Pilot study on the impact of lectures and introduction of digital technologies in the knowledge acquisition in medical students

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2019Introdução: O ensino académico está presente na sociedade há séculos. No entanto, a sua metodologia não sofreu grandes alterações. Embora tenham sido publicados vários artigos a analisar a satisfação dos alunos com o método de ensino, ainda há pouca informação relativamente a qual o impacto de diferentes metodologias na aquisição de conhecimentos. Assim, os objetivos deste estudo foram: 1) analisar o impacto de palestras Sofistas na aquisição de conhecimentos em alunos de medicina e 2) avaliar a eficácia de novas tecnologias na avaliação da performance pedagógica, comparativamente com métodos mais tradicionais. Métodos: Um esquema de avaliações repetidas foi implementado em quatro aulas de alunos no 4º ano de medicina, lecionadas pelo mesmo professor e sobre o mesmo tema. Um questionário cientificamente validado foi aplicado antes e depois de cada aula, em papel e na plataforma Sli.do, em duas aulas cada. Os resultados foram analisados através de estatística descritiva. Resultados: Foram obtidas 55 respostas em papel e 34 em Sli.do. Em papel verificaram-se resultados moderadamente menores antes e depois das aulas (46% e 74,2% respetivamente) comparativamente ao Sli.do (52,4% e 82,9%, respetivamente). Embora os resultados basais tenham sido diferentes entre métodos, ambos revelaram um aumento relativo no conhecimento similar (61,3% vs. 58,2%, respetivamente). Discussão & Conclusões: Os resultados revelaram que as aulas Sofistas são eficazes na aprendizagem, independentemente do método de avaliação, o que reafirma que o papel dos professores é importante e eficaz. Este estudo suporta o uso de plataformas digitais para avaliar a aprendizagem em aula, uma vez que estas são mais tempo-eficientes, ecológicas e logisticamente exequíveis. Por último, analisar a informação que está efetivamente a ser transmitida aos alunos conduz a vários benefícios para toda a comunidade académica, uma vez que permite a deteção de áreas passíveis de serem melhoradas e a possibilidade de realizar auditorias internas mais eficazes ao longo do tempo.Introduction: Academic teaching has been present in society for centuries. However, its methodology has not significantly changed. Though various articles were published analysing students´ satisfaction with the teaching method, there is still scarce data on the knowledge improvement associated with different methodologies. Therefore, the endpoints of this research were: 1) analyse the impact of Sophistic lectures in knowledge acquisition in medical students and 2) examine knowledge assessment using new digital technologies, compared with a more traditional paper-based method. Methods: A repeated measures design was implemented in four classes of 4th year medical students, lectured by the same teacher on the same subject. A scientifically validated questionnaire was applied before and after each class, in paper and web-based tool Sli.do to two classes each. Results were compared by means of descriptive statistics. Results: 55 answers were obtained in paper and 34 in Sli.do. Paper method questionnaires had mildly lower scores before and after class (46% and 74,2%, respectively) when compared with Sli.do (52,4% and 82,9%, respectively). Although basal scores were different among methods, both revealed a similar relative knowledge improvement, comparatively to the respective baseline (61,3% vs. 58,2%, respectively). Discussion & Conclusions: The results showed that Sophistic classes are effective in learning, independent of evaluation method, which reassure that the task of the teacher is important and effective. This study supports the use of digital-based tools to assess learning in classes since they are more time-efficient, more ecological and logistically easier. Finally, assess the information that is being effectively taught to the students has several benefits for the teachers, the university and ultimately the students. Since a digital storage of the collected data makes it possible to carry out more effective internal audits over time, allowing the improvement of areas with lower results, benefitting the entire academic community

Governance Arrangements for Water Reuse: Assessing Emerging Trends for Inter-Municipal Cooperation through a Literature Review

The transition towards a Water Circular Economy (WCE), in the sense of water reuse, demands cooperative governance and territorial rescaling to overcome fragmentations in sectors and water policies. While the transition is challenging for local governments and crosses economic sectors and spatial scales, Inter-Municipal Cooperation IMC is gaining popularity due to its ability to contribute additional human, financial, and technological resources. However, cooperative governance arrangements require studying its benefits and impacts in its context. This study explores how IMC is being considered as a governance arrangement for the transitions towards WCE by conducting a review of the literature. The findings indicate that IMC appears as a promising government arrangement for WCE because it incorporates several significant potentials, such as facilitating the conciliation of interests between agencies, stakeholder engagement, and effective land use for water management. The literature reflects that the success of IMC for the adoption of WCE requires the simultaneous consideration of a set of governance practices, the assurance of cost efficiency and financial balance, and the assessment of social and environmental consequences. Nevertheless, these dimensions are not equally addressed by the literature. While governance and efficiency are often referred to, the assessment of IMC experiences in the context of WCE is still poorly explored, deserving further researcpublishe

Modernization as an enhancer of access to Justice and of proximity between key actors

As claimed by Richard Susskind (2017, 2019), Justice is changing, not only as a necessity, but as consequence of society demands. This paper analyses the way public policies have changed in the last 10 years and how modernization can be perceived both as an enhancer and as a cause of that change, specifically regarding the judicial system. The paper focuses on the interviews conducted with key actors at the level of public policies’ definition, which aimed to understand Portuguese Public Administration in general, and the judicial system particularly. The major results of these interviews led to the conclusion that the judicial system is now at the center of a major development, enabled by the need to adapt to societal transformations and actors’ demands. Also, in what Portugal is concerned, because of the European Union (EU) integration and the adaptation to its goals

Lokalno suupravljanje: istraživačka studija o umjetnoj autonomiji trećeg sektora

Local governments are increasingly seen as key facilitators of co-governance processes, enabling collaborative local networks. It is claimed in this article that the necessarily synergistic relationship between local government and civil society in facilitating governance mechanisms requires further elaboration. The issue of who initiates grassroots governance and how autonomous from political power it really is, is seminal to the definition of governance itself. Literature on co-governance lacks the recognition of the impacts of institutional incentives to civic participation, which may not always have the desired effects. This article intends to weigh up the autonomy of grassroots governance and the extent to which it corresponds to a mechanism of shared responsibilities. Through the analysis of data from Portuguese municipalities, it contributes to a wider discussion on the nature and distinctiveness of grassroots governance,arguing that it may add new problems to the research agenda and asking for new approaches.Lokalne vlasti sve se češće smatraju ključnim faktorima olakšavanja procesa suupravljanja, budući da omogućavaju postojanje lokalnih mreža suradnje. U radu se tvrdi da nužno sinergijska povezanost lokalnih vlasti i civilnoga društva u olakšavanju primjene mehanizama vlasti traži dodatna pojašnjenja. Pitanje tko inicira upravljanje građana i koliko je ono uistinu neovisno od političke vlasti, najvažnije je za definiciju samoga termina upravljanja. Literaturi o suupravljanju nedostaje prepoznavanje učinaka institucionalnih poticaja participaciji građana u vlasti, što nema uvijek najpoželjnije posljedice. Cilj rada je odrediti samostalnost upravljanja građana kao i granicu do koje ono korespondira mehanizmu razdijeljenih odgovornosti. Kroz analizu podataka iz portugalskih lokalnih jedinica, rad pridonosi široj raspravi o prirodi i posebnosti upravljanja građana, tvrdeći da ono može otvoriti nova istraživačka pitanja te tražeći nove istraživačke pristupe

Análise e simulação de um sistema de transformação de cortiça

Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialO presente trabalho, descreve o desenvolvimento de um modelo de simulação para análise de uma parte importante da unidade fabril da Amorim & Irmãos S.A. respeitante à transformação de cortiça em rolha 100% natural. O objetivo do modelo de simulação passa por avaliar o fluxo produtivo, através da análise de indicadores de desempenho como o lead time, taxas de utilização dos recursos simulados, bem como as respetivas filas de espera. Após essa análise dinâmica do sistema, com o objetivo de melhorar a sua resposta, é elaborado um plano de ações com sugestões de melhoria, exequíveis e implementáveis num futuro próximo, para dar resposta aos problemas identificados.This work describes the development of a simulation model for the analysis of an important part of a factory unit at Amorim & Irmãos S.A. which refers to the transformation of cork into stoppers that are 100% natural. The aim of the simulation model is to assess the productive flow, through the analysis of performance indicators such as lead time, the rate of utilization of the simulated resources, as well as the respective queues. After this detailed analysis of the system, which aims at improving its response, a plan of action will be devised with suggestions of improvement, that are feasible in the near future and that will address the identified problems

Voice, responsiveness, and alternative policy venues: an analysis of citizen complaints against the local government to the national Ombudsman

The Ombudsman is one of the most relevant and institutionalized tools to give voice to citizens, so they can express their dissatisfaction with local public services. The literature has yet to produce a systematic explanation for the variation in complaints to the national Ombudsman. This article uses classic literature from public administration and public policy to consider arguments of voice, responsiveness and alternative policy venues concerning the role of the Ombudsman in citizen complaints against local governments. Data on all 2139 citizen complaints submitted to the Ombudsman in Portugal (2012–2015) are analyzed using negative binomial regression models. Policy implications drawn from the results show not only that the presence of alternative voice venues reduces the number of complaints to the national Ombudsman but also that context matters. Local politics stimulates civic engagement and difficult local conditions, such as unemployment, crime, and aging populations, activate citizens to resort to the Ombudsman.This article is part of a research project financially supported by the Fundaç~ao Francisco Manual dos Santos (FFMS), entitled “Qualidade da Governaç~ao Local.” Antonio Tavares acknowledges the Research Center in Political Science (UIDB/CPO/00758/2020), University of Minho/University of Evora supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science through national funds. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Fundaç~ao Francisco Manuel dos Santos and the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundatio

The institutionalization of nature-based solutions - a discourse analysis of emergent literature

The European Union quickly incorporated the concept of nature based-solutions (NBS), becoming a key promotor. This was achieved through financial support for both academic research and city implementations. Still, the processes of institutionalization are yet to be fully explored. This study aims at assessing how the scientific literature regarding NBS is addressing institutional aspects and how it is constructing the NBS narrative. This research is divided into two stages. First, it undertakes a quantitative analysis of the discourse, considering a set of preselected search terms organized into five categories: Actor, institutional, planning, policy, and regulation. Second, it adopts a qualitative analysis considering both a group of the most cited articles and of articles highlighted in the previous stage. The results indicate that the NBS concept is still shadowed by other environmental concepts such as ecosystem services. Despite being an issue promoted at the European level, the results of this exercise express the lack of concrete planning and policy recommendations, reflected by the absence of terms such as “planning objectives”. This pattern occurs in all other major categories, being the institutional category the least mentioned of all five categories. The results highlight the need to address both policies and planning recommendations more concretely, studying the institutional arrangements able to promote NBS.publishe

Assessing the intensity of cooperation: a study of joint delegation of municipal functions to inter-municipal associations

Talking is cheap, at least in the short term; elected officials may profess their preferences for IMC and yet deny IMA organisations the necessary resources to fulfil their missions. Driven by a focus on revealed preferences for inter-municipal cooperation, the article aims to answer two questions: Why do some IMA exhibit a high level of commitment on the part of their local government members whereas others remain underutilised, reflecting a choice by local governments to retain these responsibilities themselves? How does this commitment to IMAs vary over time? We use data from 25 IMAs over a 10-year period (2008–2018) in Portugal to assess the intensity of cooperation among Portuguese local governments through stand-alone organisations. The panel analysis regression supports the hypotheses that a larger number of local governments involved in IMAs and higher levels of heterogeneity among them make cooperation more difficult. In contrast, longer interaction in IMAs reinforces the intensity of cooperation.This work was supported by the Research Centre for Political Science (UIDB/CPO/ 00758/2020), University of Minho/University of Évora, supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science