Reflections on David Boud´s keynote: a avaliação das aprendizagens no ensino a distância

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The ‘Cube’ and the ‘Poppy Flower’: Participatory approaches for designing technology-enhanced learning spaces

This paper presents an alternative method for designing learning spaces that is driven by the input of its users. An exploratory study was undertaken at an English university with the aim of redesigning technology-enhanced learning spaces. Two provocative concepts were presented to the participants as concepts of future learning spaces. Through participatory design workshops, students and teachers reflected and discussed the values of technology and provided insight into how to effectively embed technology in learning space design. The findings provide a set of recommendations for how to integrate technology in learning spaces and present alternative designs for each given concept

Práticas de avaliação online e digitais no ensino superior: o caso de uma universidade inglesa durante a pandemia COVID19

In this paper, we discuss the approach taken to online and digital assessment by an English university during the Covid19 pandemic. We explore this case because of the institutional investment in changing its assessment approach during the pandemic. This approach is explored against a sustainability model for learning technologies adoption, specifically looking at level 1 - financial support; level 2 - instructional and technical support; level 3 - institutional ownership; level 4 - institutional impact; and level 5 - stakeholders’ ownership. This will hopefully help academics and institutions to both reflect on past experiences and think forward about the sustainability of their online and digital assessment strategies. We argue in this paper that higher education should be looking at the electronic management of the assessment process in a more sustainable way. This paper concludes by recommending institutions to embrace the efforts made during the pandemic and rethink how online and digital assessments can be managed over time to encourage authentic learning.Neste artigo, discutimos a abordagem desenvolvida para a avaliação online e digital por uma universidade inglesa durante a pandemia Covid19. Exploramos este caso devido ao investimento institucional na mudança da sua abordagem de avaliação durante a pandemia. Esta abordagem é explorada face a um modelo de sustentabilidade para a adoção de tecnologias de aprendizagem, analisando especificamente o nível 1 - apoio financeiro; nível 2 - apoio instrucional e técnico; nível 3 - apropriação institucional; nível 4 - impacto institucional; e nível 5 - apropriação dos agentes educativos. Espera-se que o artigo ajude quer os docentes quer as instituições de ensino superior a refletirem sobre experiências passadas e a pensar na sustentabilidade das suas estratégias de avaliação digital e online. Neste documento, defendemos que o ensino superior deveria analisar a gestão digital do processo de avaliação de forma mais sustentável. Terminamos este artigo recomendando às instituições que abracem o esforço feito durante a pandemia para repensar as estratégias de avaliação, refletindo sobre a forma como a avaliação online e digital pode ser gerida ao longo do tempo para promover uma avaliação potenciadora de aprendizagens autênticas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Progresser vers des politiques et des pratiques durables : un cadre à cinq niveaux pour un apprentissage en ligne durable

This paper addresses the issue of sustainability in online learning in higher education. It introduces and discusses a five-level framework for helping higher education institutions to make the transition from enterprise to sustainable policy and practice in online learning. In particular, it responds to evidence in the literature regarding the lack of sustainability in online learning in higher education. Influenced by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this framework is characterized by three different clusters: basic needs, institutional motivation, and stakeholders’ motivations. It is presented hierarchically within five different levels. Examples are provided for each of the levels and suggestions are given to how institutions should respond to each level.Cet article traite de la question de la durabilité dans l’apprentissage en ligne pour l’éducation supérieure.Un cadre de travail à cinqniveauxy est introduit etfait l’objet d’une discussion. Ce cadre a pour but d’aider les établissements d’enseignement supérieur à faire la transition des initiatives complexes aux politiques et pratiques durables en matière d’apprentissage en ligne..Ce cadre répond notamment aux données probantes de la documentation concernant le manque de durabilité dans l’apprentissage en ligne pour l’éducation supérieure.Influencé par la hiérarchie des besoins de Maslow, le cadre se caractérise par trois grappes différentes: les besoins de base, la motivation de l’établissement et les motivations des intervenants.Il est présenté de façon hiérarchique, en cinq niveaux différents.Des exemples sont fournis pour chacun des niveaux, et des suggestions sont offertes sur la manière dont les établissements devraient réagir à chaque niveau.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The experience of co-designing a learning space with teachers and students

This paper presents the findings of an empirical research study investigating the perspectives of students and teachers on learning spaces in higher education and their participation in the design process of such spaces. The study employed a participatory design method, using workshops to involve teachers and students in redesigning a prototype learning space named the ‘Cube’. This approach allowed the researchers to actively engage users in reflective thinking on the learning spaces and their role in learning and to co-create new learning spaces through the use of their experiences and ideas. The findings are organised into 10 design themes, highlighting key considerations for the design of meaningful and effective learning spaces. The study concludes that involving teachers and students in the design process can significantly improve the learning and teaching experiences by fostering an active sense of agency and ownership over the learning spaces.This work is financially supported by National Funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., under the project UIDB/00194/2020 (CIDTFF), and by the Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas, CAPES and CNPQ. Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Redesigning learning spaces through students and academics contributions: the role of participatory design

Participatory design is a trend for designing products and services which suggests that end-users become active participants in the design of what they consume. This concept originated in the Scandinavian countries, matches with new trends in learning and teaching in which learners construct their knowledge by dialogue, discussion and negotiation, hence through participation and engagement. Simultaneously, it also implies that institutions embrace plurality and diversity of perceptions by joining different stakeholders in designing aspects of the learning and teaching process. In this paper we present a research experience in its preliminary stage wherein using a Participatory Design approach we will re-design technology-enabled learning spaces by combining the perceptions of students and teaching staff in individual and group design sessions. We aim to build the foundations for discussing learning spaces as a dynamic and co-designed concept that can bridge the gap between staff and student perceptions of learning spaces

Building a community of practice for engaging pharmacy students to learn in a collaborative research environment

Conventional research project supervision is not always compatible with current challenges facing Higher Education, such as students’ diverse backgrounds, increasing demands and multidisciplinary research interests. Additionally, research students may experience isolation at different stages of research. To help students coping with these challenges, approaches such as progress reports, departmental presentations and co-supervision have been introduced. Community of practices (CoP) are alternative approaches that if successfully adopted may improve the students’ learning experience. These communities were developed as knowledge-based social structures between groups of people sharing goals and interests. Considering the importance of CoPs as a strategy to engage students and researchers to work collaboratively; this study aims to investigate the impact of a formal CoP on the students’ learning experience at different levels of study

Microcredentials: an opportunity towards the digital transformation

This communication aims to present one of the online courses included in the Microcredentials portfolio of the Universidade Aberta, in Portugal. We start by presenting a framework of the European guidelines on Microcredentials, defining its main characteristics, namely highlighting its advantages in the context of reskilling or upskilling with a view to its applicability in the labor sector. Following the guidelines of the Portuguese Ministry of Higher Education, and specific EU funding under the Impulso Adultos programme, a proposal for a Microcredential in Digital and Distance Learning was conceptualized and developed for teachers´ training, with more than 1200 teachers already involved. An evaluation carried out through a survey delivered to trainees shows very positive results in all items evaluated, with strong emphasis on the transferability and applicability of the knowledge acquired to work contexts. These results show that this course, developed within the scope of Microcredentials, broadly meets the needs of reskilling and upskilling, which are increasingly important in the adaptability of adults to the new challenges that digital transformation implies.Project funded by the Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR), Portugal, and the European Union - Next Generation, EUinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exploring the value and perception of microcredentials: a case study of the Universidade Aberta

The Universidade Aberta (UAb) – the Portuguese Open University - has extensive experience inproviding continuous professional development courses for adult learners, ranging frompostgraduate certificates to short learning programmes and MOOCs. In 2021, the UAb initiateda new portfolio of short learning opportunities leading to micro-credentials, driven by anationally-funded project called "Impulso Adultos" which aims to reskill and upskill the adultpopulation either already in work or looking to transition to a new professional opportunity.Micro-credentials are a form of recognition for learning that are based on short, stackable, andfocused learning blocks, leading learners to develop specific skills or competencies. The conceptof micro-credentials has gained popularity in recent years, initially in North America andAustralia, and more recently in Europe (Brown & Mhichil, 2022). When publishing its EuropeanSkills Agenda, the Commission set out policy priorities and actions aimed at increasing theemployability of citizens and boosting the skills for the workplace (European Skills Agenda forSustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience, 2020). In its action 10, theCommission set the ground for the relevance given to Micro-credentials. According to theCommission, Micro-credentials should: (i) encourage the take-up of flexible and quality-assuredcourses; (ii) make learning more visible and understood; (iii) be validated and guided; and (iv)should be easy to store and communicate through Europass. The UAb's portfolio of micro-credentials comprises over 20 courses, which have been offered tomore than 2,000 students over a period of two years. These courses cover various thematicareas, including distance and digital education, language and communication, sustainabledevelopment goals, and digital transition and transformation. All of these courses are deliveredonline and often involve collaborative development with industry and organizations. They aredesigned to be short (ranging from 1 to 4 ECTS) and cater to working students, typicallyrequiring around 7 hours of learning per week. Moreover, the assessments for these coursesare usually applicable within students' professional settings. UAb decided that the courses arepredominantly asynchronous to take advantage of the flexibility that online learning promotes.Students can access content anytime and from anywhere the flexibility of online learning suitsstudents’ needs and personal and professional commitments (Kumar, 2019) which is particularlyrelevant for adult learners that are, at the same time, employed. This communication will present an evaluation study of the UAb micro-credentials project, witha focus on assessing students' satisfaction, their perception of the relevance of the learningexperiences, and their views on the pedagogical approach and the framework employed. Giventhe limited research available on substantial cohorts of students attending micro-credentialsand their perception of the value of this type of recognition, this study aims to shed light on howstudents perceive and value micro-credentials. Furthermore, the findings of this research willprovide evidence that can inform other projects and institutions in shaping their strategicobjectives and initiatives in this domain.Impulso 2025, PRR, PortugalN/

New record of the Jaguar, Panthera onca (Linnaeus, 1758) (Felidae), from a mosaic of Atlantic Forest in the Paraná state, Brazil

The largest felid in the Americas, the Jaguar (Panthera onca) has had its geographical distribution reduced to approximately half the original range throughout the years, and most of its remaining distribution is in Brazilian territory. Deforestation is considered the main threat to the species, especially in the Atlantic Rainforest, which is currently highly fragmented and modified. This article provides a new record of Jaguar in Paraná state, in an area occupied by a mosaic formed by native vegetation and silviculture, and represents a new recent locality of the species for the biome in which it is classified as Critically Endangered of extinction