KI Unit Strengthens Ties with Brazil’s UFCSPA

Insights into Brazilian higher education

A key component of the visit was learning about Brazil’s national system for evaluating and supporting graduate education (both at Master’s and doctoral levels), led by the federal agency CAPES. These discussions provided valuable perspectives on quality assurance, research training, and institutional development within a different higher education context.

“The visit gave us a rich understanding of how our partner institution works at multiple levels- from curriculum design to national evaluation systems,” says Jennifer Valcke. “This kind of exchange is essential for developing meaningful and equitable international collaborations.”

As part of the visit, Natalie Jellinek and Jennifer Valcke also facilitated a workshop for UFCSPA faculty on Constructive Alignment: what, how and why?, grounded in the educational principles developed by Biggs and Tang. The workshop explored the alignment of intended learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment methods, including the redesign of participants’ own learning outcomes. The session brought together 35 participants and was characterised by a high level of engagement and thoughtful discussion, reflecting a strong institutional commitment to pedagogical development and providing a solid foundation for future collaborative work.

“We were impressed by the high level of engagement and the strong motivation to further develop teaching and learning practices,” says Natalie Jellinek. “It made for very open and thoughtful discussions, and we really appreciated the willingness to share experiences and learn from each other.”