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The use of AI tools, particularly ChatGPT, has been widespread in recent years. Its application in education has been criticized by some and supported by others. In this article we present the case of a work carried out as part of a course unit in a computer science degree program in which the use of ChatGPT was not only encouraged but required. Students were asked to use this tool ethically and critically, comparing the results with bibliographical references. A questionnaire addressing students' perceptions about the work and ChatGPT usage was performed after delivering the task. Results showed that students were motivated to carry out the work and understood that its widespread use requires critical thinking and compliance with ethical principles. The teacher acknowledge that some students developed these competences while performing this task and were able to deliver a quality, well supported essay. The development of this competences was also identified by some students.

The phenomenon of student dropout in higher education presents significant challenges for students, higher education institutions, governments, and society. The present study focuses on the dropout rates within the engineering programmes at one school of engineering in Mexico. This study uses a quantitative approach with a non-experimental cross-sectional design. Exploratory, descriptive, and correlational analyses of historical data from the University Information and Administration Integral System were performed. A logistic regression model was applied to assess the influence of various demographic, academic, and socioeconomic factors on the likelihood of student dropout. The results show some predictive variables, namely, Gender, Displaced students from home, High school GPA, and Mathematical skills. In conclusion, the group of students identified as the most likely to drop out comprised males who were studying very far away from home, who studied in a private high school in a general programme (not technological), and who presented lower grades in math. Since most dropouts were identified in the first two semesters, students who perform poorly in these semesters and have the former characteristics could benefit from special attention.

The focus of this Special Issue is aimed at enhancing the discussion of Engineering Education, particularly related to technological and professional learning [...]

Engineering education has solid needs of experimental competences development. Nowadays theses competences can be developed not only in traditional laboratories (hands on) but also through the use of computer simulations and remote labs. The use of diversified methods in education and the exploration of new resources and techniques in classroom may allow teachers to motivate more students, and capture their attention due to their different learning styles.The main objective of this thesis project is to better understand the effects on the students’ learning outcomes in different contexts, when subject to similar design approaches using an enquiry-based teaching and learning methodology based on simultaneous use of experimental resources (hands on, simulation and remote labs) together with calculus, in class and assessment. To accomplish this goal, several insights must be taken into consideration, including the teachers’ mediation in each case and the didactical implementations adaptations, but also external factors, such as socio-cultural and/or political factors.

During 2020 and 2021, the world experienced a global change in everyone’s daily lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were confined in their homes but, luckily, had access to online classes. This study aims to assess the changes in self-efficacy perceived by engineering students in a school in Portugal. By helping to understand how students have changed their learning capacities, developed new strategies, and/or need more (or different) support to learn, teachers can target their teaching methods accordingly and contribute to a more sustainable education. A questionnaire was constructed and validated to assess students’ perceptions before and after the associated lockdowns. Five theoretically supported factors emerged from a statistical factor analysis: Communication and Empathy; Focus and Personal Organization; Teamwork and Individual Work Capacity; Technical and Cognitive Resources Management; and Emotional Resources Management. This work shows students’ percept that they improved their teamwork and individual work capacity and their technical and cognitive resources management. In general, students seem to have been able to be more autonomous as they managed to work and develop their cognitive resources; however, their emotional state and ability to focus decreased. Perceived self-efficacy was less affected in older students than in younger ones, suggesting that this group may have adapted better to the pandemic restrictions. Students who were already at university showed less impact than those moving from high school to university. There was also a difference between those who endured these changes at only one level of education and those who endured them at both levels (high school and university), with this last group being the most negatively affected.

With the substantial expansion of technology in education during the COVID-19 pandemic, with certain practices even demonstrating a positive impact on environmental sustainability, five years later, it has become pertinent to examine the current perceptions of teachers and students regarding its utilization. This work explores how students and teachers from different countries and academic cultures perceive and incorporate sustainable habits into their daily lives. The focus is on transportation choices, food consumption, and the use of resources. The results of an adapted questionnaire, which was distributed to 855 students and 124 teachers, reveal meaningful differences: students tend to adopt more sustainable transport habits. In contrast, teachers demonstrate a greater commitment to reducing food waste and conserving resources. Cross-country comparisons also highlight differences. When focusing on the major samples (Portugal and Mexico), Portuguese participants scored higher in terms of food and resource sustainability, whereas Mexican participants relied more on public transport. These insights shed light on how sustainability is shaped not only by individual awareness but also by context and educational culture. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the ongoing role of higher education institutions in inspiring meaningful change and fostering a mindset of sustainability in future generations.

This work reports a didactical implementation addressing the development of students' competences on DC circuits. Teacher' approach focus on the use of simultaneous teaching/learning/assessment resources and methods in order to improve students' abilities of adapting and dealing with available tools to solve real practical problems. The impact this didactical implementation was measure in terms of students' perception, usage and learning results. The results indicate that students clearly benefit from the use of virtual resources, in developing their skills, including the associated calculus, although the majority of students do not immediately understand it. This design represents a long-term vision, and, with some adjustments, some identified in this work, this course may become more effective in improving students' learning.

Even though informal learning plays an important role in everyone's life, not everyone is aware of its importance. These informal activities contribute to the development of self-regulated learning that can help productivity in different environments. As this kind of apprentices grow, the need to keep track of this developed knowledge is becoming vital. This paper presents a study on the perception and usage of a tool that would help keeping track of learners' informal learning. This study was conducted both within academic and professional contexts and was developed within the European Commission funded TRAILER project. The contexts were similar regarding the importance and perception of informal learning, but differed concerning tool usage and the usefulness of such a platform. The overall idea of managing one's informal learning was well accepted and welcomed, which validated the emerging need for a tool with this purpose.

Este trabalho assenta na aplicação de métodos quimiométricos no tratamento da informação multivariada relativa a estatísticas criminais.Uma das principais contribuições destes métodos de tratamento de informação é claramente auxiliar a interpretação e racionalização dos dados que passa, em grande medida, pela deteção dos padrões subjacentes. Só quando estes são conhecidos se podem criar modelos de previsão e desenvolver políticas de prevenção e controlo.Neste contexto a análise multivariada é incontornável quando se está perante informação proveniente de sistemas multicomponentes. Na maioria dos casos, a inspeção do perfil global dos dados é claramente mais informativa que a avaliação parâmetro a parâmetro.Neste trabalho é efetuada a caracterização de uma variedade de dados relativos a detenções e a delitos cometidos nos Estados Unidos da América durante o período de 2005 a 2011. Os resultados mostram que a combinação dos métodos quimiométricos selecionados (análise de agrupamentos hierárquico, análise de componentes principais) com algumas medidas econométricas (curva de Lorenz e coeficiente de Gini), permite tirar conclusões sobre a distribuição e relação espácio-temporal de vários tipos de crimes. A abordagem proposta pode servir de base para futuros desenvolvimentos na criação de modelos e análise de fatores, também aqui enunciados.Especificamente, os crimes relacionados com a droga e o álcool desempenham um papel fulcral na distinção entre os diversos estados americanos. Existe uma variação gradual das características criminais desde os estados rurais do centro Norte até à periferia mais rica e urbanizada. A correlação com outros indicadores, nomeadamente a população e o crime, foram também encontrados.