Highlights

Teamwork Workshops Knowing how to work in a team is an essential skill for academic success. For this reason, two workshops were held on this topic for first-year undergraduate students on 27 March and 10 April, under the guidance of trainer Jardel Araújo. In total, more than 80 students participated in the Teamwork Workshops and had the opportunity to learn new ways of organising, collaborating and communicating in a teamwork context, with the aim of finding solutions to future challenges. This initiative took place within the scope of the “+Sucesso@UPortucalense” Project, funded by the Directorate-General for Higher Education and the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Public Presentation of Applications for the Educational Innovation Award – Universidade Portucalense On 16 July, starting at 3 p.m., the Public Presentation of Applications for the Pedagogical Innovation Award will take place in Auditorium 201 at Universidade Portucalense. This session is part of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), under Axis 2 ‘Teacher Training in Pedagogical Innovation’ promoted by the Office of Pedagogical Innovation. This is the 1st edition of the Pedagogical Innovation Award, a unique initiative that aims to recognise innovative pedagogical practices that have an impact on improving the quality of teaching and promoting academic success. The award recognises the implementation of strategies that contribute to better results in the teaching and learning processes of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of studies at Universidade Portucalense. The inaugural edition has received eight applications, submitted individually or as a team, reflecting the strong commitment and involvement of the teaching community. The teaching practices in the competition were developed within the scope of one or more curricular units, with the mandatory requirement of adopting a continuous assessment system, as established in the respective curricular unit files. During the session, each application will be publicly presented, in a 10-minute format per project, before a jury composed of eight members, both internal and external to the University. The event will be attended by the Rector, Professor Fernando Ramos, the Vice-Rector for Teaching, Professor Elizabeth Real, and Professor Sandra Fernandes, Coordinator of the Pedagogical Innovation Office and Axis 2 of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project. The session will culminate in a moment of appreciation and overall commentary by the jury, closing a meeting dedicated to the enhancement of teaching and the sharing of innovative pedagogical practices.The session is open to the entire academic community, so all teachers and other interested parties are invited to attend and be inspired by the initiatives that are transforming teaching at Universidade Portucalense. Program 16 July Auditorium 201 | Portucalense University | Porto

The 2025/2026 academic year kicked off with a welcome programme designed to integrate first-year undergraduate and integrated master’s students, promoting active, confident and collaborative participation in academic life. On 8 and 10 September, the campus hosted several initiatives, including the Welcome Session in the Aula Magna, the Presentation of Academic Departments, the Welcome Party, the distribution of the Freshers’ Kit, the 2025 family photo, and the launch of the It’s UPTo You 2025-2026 project with the dynamic ‘Freshman Mission: Challenge Yourself and Connect!’. The programme ended with the Institutional Welcome Session, which officially marked the opening of the new academic year. For Goreti Sousa, coordinator of Axis 1 of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project, these initiatives are strategic: “The goal is to help students adapt to the university environment, ensuring academic, emotional, and social support. The aim is to reduce the dropout rate and create an environment of belonging, where students feel welcomed and motivated to overcome the challenges of this new cycle.”

Applications for the 2nd edition of the It’s UPTo You project are now open and will run until 15 October. Organised into teams of two to five members, students are invited to submit a video of up to 90 seconds in length, in which they share an original idea, practice or initiative relevant to Universidade Portucalense. Proposals may focus on areas such as campus improvement, new teaching and learning dynamics, cultural or scientific events, or social and technological initiatives. All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation and the three best ideas will be awarded prizes. After a first edition marked by a focus on innovation, technology and sustainability in the integration of new students, the initiative now aims to strengthen ties with the academic community and give students a voice in shaping university life. The It’s UPTo You project is part of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense Project, co-financed by the Directorate-General for Higher Education through the Recovery and Resilience Plan.  

On 10 September, during the Institutional Welcome Session, Universidade Portucalense awarded the 1st edition of the Pedagogical Innovation Award. The award was presented by the Rector, Fernando Ramos. First place went to the project “Innovation in Tourist Destinations – Interdisciplinary Project of the Tourism Degree,” by lecturers Marília Durão, Joana Quintela, and Medéia Veríssimo, from the Department of Tourism, Heritage, and Culture. The initiative challenged students to develop innovative and sustainable proposals for tourist destinations, working with local organisations and using Project-Based Learning methodologies and lean frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban. Second place was awarded to the pedagogical practice “Escape Room: Unravelling the Enigmatic Paths of Data Analysis”, presented by Pedro Rodrigues, from the Department of Psychology and Education, who applied game-based learning methodologies to make the teaching of statistics more engaging through immersive challenges that require logical reasoning, problem-solving, and team co-operation. Two honourable mentions were also awarded –  Bruno Cunha, from the Department of Science and Technology, with “Smart Tests for Smarter Learning”, and Joaquim Flores, Isabel C. Neves, and Luís P. Pacheco, from the Department of Architecture and Multimedia Gallaecia, with “From Analogue to Digital (Architecture + PBL)” –  in recognition of the potential of the applications submitted. The Pedagogical Innovation Award is organised by the Pedagogical Innovation Office as part of the +Sucesso@UPortucalense project and aims to highlight innovative teaching practices that have an impact on academic success and the quality of learning.