practising college reading strategies: First-year students’ choices

This research aims to point out the main Reading/Comprehension strategies applied by Higher Education first -year students during their daily learning academic tasks and their major difficulties in this field. The research process consists in a measuring frequency Lickert scale questionnaire completed by 1,000 students from four of the main Portuguese state universities from science and engineering courses. From a whole set of strategies presented, the students had to refer to their reading habits and purposes, concentration levels during reading, comprehension rates, information detection and management techniques, support instruments usage, quotation and opinion exchange and doubt solving with teachers and foreign language (English) comprehension levels. Reading/Comprehension level groups were formed according to the competence and abilities of the students. Results seem to indicate that the majority of the students had an intermediate level of proficiency in this field. In fact, students tend to use general strategies connected with their specific academic tasks and study habits. However, results appear to indicate that students tend to avoid the usage of strategies that involve interaction with teachers and more specific strategies that may control/determine their academic writing tasks and that imply a higher scope of proficiency

Growing separation between teaching/learning and research – anticipating the impacts from REF 2014

Most quality assessment systems are based on an explicit separation of teaching/learning and research; however, in spite of their having enhanced both the organisation and quality improvement of each of these fields, they have also been contributing to a widening of the gap between the two and to the devaluation of teaching. The present study, developed in the UK, intends to provide some insights into the perceptions of former panel members, managers and academics, as they anticipate the impacts from REF 2014. Increasing pressure to achieve high-quality research has been leading institutions to hire the most prestigious researchers. Were there to be equivalent effort to achieve parity in the quality of teaching, this situation might be less worrying, for teaching does not currently enjoy the same investment; rather, its very inferiority is considered to have an even more negative impact on the development of new practices, as well as on student learning and support

Pré-projecto do museu de aviação dos Açores

Mestrado em Património, Museologia e Desenvolvimento (Relatório de Estágio).[…]. Ao longo do nosso Estágio, apercebemo-nos que a tarefa que encetávamos era ainda mais urgente, face a duas realidades específicas. Por um lado, constatámos a dispersão do acervo relacionado com a aviação nos Açores. Com efeito, não temos dúvidas de que, sem o processo de recolha do espólio da aviação, parte fundamental do nosso Estágio, rapidamente ficariam perdidos muitos registos da história deste arquipélago. Por outro lado, verificámos que muito dos testemunhos que foram auscultados no decurso do Estágio foram de indivíduos já com alguma idade e que também, naturalmente, irão deixar-nos, perdendo-se uma memória irrecuperável. Assim, a nossa principal preocupação neste Estágio foi a recuperação da história da aeronáutica nos Açores, não apenas para proteger o património material desta história, mas também o respetivo património imaterial, espelhado no saber e no labor de muitos homens e mulheres que dedicaram a sua vida na defesa quer da empresa em questão, mas também do próprio arquipélago

Relatório: Qualidade da Investigação em Educação

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Assessment of research quality in higher education: contribution for an institutional framework

The past twenty years have seen a remarkable rise in the measurement of the impact/cost-benefit and value-for money of research outcomes. The implications for knowledge construction, higher education institutions and researchers are massive. This paper presents a proposal for addressing the question —how can institutions evaluate and monitor the quality of research in order to promote research excellence? The present study combines a strong documental analysis of major reference frameworks that are/were used across European higher education institutions with data analysis of a case study developed in the UK about the perceptions and recommendations of the main intervenients in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The dimensions and indicators identified in this study will contribute for the design of the Institutional Research Quality Assessment Framework that will be used in a research centre at the University of Aveiro. We provide examples of processes and practices of how institutions can develop internal evaluation exercises. We argue for an integrated/integrative approach where the basic principles of quality are identified, openly discussed and developed in order to reinforce the identity and promote the empowerment and engagement of researchers in the process of research assessment

Research quality assessment: a research project

Research is a major driver of economic growth and competitiveness. In this context, the evaluation of its quality appears as a prime area for action and investment. This paper describes an ongoing research project developed in the Research Centre “Didactics and Technology in Education of Trainers” (CIDTFF) about the assessment of the quality of research. We intend to present the project context, methods and expected results aiming to get an integrated contribution of the theme of evaluation of the quality of research focused on developing strategies and tools to promote the implementation of a quality culture at the institutional level. The close collaboration with CIDTFF management and the researchers allowed the design of the Institutional Matrix for Research Quality Assessment, the organisation of the Research Quality Workshop and data collection through the questionnaire: Quality Research in Education. It intends that the results could be helpful for the creation of tools to support the development of research excellence and the promotion of a quality culture

O BPM SOCIAL COMO UMA FORMA MAIS RÁPIDA DE ALCANÇAR RESULTADOS NAS UNIVERSIDADES PÚBLICAS FEDERAIS BRASILEIRAS

A gestão de processos de negócios ou BPM (Business Process Management) é um modelo de gestão que objetiva a efetividade na entrega de resultados e apresenta uma visão horizontalizada dos processos das organizações, respeitando, em suma, o fluxo de entrada de recursos e o processamento destes para gerar produtos como saídas. Sequencialmente, o BPM Social agrega ao BPM padrão as nuances que as mídias sociais podem trazer tanto pra o comportamento humano no ambiente de trabalho, quanto para a melhoria dos resultados das organizações. Neste ínterim, o presente texto apresenta uma pesquisa qualitativa descritiva dos fatos estudados considerando a literatura existente e a leitura de casos práticos, resultando, consequentemente, na percepção de uma afinidade entre o modelo de gestão advindo do BPM Social e o novo contexto das universidades públicas federais brasileiras. Houve, portanto, a preocupação em respeitar o momento atual de mudanças no ambiente e almejaram-se melhorias na prestação do serviço à sociedade como um todo, no sentido de tornar as entregas de tais universidades não só mais efetivas como também mais ágeis

Procedures for monitoring and evaluation of teachers: Tensions and expectations in Portugal

As sucessivas alterações de que tem sido alvo o estatuto da carreira docente criado em Portugal no ano de 1990 e, num plano mais específico, as iniciativas políticas relativas à avaliação do desempenho docente no mesmo país intensificaram a discussão acerca dos objetivos, protagonistas, métodos e procedimentos associados a essa mesma avaliação. No presente artigo, procuramos contribuir para o aprofundamento dessa discussão, refletindo sobre os desenvolvimentos recentes das políticas de avaliação do desempenho docente em Portugal à luz de dois conceitos centrais: avaliação formativa e supervisão. Essa reflexão sustenta-se nos resultados de alguma investigação empírica e na análise de um conjunto de documentos oficiais relevantes, relativos ora à realidade observada no Continente português ora à situação específica da Região Autónoma dos Açores. Começamos por situar a discussão da avaliação do desempenho docente no quadro concetual das funções da avaliação, enfatizando a função formativa e discutindo até que ponto esta última tem sido considerada no contexto das políticas educativas em causa. Discutimos igualmente algumas possibilidades de desenvolvimento da supervisão pedagógica ao serviço da avaliação formativa dos professores no contexto português, analisando o papel da inspeção enquanto entidade com responsabilidades nos domínios do acompanhamento da ação pedagógica e da avaliação do desempenho docente.ABSTRACT: Changes in the organization of teachers’ career since 1990 and, more specifically, measures related to teacher evaluation in Portugal have fuelled discussions on the objectives, players, methods and procedures with regard to that same evaluation. Through this article, we intend to contribute to a deeper approach to those issues, by reflecting on recent policies on teacher evaluation in Portugal in the light of two central concepts: formative evaluation and supervision. That reflection is based both on outcomes of some empirical research and on the analysis of a number of relevant official documents, related both to the situation in the Portuguese mainland and on the Azores, an Autonomous Region of Portugal. We will start by locating the discussion of teacher evaluation in a conceptual framework that considers all the functions that can be assigned to evaluation. Then we will focus on formative evaluation and discuss the extent to which it has been considered in the Portuguese educational policy. We will also discuss some issues related to educational supervision, especially its relationship with the formative evaluation of teachers in Portugal and the role of the inspectorate in its implementation