17 projects were funded in the 1st edition of the Pedagogical Innovation Projects (PIP). One year later, a session was held on 1st October to take stock of implemented ideas.
“I was looking at the list of selected projects and thinking that we really have a lot of potential here, at Técnico. We provide not only quality teaching and research, but we also have new ideas that will further improve our teaching”, stressed the president of Técnico, professor Arlindo Oliveira. Referring to the “wide variety of projects”, the president of Técnico noted that the ability to innovate is increasingly necessary, as students are increasingly demanding about the teaching methods. “These projects show that we want to respond to these requests and that our faculty members are committed to do it in the best possible way”, said professor Arlindo Oliveira.
The president of the Scientific Council (CC), professor Luís Oliveira e Silva, praised the initiative and the spirit of innovation of faculty. The president of the Pedagogic Council (CP), professor Raquel Aires-Barros, thanked the authors for their commitment to the projects and shared her will to broaden the range of these projects to all Técnico community.
The teams presented the projects and shared the results achieved. The several projects were implemented in different curricular units using technology or active learning methodologies and ensuring a link to the labour market.
The Social Innovation Laboratory was one of the projects selected in the 1st edition of the PIP. The project coordinators, professors Ana Carvalho and Miguel Amaral, tried to find an international partner network, namely in India and Israel. According to professor Ana Carvalho, the main purpose of this laboratory is to continue to grow, promoting international student exchange and engaging engineering students in social issues.
The desire to constantly improving and modernising education was highlighted during all project presentations.