ULHT/HEI-Lab - Atas de Conferências Internacionais

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10437/12393

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    Top-down Design of a CS Curriculum for a Computer Games BA
    (25th ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, ITiCSE 2020, 2020-06-15) Fachada, Nuno; Códices, Nélio; ECATI - School of Communication, Architecture, Arts and Information Technologies; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
    Computer games are complex products incorporating software, design and art. Consequently, their development is a multidisciplinary effort, requiring professionals from several fields, who should nonetheless be knowledgeable across disciplines. Due to the variety of skills required, and in order to train these professionals, computer game development (GD) degrees have been appearing in North America and Europe since the late 1990s. Following this trend, several GD degrees have emerged in Portugal. Given the lack of specialized academic staff, not uncommon in younger scientific areas, some of these degrees "borrowed" computer science (CS) programs and faculty within the same institution, leading in some cases to a disconnect between CS theory and practice and the requirements of GD classes. In this paper, we discuss our experience in adapting the CS curriculum of a three-year computer games BA in accordance with GD requirements. We used a top-down approach, where the game engine used for GD informs the choice of CS topics and programming languages lectured in the CS curriculum. The discussion is centered around the choices taken and the theoretical and empirical rationale behind our decisions. Preliminary empirical results indicate a substantial increase in GD project quality and a clear improvement in the students' technical skills, as well as in their experimentation and adaptation capabilities.
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    Exploring personality traits, social inhibition, and psychophysiological responses in an immersive virtual environment
    (Sociedad Española de Psicofisiología y Neurociencia Cognitiva y Afectiva, 2025-10) SANTOS, ISABEL OLIMPIA FIGUEIREDO DOS; GONZALEZ, BARBARA ISABEL DINIZ; Oliveira, Jorge; Stan, Neculai; Gamito, Pedro; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
    This exploratory study investigated the feasibility of using virtual reality (VR) to assess the Social Inhibition (SI) dimension of Type D personality, which combines high Negative Affectivity (NA) and high SI, both linked to increased risk for physical and mental health problems. Traditional assessments like the DS14 rely on self-report, limiting ecological validity. To address this, a VR scenario was developed in which participants selected a seat in a virtual coffee shop, with each option reflecting a different level of SI. Forty-five higher education students (M = 21.47, SD = 4.29), of both sexes and mostly single, completed the task along with the DS14 and the Mini-IPIP, a measure of the Big Five personality traits. Throughout the experience, psychophysiological responses, heart rate (HR), electrodermal activity (EDA), and respiratory rate (RR), were continuously recorded to monitor autonomic nervous system activation. Results revealed a moderate positive correlation between seat choice and SI scores, and a negative correlation with Extraversion, indicating that more socially inhibited and introverted participants tended to choose more isolated seating. Additionally, a positive association emerged between respiratory rate in the final stage of the VR task and Conscientiousness, during interaction with a key scenario element, suggesting a possible link between self-regulatory effort and this trait. These findings highlight VR’s potential as an ecologically valid tool for assessing personality traits, especially when integrated with physiological and attentional data. Further research should continue exploring social avoidance and emotion regulation mechanisms in individuals with distressed personality profiles
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    Public and Private University Students : a comparative analysis of sociodemographic, academic, economic, and psychological variables
    (inScience Press, 2025) MENDES, TERESA PAULA GAMEIRO POMPEU; Albuquerque, Sara; Correia, Sónia Vladimira; Paulino, Ana Paula Oliveira; GONZALEZ, BARBARA ISABEL DINIZ; Pracana, Clara; Wang, Michael; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab; CIDEFES - Research group in Sports behavior, Physical Education, and Exercise and Health Sciences
    The Covid-19 pandemic has had a vast impact on society, particularly in the higher education (HE) context, with online classes and social isolation recommendations. While much of the post-pandemic research on this topic does not distinguish between public and private institutions or focuses mainly on public institutions, exploring students' realities (similarities and differences) in public and private universities deserves special consideration. Along with other aspects, considering the pandemic's economic challenges and discrepancies in tuition fees between institutions, such a topic might be of particular interest. Financial distress may encourage students to seek employment alongside their studies, which may lead to additional difficulties or potentially negative outcomes. This cross-sectional study aimed to: (1) compare students enrolled in public and private universities in a set of relevant variables, including dropout intentions; (2) assess if there are interaction effects between type of institution (public vs. private) and work status (being or not a working student). A stratified sample of 1070 Portuguese university students aged between 19 and 45 years (M = 22.87 ; SD = 3.64), selected through a convenience quota method, was assessed for sociodemographic, academic, economic, and psychological variables using self-report instruments. The data were collected between November 2022 and February 2023. Descriptive, two-factor ANCOVAs, and MANCOVAs, controlling for the study cycle (bachelor, master), were conducted. Regarding the type of institution, the findings showed that there were more displaced students in public universities, while private universities had more working students. Students from public universities showed greater adaptation difficulties in several domains. Although students from private institutions reported higher monthly expenses, no differences were found regarding economic difficulties or in the perception of income decrease in the last two years. No differences were found in the levels of academic self-efficacy, academic exhaustion, social connectedness to the campus, or dropout intentions between students from public and private universities. Working students showed higher economic difficulties than non-working students. No interaction effects were found between type of institution and work status. These findings provide valuable insights into the profiles of university students in both public and private institutions in a post-pandemic context. Many students in both public and private institutions work part-time or full-time to afford their education because of the rising cost of living. However, being a working student does not seem to imply greater academic exhaustion or association with dropout intentions, which may suggest a positive impact of this condition on academic performance and students’ well-being. Further contributions to research and higher education stakeholders are discussed.
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    GameIN : Proposing methodological disruptions in the study of inclusive games
    (International Association for Media and Communication Research, 2023-07-09) Luz, Filipe Soares Branco da Costa; Sousa, Carla; Neves, Pedro Pinto; Fonseca, Micaela; Quaresma, Claudia; Sanches, Isabel Rodrigues; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab; CICANT - Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies; CeiED - Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development
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    When being at university (also) means leaving home : Can family support make a difference to dropout intentions?
    (inScience Press, 2025) MENDES, TERESA PAULA GAMEIRO POMPEU; GONZALEZ, BARBARA ISABEL DINIZ; Albuquerque, Sara; Correia, Sónia Vladimira; Paulino, Ana Paula Oliveira; Pracana, Clara; Wang, Michael; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab; CIDEFES - Research group in Sports behavior, Physical Education, and Exercise and Health Sciences
    Dropout is a major concern in higher education (HE) across countries, with long-lasting consequences. Previous research has shown that undergraduate students living away from home may be at higher risk of dropping out of HE, comparatively to those that keep living with their families, but results have been inconsistent. Moving away from home, living and studying independently are major steps for young people. While studying outside family homes may give HE students greater opportunities to exercise autonomy, it also brings added challenges that may interfere with students’ academic adaptation, and lead to dropout. One factor for optimum academic integration may be the support students receive from their families. This study aimed to: (1) compare students away from home with students living with their families in their levels of dropout intentions (DOI), and in a set variables potentially related to dropout; (2) identify predictors of DOI and (3) examine the moderating role of perceived family support on the links between specific predictors and DOI. A stratified sample of 584 Portuguese undergraduate students aged <23 years (mean age = 20.18, SD = 1.3), selected through a convenience quota method, was assessed for psychological, academic and economic variables through self-report instruments. Descriptive, (M)ANOVA, regression and moderation analyses were conducted. The findings showed that students away from home (n = 300; 51.4%) presented higher levels of dropout intentions, academic exhaustion, vocational, and economic difficulties, and lower levels of academic self-efficacy, well-being, perception of course value, and satisfaction with education. Students away from home also perceived higher levels of social support, namely family support. No differences were found in the levels of social connectedness to campus or autonomy difficulties between the two groups. Academic exhaustion, vocational, autonomy difficulties, perception of course value and social connectedness to the campus were significant predictors of DOI, explaining 43% of the variance. Moderation analyses showed that the effects of academic exhaustion, autonomy difficulties and vocational difficulties (the three strongest predictors of DOI) were weakened when students perceived moderate levels of family support (but not for higher levels). Overall, students away from home are at greater risk of emotional, academic and economic difficulties, and should receive differentiated attention from HE institutions. Despite being at distance, families play a protective role in preventing student dropout. Families may need help in providing support that enables their young adult students to thrive on their academic path, while fostering autonomy and competence.
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    Depression, social support, executive functioning, functionality, and quality of life in institutionalized elderly people
    (2019-12) Ribeiro, Anabela; Rosa, Beatriz; Oliveira, Jorge; Lopes, Paulo Jorge Ferreira; HEI-LAB - Human Environment Interaction Lab
    Objetivo: O nosso objetivo foi estudar o funcionamento executivo, a funcionalidade, e a qualidade de vida em idosos institucionalizados, e determinar o papel da depressão e da satisfação com o suporte social nestes domínios. Método: Participaram 36 voluntários (13 do sexo masculino e 23 do sexo feminino) com idades compreendidas entre 71 e 94 anos. Neste estudo comparativo a avaliação foi realizada através da aplicação de uma bateria constituída por reconhecidos testes neuropsicológicos. Resultados: Os participantes com sintomatologia depressiva demonstraram um nível de funcionamento executivo inferior aos participantes sem depressão. A flexibilidade cognitiva, a funcionalidade, e a qualidade de vida encontram-se mais comprometidas em indivíduos com sintomatologia depressiva que relataram níveis elevados de satisfação com o suporte social. Conclusão: Embora surpreendente, o resultado deste estudo sublinha a importância de, na explicação do funcionamento executivo, funcionalidade, e qualidade de vida das pessoas mais velhas, se considerar não só a depressão, mas também outros fatores relacionados com o isolamento social e a solidão. Palavras-Chave: envelhecimento, suporte social, depressão, funcionamento executivo, qualidade de vida