Sandra Fernandes

• PhD. Education Sciences
• Associate Professor at Universidade Portucalense

Entrepreneurial education for the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) has gained visibility in educational settings, notably higher education institutions, fostering a business-driven approach to creativity and value in cultural and artistic production. At the core of this approach lies the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, a principle...

This article seeks to explore the notions of literacy(ies) and competences in times of digital education. The aim of the study was to understand, from perspectives of experts, what literacy(ies) and competences are in digital teaching-learning contexts, how they are operationalised, which strategies can be used for their development, and what are t...

This paper describes a case study based on the implementation of a project/service-based learning approach in the context of a curricular unit of an Engineering Education programme. It discusses the challenges and pedagogic responses found to adapt the teaching and learning process to the pandemic period, reflecting on the lessons learned to improv...

Student assessment has become, over the past years, an important and complex issue about higher education pedagogy. This paper aims to present a systematic review of empirical studies (Master and PhD thesis), carried out in Portuguese public universities, focused on the topic of student assessment in higher education, from the year 2010 to 2020. Th...

Purpose/aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between digital media use and expressive language skills in the semantic and morphosyntactic domains, of pre-school-aged children (3 years-and-0 months to 5 years-and-11 months). Materials and methods: Verbal oral expression (VOE) tasks of the Pre-school Assessme...

This paper aims to analyze the impact of a pedagogical training program aimed to promote teacher professional development in a higher education institution in Portugal. Based on a mixed-methods approach, the study evaluates the satisfaction of 36 higher education teachers with the pedagogical training program offered and discusses its impact on tea...

This article discusses entrepreneurship and innovation in the context of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) through interdisciplinary education. Contributions focus on the outcomes of the Erasmus + project FENICE: ‘Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Cultural and Creative Industries through Interdisciplinary Education’, a project...

Aim: Digital media use is prevalent among children and linked to potential developmental and health risks, but validated measures of children's digital media use are lacking. The aim of this study was to validate the Portuguese version of the ScreenQ with three distinct children's age groups. Methods: Parents of children living in Portugal compl...

Children’s exposure to screens has been increasing in recent years and so has the concern about its impact on children’s development. This study aims to analyze preschool teachers’ and parents’ views on the influence of screen-time exposure on children’s development. Semi-structured interviews with preschool teachers (n = 9), as well as data from a...

Project-based learning (PBL) is a challenging learning methodology, also for teachers, questioning common assumptions of teachers, like control over the classroom and reliance on expert knowledge. Most challenging is teamwork. Team teaching has been explored in many disciplinary areas, both in traditional as well as in PBL curricula. Teachers may f...

As instituições de ensino superior estão cada vez mais preocupadas com a necessidade de implementar práticas de ensino e de aprendizagem centradas no estudante. Os métodos tradicionais de ensino, baseados exclusivamente em aulas expositivas, têm se revelado pouco eficazes para promover o desenvolvimento e formação global dos nossos estudantes. As c...

This chapter aims to describe the assessment practices used in a PBL(Project-based Learning) approach, adopting an integrated view, where teaching, learning and assessment are student-centred. It explores the assessment methods, moments and participants in the teaching and learning process. Assessment procedures, criteria and tasks will be carefull...

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of Scrum for project and team management in PBL teams in higher education. To attain this goal, a study was carried out to analyze students’ perceptions about Scrum as an effective method for PBL teams. Based on two different editions of PBL that used the Scrum method with different characte...

This paper discusses online student assessment which is one of the major concerns of higher education institutions during these pandemic times, forcing teachers to teach and assess in different ways and conditions than when using regular methods. Online assessment brings more challenges for the teachers and the fear that students could cheat more t...

Teacher appraisal (TA) or teacher performance appraisal (TPA) has assumed a central importance in educational systems and reforms worldwide, contributing to the improvement of teaching practices, and therefore it is considered an essential factor for teachers’ early training, teachers’ professional development, school management, and promotion of c...

Student motivation is a key dimension for first year students at University. Project-based Learning (PBL) is seen as an effective teaching and learning approach to enhance student motivation and engagement. This paper describes the results from the implementation of a PBL project that was developed for a real context-a non-profit social organizatio...

This paper discusses collaboration between teachers in project-based learning (PBL) environments in the engineering context. PBL is a challenging active learning methodology, not only for students but also for teachers. Challenges for teachers include, for example, the need to search for new knowledge demanded by the PBL project theme and the diffi...

Given the crucial role that grandparents play in the upbringing and well-being of their grandchildren, research regarding the perceived importance of grandparents for their emerging adult grandchildren is of particular relevance. This study examined the relations between perceived grandparents’ roles and family and life satisfaction in Portuguese e...

The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak forced most of the world’s population to be confined at home to prevent contagion. Research reveals that one of the consequences of this confinement for children is an increased amount of time spent using screens (television, computers, and mobile devices, etc.) at home. This exploratory study aims to analyze t...

A preocupação com a qualidade dos processos de ensino e de aprendizagem no contexto do Ensino Superior (ES) e, consequentemente, a definição de uma política ou estratégia institucional favorável à melhoria das práticas pedagógicas docentes e ao desenvolvimento profissional dos professores têm constituído uma preocupação por parte das instituições q...

Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an active student-centered learning methodology. Several schools (of varying degrees of education) have implemented, in different ways, PBL, having as common strands that the student learns in teams, and being challenged in the context of a case-scenario. In Portugal, a PBL methodology has been implemented, in the fi...

The Integrated Project of Industrial Engineering and Management 1 (IPIEM1) is a curricular unit of the first year developed in the first semester of the Integrated Masters degree of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM11) – University of Minho, Portugal. In the 2019’s 1st semester and in the IPIEM1 previous versions, Project-Based Learning (P...

This paper describes the results from the implementation of PBL experiences in the Social Education degree programme at Portucalense University, Portugal. It aims to discuss the curricular and pedagogical changes implemented in the past three years, in this programme. In total, five PBL experiences will be reported in this study: three editions wer...

This paper describes the results from the implementation of PBL experiences in the Social Education degree programme at Portucalense University, Portugal. It aims to discuss the curricular and pedagogical changes implemented in the past three years, in this programme. In total, five PBL experiences will be reported in this study: three editions wer...

A Aprendizagem e Serviço (ApS) constitui uma forma de educação experiencial que combina objetivos de aprendizagem com o serviço na/com a comunidade. Este artigo apresenta uma experiência de ApS que decorreu numa IES privada, em Portugal. Os participantes no estudo são estudantes do 2ºano da Licenciatura em Educação Social. O projeto integrou três u...

This paper aims to develop a systematic review on graduate employability and competence development, intending to present an international perspective on the matter. It analyses the role of higher education institutions in promoting the development of competences for employability. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) state...

The need to organise encounters between different generations is growing because solidarity between generations is crucial to ensure a fair society for all ages. However, bringing together different age groups is not enough to create a successful intergenerational dialogue. The content, activities and methods used when very different groups come to...

Nos contextos escolares, os professores são agentes fundamentais do currículo e interpretes ativos das políticas educativas e curriculares. Muitas vezes, trabalham em contextos marcados por tensões e contradições, por exemplo, entre alcançar resultados e sucessos imediatos nas provas e exames externos e educar os alunos numa era de globalização e d...

Esta obra centra-se em abordagens educativas e profissionais nos contextos escolares associadas à interpelação dos desafios que se colocam à escola e à educação do século XXI. O livro está organizado em duas partes: a primeira integra os três primeiros capítulos, apresentando a mediação, seu enquadramento, desenvolvimento e implementação em context...

This paper presents part of the change process carried out at the Portucalense University (UPT), Portugal, aimed at promoting student centred teaching and learning. To attain this goal, the Centre for Excellence in Teaching (CET) was created to support academic staff in the achievement of this outcome. The objectives of the CET are to promote pedag...

Despite the increasing awareness of the relevance of technologies to various life domains and environments, its application to research on Information Systems and Technology Teachers’ Evaluation in Higher Education is still very limited. The IT sector has special characteristics, such as the high employability rates that are very relevant to integr...

This study aims to describe the implementation of a PBL approach in a Social Education Programme at the Portucalense University (UPT) and to analyse student’s perceptions about their participation in the project, namely, the main advantages and difficulties in regard to the PBL approach implemented in this context. The idea of the project emerged f...

Consciente dos desafios da sociedade atual, a Universidade Portucalense (UPT) implementou uma unidade curricular (UC) integradora, designada de “Empreendedorismo”, transversal a todos os planos de estudos dos cursos de 1º ciclo da sua oferta formativa. Esta UC, inserida no 3º ano dos cursos de licenciatura, baseia-se numa metodologia de aprendizage...

An ongoing study about what motivates/demotivates students of an Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) program will be introduced. The reasons behind students’ choice and the main factors that motivate/demotivate them, throughout the different years, will be explored. This study is part of a longitudinal one based on information from IEM stud...

The goal of this paper is to discuss the practical challenges found in the operationalization of UBC (University-Business Cooperation) units, based on a contextualized example which describes the initial process of development and implementation of a University-Business Cooperation (UBC) project. This unit emerged from an organizational attempt to...

Scrum is a project management methodology very popular in the software industry with good results in terms of team work effectiveness. Scrum is based on important team work values such as commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect and can be described in three different dimensions: Scrum team; Scrum Events; and Scrum artefacts. This paper aim...

The purpose of this paper is to describe the EHIS Method© (Entrepreneurship Human Interactions Skills), an innovative entrepreneurship teaching and learning method developed and used at the Entrepreneurship course at Portucalense University (UPT), a private higher education institution in Portugal. EHIS Method© draws on insights from the recent lit...

In 2015, Portugal was the 4th country within the European Union with the biggest percentage of elderly people, with 20.5% (source: PORDATA). It can be designated as a “hyper-aged society”, as in 2050 numbers will increase to over 30%. The prison context is not an exception. There are more and more elderly people in Portuguese prisons and statistica...

Gamification has increasingly been applied to various life domains and environments, including work and the workplace. Accordingly, research on gamification has grown considerably in the past years. This study presents a systematic review of the theoretical and empirical literature produced in the past 11 years about the application of gamification...

This paper presents an empirical study based on the application of lean concepts to teaching and learning in student centered learning environments. It is based on findings from a pilot study carried out within an engineering course at the University of Minho, Portugal. The aim of this research is to contribute to the development and consolidation...

EduScrum and Lean Teaching and Learning (LTL) are two studentcentred learning approaches where the greatest responsibility for learning is transferred from the teacher to the student. This paper aims to analyse these two approaches, eduScrum and Lean Teaching and Learning (LTL), and propose a set of LTL features that could be adopted by eduScrum an...

Higher education institutions have been responding to challenges that have led to a transformation of educational practices, particularly towards the implementation of active learning strategies, in order to create meaningful teaching and learning experiences, with increasingly more autonomous, cooperative and motivated students. In the particular...

Purpose: Project-Based Learning (PBL) is considered to be an active learning methodology which can be used to develop both technical and transversal competences in engineering programs. This methodology demands a great deal of work effort from the students and also from the teachers and it requires a meticulous plan and a well-managed project as we...

Project-Based Learning (PBL) has been implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme at the University of Minho, Portugal, since 2004/2005. The purpose of this paper is to analyse and discuss teachers’ experiences in PBL in this programme and to explore its implications for student learning and for teaching pra...

This paper draws upon data from a broader piece of research aimed at examining pre-service teachers' views of their initial teacher education within the context of a master’s degree programme in teaching. The data were collected through questionnaires and written narratives at the beginning and at the end of the programme. In this paper, the data a...

This paper reports on a case study based on the use of Project-based Learning (PBL) in higher education to improve student learning and prepare graduates for professional practice. The theoretical background is based on the principles of active learning and the demands of the Bologna process for European Higher Education Institutions. These ideas a...

The Integrated Master Degree on Industrial Engineering and Management, from the Department of Production and Systems of University of Minho – Portugal, requires the development of an individual final project which is almost exclusively developed in an industrial context. The degree is awarded upon the successful development of an individual masters...

This paper reports on findings from a three-year study of project-based learning implemented in the first year of the Industrial Engineering and Management programme, at the University of Minho, Portugal. This particular model was inspired on project-led education (PLE), following Powell and Weenk's [2003. Project-Led Engineering Education. Utrecht...

As a result of the demands of the Bologna process, teaching and learning in higher education have been challenged and changed from a traditional transmissionoriented perspective to an interaction oriented perspective, one in which the students are at the center of the learning process (Murray & McDonald, 1997).

The innovative learning methodology Project-based learning (PBL) has been functioning in the first semester of the first year of the Master Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) at University of Minho, Portugal, since 2004_2005. This methodology was implemented by a team of teachers from the Department of Production and Systems of t...

According to the demands of the Bologna process, new educational methods and strategies are needed in order to enhance student-centred learning. Project work is one of those approaches. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of project-led education (PLE) on students’ learning processes and outcomes, within the context of a first-year engineering p...

In recent years, student assessment in higher education settings has changed. There has been a shift from the traditional testing culture to an assessment culture (Birenbaum, 1996) which favours the integration of assessment, teaching and learning, through active student involvement and authentic assessment tasks (Sambell et al., 1997).

Traditional teaching methods being adopted in higher education across European Universities are not contributing effectively to the real needs of today's world. The current challenges that the world is facing, concerning the new economic paradigms, centred on eco-sustainability along with global and unbalanced competitiveness, demand new answers fr...

Neste artigo apresentamos dados de um projecto de investigação mais vasto que pretende avaliar o impacto de uma experiência de Aprendizagem Baseada em Projectos Interdisciplinares no Mestrado Integrado de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial (MIEGI). Para tal, foi utilizado o Modelo de Avaliação CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) de Stufflebeam (200...

This paper presents findings from an ongoing longitudinal study aimed at evaluating the impact of Project-Led Education (PLE) on students’ learning and its contribution for the improvement of teaching and learning in Higher Education. It focuses upon students’ views of assessment in a first year Engineering program and explores issues related to st...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research based on the evaluation of a Project-Led Education (PLE) experience in an Engineering and Industrial Management degree. For this, the CIPP (Context, Input, Process, Product) Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the program (Stufflebeam,...

This paper presents an analysis of academic results of first year Industrial Management and Engineering students, achieved either in a PLE (Project-led Education) or in a non PLE teaching and learning approach. Data collected focuses on students' grades, including continuous and summative assessment results of four different courses, from the acade...

This paper describes the organization model of a Project-Led Education (PLE) process carried out in the Industrial Management and Engineering (IME) programme at the University of Minho. It intends to analyse the PLE approach in the first year and first semester, according to the perceptions of the coordination team involved in the 2008/09 PLE editi...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on the impact assessment of the Project-Led Education. For this, the CIPP Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme. This evaluation model stresses the importance of linking evaluation with decision-making. The context of the ca...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on the impact assessment of the Project-Led Education. For this, the CIPP Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme. This evaluation model stresses the importance of linking evaluation with decision-making. The context of the ca...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on the impact assessment of the Project-Led Education. For this, the CIPP Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme. This evaluation model stresses the importance of linking evaluation with decision-making. The context of the ca...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on the impact assessment of the Project-Led Education. For this, the CIPP Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme. This evaluation model stresses the importance of linking evaluation with decision-making. The context of the ca...

This paper reports on faculty staff’s perceptions in regard to Project-Led Education (PLE)experiences in engineering programs at the University of Minho, Portugal. Data collection includedinterviews to teachers and tutors involved in the Industrial Management and Engineering program.The main goal of the interviews was to identify both the strengths...

This paper presents findings from a case study on Project-Led Education (PLE) experiences in engineering programs at the University of Minho, Portugal. It is based on a longitudinal approach with first year Industrial Management and Engineering students, who participated in three editions of PLE (2005/2006 - 2007/2008). Data were collected, six mon...

qualidade para a melhoria da competitividade.

An important topic in itself, tutoring assumes even greater importance in the light of the plans to implement a single academic model throughout the European Union. In this paper we examine some of the tutoring experiments currently being implemented in Portuguese universities, and the framework within which tutoring operates in a higher education...

This paper aims to give an overview of an ongoing and broader piece of research on the impact assessment of the Project-Led Education. For this, the CIPP Evaluation Model was used as a framework for evaluating the impact of the programme. This evaluation model stresses the importance of linking evaluation with decision-making. The context of the ca...

s í s i f o / r e v i s t a d e c i ê n c i a s d a e d u c a ç ã o · n .º 7 · s e t / d e z 0 8 i s s n 1 6 4 6 ‑ 4 9 9 0 Resumo: A tutoria assume particular importância se considerarmos o modelo académico que se pretende configurar no âmbito do espaço europeu. Neste artigo procuramos reflectir so‑ bre algumas experiências de tutoria actualmente e...

A implementação do Processo de Bolonha na Universidade do Minho foi precedida por diversas experiências de alteração de processos de ensino/aprendizagem para metodologias mais activas. Na Licenciatura em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial optou-se pela metodologia de Aprendizagem Baseada em Projectos Interdisciplinares (PLE – “Project-Led Education”),...

This paper presents findings from a case study carried out at the University of Minho, Portugal, with first year Industrial Management and Engineering students, who participated in a Project-Led Education (PLE) experience. It emphasizes the importance of formative assessment and the process of providing regular feedback on students’ work as key fea...

This poster reports data from a broader piece of research aimed at assessing the impact of Project-Led Education on students’ learning and its contribution for the improvement of teaching and learning in higher education, strongly encouraged by the demands of the so-called Bologna Process. It discusses students’ perceptions about their participati...