University of Coimbra presents the INOV3P Pedagogical Innovation Centre

Promoting pedagogical change in Portuguese higher education, especially in non-technological areas such as social sciences, humanities and arts, is the motto of the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CEIP) - INOV3P, which was publicly presented at the University of Coimbra (UC) on 15 October.

INOV3P, promoted by the UC, is the result of a consortium that brings together various higher education institutions in Portugal: the School of Nursing of Coimbra, the Polytechnic Institutes of Viseu, Guarda, Tomar, Santarém, Castelo Branco and Coimbra, the Universidade Aberta, the Military University Institute and the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE).

This consortium represents more than 80,000 students and 5,000 teachers and has a total budget of around 3 million euros to implement innovative and digital pedagogical practices. "By working together, we have been able to develop methodologies and best practices for pedagogical innovation that will allow us to strengthen and face the future with more tools in the field of higher education," says the Rector of the UC, Amílcar Falcão. "The world has changed, students have changed and the dynamics have changed. We have to be prepared. We're doing it in collaboration with other institutions," he adds.

"This is an absolutely crucial objective for higher education in Portugal," stressed Cristina Albuquerque, UC Vice-Rector for Teaching and Attractiveness, during the project presentation. This multidimensional consortium "will help us to understand how we can position ourselves in this whole context and influence the way higher education institutions think about educational innovation and position themselves in terms of influencing public policy".

CEIP-INOV3P, as its name suggests, has three main pillars: systematising innovative pedagogical practices, teacher training and valuing teachers' contribution to pedagogical innovation. One of the pillars is the implementation of the Laboratory of Pedagogical Innovation (LIP), which brings together international partners and representatives of innovative secondary schools. The goal is to develop standards of good practice and to contribute to public policy in higher education.

The initiative also includes the creation of a repository of good practices, an annual digital publication dedicated to pedagogical innovation, and the production of podcasts on specific topics. Furthermore, it involves the creation of a pedagogical video library and a platform of collaborative tools to facilitate the integration of innovative practices in higher education institutions.
With the creation of the Pedagogical Innovation Centres, Portuguese higher education is taking an important step towards modernisation and innovation, placing pedagogical practices at the heart of the educational experience in order to prepare students for an increasingly dynamic future.