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- Mature Learners’ Participation in Higher Education and Flexible Learning Pathways: Lessons Learned from an Exploratory Experimental ResearchPublication . Duarte, Rogério; Oliveira Pires, Ana Luisa; Nobre, A.Higher education institutions play an important role in promoting equity and access conditions to mature learners. Such role includes the ethical commitment to facilitate learning processes, removing barriers to mature learners’ entry and persistence in higher education. This paper describes the implementation of flexible learning pathways in a technology and industrial management graduate course designed for mature learners. Findings confirm that mature learners welcome flexible learning pathways and choose the pathways that better suit their needs. Despite initial academic background differences, success rates are adequate and similar for different learning pathways, showing that mature learners are capable of bridging the gaps in their academic development. Findings also show that doubts related to the impact of some learning pathways on students’ academic integration are unfounded. Considering the positive results, it is concluded that flexible learning pathways, together with the widening of entry routes to higher education, promote equity and access conditions to mature learners.
- Rethinking Curriculum Development through Design ThinkingPublication . Duarte, Rogério; Nobre, A.; Pimentel, Fernando; Jacquinet, MarcHigher education institutions must be aware of the transformations that occur in societies in order to innovate and to offer revised educational curricula. Design Thinking is a tool that helps to foster innovation in business contexts. Could this methodology be used in higher education for curriculum development? The present article considers this question by pre senting the Design Thinking methodology, establishing links with outcome based education, constructive alignment principles, and discussing the context specific to higher education institutions
- Broader terms curriculum mapping: using natural language processing and visual-supported communication to create representative program planning experiencesPublication . Duarte, Rogério; Nobre, A.; Pimentel, Fernando; Jacquinet, MarcAccreditation bodies call for curriculum development processes that are open to all stakeholders, reflecting viewpoints of students, industry, university faculty, and society. However, communication difficulties between faculty and non-faculty groups leave an immense collaboration potential unexplored. Using the classification of learning objectives, natural language processing, and data visualization, this paper presents a quantitative method that delivers program plan representations that are universal, self-explanatory, and empowering; promoting stronger links between program courses and curriculum development open to all stakeholders. A simple example shows how the method contributes to representative program planning experiences and a case study is used to confirm the method’s accuracy and utility.