Search

Higher Education Institutions are, more than ever, open to innovative practices, and nowadays the triple helix of University, Industry and Government is taking place through the implementation of projects such as "Link Me Up - 1000 Ideias". This project, funded by COMPETE, was created as a network bringing together thirteen Portuguese Polytechnic Institutes to promote entrepreneurship among students, called talents, in academia. In a multidisciplinary approach, a cocreation team of 4-6 students, working together with organisation partners and using teacher's innovative practices, explore a future-oriented challenge in order to design solutions, ideas and future scenarios, in an 8-week process that aims to empower students to create their own innovative companies or projects and to help them to be prepared for the transition to the world of work, developing soft skills that are required in our competitive society. This project is linked to another, entitled "Learning based on co-creation processes," funded by POCH, in a partnership with DEMOLA Global, which provides teachers (in this process, they become facilitators) with innovative methodologies that are then operationalised when implementing co-creation challenges. In this study, we aim at presenting the "Link Me Up" project from the point of view of students from the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu and local organisations, by a) reflecting upon the questionnaires applied to students and companies to assess their degree of satisfaction with their participation in the project, identifying key areas enhanced by the experience. Additionally, b) we will look at the reports written by the group of students as they summarise the work developed in partnership with companies throughout eight intensive weeks. We will conclude, not with a retrospective view, although it is important to look at the past to build the present, but with the perspective of a future that is collaborative, reflective, critical and increasingly creative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of CISTI (Iberian Conference on Information Systems & Technologies / Conferência Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação) Proceedings is the property of Conferencia Iberica de Sistemas Tecnologia de Informacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of CISTI (Iberian Conference on Information Systems & Technologies / Conferência Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação) Proceedings is the property of Conferencia Iberica de Sistemas Tecnologia de Informacao and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

According to Johnson Lairds' Mental Models Theory, people develop internal representations of the natural world - mental models - that they use to interact with the world and understand the phenomena around them. Having this in mind, we could understand that students develop their knowledge through the construction of mental models, which help them to develop scientific reasoning and make decisions, being the basis of individual behaviors. In this context, it is assume that the use of methodologies that enable students to restructure their mental models to make them more consistent with the scientific models. Model-Based Learning is a methodology that allows students to construct their knowledge, through the manipulation of models that promote an autonomous, dynamic, motivating and meaningful learning. Based on Model-Based Learning it was developed an intervention program which included the manipulation of three types of models - computational model, physical model and a mixed model - that allows the study of the seismic effects on soils and buildings. This intervention program was applied to 20 graduation students from a public university in Portugal. This work aimed to analyze the development of 20 graduation students' knowledge about the natural hazards trough their answers in a pre and post-test, applied before and after the intervention program, where they could manipulate the three types of models to solve some problems related to seismological hazards. The analysis of the results led us to conclude that the post-test, applied after the intervention program, allows seeing a significant increase in students' knowledge, related to natural hazards. As so, the authors argue that the use of models should be more explored in science education, because they are important in the learning process, since they help students in the restructure of their mental models, to make them more congruent with the scientific models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of higher education students' unemployment and their complicated transition from educational institutions to labour market has been discussed both in scientific and political debate. And the identification of obstacles that impede higher education students' integration into labour market becomes one of the preconditions for searching effective ways of youth's employability. The qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the obstacles for Lithuanian higher education students' involvement into labour market indicated that the integration of into labour market of Lithuanian higher education students is impeded by inflexible studies' system, obstacles in labour market, the "passive drifting" behaviour of students along with their insufficient readiness for labour market and irrelevant career planning caused by the irrational profiling system in general education schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]