Program for Promoting Success and Reducing School Dropouts in Higher Education

Implementation of the expansion of the PowerBI analytical platform to academic areas with the aim of generating information to support the prediction of risk situations and timely action to prevent school dropout and failure.

At the same time, a support module is being implemented that will also allow the leveraging of a Peer Mentoring program.

Through this activity, groups of 1st year students from the various UOEs are being created to encourage contact between them and to raise awareness of the services available at the Polytechnic of Coimbra, namely:

PUC Clinic;

Social and psychological support services;

Academic services;

Gym and university sports;

INOPOL – Entrepreneurship Academy;

I2A – Institute of Applied Research;

Community Interface Office and the @GIR project;

PUC Student Ombudsman.

A working group including the formal and informal student structures of the Polytechnic of Coimbra involved in the integration activities of first-year students was created. A survey of planned integration actions and the definition of new joint dynamics was carried out.

Delivery of “welcome kits” to new students.

Planning is underway for a training activity aimed at association leaders, which aims to provide them with relevant information about the internal functioning of the institution (support mechanisms for students) and give them transversal tools.

Creation of structured interactive content on the Moodle platform that helps and motivates students to strengthen the essential foundations needed to effectively follow curricular units with higher school failure rates.

In the first phase, the Mathematics and Statistics curricular units were identified, and a working group was formed with teachers and students from each UOE to identify the content to be made available and the most appropriate way to structure and produce it.

Organization of welcome and orientation sessions for 1st year students, in all UOEs, with the aim of mapping out a “Trail” of individual development.

In addition, training, workshops, seminars and other activities aimed at developing these transversal skills will be promoted.

In this activity, Workshop Cycles are being developed for all 1st year students, including students with ethnic, cultural, and gender minorities, international and foreign students, for 2024, 2025 and 2026, with the aim, of expanding self-knowledge and developing psychopedagogical skills, among others.

Active Study Methods

Stress and Anxiety Management

Study Methods

Time Management

Mindfulness

One size does not fit all (specific study strategies in the context of Dyslexia)

I’m already 18! What now? :

Violence stays at the Door?
Cooking? A drama!
Do I have a bug in the system? I eat them all.
The anxiety for freedom and the fear of uncertainty.
How far does money stretch?

Actions to promote Pedagogical Innovation aim to improve the teaching-learning process, making it more effective and adapted to the needs of students. The aim is to provide teachers with new practices, methods, technologies and approaches that motivate and stimulate the learning process of students, and consequently positively influence academic success.

The 2024 Teachers’ Pedagogical Development Plan consisting of thematic workshops such as Student-Centered Planning, Assessment, Communication in Teaching, Active Methodologies and Pedagogical Welcoming.

The “Pedagogical Images with AI” Workshop was held with the aim of addressing the fundamental principles of generative image AI and the practical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms to create images for pedagogical purposes.

The Mentimeter Campus-wide Platform was acquired and the “Mentimeter Kick-Off Day” event was held to introduce teachers to the Mentimeter Campus-wide Platform, covering its various components, the creation of presentations and implementation in the classroom.

Also in 2024, the “Active methodologies and ChatGPT: A successful partnership” workshop will be held, which aims to demonstrate the use of ChatGPT as a pedagogical consultant in the planning and implementation of active moments, as well as distinguish good practices for its inclusion in curricular units.

Teachers’ Pedagogical Enhancement Plans are being planned for 2025 and 2026.

A pilot Pedagogical Innovation program is being designed with the involvement of teachers to implement new methodologies and strategies in different curricular units, in order to improve the teaching-learning process with a positive impact on academic success.

As part of this activity, support was also given to the participation of the PHISEC Racing team (PUC Formula Student team), in the Formula Student Portugal (FSPT) event, where they came second overall in Class 2.

This activity aims to create moments of social interaction between students who find a common point in sport, through the organization of the PUC CUP, participation in the FADU University Championships and in internal competitions aimed at the entire community.

The PUC CUP was organised as an internal multi-sport competition at the Polytechnic of Coimbra, with the aim of giving all students the opportunity to play sports in a competitive environment. This event includes the following sports: This event includes Football, Men’s and Women’s Futsal, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, Mixed Table Tennis, Mixed Padel, Portuguese Pool, Mixed Badminton, FC24 (electronic games), Mixed Chess and Table Football. This event is an innovative project, with regional and national scope, aimed at promoting the institutional sports strategy and promoting the integration of athletes in our institution. The initiative also aims to combat the significant drop-out from sports that often occurs when students enter higher education, mainly due to the need to change residence.

In addition to the PUC Cup, other internal competitions were organized for the entire community.

Promotion and support for the participation of students from the Polytechnic of Coimbra:

In the FADU University Championships: Participation in the 1st Concentrated Day, 2nd Concentrated Day, 2nd Phase and Final Phase of the FADU National University Championships and obtaining 2nd National Place in the Classification Table; Participation in the 1st Day and 2nd Concentrated Day of FADU, finishing in 4th Regional Place in the Universities Classification Table;

In the Women’s Futsal District Championships, through a team that won the titles of District Champion, District Super Cup Champion and Coimbra District Cup Champion;

At the European Rowing Championships, in the M2x category;

In National University Championships in Karate, Judo, Canoeing, Rowing, Football, Men’s and Women’s Futsal, Basketball and Karting.

Promotion of a training program, the ACTIVATE program, which aims to provide students of the Polytechnic of Coimbra with skills that will enable them to actively contribute to the development of their communities, applying the knowledge acquired and developed during their academic career. It is expected that this will enable them to play important roles in mobilizing their communities, through volunteering, associations, initiatives, and movements and actions focused on improving the quality of life of the people around them.

Presentations of the Activate program have already been made online to the entire PUC community.

The 1st edition of the Activate Program will begin next November, in partnership with the Municipality of Arganil (10 training sessions, 4 of them at PUC facilities and 6 in 2 immersive weekends of co-creation and direct contact with communities in partner municipalities).

In 2025, the program will continue through its 2nd edition, in partnership with the Municipality of Góis.