Aprendemos letras y sus sonidos : Learning letters and their sounds : an interactive experience

The purpose for the creation of this multimedia project is to assist the native Spanish speaker, at the pre-primer level, to acquire phonemic awareness and phonics skills through the use of multimedia. The CD-ROM project will be used as a supplement to the Bilingual Language Arts Program used in the classroom. The lack of Bilingual multimedia phonics CD-ROMS was a catalyst for the inception and creation for the promotion of learning the Spanish alphabet and their sounds for the beginning stages for reading instruction. The lack of access to technology is also another purpose for the creation of this multimedia project. Technology can serve as one of the equalizing factors in access to education. Native Spanish speakers are at the end of the Digital Divide, with this project that divide will be somewhat closed, at least in the classroom utilizing i

The role of project-based learning in engineering curriculum: the case of the industrial engineering and management program at the University of Minho

One of the key questions arising from literature in Higher Education is the mismatch between curriculum and professional practice. This work presents an analysis of an engineering program, based on a model of curriculum development that includes three dimensions: professional profile, curriculum elements and framework of competences. These dimensions were considered in the methodological approach that involves a case study of the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program at the University of Minho, Portugal. Data were collected through a combination of methods, including a survey, narratives, interviews and focus group. The aim was to get to know the perceptions of students and teachers of IEM program and professionals working in this engineering field. The findings highlight the relevance of projectbased learning within the engineering curriculum in so far as it provides students with opportunities to develop both technical and transversal competences related to their professional practice. This implies developing learning situations in which it is possible to solve engineering problems, linking theory and practice based upon an interdisciplinary approach. Furthermore, the implementation of project-based learning have implications for curriculum development, namely in regard to the definition of the assessment (e.g. milestones, feedback, etc.), coordination and communication between the faculty, content selection according to the problem to be solved, amongst other issues with impact in teaching practice.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT), PortugalFundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Contributos para uma análise dos planos curriculares de formação no ensino superior. O caso da engenharia e gestão industrial em Portugal

A reorganização curricular constituiu uma das mudanças mais significativas no âmbito do Processo de Bolonha. Esta comunicação, que decorre de um projecto de investigação mais vasto, incide na análise dos planos curriculares dos cursos de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial em Portugal. Partindo dos planos curriculares de três cursos, analisam-se os ciclos de estudo / distribuição de ECTS, as questões da diversidade curricular e da componente prática do currículo, bem como o perfil profissional / competências técnicas. A análise do currículo da formação implica aspectos que vão para além da sua estrutura e organização, incluindo o estudo das práticas curriculares se se pretende estudar as mudanças efectivamente ocorridas no âmbito do processo de Bolonha

Teachers' and students' perspectives about curriculum development in engineering education: Implications for academic work

This study had the financial support of Research Centres ALGORITMI and CIEC, by the Strategic Project UID-CEC-00319-2013and UID-CED-00317-2013, through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) Portuguese National Funds, and projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562, by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI).ICCS - International Council for Canadian Studies (UID-CEC-00319-2013

Developing professional competencies through projects in interaction with companies : a study in Industrial Engineering and Management Master Degree

This paper draws upon a part of a research project aiming to analyze curricula elements and competencies related to professional practice, in order to contribute to the improvement of the quality of the training program in engineering courses. Data were collected through a general survey to students, teachers and professionals. This paper focus on professionals’ perspectives and the results show the relevance that PBL experiences assumed in professional situations. Four main topics emerged from data, were analyzed, and discussed, namely technical competencies, transversal competencies, curriculum organization and interaction with companies. The results of the professionals’ survey point to the relevance of PBL experiences in professional situations. The findings also highlight the importance of project-learning approach for the quality of engineering curriculum and the development of both technical and transversal competencies.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Project approaches in interaction with industry for the development of professional competences

The engineering education involves the development of professional competences. For this purpose, it is necessary to understand the specific engineering field and to identify the specific professional needs of future engineers. Further, it is important to develop the adequate educational approaches that will foster the development of these competences. This paper aims to contribute to identifying the education needs in the field of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) based on the professionals perspectives, articulated with internship students and a group of university teachers. It also aims to reflect on two cases of interdisciplinary project approaches of the IEM program at the University of Minho, Portugal, which directly involves the interaction with industrial companies. One of the cases involves courses of semester seven of the IEM program and the other involves four different engineering programs. The triangulation of data from interviews with professionals, focus groups with university teachers and narratives from internship students contributed to identifying competence needs and the contribution of project-based learning in articulation with companies for students’ professional competences development. The analysis of professional needs points to the importance of practicing the professional practice at the level of education and training. Furthermore, the reflection on the results also stresses the relevance of these kinds of approach from the point of view of all the stakeholders, namely students, university teachers and professionals.(undefined

Construção e validação de toolbox para o desenvolvimento curricular no ensino superior

Este artigo visa partilhar resultados de experiências realizadas no âmbito do desenvolvimento curricular no ensino superior, cujo objetivo consiste em construir e validar uma toolbox aplicável em diferentes áreas do conhecimento e em diferentes contextos. As experiências foram realizadas no contexto no ensino de Engenharia em articulação com a área da Educação, com base num modelo de desenvolvimento curricular que engloba três dimensões: perfil profissional, elementos nucleares do currículo e referencial de competências. A aplicação deste modelo num curso de Engenharia revelou a sua pertinência para a revisão e inovação do currículo no ensino superior, sendo possível aplicar e alargar a sua utilização a outros contextos e áreas disciplinares, em virtude da sua flexibilidade, abrangência e consistência.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, IE, UMinho (UI 317 da FCT); Fundos Nacionais através da FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) e cofinanciado pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) com a referência POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An analysis of knowledge areas in industrial engineering and management curriculum

Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) is a continuous, flexible and dynamic area of engineering. Its intervention relates not only in manufacturing industry, but also in hospitals, education systems, transport systems, financial institutions, etc. Thus, there is the need to prepare students to the extended scope of IEM and the curriculum has to provide this broad vision. This range of IEM is evident in curriculum rationale. Graduates have to be ready for a wide range of jobs in the labour market. This is a challenging demand to cope with when designing and developing the curriculum. Thus, a selection of a special focus is the basis for the curriculum design process and for that reason the curriculum programs have different emphasis. The aim of this study is to analyse four IEM curriculum programs in Europe based on a classification of courses by areas of knowledge. Furthermore, the relative weight of areas was computed based on courses’ credits. Two interrelated group of areas were used, one aggregated and another one for IEM specific areas. This framework revealed to be useful for curriculum analysis and the results show that the four program curricula have a comparable weight of specialization area of IEM and that Production Management is the specific area with the larger weight in all programs. The results show that one of the characteristics of IEM curriculum programs is diversity in the knowledge areas related to IEM specialization. This study also emphasizes the importance of a structured framework for characterization of IEM programs, enabling benchmarking exercises, and facilitating the dialogue between academia and the profession of IEM.This work was partially financed by National Funds of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, namely by Project PESTOE/EME/UI0252/2011 and SFRH/BD/62116/2009

Industrial engineering and management curriculum profile: Developing a framework of competences

This paper presents a framework of competences developed for Industrial Engineering and Management that can be used as a tool for curriculum analysis and design, including the teaching and learning processes as well as the alignment of the curriculum with the professional profile. The framework was applied to the Industrial Engineering and Management program at University of Minho (UMinho), Portugal, and it provides an overview of the connection between IEM knowledge areas and the competences defined in its curriculum. The framework of competences was developed through a process of analysis using a combination of methods and sources for data collection. The framework was developed according to four main steps: 1) characterization of IEM knowledge areas; 2) definition of IEM competences; 3) survey; 4) application of the framework at the IEM curriculum. The findings showed that the framework is useful to build an integrated vision of the curriculum. The most visible aspect in the learning outcomes of IEM program is the lack of balance between technical and transversal competences. There was not almost any reference to the transversal competences and it is fundamentally concentrated on Project-Based Learning courses. The framework presented in this paper provides a contribution to the definition of IEM professional profile through a set of competences which need to be explored further. In addition, it may be a relevant tool for IEM curriculum analysis and a contribution for bridging the gap between universities and companies.(undefined

Characterization and evaluation of antifungal activity in vitro of Aloe vera fractions against postharvest fungi

Aloe vera leaves can be separated in a liquid fraction (exudate) and a mucilaginous pulp (gel). Recently, the antifungal activity of their components has been reported. The common technique for gel extraction from A. vera leaves are the traditional manual (in this case the liquid fraction is not separated) and a mechanical methods. Moreover, as a result of its processing the bagasse is obtained. The aim of this work was to recover and characterize the fractions of A. vera and to identify the fraction with highest antifungal activity against phytopathogen postharvest fungi (Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium spp.). A simple and inexpensive extraction method was used to obtain A. vera fractions from 50 kg leaves by means of a designed laboratory roll processor. The yields of extraction were as follows: 15.76% ± 4.0, 51.20% ± 5.20, and 33.02% ± 5.0 for gel, liquid fraction and bagasse, respectively. The three fractions were physico-chemically characterized (protein, monosaccharide composition, ashes, lipids) and resulted to be mainly composed by glucose and mannose in all the cases. Results showed the effectiveness of A. vera fractions in the growth control of phytopathogen postharvest fungi, with visible reduction of fungal growth