Browsing by Author "Martins, Joana"
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- Digital tools for foreign language learning in higher education in Portugal: immeasurable opportunities amidst multiple challengesPublication . Delplancq, Véronique; Lopes, Ana Maria Costa; Oliveira, Isabel Maria; Martins, Joana; Pereira, José; Martin, Justine; Casañ Pitarch, Ricardo; Gillain, R.; Amante, S.; Fidalgo, S.Pedagogical innovation in higher education is a delicate subject that has already been the object of many studies. Today, it is clear that students must play a very active role in their own learning, in a process that is both increasingly individualised and collaborative, in line with the ever-changing demands of the labour market and society as a whole. Pedagogical innovation can be based on various active methodologies which rest upon numerous tools, among which digital tools currently hold a prominent place. However, it is undeniable that the various studies have attempted to draw firm conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of the different methodologies. What's more, there are so many digital tools readily available to users on the internet that it is often difficult to make a reasoned choice that will guarantee real benefits in terms of learning outcomes right from the beginning of the work with students. In fact, each student has their own particular needs and reactions. This means that teachers need to be highly flexible and able to quickly adapt the teaching sequences they had prepared. They also need to be familiar with a wide range of active methodologies and digital tools to support students' work and they have to be constantly updated to keep pace with the demands of emerging technologies. The challenges are many, but they guarantee motivation for all those involved in the educational process. This article is intended as a contribution to the discussion on the implementation of active methodologies for foreign language (FL) learning in higher education, supported by a wide range of up-to-date digital tools. The experiment presented, which is the result of projects developed at the School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu (Portugal), took place during the second semester of the 23-24 academic year, as part of a FL curricular unit (English and French) of the 3-year degree course in Media Studies, with a group of 25 second-year students. The general aim of this curricular unit is to deepen the communicative skills pertaining to the career paths of these students, by mobilising the professional skills of these forthcoming media professionals. Other skills, such as the cultural and intercultural skills inherent to FL, are also worked on. The preferred methodologies are project-based learning, mobile learning, flipped learning, gamification and peer assessment, within a collaborative and constructive environment. In addition to these obvious hard skills, soft skills such as creativity, flexibility, empathy, critical thinking, interpersonal skills are all part of the learning progress. The study shows the evolution of the didactic sequence developed at the beginning of the semester, justifies the decisions taken towards the achievement of positive didactic repercussions particularly with regard to the choice of the digital tools used (for the production and dissemination of documents drawn up by the students or for gamification), systematises the reasons for the adaptation throughout the semester and outlines the difficulties encountered, as well as the advantages of these teaching choices from the point of view of the student, the teacher and the assessment procedures. It concludes with prospects for future research, in particular by considering AI as an inevitable asset within teaching- learning contexts.
- Ecotourism based on the observation of sea turtles: a sustainable solution for the touristic promotion of São Tomé and PríncipePublication . Mendes, Susana; Martins, Joana; Mouga, TeresaWildlife-based ecotourism has been stated as an efficient tool to promote the conservation of endangered species and habitats. These activities also aim to create economic revenue for local communities. Likewise, ecotourism, intends to involve these communities in the management of the conservation programs and develop educational activities, either for children, locals, or tourists, in order to increase awareness about target species and habitats. This study addressed the recent ecotourism activities in the observation of sea turtles which are being developed in São Tomé and Príncipe. These charismatic marine reptiles are vulnerable or endangered due to human activities, such as meat and egg consumption, illegal trade, habitat loss, climatic change, pollution and fisheries bycatch. Therefore, ecotourism using flagship species, like sea turtle, establishes a sustainable alternative to destructive activities, promoting the country’s environmental, economic and social development, the three pillars of sustainability. In this context, the objective of this study is to know the potential of São Tomé and Príncipe as a turtle watching-based ecotourism destination. An exploratory analysis was carried out through two questionnaires (one focused to the Morro Peixe’s local community and another to the tourists that were engaged in turtle watching activities), in order to know the perception of the inhabitants and tourists regarding the programs and initiatives for the conservation of sea turtles. Despite the awareness that already exists among inhabitants regarding the conservation of sea turtles, the results showed that they do not straightforwardly accept the prohibition for the capture of sea turtles, but most of the population of Morro de Peixe is receptive to changes in the community regarding their protection. In fact, the population is beginning to recognize that tourism, due to the protection given to these endangered species, may become (in the medium term) a sustainable source of income. Regarding tourists’ profile, these are mostly Portuguese, with a high level of education and income. They are well informed about the need for sea turtle conservation and seek to carry out tourism activities that pursue this protection. In fact, this also demonstrates the potential the country has as a turtle watching-based ecotourism destination.
- The Paradigm Shift of Ophthalmology in the COVID-19 EraPublication . Campos, António; Oliveira, Nuno; Martins, Joana; Arruda, Henriques; Sousa, JoãoTo describe how a fixed regimen of intravitreal injections (IVI) was helpful to continue activity during the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown and to address basic conditions to resume activity.
- Thrombophilic risk factors for retinal vein occlusionPublication . Vieira, Maria J.; Campos, António; Carmo, Anália; Arruda, Henrique; Martins, Joana; Sousa, João P.The aim is to study risk factors for retinal vein occlusion (RVO), such as thrombophilic and cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). A retrospective consecutive case series of 60 patients with RVO was made, tested for CRF, hyperhomocysteinemia, lupic anticoagulant, antiphospholipid antibody and 5 gene variants: factor V (FV) Leiden (G1691A), factor II (PT G20210A), 5,1-methylenetetra-hydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; 677 C > T and 1298 A > C), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1; 4 G/5 G). More than 1 CRF were present in 36 patients (60%), which had a significantly higher mean age at diagnosis (66.7 ± 12.9 versus 59.5 ± 13.7 with ≤1 CRF, [t(57) = -2.05, p = 0.045, d = 0.54). Patients with thermolabile MTHFR forms with decreased enzyme activity (T677T or C677T/A1298C) had a significant lower mean age [57.6 ± 15.1; t (58) = 3.32; p = 0.002; d = 0.846] than patients with normal MTHFR enzyme activity (68.5 ± 10.2). Regarding CRF and thermolabile forms of MTHFR, the mean age at diagnosis could be significantly predicted [F(2,56) = 7.18; p = 0.002] by the equation: 64.8 - 10.3 × (thermolabile MTHFR) - 5.31 × ( ≤ 1CRF). Screening of MTHFR polymorphisms may be useful in younger RVO patients, particularly when multiple CRF are absent.