Duration: 2020 – 2023
Principal Researcher
Luísa Ribeiro
Team Members
Célia Ribeiro
Funding
Porticus
Research line:
Educational Policies, Teaching Methods and Training
It is a national project that aims to promote the Service-Learning (ApS) methodology at the University and the future involvement of other higher education institutions (HEIs) in Portugal. This learning model is part of the lines of pedagogical innovation and social responsibility that UCP has been investing in, thus reinforcing its vocation of intervention in society, whether through the professionals it trains or the work it develops in partnership with multiple interlocutors, in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Service-Learning is an educational methodology that promotes in students a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of curricular themes, along with a greater sense of civic responsibility. In this experience, students develop their knowledge and skills either through experience and intervention in a service activity that responds to previously identified needs in the community, or through a continuous process of guided reflection.
Funded by a private foundation, the 3-year CApS – Catholic University and Service-Learning: Innovation and Social Responsibility project will be led by the Faculty of Education and Psychology, which will coordinate the implementation of ApS experiences on the University's four campuses. Portuguese Catholic Church (Braga, Lisbon, Porto and Viseu). The objective will be to consolidate and validate this teaching methodology in specific and transversal curricular areas within Católica, as well as create guidelines for other HEIs that want to follow the same steps.