The Higher Professional Technical Courses (CTeSPs) of the Portuguese Polytechnic Higher
Institutes correspond to a cycle of higher education studies that does not confer an academic
degree. They have a duration of 2 years and the successful conclusion leads to obtaining a higher
professional technician diploma. Given the specificity of this type of courses, the course units of
their study plan must promote, whenever possible, more student-centred learning with a greater
connection to practice. This approach has been followed in the Safety and Environment course unit
classes of the CTeSPs in Chemical and Biological Analysis and Mechanical Technology and
Vehicles of a Higher Education Institution in the North of Portugal, between the academic years
2016/2017 and 2020/2021. In this sense, and in the Safety component, tasks were proposed that,
depending on the academic year in which they were performed, involved different scenarios: (1)
laboratory context and (2) business context (study visits). In both cases, it was proposed to the
students to carry out a practical work in group that intended to analyse the hazards and risks
associated with aspects of the context in question, applying in a specific situation the contents of
the course unit.
This type of work was oriented so that there was knowledge sharing (lectures and group interaction) among students attending:
(i) the course unit;
(ii) the course unit in another CTeSP and
(iii) another course unit in degree courses.
In some situations, connections were established with other course units, within the same course, or in different courses. In this paper we intend to explain the different approaches applied, reflecting on their advantages/disadvantages and possible perspectives of adaptation to the other component of the course unit (Environment) or other courses.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
