Sandra Fernandes

This study explores the impact of integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into a flipped classroom in higher education. Using a quantitative approach with complementary qualitative data, the research involved 136 management students, yielding 77 valid responses. Data were analysed via IBM SPSS 29.0, employing descriptive, inferential, and Exploratory Factorial Analysis. Findings indicate that GenAI integration enhances student engagement and promotes a deeper understanding of AI tools. Students reported increased awareness of GenAI's capabilities and limitations, and improved critical evaluation skills. Class size emerged as a significant factor influencing participation and organizational effectiveness. Overall, results provide empirical evidence of the educational benefits of GenAI in flipped settings, supporting teaching and learning. The study contributes to discussions on fostering critical GenAI use and offers practical implications for AI-driven pedagogical strategies.

There is a broad consensus amongst European education systems that a period of induction is a necessary bridge between Initial Teacher Education (ITE) and employment in schools. Although we underst...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is currently transforming many areas of society, including education. AI offers innovative tools and methods that personalise learning, automate processes and improve the educational experience. Social education seeks to foster integral human development and collective well-being, and AI can be a powerful tool to achieve these goals. For this reason, the main objective of this study is to learn about the use of AI by future social educators. This research is approached from a qualitative methodology. A total of 69 undergraduate students of Social Education from two universities in Spain and Portugal participated in the study. As results and conclusions, it is worth highlighting that future social educators define AI with key words such as tools, technology or help-solution. Most of the students had used AI throughout their academic life. In fact, they used AI academically, at work and personally to search for information or to generate images, mainly through ChatGPT (version 4.0). They highlighted as an advantage the speed of the information, a time-saving feature. The main limitation was the reduction in activities. In general, they considered that AI has a positive impact and would like to continue using it.

Entrepreneurial education for the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) has gained visibility in educational settings, notably higher education institutions, fostering a business-driven approach to creativity and value in cultural and artistic production. At the core of this approach lies the development of an entrepreneurial mindset, a principle underscored by the European Entrepreneurship Competence Framework (EntreComp). This framework serves as the European benchmark for initiatives promoting entrepreneurial learning, such as the project ‘Fostering Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Cultural and Creative Industries through Interdisciplinary Education’ (FENICE), developed under the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. Drawing on the insights gained from the FENICE project, this conceptual work outlines the application of EntreComp in designing a teaching program aimed at bridging existing skill gaps in entrepreneurship within the CCIs, cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset, and promoting key competencies outlined in EntreComp. This chapter underscores the importance of aligning educational initiatives with EntreComp to equip students with managerial capabilities and foster entrepreneurial skills, tailoring the curricula with entrepreneurial learning outcomes that align with the unique context of the cultural and creative sector. Nevertheless, limitations are to be acknowledged, including the absence of empirical data to evaluate the actual progression of entrepreneurial competencies among students and the necessity for nurturing an entrepreneurial culture and refining educational frameworks within the CCIs.

Gamification has emerged in higher education as an innovative approach that engages and stimulates student participation and active learning, through the integration of game elements in the learning experience. This study presents a case study in the field of Information Systems, based on the use of gamification, through the use of Lego bricks, to learn SCRUM. The participants in the study include 12 first-year students, enrolled in the curricular unit of Information Systems, in the academic year of 2022/2023, at a Portuguese Higher Education Institution. The objective of the study is to analyze student’s understanding of the SCRUM approach, in regard to: (1) how students understand the different roles of SCRUM and the objective of each ceremony; and (2) how students understand the structure of the SCRUM framework. Findings from the study show that students who engaged in the gamified learning environment demonstrated higher comprehension of SCRUM roles, scoring significantly better on assessments compared to their non-participating peers. In general, students felt that the gamification experience achieved its objectives. Future work aims to bring the game closer to the reality of the software development process, making it more aligned with the lego4scrum methodology approach.

Editorial: Pedagogic innovation and student learning in higher education: perceptions, practices and challenges