Studying on a Distance Learning (EaD) course at UFP

The distance learning courses at UFP offer the same quality of teaching as the in-person modes, including the fact that the courses are taught by the same lecturers, have the same subject curricula, internships and academic certification.

Due to its specificities, distance learning (EaD) can be more advantageous when, for any reason, a student experiences some kind of constraint that makes it difficult for them to travel to UFP (for example, students who live far from the UFP campus, international students, workers wishing to enrol, for health reasons, among others). Furthermore, you will always have the possibility to consult the teaching staff during their office hours, with online support. In general, we can say that EaD courses are more flexible, as they avoid the need to travel to the university, enabling students to undertake parallel professional activities, avoid travel and accommodation expenses, among other convenient factors.

The student should be aware that, in general, distance learning courses require greater self-discipline and time management, as the work will be largely managed and organised by the student themselves. The development of these skills can be very beneficial for students seeking employment, as remote working skills are increasingly valued in the professional market.

For those who have never taken an online course, adapting to this mode of learning can be a challenge. As a student on an online course, you will notice that in some aspects it is similar to traditional education, meaning there are teachers assigned to each subject, you may meet other colleagues, consult course materials, or complete assignments and assessments.

Although distance learning (EaD) is much more flexible in terms of scheduling, it can also demand greater self-discipline from the student. However, certain work habits, learning styles, and skills can contribute to a successful distance learning experience.

To have a greater probability of successfully completing the course's curricular units, it is important for students to have the following skills:

  1. Take control of your own learning;
  2. To be self-employed, self-disciplined, self-motivated, and with good time management skills.;
  3. Organise and plan study time and time to complete assignments;
  4. Feeling comfortable interacting with lecturers and colleagues via the virtual classroom, text messages, and email;
  5. Participate actively in synchronous classes;
  6. Willingness to dedicate the same amount of time and effort as expected from a face-to-face course;
  7. Basic IT skills (e.g., knowing how to use user-facing tools such as the internet, microphone, speakers, webcam, video conferencing, text documents, etc.).

To get an idea of whether distance learning might be a good option for you, you can answer the following questions:
I have good capabilities for managing my time and meeting deadlines required to carry out my daily activities.
2. Online lessons could be a good option for me as I have a very busy personal and work life, but I can set aside some time for studying.
3. I am comfortable working on a computer and have good internet access.
4. I like to study by myself.
I enjoy reading and writing texts, so the idea of developing study-related activities for one or two hours a day doesn't seem like a problem.

If you answered 'yes' to all the questions, distance learning is ideal for you!
If you answered no to one or two of the questions, ask yourself if you can change that habit or limitation so that you can keep up with the course.
If you answered negatively to three or four questions, consider your options before deciding if online classes are suitable for you.
If you answered no to all five questions, a face-to-face course may be the best option for you.

On our website (https://www.ufp.pt/inicio/estudar-e-investigar) you can find various information about in-person courses.

Assessment may be continuous (normal period) or final (appeal period or special period)

1. In continuous assessment, there are:

a) Formative assessment elements (do not count towards the final mark). This formative activity involves completing various tasks and exercises (collaborative work (wiki), quizzes, participation in discussion forums, etc.) requested by the lecturer as part of asynchronous learning. The time dedicated to carrying out these activities is counted as “asynchronous learning” which appears on your timetable. Students are encouraged to use this time for preparation and continuous personal learning. Make good use of your time and don't leave anything until the last minute! If you need support, contact your lecturer. It is normal, and even appreciated, to show that you need guidance for your weekly tasks. Asynchronous learning tasks receive qualitative feedback from the lecturer, allowing students to check if they are progressing in their learning and achieving the learning objectives. Completing formative tasks is essential, as although they do not count towards the final mark, they allow students to receive the lecturer's assessment of their performance and to prepare for summative assessment elements, which are the ones that count towards the final mark.

b) Summative assessment elements are those that count towards the final mark. They must be carried out in person, during the face-to-face academic term at the end of each semester. It is possible for some of these elements to be developed throughout the semester, with the teacher's guidance and corresponding qualitative assessment, such as a research paper, a case study, etc. However, there will always be an in-person moment for the presentation/defence of this assessment element, for confirmation/validation and the assignment of a quantitative grade.

The final assessment consists of an exam covering the entirety of the programme for each unit of learning, held in person during the resit period or the special period, as identified in the academic timetable for each academic year.

Teachers use a variety of tools and activities to increase student interaction.
During live lessons, students can communicate with lecturers via a video conferencing session (on Google Meet), but they can also communicate by email or schedule an online meeting. Lecturers can also contact students using announcements on Canvas.

On the Canvas platform, students can also find content related to the UCs' programme in the form of web pages (modules) or downloadable files, quizzes on the taught material, and other learning resources. The Canvas platform will also be used for the electronic submission of written assignments (tasks) or other forms of interaction, such as participation in forums.
Lecturers also have dedicated office hours for distance learning. You will just need to confirm their individual hours with each lecturer at the start of the semester. The lecturers are here to help you get the most out of your studies. Please do not hesitate to contact them.

A synchronous lesson is a real-time class via the Google Meet virtual room.
The synchronous classes are scheduled in the timetable. These classes are the ideal time for students to participate and interact directly with lecturers and peers.
As students are being asked to play an active role in these classes, they will need to gather the circumstances and technical conditions that enable this participation. Therefore, they must be in a quiet location and have their microphone and camera turned on.
An ethical and socially appropriate stance is logically required. The instructor reserves the right to turn off the camera and microphone or even remove the student from the room if ethical and behavioural standards are being disrespected.
If the student wishes to conceal their location, they can use institutional background photos or filters.

No, the student's attendance is not mandatory, except for face-to-face sessions or online synchronous sessions, as defined as mandatory by the lecturer or course coordinator.

No, the synchronous classes are neither recorded nor made available afterwards.

During the synchronous classes, activities are developed, which implies that the student has completed tasks in an asynchronous timeframe. During synchronous classes, the lecturer assumes that students will actively participate, demonstrating that they have completed the aforementioned tasks. Likewise, any doubts about the subject matter can be clarified. In other words, synchronous classes are not intended for the expository teaching of content. Instead, they are for the practical application, discussion, or deepening of content reviewed during asynchronous activities, for which active student participation is fundamental. This does not imply that attendance is compulsory. Student presence is only mandatory during in-person sessions or during synchronous online sessions defined as compulsory by the lecturer.

Asynchronous learning is any type of learning that takes place on your own schedule. This type of learning does not require real-time interaction with a teacher.
As such, asynchronous learning takes place at different times for different students, in a flexible manner, depending on each student’s availability to watch videos, read texts, carry out activities and complete exercises, within a timeframe set by the teacher.
Therefore, there is no fixed timetable for this learning. However, the teacher keeps a record of the activities the student is expected to complete in a summary provided to the students. The existence of this summary does not imply that the student must be online at that precise moment. This summary merely identifies the tasks to be performed by the students as indicated by the teacher for a given period.

Students should access course materials (e.g. videos, learning objects, texts, etc.) as they become available, each managing their own time. Subsequently, the lecturer requests an activity related to the study materials that have been provided.

Here are some examples of such activities that may be carried out during asynchronous learning:
● Watch pre-recorded lectures
● Watch videos online
● Carry out guided readings
● Create a quiz and receive automatic feedback on the answers given
● Carry out an exercise or a guided project
● Participate in online discussion forums

Yes, the activities are generally carried out asynchronously with defined deadlines (the deadline generally coincides with the date of the next synchronous class). However, it is important to note that these activities do not always involve a formal submission; in many cases, they consist of the necessary preparation for the smooth running of the activities to be carried out during the synchronous classes.

Asynchronous learning and synchronous lessons are interconnected. For example, a teacher can put a text online and ask students to read it to prepare a presentation for a synchronous lesson.
This implies that, in addition to attending classes, the student has to dedicate time weekly to carrying out the scheduled asynchronous activities.

Yes. On the homepage for each course on the CANVAS platform, students will find the Teaching and Learning Guide, which contains all the information about the course (for example, the lecturer’s name and email address, the number of contact hours, module content, assessment criteria, bibliographical references, and so on).

The teaching/learning roadmap is a document that students find on the homepage of each subject area and which the lecturer creates with the aim of enabling students to plan their learning journey, including the estimated number of student working hours for each curriculum unit of the degree programme. The teaching/learning roadmap includes information related to the type of work sessions to be developed, as well as the number of ECTS credits associated with each curriculum unit, the contents of the UC, the materials to be used in each module, and the assessment system. The teaching/learning roadmap also contains the link to be used in synchronous sessions.

To access synchronous classes or other course materials, you will need to log in to the Canvas platform.https://ead.ufp.pt/)

Next, you will need to enter your username and password (UFP email credentials).

The UCs you are enrolled in appear on your Canvas account dashboard. By accessing each of the curricular units, you can view the learning roadmap (syllabus), UC materials (modules or files), or take quizzes on the course content (tests).

Via your Canvas account, you can access synchronous classes via the ‘Programme’ tool, where you will find the link to the classes for each course unit.

The specific timetable for Distance Learning can be consulted via the following link:
https://www.ufp.pt/cronograma/

There is no need to travel to the UFP campus while synchronous classes and asynchronous activities are conducted online.
However, there is a period of approximately one week of in-person attendance, on the UFP campus, at the end of each academic semester. During this period, the summative elements of continuous assessment must be carried out. If the student fails to pass any UC under the continuous assessment scheme, they will be referred to the final assessment, which consists of taking a face-to-face final exam, in the resit period (July) or the special period (September). The exam schedule for these periods will be published in due course each academic year.

To be able to attend a distance learning course, you will need access to a computer with Webcam, a fast and stable internet connection, a recent version of an internet browser, and access to common tools and software such as word processors, spreadsheets, presentations, email, etc.

The UFP's administrative platform is NONIO: InforEstudante. Through this platform (accessible on the university's website at inforestudante ufp), students can perform a series of functions, including access to class schedules, access to grades, exam registrations, submission of requests, among others.

The teaching platform used in UFP's courses is CANVAS (accessible on the university's website at https://ead.ufp.pt/). Within this platform, students have access to the subjects they are enrolled in. Each subject has an individual area where lecturers post announcements, set assignments, quizzes and other activities, as well as uploading support materials that will be useful throughout the semester. In each subject's area, you will also find the link to access the synchronous classes for that course unit. In the “Modules” tab, the subject's content is presented in a structured and chronologically organised manner.
Students can contact teachers via the “Messages” tab.

Yes. To access b-on and other databases outside the Fernando Pessoa University campus, you must have the VPN tool installed on your personal computer. If you experience difficulty with this process, you can send an email to the Computer Centre (helpdesk.sic@ufp.edu.pt) to request assistance.
To use the mentioned databases, you will first need to connect to the VPN and then enter your student credentials (Registration Number + Password used to access your institutional email or Canvas).

Yes, it is possible to freely access available bibliographic resources in open access.

• in our Institutional Repository:https://bdigital.ufp.pt/);
• on the RCAAP portalhttps://www.rcaap.pt/): with access to other Portuguese and Brazilian repositories;
• on the FFP Libraries page:
o http://biblioteca.ufp.pt/recursos/recursos-em-acesso-livre/

Yes. When a student enrols on a course, a UFP email account is assigned to them, which streamlines communication between the user and the university and provides a secure communication channel. It is important that you check this email account regularly, as it is used to send information regarding academic matters and other important issues. As a UFP student, you will use this institutional email address exclusively for all and any contact with the UFP (services, lecturers, course coordinators, etc.).

UPDATING