This paper aims to discuss the importance of trust in higher education management and organizatio... more This paper aims to discuss the importance of trust in higher education management and organizational culture, in some of its advantages but also limitations. Received: 23 September 2021 / Accepted: 11 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic is, currently, the focus of all personal and collective actions at the soci... more The COVID-19 pandemic is, currently, the focus of all personal and collective actions at the social, cultural, economic, political and religious levels, among other dimensions of human life. This Letter to the Editor focuses on the overwhelming existence of fake news directly related to COVID-19, which permeate social networks and even the media, where journalists should act as gatekeepers and not fake-keepers. The methodology used in the collection and selection of data consisted of bibliographic research, in international databases, of publications on the topic under study and their content analysis. The results allow concluding that there is a need to promote scientific literacy in the general population but especially among journalists themselves. Received: 30 November 2020 / Accepted: 8 January 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021
Digitalization is unstoppable and takes place in all domains of human life. One of the areas in w... more Digitalization is unstoppable and takes place in all domains of human life. One of the areas in which this digitalization has profound implications is organizations, understood as coordinated collective units open to the external environment and that are based on and justified by the fulfillment of purposes that would not otherwise be fulfilled, and that have an organizational culture as, generically, forms of thinking, feeling and acting that are characteristics of each specific organization. Through a focused look on contributions to the definition of the concept of digitalization and future challenges, this paper analyzes and discusses the shaping of the digital component in organizational culture, which materializes in a digital organizational culture. To fulfill this aim, a document search of papers was carried out in two comprehensive databases that focus on this topic that served as the basis for our argument. Digital organizational culture, as a product and a process, is sha...
The pandemic caused by COVID-19 (either through its direct effects by the disease it causes or th... more The pandemic caused by COVID-19 (either through its direct effects by the disease it causes or the measures taken in an attempt to control its spread) had, and still has, a profound effect at several levels beyond the medical, such as the economic and social, political, scientific, psychological, educational, legal and religious levels, among others. However, studies demonstrate that this influence has not been the same for all due to old inequalities and also the emergence of new inequalities. In this letter to the Editor, the authors discuss some of the contributions of the Social Sciences to the understanding of social inequalities in this new post-COVID-19 “normal” through the mobilization of relevant literature and also their experience in analysing COVID-19 with the eyes of the Social Sciences, notwithstanding their plurality. The results of this analysis allow concluding that the Social Sciences can make a very relevant contribution – in an interdisciplinary way – to the unde...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021
The production and presentation for public discussion of an end-of-programme project, thesis or d... more The production and presentation for public discussion of an end-of-programme project, thesis or dissertation are unavoidable elements for the conclusion of academic training in study programmes of various levels, namely bachelor’s, master’s and PhD. Although these end-of-programme projects may take on various forms, as well as different levels of demand, supervision in the production of these projects is one of the critical elements for their success. This article aims to analyse the supervision process, examining the supervision strategies that faculty members may mobilise in their role as academic supervisors. To this end, the authors carried out a bibliographic collection, which made it possible to substantiate the proposals set out throughout this piece of research. The results allow concluding that, to be effective and efficient, supervision strategies need to consider, as a basic assumption, that this is a pedagogical relationship, with asymmetric powers between the supervisor...
At a time of great dynamism among publishers of scientific publications, with the inevitability o... more At a time of great dynamism among publishers of scientific publications, with the inevitability of Open Access and the ease of publishing online at low cost, it is possible to find publications with different levels of scientific respectability. In this context, the improvement of the quality of scholarly publications emerges as a critical element for publishers, authors and academic institutions, as well as for society in general. This opinion piece discusses Open Access journals with different levels of quality, focusing on the following quality-promoting measures: blacklists, author’s preparation, and institutional prevention. The analysis allows concluding that the open review will be one of the key elements in the process of clarification and promotion of the level of quality and consequent scientific respectability of each of the Journals, of the thousands currently existing, a number that is likely to increase.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021
In today’s world, digitalization, the virtual and being permanently online become normality, corr... more In today’s world, digitalization, the virtual and being permanently online become normality, corresponding to individuals’ current and future expectations, with an increasing impact, without forgetting those excluded from this reality (digital divide). Society 5.0 seeks to foster this reality. As a concept initially political-ideological, Society 5.0 currently allows for the development of various analyses on this process of shaping a society where the digital is increasingly present at the service of sustainable social and economic development – a super-smart society. This paper aims to develop an analysis of the challenges that old and new potential social inequalities pose to social inclusion in this super-smart society. The methodology used in this study is qualitative. The authors carried out a search for publications in the field under study in several international databases and used the technique of content analysis. The results allow concluding that, while it is certain tha...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The need to demonstrate high organisational efficiency has become central. In this context, organ... more The need to demonstrate high organisational efficiency has become central. In this context, organisational assessment becomes a critical element, although the specificities of each organisation are indisputable and have to be considered in their assessment. This paper aims to reflect on a specific type of diagnostic assessment – SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) – in its potential, implementation and limitations and, thus, to add to the analysis of organisations. For this purpose, the methodology used was based on the researchers’ reflection and discussion of an empirical process of organisational diagnosis. The results of this reflection allow concluding that the SWOT diagnostic assessment needs to incorporate, in its systematic analysis, a prospective dimension to improve its efficiency in organisational strategy.
Digital technology is an increasingly present element in contemporary societies, being relevant i... more Digital technology is an increasingly present element in contemporary societies, being relevant in the reconfiguration of the contexts of reference for human action and in shaping the relationships between human and nonhuman actors. This opinion paper seeks to develop a theoretically-oriented reflection on sustainability digital innovations within the context of Society 5.0 and the inherent heuristic potentials of this relationship. To this end, the document analysis was chosen for the collection, selection and analysis of the literature on this topic. This analysis allowed concluding that there is the need to acknowledge that this is not just a socially neutral technological phenomenon and, therefore, to mobilise the appropriate instruments, both to maximise the efficiency of sustainability digital innovations and, more broadly, to successful development of a Society 5.0 desirably for all individuals.
The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has profound consequences on social, economic and cultural life w... more The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has profound consequences on social, economic and cultural life worldwide, and is affecting, throughout the world, the regular functioning of educational institutions at all levels, with their temporary shutdown and the impossibility of face-to-face classes. This study aims to add to the analysis of the implications of this context in the reformulation of education shaped by the digital. To fulfill this goal, the authors carried out a document collection, and also mobilized their experience in the research and teaching of this topic. It is concluded that these unforeseen circumstances may be a key moment of opportunity for reformulating teaching, with the implementation, development and dissemination among teachers and students of digital technologies in shaping a society that is, itself, increasingly digital, notably Society 5.0. To this end, and as main implications, the agents of the educational process, teachers and students, due to their traits and various reasons, will have to prepare for student-centered learning through the intentional and sensible mobilization of digital technologies in a complex process, in which each agent will be, ultimately, a critical content creator with enhanced digital literacy. In the contemporary digital society, the school needs to reinvent itself, which is even more pressing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Aspects such as training, internet access infrastructure, hardware and software, digital literacy, and students and academics' teaching and learning strategies are essential. The school offers, thus, a critical contribution to social cohesion and social equity through digital inclusion in education for sustainable development.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The academic editor has been, and still is, the gatekeeper of peer-reviewed scientific publicatio... more The academic editor has been, and still is, the gatekeeper of peer-reviewed scientific publications, by being whom, ultimately, defines whether or not a manuscript can be published. At a time of profound transformation in the context of scientific publication (digital publishing, open access, preprint, open peer review,...) and the expectations, inside and outside academia, towards academic publication, this perspective paper aims to add to the discussion of the (re)formulation of the academic editor’s role, considering that he or she, in this panoply of changes, continues, and will continue to be, the ultimate guardian of the scientific quality of what is published.
Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 2020
Currently, there is an increase in online organizational engagement in the academic profession. T... more Currently, there is an increase in online organizational engagement in the academic profession. This paper fits in this context and aims to analyze the scholar's online organizational engagement in higher education sustainability. For that purpose, the authors carried out a collection and documentary analysis of publications on this topic. The results of this conceptual analysis allow concluding that some academics may perceive the requirements for online engagement as excessive. These academics question the confidence they have in their institution and, consequently, the psychological contract itself and the distinction between professional life and personal and family life, which they may perceive as a new form of control and monitoring. However, it is worth highlighting the difference in expectations between academics themselves, caused, among other factors, by the type of contractual experience and by their digital literacy, as well as by their ideological representations about the academic profession and, consequently, in the relative importance of their professional autonomy. In this scenario, the pre-and initial organizational socialization processes are critical in the (re)definition of the psychological contract of scholar's online organizational engagement in the context of higher education sustainability.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2019
In the contemporary context, there is a growing practice of reading higher education teaching sup... more In the contemporary context, there is a growing practice of reading higher education teaching support material using digital media tools, via scrolling text on a screen on multiple devices (e.g. tablets, iPads and computers). These materials can be either specifically prepared digital texts or scanned printed texts, as opposed to the tradition of reading on paper. Thus, the following question emerges, which functions as the leitmotiv of the present study: what is the pedagogical potential of digital reading by scrolling text? In order to answer this question, we analysed a variety of information addressing this topic, which was collected from multiple sources. The analysis of this information allows concluding that, sometimes, rather than by the intentionality or pedagogical potential of the academic learning reading processes, this practice seems to be justified by the possibility of implementing a technology that tends to meet the actors' expectations (mainly students). There is the need for some caution in the mobilisation of digital reading in each specific situation, insofar as this reading is not alwaysnecessarily and under any circumstance-the most fruitful. Besides the specificities that differentiate digital reading from printed reading (such as concentration and the relationship with new technologies), students' traits, their motivation, their knowledge about the use of the reading device or the type of digital document are some of the key elements to take into account for the success of learning through this reading process in academic learning, which, in addition, cannot overlook the importance of the type of teacher-student relationship established.
The emergence of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the end of 2019 changed the face of t... more The emergence of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the end of 2019 changed the face of the world. Deep consequences are being felt across the whole world at all levels. This opinion piece aims to provide a picture of the Portuguese educational scenario, specifically the impact of COVID-19 in education and government measures to mitigate it, the hindrances and the challenges ahead.
Social media, including digital social networks, runs through a large part of society. This posit... more Social media, including digital social networks, runs through a large part of society. This position paper analyses the social media centrality in identity (re)construction in higher education, seeking to add to the understanding of the social media’s role in the identity, both in the individual dimension – of several higher education actors (academics and students) – and in the identity of higher education institutions. In methodological terms, a selection and review of publications addressing this topic were conducted. Results allow concluding that it is critical to consider the growing relevance of digital social networks in shaping these actors’ identity, without disregarding the individual situations of great limitation or even rejection by the presence of digital social networks in identity (re)construction. Regarding the implications, at the theoretical level and according to the existing corpus of knowledge, there is a need for further studies to deepen the understanding of ...
Currently, the digital dimension permeates the daily activity of many professions, with all that ... more Currently, the digital dimension permeates the daily activity of many professions, with all that this entails, in terms of advantages, disadvantages and challenges. The academic world is not immune to these new technological, political and social conditions and new instigations and situations emerge, which need to be studied. This article seeks to answer the following research question: Is the academic profession undergoing a process of increasing proletarianisation, which is influenced by the new universities' mission (in a broad way), in the sense of unprofessionalisation, or are there new conditions for academics' re-professionalisation experienced as a challenge? A meta-analysis of publications that focus directly on this topic was conducted through a conceptual analysis of the most recent literature addressing this topic. It is concluded that, in general, and notwithstanding institutional, local, regional, national and international specificities, there is some degree of academic's unprofessionalisation resulting from an increase in the functions ascribed to him/her by the political dimension that, in a context of increasing instability and control of his/her activity through the quantity and intensity of the functions to be conducted, may call into question academic autonomy, a basic foundation of the University. However, and concurrently, there is a new context which could, under certain conditions, foster the enormous challenge of re-professionalisation. As an implication of this work, there is a need to rethink this situation, which, if continued and deepened, will threaten the academic profession in some of its central dimensions, which may jeopardise the future sustainable development of our societies.
The transition from high school to higher education assumes a major role in high adolescence and ... more The transition from high school to higher education assumes a major role in high adolescence and it is presumed as a very pleasant life experience to students. Nevertheless, the impact of such transition cannot be predicted with accuracy, as it is mediated, not only by students' psychosocial variables but also by their expectations. In fact, the quality of the transition experience is deeply influenced by the clash between what freshmen expect from and what they actually find in higher education. Literature draws attention to the relationships between the initial experiences of students as they begin their higher education and how they perform subsequently. This research focused on the transition to higher education, approaching freshmen's personal and developmental variables. In Portugal, the new student's reception is ritualized by tradition and involves the organisation of an entire integration ceremony (known as praxe) proposed by peers. This paper argues that initiation practices in Portuguese higher education can be regarded as a transition ritual, a group of symbolic activities that brand the shift from secondary to tertiary education. For that, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted, using content analysis as a privileged tool. The target population for this study is composed of 43 first-year students enrolled in Engineering, who had been attending higher education for six months. The sample was composed of 30 students. The chosen method for data collection was a semi-structured interview, which presented topics and questions to the interviewee, without leading him/her toward preconceived choices. Thus, students were questioned about their perceptions concerning the way they experienced the transition to higher education. Data analysis was performed through content analysis, privileging the semantic approach over the syntactic one. Transcripts were coded according to themes and analysed using a constant comparison approach [1]. The data were coded by paragraph and sentence as proposed by Strauss and Corbin [2]. Participants' own categories were tabulated as suggested by Silverman [3]. Results confirm that transition to higher education is actually perceived by students as a true-life transition. However, this life transition is experienced differently according to students' sociocultural background, which influences both the symbolic impact of enrolment in higher education and their expectations about it. The conceptualization of higher education enrolment as a true-life transition and the methodological study design are the features that highlight the present paper in the higher education scientific arena.
This paper aims to discuss the importance of trust in higher education management and organizatio... more This paper aims to discuss the importance of trust in higher education management and organizational culture, in some of its advantages but also limitations. Received: 23 September 2021 / Accepted: 11 November 2021 / Published: 3 January 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic is, currently, the focus of all personal and collective actions at the soci... more The COVID-19 pandemic is, currently, the focus of all personal and collective actions at the social, cultural, economic, political and religious levels, among other dimensions of human life. This Letter to the Editor focuses on the overwhelming existence of fake news directly related to COVID-19, which permeate social networks and even the media, where journalists should act as gatekeepers and not fake-keepers. The methodology used in the collection and selection of data consisted of bibliographic research, in international databases, of publications on the topic under study and their content analysis. The results allow concluding that there is a need to promote scientific literacy in the general population but especially among journalists themselves. Received: 30 November 2020 / Accepted: 8 January 2021 / Published: 5 March 2021
Digitalization is unstoppable and takes place in all domains of human life. One of the areas in w... more Digitalization is unstoppable and takes place in all domains of human life. One of the areas in which this digitalization has profound implications is organizations, understood as coordinated collective units open to the external environment and that are based on and justified by the fulfillment of purposes that would not otherwise be fulfilled, and that have an organizational culture as, generically, forms of thinking, feeling and acting that are characteristics of each specific organization. Through a focused look on contributions to the definition of the concept of digitalization and future challenges, this paper analyzes and discusses the shaping of the digital component in organizational culture, which materializes in a digital organizational culture. To fulfill this aim, a document search of papers was carried out in two comprehensive databases that focus on this topic that served as the basis for our argument. Digital organizational culture, as a product and a process, is sha...
The pandemic caused by COVID-19 (either through its direct effects by the disease it causes or th... more The pandemic caused by COVID-19 (either through its direct effects by the disease it causes or the measures taken in an attempt to control its spread) had, and still has, a profound effect at several levels beyond the medical, such as the economic and social, political, scientific, psychological, educational, legal and religious levels, among others. However, studies demonstrate that this influence has not been the same for all due to old inequalities and also the emergence of new inequalities. In this letter to the Editor, the authors discuss some of the contributions of the Social Sciences to the understanding of social inequalities in this new post-COVID-19 “normal” through the mobilization of relevant literature and also their experience in analysing COVID-19 with the eyes of the Social Sciences, notwithstanding their plurality. The results of this analysis allow concluding that the Social Sciences can make a very relevant contribution – in an interdisciplinary way – to the unde...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021
The production and presentation for public discussion of an end-of-programme project, thesis or d... more The production and presentation for public discussion of an end-of-programme project, thesis or dissertation are unavoidable elements for the conclusion of academic training in study programmes of various levels, namely bachelor’s, master’s and PhD. Although these end-of-programme projects may take on various forms, as well as different levels of demand, supervision in the production of these projects is one of the critical elements for their success. This article aims to analyse the supervision process, examining the supervision strategies that faculty members may mobilise in their role as academic supervisors. To this end, the authors carried out a bibliographic collection, which made it possible to substantiate the proposals set out throughout this piece of research. The results allow concluding that, to be effective and efficient, supervision strategies need to consider, as a basic assumption, that this is a pedagogical relationship, with asymmetric powers between the supervisor...
At a time of great dynamism among publishers of scientific publications, with the inevitability o... more At a time of great dynamism among publishers of scientific publications, with the inevitability of Open Access and the ease of publishing online at low cost, it is possible to find publications with different levels of scientific respectability. In this context, the improvement of the quality of scholarly publications emerges as a critical element for publishers, authors and academic institutions, as well as for society in general. This opinion piece discusses Open Access journals with different levels of quality, focusing on the following quality-promoting measures: blacklists, author’s preparation, and institutional prevention. The analysis allows concluding that the open review will be one of the key elements in the process of clarification and promotion of the level of quality and consequent scientific respectability of each of the Journals, of the thousands currently existing, a number that is likely to increase.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2021
In today’s world, digitalization, the virtual and being permanently online become normality, corr... more In today’s world, digitalization, the virtual and being permanently online become normality, corresponding to individuals’ current and future expectations, with an increasing impact, without forgetting those excluded from this reality (digital divide). Society 5.0 seeks to foster this reality. As a concept initially political-ideological, Society 5.0 currently allows for the development of various analyses on this process of shaping a society where the digital is increasingly present at the service of sustainable social and economic development – a super-smart society. This paper aims to develop an analysis of the challenges that old and new potential social inequalities pose to social inclusion in this super-smart society. The methodology used in this study is qualitative. The authors carried out a search for publications in the field under study in several international databases and used the technique of content analysis. The results allow concluding that, while it is certain tha...
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The need to demonstrate high organisational efficiency has become central. In this context, organ... more The need to demonstrate high organisational efficiency has become central. In this context, organisational assessment becomes a critical element, although the specificities of each organisation are indisputable and have to be considered in their assessment. This paper aims to reflect on a specific type of diagnostic assessment – SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) – in its potential, implementation and limitations and, thus, to add to the analysis of organisations. For this purpose, the methodology used was based on the researchers’ reflection and discussion of an empirical process of organisational diagnosis. The results of this reflection allow concluding that the SWOT diagnostic assessment needs to incorporate, in its systematic analysis, a prospective dimension to improve its efficiency in organisational strategy.
Digital technology is an increasingly present element in contemporary societies, being relevant i... more Digital technology is an increasingly present element in contemporary societies, being relevant in the reconfiguration of the contexts of reference for human action and in shaping the relationships between human and nonhuman actors. This opinion paper seeks to develop a theoretically-oriented reflection on sustainability digital innovations within the context of Society 5.0 and the inherent heuristic potentials of this relationship. To this end, the document analysis was chosen for the collection, selection and analysis of the literature on this topic. This analysis allowed concluding that there is the need to acknowledge that this is not just a socially neutral technological phenomenon and, therefore, to mobilise the appropriate instruments, both to maximise the efficiency of sustainability digital innovations and, more broadly, to successful development of a Society 5.0 desirably for all individuals.
The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has profound consequences on social, economic and cultural life w... more The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has profound consequences on social, economic and cultural life worldwide, and is affecting, throughout the world, the regular functioning of educational institutions at all levels, with their temporary shutdown and the impossibility of face-to-face classes. This study aims to add to the analysis of the implications of this context in the reformulation of education shaped by the digital. To fulfill this goal, the authors carried out a document collection, and also mobilized their experience in the research and teaching of this topic. It is concluded that these unforeseen circumstances may be a key moment of opportunity for reformulating teaching, with the implementation, development and dissemination among teachers and students of digital technologies in shaping a society that is, itself, increasingly digital, notably Society 5.0. To this end, and as main implications, the agents of the educational process, teachers and students, due to their traits and various reasons, will have to prepare for student-centered learning through the intentional and sensible mobilization of digital technologies in a complex process, in which each agent will be, ultimately, a critical content creator with enhanced digital literacy. In the contemporary digital society, the school needs to reinvent itself, which is even more pressing with the Covid-19 pandemic. Aspects such as training, internet access infrastructure, hardware and software, digital literacy, and students and academics' teaching and learning strategies are essential. The school offers, thus, a critical contribution to social cohesion and social equity through digital inclusion in education for sustainable development.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2020
The academic editor has been, and still is, the gatekeeper of peer-reviewed scientific publicatio... more The academic editor has been, and still is, the gatekeeper of peer-reviewed scientific publications, by being whom, ultimately, defines whether or not a manuscript can be published. At a time of profound transformation in the context of scientific publication (digital publishing, open access, preprint, open peer review,...) and the expectations, inside and outside academia, towards academic publication, this perspective paper aims to add to the discussion of the (re)formulation of the academic editor’s role, considering that he or she, in this panoply of changes, continues, and will continue to be, the ultimate guardian of the scientific quality of what is published.
Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, 2020
Currently, there is an increase in online organizational engagement in the academic profession. T... more Currently, there is an increase in online organizational engagement in the academic profession. This paper fits in this context and aims to analyze the scholar's online organizational engagement in higher education sustainability. For that purpose, the authors carried out a collection and documentary analysis of publications on this topic. The results of this conceptual analysis allow concluding that some academics may perceive the requirements for online engagement as excessive. These academics question the confidence they have in their institution and, consequently, the psychological contract itself and the distinction between professional life and personal and family life, which they may perceive as a new form of control and monitoring. However, it is worth highlighting the difference in expectations between academics themselves, caused, among other factors, by the type of contractual experience and by their digital literacy, as well as by their ideological representations about the academic profession and, consequently, in the relative importance of their professional autonomy. In this scenario, the pre-and initial organizational socialization processes are critical in the (re)definition of the psychological contract of scholar's online organizational engagement in the context of higher education sustainability.
Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2019
In the contemporary context, there is a growing practice of reading higher education teaching sup... more In the contemporary context, there is a growing practice of reading higher education teaching support material using digital media tools, via scrolling text on a screen on multiple devices (e.g. tablets, iPads and computers). These materials can be either specifically prepared digital texts or scanned printed texts, as opposed to the tradition of reading on paper. Thus, the following question emerges, which functions as the leitmotiv of the present study: what is the pedagogical potential of digital reading by scrolling text? In order to answer this question, we analysed a variety of information addressing this topic, which was collected from multiple sources. The analysis of this information allows concluding that, sometimes, rather than by the intentionality or pedagogical potential of the academic learning reading processes, this practice seems to be justified by the possibility of implementing a technology that tends to meet the actors' expectations (mainly students). There is the need for some caution in the mobilisation of digital reading in each specific situation, insofar as this reading is not alwaysnecessarily and under any circumstance-the most fruitful. Besides the specificities that differentiate digital reading from printed reading (such as concentration and the relationship with new technologies), students' traits, their motivation, their knowledge about the use of the reading device or the type of digital document are some of the key elements to take into account for the success of learning through this reading process in academic learning, which, in addition, cannot overlook the importance of the type of teacher-student relationship established.
The emergence of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the end of 2019 changed the face of t... more The emergence of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the end of 2019 changed the face of the world. Deep consequences are being felt across the whole world at all levels. This opinion piece aims to provide a picture of the Portuguese educational scenario, specifically the impact of COVID-19 in education and government measures to mitigate it, the hindrances and the challenges ahead.
Social media, including digital social networks, runs through a large part of society. This posit... more Social media, including digital social networks, runs through a large part of society. This position paper analyses the social media centrality in identity (re)construction in higher education, seeking to add to the understanding of the social media’s role in the identity, both in the individual dimension – of several higher education actors (academics and students) – and in the identity of higher education institutions. In methodological terms, a selection and review of publications addressing this topic were conducted. Results allow concluding that it is critical to consider the growing relevance of digital social networks in shaping these actors’ identity, without disregarding the individual situations of great limitation or even rejection by the presence of digital social networks in identity (re)construction. Regarding the implications, at the theoretical level and according to the existing corpus of knowledge, there is a need for further studies to deepen the understanding of ...
Currently, the digital dimension permeates the daily activity of many professions, with all that ... more Currently, the digital dimension permeates the daily activity of many professions, with all that this entails, in terms of advantages, disadvantages and challenges. The academic world is not immune to these new technological, political and social conditions and new instigations and situations emerge, which need to be studied. This article seeks to answer the following research question: Is the academic profession undergoing a process of increasing proletarianisation, which is influenced by the new universities' mission (in a broad way), in the sense of unprofessionalisation, or are there new conditions for academics' re-professionalisation experienced as a challenge? A meta-analysis of publications that focus directly on this topic was conducted through a conceptual analysis of the most recent literature addressing this topic. It is concluded that, in general, and notwithstanding institutional, local, regional, national and international specificities, there is some degree of academic's unprofessionalisation resulting from an increase in the functions ascribed to him/her by the political dimension that, in a context of increasing instability and control of his/her activity through the quantity and intensity of the functions to be conducted, may call into question academic autonomy, a basic foundation of the University. However, and concurrently, there is a new context which could, under certain conditions, foster the enormous challenge of re-professionalisation. As an implication of this work, there is a need to rethink this situation, which, if continued and deepened, will threaten the academic profession in some of its central dimensions, which may jeopardise the future sustainable development of our societies.
The transition from high school to higher education assumes a major role in high adolescence and ... more The transition from high school to higher education assumes a major role in high adolescence and it is presumed as a very pleasant life experience to students. Nevertheless, the impact of such transition cannot be predicted with accuracy, as it is mediated, not only by students' psychosocial variables but also by their expectations. In fact, the quality of the transition experience is deeply influenced by the clash between what freshmen expect from and what they actually find in higher education. Literature draws attention to the relationships between the initial experiences of students as they begin their higher education and how they perform subsequently. This research focused on the transition to higher education, approaching freshmen's personal and developmental variables. In Portugal, the new student's reception is ritualized by tradition and involves the organisation of an entire integration ceremony (known as praxe) proposed by peers. This paper argues that initiation practices in Portuguese higher education can be regarded as a transition ritual, a group of symbolic activities that brand the shift from secondary to tertiary education. For that, a qualitative methodological approach was adopted, using content analysis as a privileged tool. The target population for this study is composed of 43 first-year students enrolled in Engineering, who had been attending higher education for six months. The sample was composed of 30 students. The chosen method for data collection was a semi-structured interview, which presented topics and questions to the interviewee, without leading him/her toward preconceived choices. Thus, students were questioned about their perceptions concerning the way they experienced the transition to higher education. Data analysis was performed through content analysis, privileging the semantic approach over the syntactic one. Transcripts were coded according to themes and analysed using a constant comparison approach [1]. The data were coded by paragraph and sentence as proposed by Strauss and Corbin [2]. Participants' own categories were tabulated as suggested by Silverman [3]. Results confirm that transition to higher education is actually perceived by students as a true-life transition. However, this life transition is experienced differently according to students' sociocultural background, which influences both the symbolic impact of enrolment in higher education and their expectations about it. The conceptualization of higher education enrolment as a true-life transition and the methodological study design are the features that highlight the present paper in the higher education scientific arena.
At a time when the labour market is blocked and simultaneously rapidly changing, with the emergen... more At a time when the labour market is blocked and simultaneously rapidly changing, with the emergence of new professional and scientific areas, the higher education mission becomes less indisputable and more indeterminate and challenging. This uncertainty was the leitmotiv for this essay, which aims to discuss the importance of attaining transversal competences in higher education. To achieve this goal, a bibliographical research was carried out on the attention that is currently given by higher education institutions to this topic, how they respond to the need for increasingly more transversal training and how they develop a curriculum that meets these requirements. Thus, in methodological terms, a thorough research on the literature addressing the topic of transversal competences was carried out; subsequently, a document search was conducted and a qualitative review and analysis of the documents collected was performed to justify our stance. Our analysis allowed concluding that the context of indeterminacy regarding the future has variations, considering the geographical and political situation, the social context and the activity sector. Furthermore, attitudes, expectations and predispositions are also critical elements for the success of this process of transversal competences' attainment. This latter factor is central in this process, as there is often a gap between students' expectations regarding the competences they expect to attain in higher education and the proposals that frame their training at the micro, meso and macrosocial levels and which take the need to attain transversal competences in higher education for granted.
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Papers by Maria Sa