Fernandes, Sandra
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Fernandes
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Sandra
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Sandra Fernandes
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Sandra Raquel Gonçalves Fernandes - PhD in Education Sciences, specialization in Curriculum Development, at the University of Minho. Graduate degree in Education, by the same University. She is Associate Professor at the Department of Psychology and Education at Universidade Portucalense, Porto, Portugal. She is the Head of the Pedagogic Innovation Office (Gabinete de Inovação Pedagógica - GIP) at Universidade Portucalense, an institutional structure aimed to promote the quality of teaching and learning through pedagogical training and teacher professional development. She is the coordinator of the new Masters in Innovation in Education, created in 2023. She coordinated the Masters in Education Administration and Management, from 2015 to 2023. She is an integrated member of Portucalense Institute of Psychology (I2P) at Portucalense University and an external collaborating member of the Research Center on Child Studies (CIEC) at the University of Minho. She is member of several national and international research projects, with public funding. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice and member of the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Education and Education Sciences (MDPI). She is a founding member and vice president of the Project Approaches in Engineering Education (PAEE) Association. Her research interests include Teacher Education, Higher Education, Curriculum Development, Education Administration and Management, Teacher Performance Assessment, Active Learning, Project-based Learning (PBL), Engineering Education, among others.
D617-2C98-5011
16315361800
Q-2679-2019Research Projects
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CINTESIS.UPT - Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde
Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias e Serviços de Saúde (CINTESIS.UPT), former I2P, is an R&D unit devoted to the study of cognition and behaviour in context. With an interdisciplinary focus, namely on Education, Translational and Applied Psychology
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Publication Open Access Teacher’s perspectives on collaboration and professional development in Portuguese schools2017 - Unas, Maria Manuela; Machado, Eusébio André; Fernandes, Maria Assunção Flores; Fernandes, SandraThis paper is part of a broader international research project, which includes eight case studies carried out in public schools in Portugal and in Chile. It is a comparative study, which aims to understand the way teachers describe formal and informal opportunities for collaboration in their schools and its effect in terms of practical knowledge; to identify the enablers and inhibitors that influence professional collaborative learning at school; to understand the role of teacher evaluation and student academic results on teacher's professional development; to analyse how teachers with differents skills, experiences and schools view their own professional development. In this case study, a public school, located in the north of Portugal, with sixty years of history, was selected. The participants in the study are teachers from different disciplinary areas and teaching departments. The school includes elementary and secondary school level, with regular and professional study programmes. Data collection is based on semi-structured interviews to the school director and to eight teachers, mainly coordinators of teaching departments. Results based on findings from teachers point out the importance of collaborative work, but they also recognize that schools need a reorganization that includes time for this purpose, integrated on teacher's schedule. Informal opportunities are also seen as fundamental for professional development and to improve student outcomes. Conclusions and implications for teacher collaboration and professional development will be discussed in the paper.Publication Open Access Performance appraisal of higher education teachers’ in information systems and technology: Models, practices and effects2018 - Ferreira-Oliveira, Ana Teresa; Santos, Joana; Fernandes, SandraDespite 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 integrate in the discussion about the teachers’ performance appraisal. Universities need to reflect about the retention of teachers with good and competitive performance appraisal systems. Also, performance appraisal models had been suffering a change in its theoretical and empirical relevance towards a process-based approach. This short paper presents a work in progress that intends to analyse the state of the art on teacher evaluation in Higher Education, specifically on Information Systems and Technology Teachers’, review national and international teacher evaluation frameworks in Higher Education, identify the main principles and assumptions underlying teacher evaluation models in Higher Education and characterize the existing models and practices of teacher evaluation, at national and international level, their main results and conclusions.Publication Open Access Active learning in higher education: Developing projects in partnership with industry2017 - Dinis-Carvalho, José; Lima, Rui M.; Costa-Lobo, Cristina; Fernandes, SandraProject Based Learning is an active learning approach with some good results perceived by students, academic staff and employers. A decade of experience and research at the Industrial Management and Engineering (IME) Integrated master programme at the University of Minho has provided strong evidence of its advantages and disadvantages. One of the PBL approaches being applied is based on projects in real contexts, where student teams must analyse and improve aspects of production systems in different companies in the region. The soft skills development as well as the attractiveness of such projects for students are common topics to be explored in such type of initiatives. The objective of this paper is to collect evidence on how such real context projects can be effective in developing specific technical knowledge on students. The technical knowledge covered in this article is based on the curricular unit “Production Systems Organization II” of the 7th semester of the IME programme. Data collection was based on the application of questionnaire to students involved in this semester (n=62). The results show that student perceptions on the effect of the project is, in average, considered “important” (4 in a Likert scale) and that the learning outcomes mostly influenced by the project are related to issues such as the nature of the project and the typology of the company. More complex production systems with complex production flows, high variety of products and more process steps together with more skilled management people, seem to bring better results in student’s understanding of the learning outcomes developed with the project.Publication Open Access University-Business Cooperation: Development of a Strategic School Unit at ESTG/IPVC2018 - Silva, Goretti; Ferreira-Oliveira, Ana Teresa; Santos, Joana; Domingues, Nuno; Fernandes, SandraThe goal of this paper is to discuss the practical challenges found in the operationalization of University-Business Cooperation (UBC) strategies, based on a contextualized example of a at Escola Superior de Technologia e Gestão (ESTG), the technologic school of Polytechnic Institut of Viana do Castelo (IPVC). The paper describes the process of development and implementation of a UBC unit, establishing broad range of partnerships with public, private and voluntary sector organisations, wich aims at fostering and strengthening the relationship between science and organisations. This Unit emerged from an organizational attempt to aggregate several Cooperation initiatives, including PBL Projects taking place within diverse courses, and enhance the possibility to create a strategic school “unit” in accordance with international recommendations in the field of UBC. The unit intends to consistently establish the conditions for cooperation between academia and organizations, providing guidance and strengthening efforts in the value chain between higher education and organizations. In general, the unit activities aim at maintaining high levels of strategic orientation, enhancing the development of student’s skills., whilst contributing to social and economic development. It intends to encourage and promote knowledge sharing and transfer, create partnerships and long-term opportunities, developing and increasing students' creativity and innovation, through proven methods such as active teaching-learning methods, and therefore, increasing students’ employability. These activities require the acquisition of knowledge associated with the development of an entrepreneurial stance, whilst supporting and promoting the diversification of sources of financing higher education. Simultaneously, this approach will provide a judicious and sustained development of the professional relationships and the work environment within and outside the school. In this School, different courses have established partnerships with several organisations since a long time, creating the necessary conditions for project-based learning approaches, and for the development of students’ employability skills. However, these initiatives were carried out by teachers and courses, on a voluntary and independent basis. This paper presents the development process and organization of a UBC unit and describes the different hubs that are being proposed. Critical factors to take into consideration for the success and improvement of UBC initiatives will be discussed and pointed out, in the light of the existing literature in this field.Publication Restricted Access Teacher's experiences in PBL: implications for practice2015-03 - Alves, Anabela C.; Sousa, Rui M.; Cardoso, Elisabete P. C.; Carvalho, M. Alice; Figueiredo, Jorge Manuel; Pereira, Rui M. S.; Fernandes, SandraProject-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 practices in higher education. For data collection, the research method used was written narratives to these teachers, at the end of the PBL semester. Findings suggest that teachers express a positive view of PBL as a learning approach. They identify student motivation and engagement, along with a better understanding of the application of concepts in real-life situations, as important outcomes of the project for students. Besides this, teachers also highlight the importance of the development of transversal skills by students throughout the project. Recommendations for future work and implications for practice will also be discussed.Publication Restricted Access Tutorias autorregulatórias e promoção do sucesso escolar: O papel da mediação e envolvimento familiar [abstract]2023-07-19 - Pereira, Catarina Oliveira; Fernandes, SandraOs Planos de Desenvolvimento Pessoal, Social e Comunitário (PDPSC) integram uma das ações no domínio de atuação "+ Inclusão e Bem-estar", no âmbito da promoção do sucesso e inclusão educativos e do Plano 21|23 Escola+. [...]Publication Open Access Promoting assessment as learning in PBL: findings from blogs created by first year engineering students2022-07-06 - Alves, Anabela C.; Leão, Celina P.; Fernandes, SandraThis paper aims to present findings from first year engineering students involved in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach developed within the first cycle degree of Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) – University of Minho, Portugal. Student assessment in PBL includes both formative and summative assessment, with a variety of different methods and purposes. One of the assessment methods in this PBL approach is the creation of a blog by each project team with the purpose of providing student reflection of their work on a regular basis. The blog allows students to share evidence of the project journey, with particular focus on the student’s learning process. This idea is aligned with the concept of assessment as learning, where students are able to learn about themselves as learners and take responsibility for their own learning and monitor future directions. Based on the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative results from an online survey applied to students and the content analysis of each of the blogs, it is possible to conclude that the assessment task was considered as a positive learning experience for students. Quantitative data from the questionnaire show that the blog was a positive educational tool useful for: i) the organization and dissemination of the project team; ii) the selection of the project content and organization; iii) keeping an up-to-date record of the project's progress; iv) encouraging writing about project content and other curiosities. The qualitative data based on the content analysis of the blogs revealed students’ capacity to reflect upon their journey, by critically analysing the feelings, achievements, fears, thoughts, and future plans, throughout the thirteen weeks of the project duration.Publication Open Access Psychometric properties of the ScreenQ for measuring digital media use in Portuguese young children2022-10 - Monteiro, Rita; Hutton, John S.; Huang, Guixia; Ittenbach, Richard F.; Rocha, Nuno Barbosa; Fernandes, SandraAim 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 completed an online survey including the 16-item version of the ScreenQ and items related to home activities and digital media use. A combination of classical and modern theory (Rasch) methods was used for analysis. Results A total of 549 mothers and 51 fathers of 325 girls and 322 boys from 6 months to 9 years and 11 months old responded to the survey. Point-measure correlations were all positive and endorsement of item values were within acceptable ranges. Cronbach's coefficient α was acceptable for a new measure, and test–retest reliability was high. Statistically significant correlations were found between ScreenQ total scores and relevant demographic, play-related, parenting and digital media use items. Conclusion The Portuguese version of the ScreenQ exhibited sound psychometric properties, including internal consistency and concurrent validity referenced to external items. Higher ScreenQ scores were correlated with higher digital media multitasking, lower parent–child interaction, and higher concerns regarding child's learning and behaviour.Publication Open Access The role of Project-Based Learning (PBL) to promote the development of student's skills for Lifelong Learning [abstract]2024-08-01 - Fernandes, Sandra; Albuquerque, Ana Sílvia; Ferreira, Maria JoãoThis study analyses the impact of Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the development of lifelong learning skills among first-year students at Portucalense University enrolled in the Social Education bachelor's program. [...]Publication Restricted Access Integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the curriculum: Findings based on the analysis of higher education programmes2023-07 - Barros, Elisabete; Morais, Paula; Fernandes, Sandra; Araújo, Alexandra M.; Albuquerque, Ana SílviaHigher education institutions play a vital role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, the integration of SDGs in higher education curriculum and pedagogic practices is essential to ensure that students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to address complex social and environmental challenges and promote sustainable development in their personal and professional lives. This study aims to investigate the extent to which higher education programmes integrate SDGs into their curricula. The research was conducted in a private higher education institution located in the north of Portugal. In this context, faculty training was developed as an institutional strategy to facilitate the incorporation of SDGs in higher education policies and practices. The study was based on a mixed-methods approach, including content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The content analysis was performed on the course outlines of selected graduate programmes from three different fields of study: business, engineering, and social sciences. To complement the content analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with faculty members responsible for curriculum design in the selected programmes. The preliminary results show that there is a growing trend in the integration of SDGs in the curriculum, especially in courses from the social sciences field. This integration is mainly focused on awareness-raising rather than action-oriented learning. The interviews, to be carried out in the second phase of the study, will allow to identify the main barriers and challenges to effective integration. The study also highlights the need for greater faculty support to effectively integrate the SDGs into the curriculum. The research contributes to the literature on SDGs integration in higher education and provides insights for policymakers, curriculum designers, and faculty members to better address the challenges and opportunities in sustainability education and the importance of educating students on sustainability issues.