Following the 7th ObservIST Call, 20 new Best Practices (BPs) are now known.
Here they are:
Tax Identification Number (TIN) issuance support service for the international community of Técnico Lisboa
Together with the Portuguese Tax Authority, Técnico’s International Affairs Office and Legal Department have streamlined TIN issuance procedures for its international community members (students of all study cycles, faculty, researchers, employees). This service is available once a semester in order to include all new members of Técnico’s international community.
Lecture observation at Técnico
The Pedagogical Council (PC), the Academic Development Center (NDA) and the Statistics and Prospective Unit (NEP) have collaborated in the implementation of a lecture observation project at Técnico in order to nurture and improve teachers’ pedagogical skills, contributing to their professional development.
Training Impact Evaluation System
The Training Development Unit (NFD) and the Human Resources Division (DRH) have developed and implemented a Training Impact Evaluation System, which resulted from an innovative vision of professional training at Técnico Lisboa that allows for effective assessment of the impact of training on the professional performance of all people working at the School. It ensures a quality monitoring and evaluation system that contributes not only to align and improve planning of the training offer by the NFD but also encourage its continuous improvement.
Training Follow-up System
In order to mitigate the loss of knowledge that occurs in the gap “time of learning – time of use of learning”, the NFD – DRH has introduced a system of follow-up sessions to vocational training at Técnico, which are tailored to each training. One or more sessions may take place after the end of the teaching process, in a timeframe from one week to several months after the end of training. This quality monitoring and evaluation system aims to ensure the impact of training on the professional performance of all those who work at Técnico.
CERIS Day Out 2021
The CERIS Day Out 2021 was held to encourage interaction and decrease isolation among the centre’s young researchers, while reinforcing team spirit, furthering activities among its members, transferring knowledge between different research areas, cultivating cooperative culture and building the CERIS identity in the Técnico community.
Study@Técnico Webinar Series
The Admissions Office has developed a series of webinars in English, called Study@Técnico Webinar Series to disseminate Técnico Lisboa to international audiences, by using tools which allow for viewing information regardless of the time zone or location of the interested party.
The Study@Técnico Webinar Series was created to disseminate Técnico’s educational offer internationally in order to attract and recruit new Regular International Students (third country national students).
Biblioteca@Técnico: change and continuous improvement strategies
This practice entails upgrading of the Library infrastructure in the Main Building in order to concentrate in a single space all the collections, services and staff with a new functional dynamic, implying the internal reorganization of all processes. An organizational diagnosis was firstly carried out, which was underpinned by the Strategic Development Plan with nine areas of action.
Student Representatives’ Tranining Programme
The Student Representatives’ Training Programme (Programa de Formação de Delegados, PFD) is targeted to Técnico’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle Year Student Representatives and intends not only to provide them with the tools and knowledge necessary to perform their job and hold those who perform the job accountable.
This programme is one of the initiatives of the Student Representative Body Committee (Comissão para o Corpo de Delegados, CCD) of the Pedagogical Council (CP) of Técnico, a standing committee of the CP, which is made up only by students of that body, which ensures the election of Student Representatives of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycle year-programme, and promotes follow-up and training adapted to the needs of Student Representatives.
Business Card
In the scope of its Student Career Development Programme, Técnico, in partnership with Santander Universidades, provides 100 business cards free of charge to all Técnico students who request them and meet the regulation requirements.
Técnico’s Business Cards are personalized cards which include the student’s name, institutional email, cell phone contact and the programme the student is attending. The information on the card is in bilingual format (Portuguese and English).
Thinking Green Project – Técnico
The “Thinking Green” Project consists of a set of scientific experiments, linked to teaching and research from several Técnico R&D centres, which proposes to develop an integrated plan of small-scale initiatives to be carried out outside the Alameda Campus.
The initiative aims to make Técnico Alameda campus a sustainable, biodiverse, accessible, pleasant and communicative space, while testing and monitoring the initiatives with a view to designing a plan to enhance the outer spaces of Técnico campuses.
IPFN Science Summer Camp
The IPFN Science Summer Camp (ISSC) is an immersive research experience, which takes place every year for a month that is aimed to higher education students and constitute a first step towards developing research in a top research unit in Portugal.
ISTO É TÉCNICO
The ISTO É Técnico is part of the ISTO É initiative, which was created to remedy the interruption of classroom activities imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 that proposes to take the training offer and experience in Técnico to potential candidates to Técnico.
APIST Kindergarten
Located in the Alameda Campus, the APIST Kindergarten has a capacity for 100 children. As laid down in Técnico Statutes, it was created to provide its employees with the opportunity of having their children closer to them, thus contributing to a better balance between family and professional life, and emotional stability of all.
#MulheresNoTécnico (#Women at Técnico): ComunicaCiência Social Network Campaigns
Considering its different realities, this group intends to bring the communication structure of each unit closer to Técnico’s central communication structure, and foster a common body spirit. In this regard, the #Women at Técnico group carries out:
- monthly meetings with all its members, coordinated by ACIM;
- training actions in science communication;
- design and development of joint activities to promote and disseminate science.
Técnico Social Network Guide
In order to provide current and future content producers with appropriate tools to implement contents in a standardized manner that reflects the School’s communication strategy, Técnico’s Communication, Image and Marketing Office has developed an initiative, with a strong collaborative nature among Técnico community members that has materialized in four key areas:
- Drafting and dissemination of the “Técnico Social Network Guide”, available online for inside and outside Técnico;
- Creation of a directory of Técnico presence in Social Networks, and a site dedicated to Técnico Social Networks with all the information related to this subject and
- Development of regular trainings to enable Técnico community to create and manage social media accounts.
- Direct support in the management of existing social networks
Técnico’s Departments Communication Group for the dissemination and organization of initiatives to promote Técnico’s teaching.
This group was created to bring the communication structure of each of Técnico’s Departments, with their different realities, closer to Técnico’s central communication structure, and foster a common body spirit. It follows the same principle and dynamics as the Research Units Communication Group, started in 2019 and distinguished as Observist Best Practice in 2021.
Treme-Treme – Educational Project
This project resulted from the participation of Instituto Superior Técnico (CERIS) in the European Commission project – UPStrat-MAFA, 2013-15. It is primarily aimed to increase literacy for seismic and tsunami risk in the student community and in the general population. To this purpose, several products have been developed for education and risk communication (from pre-school to high school), including the Treme-Treme game, the manuals ‘Por que é que o chão se move?’ (‘Why does the ground move?’) and the ‘Guia Prático Escola Resiliente aos Sismos’ (‘Practical Guide: Earthquake Resilient School’), as well as activity guides for museums and exhibitions.
Pilot courses on “Life Cycle Assessment of Construction”
The Pilot Course in “Life Cycle Assessment of Construction” offers innovative integrated technical and scientific knowledge and was the 1st pilot course in “LCA of Construction” offered in Portugal. To meet continued demand, and given the success of the 1st edition, two more pilot editions of this course were organized.
Student Club on Mental Health and Inclusion
The “Técnico’s Student Club on Mental Health and Inclusion” was created as a transversal meeting point for the promotion of mental health and inclusion at Técnico, through the organization of awareness and student support activities.
The Club is aimed to develop initiatives focused on improving cognitive and/or emotional quality of life and promoting better mental health in the Técnico community. Although the organization and format of the activities to be developed were affected by the pandemic, it was possible to carry out a significant number of initiatives via Zoom.
Scholarship Programme
Through its Business Partnership Unit, Técnico has developed collaboration protocols with the business sector, under the Portuguese Patronage Law. As a result, the Scholarship Programme was created in the 2015/2016 academic year, which aims to support students with academic potential who, for socioeconomic deprivation, lack the resources to afford the costs associated with academic attendance.
Given its proximity to students and faculty members, the Academic Development Unit (NDA), in particular the Tutoring Programme, is responsible for the dissemination and management of the Scholarship Programme.
Learn more about them at the 5th ObservIST Meeting scheduled for November 8, 2022. The name of the venue will be announced in due course.
Since the creation of ObservIST, in 2015, 101 Best Practices in diferent fields have been recognized in Tecnico community, after being evaluated by different panels.
