The role of lifelong learning (LLL) in the creation of a european knowledge- based society

This chapter appears in Encyclopaedia of Human Resources Information Systems: Challenges in e-HRM edited by Torres-Coronas, T. and Arias-Oliva, M. Copyright 2009, IGI Global, www.igi-global.com. Posted by permission of the publisher. URL:http://www.igi-pub.com/reference/details.asp?id=7737

The development of a knowledge-based society - Challenges for e-learning and adult students in higher education

This chapter appears in Encyclopaedia of Distance Learning 2nd Edition edit by Rogers, P.; Berg, Gary; Boettecher, Judith V.; Howard, Caroline; Justice, Lorraine; Schenk, Karen D.. Copyright 2009, IGI Global, www.igi-global.com. Posted by permission of the publisher. URL: http://www.igi-global.com/reference/ details.asp?ID=9703&v=tableOfContents

The impact of firm-promoted accreditation of prior learning processes on the worker-organization relationship

The process of Competences Recognition, Validation and Certification , also known as Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), is an innovative means of attaining school certificates for individuals without an academic background. The main objective of this process is to validate what people have learned in informal contexts, in order to attribute academic certificates. With the increasing interest of the qualification of workers and governmental support, more and more Portuguese organizations promote this process within their facilities and their work hours. This study explores the relationship between the promotion of this Human Resource Development Programme and employee’s attitudes (Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment) and behaviours (Extra-role Organizational Citizenship Behaviours) towards the organization they work for. Results of a cross-sectional survey of Portuguese Industrial Workers (N=135) showed that statistical significant results are in the higher levels of Voice Behaviours (a dimension of Extra-role Organizational Citizenship Behaviour in the groups of workers who were involved or had graduated from the firm promoted APL process.

Building a knowledge and learning society in Portugal - Adult students in technological schools and higher education institutions

Chapter in Merrill, Barbara (ed.) (2009) Learning to Change? The Role of Identity and Learning Careers in Adult Education. Hamburg: Peter Lang Publishers. URL: http://www.peterlang.com/ index.cfm?vID=58279&vLang=E&vHR=1&vUR=2&vUUR=1

Recommending media content based on machine learning methods

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

O e-learning na manutenção industrial uma proposta de e-learning aplicada à manutenção produtiva total

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Reflections on the legal framework for relations between cooperatives and subsidiaries.

In the light of Portuguese legal system, cooperative enterprises may include an enterprise carried out by a subsidiary, provided they conform to certain requirements. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the issue of the legal framework of the relationship between the cooperative and the subsidiary. There are several problems to be addressed in this paper: (i) How to qualify such a relationship since corresponding to mere investments made by the cooperative? Should it be classified as non-member cooperative transactions or as extraordinary activities? (ii) How to qualify such a relationship when related to the development of preparatory or complementary activities for the economic activity developed between the cooperative and its members? May we speak, in this situation, of a concept of “indirect mutuality”, as provided in other legal systems? (iii) How should we classify and what is the regime of the economic results from the activity developed by the subsidiary? We will conclude, advocating: (i) That the cooperative enterprise may include an enterprise carried out by a subsidiary if this is deemed necessary to satisfy the interests of the members; (ii) The inadmissibility of the concept of “indirect mutuality”; (iii) The inadequacy of qualifying the legal relationship between the cooperative partner (iv) The application, to the economic results coming from the activity developed by the subsidiary, of the regime provided for in the Portuguese Cooperative Code to the results from non-member cooperative transactions; (v) The economic results coming from the activity developed by the subsidiary cannot be appropriated by individual co-operators members, and so should be allocated to indivisible reserves.

Students’ perceptions about assessment using an e-learning platform

ISCAP’s Information Systems Department is composed of about twenty teachers who have, for several years, been using an e-learning environment (Moodle) combined with traditional assessment. A new e-assessment strategy was implemented recently in order to evaluate a practical topic, the use of spreadsheets to solve management problems. This topic is common to several courses of different undergraduate degree programs. Being e-assessment an outstanding task regarding theoretical topics, it becomes even more challenging when the topics under evaluation are practical. In order to understand the implications of this new type of assessment from the viewpoint of the students, questionnaires and interviews were undertaken. In this paper the analysis of the questionnaires are presented and discussed.

Sovereignty and power relations in the thought of Marsilius of Padua and William of Ockham a comparison.

pp. 229-253

Portal ACFEL. Actividades Comuns de Formação e Educação e-Learning

Trabalho de Projecto apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Gestão de Sistemas e-Learning

Lutar por uma vida melhor

O presente trabalho pretende dar conta do projecto de investigação e intervenção social desenvolvido com uma família acompanhada no âmbito do Rendimento Social de Inserção (RSI). Parte, em termos teóricos, da complexidade e variabilidade do trabalho social, considerando as suas diferentes visões e a sua construção social, destacando a existência de diferentes forças que constroem e influenciam a acção psicossocial. Enfatiza, em função das fragilidades do modelo tradicional de intervenção, a necessidade dos profissionais repensarem e qualificarem as suas intervenções e, ainda, a importância do modelo de relação de ajuda e da abordagem sistémica no desenvolvimento do trabalho psicossocial e educativo desenvolvido pelos educadores sociais. O projecto desenvolvido assenta no paradigma emergente, constituindo uma investigação qualitativa, orientada por uma metodologia de investigação-acção participativa. Estas opções metodológicas permitiram o desenvolvimento de um trabalho plenamente cooperativo, que partiu dos seus participantes, das suas circunstâncias reais, ou seja, dos problemas concretos da família, numa lógica de aproximação entre saberes. Foi desenvolvido com a finalidade de promover a melhoria da qualidade de vida da família, nomeadamente ao nível da habitação, educação e relações familiares e permitiu, em linhas gerais, que a família adquirisse maior poder de decisão sobre a sua vida, expectativas mais positivas relativamente ao futuro, interacções familiares mais positivas e uma crescente consciência da importância de um maior envolvimento e empenho nas questões relacionadas com a escola e com as aprendizagens escolares.

A learning environment for robotic production line simulation

This paper presents a framework for a robotic production line simulation learning environment using Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGV). An eLearning platform is used as interface with the simulator. The objective is to introduce students to the production robotics area using a familiar tool, an eLearning platform, and a framework that simulates a production line using AGVs. This framework allows students to learn about robotics but also about several areas of industrial management engineering without requiring an extensive prior knowledge on the robotics area. The robotic production line simulation learning environment simulates a production environment using AGVs to transport materials to and from the production line. The simulator allows students to validate the AGV dynamics and provides information about the whole materials supplying system which includes: supply times, route optimization and inventory management. The students are required to address several topics such as: sensors, actuators, controllers and an high level management and optimization software. This simulator was developed with a known open source tool from robotics community: Player/Stage. This tool was extended with several add-ons so that students can be able to interact with a complex simulation environment. These add-ons include an abstraction communication layer that performs events provided by the database server which is programmed by the students. An eLearning platform is used as interface between the students and the simulator. The students can visualize the effects of their instructions/programming in the simulator that they can access via the eLearning platform. The proposed framework aims to allow students from different backgrounds to fully experience robotics in practice by suppressing the huge gap between theory and practice that exists in robotics. Using an eLearning platform eliminates installation problems that can occur from different computers software distribution and makes the simulator accessible by all students at school and at home.

Innovations in technology: a friendly math project and the learning analytics “challenge”

Currently the world around us "reboots" every minute and “staying at the forefront” seems to be a very arduous task. The continuous and “speeded” progress of society requires, from all the actors, a dynamic and efficient attitude both in terms progress monitoring and moving adaptation. With regard to education, no matter how updated we are in relation to the contents, the didactic strategies and technological resources, we are inevitably compelled to adapt to new paradigms and rethink the traditional teaching methods. It is in this context that the contribution of e-learning platforms arises. Here teachers and students have at their disposal new ways to enhance the teaching and learning process, and these platforms are seen, at the present time, as significant virtual teaching and learning supporting environments. This paper presents a Project and attempts to illustrate the potential that new technologies present as a “backing” tool in different stages of teaching and learning at different levels and areas of knowledge, particularly in Mathematics. We intend to promote a constructive discussion moment, exposing our actual perception - that the use of the Learning Management System Moodle, by Higher Education teachers, as supplementary teaching-learning environment for virtual classroom sessions can contribute for greater efficiency and effectiveness of teaching practice and to improve student achievement. Regarding the Learning analytics experience we will present a few results obtained with some assessment Learning Analytics tools, where we profoundly felt that the assessment of students’ performance in online learning environments is a challenging and demanding task.