Armanda Gonçalves | The role of the professor in higher education is central to promoting academic success and preventing university abandonment
"At Universidade Católica, the commitment to excellence and inclusion is the guiding principle for all academic activities, mobilising the academic community to grow and innovate with social responsibility. In this context, the role of the professor is central, in that they contribute to the connection between institutional commitment and the daily lives of students, thus assuming a fundamental role in strengthening bonds and a sense of belonging, as well as in promoting the academic success of students.
This importance also stems from what truly inspires those who teach in higher education: a genuine passion for knowledge, the pleasure of research and the desire to share this enthusiasm with new generations, contributing to their academic and personal growth.
This motivation coexists, however, with multiple challenges. The teaching career currently faces a growing bureaucratic burden and pressure on scientific productivity, which often marginalises the time devoted to teaching and student support. At the same time, rapid social, economic and technological changes require the constant reinvention of teaching methodologies. Artificial intelligence and emerging new digital technologies pose new challenges, but also offer new opportunities for the co-creation of learning processes that are more flexible, reflective and adapted to the diversity of student profiles.
The 21st-century professor therefore needs to keep alive the desire to share and build knowledge in an ever-changing ecosystem. The professor's mission evolves from the simple transmission of knowledge to active intervention in the creation of inclusive, collaborative academic environments focused on student success.
UCP4SUCCESS project puts this vision into action by using data-driven monitoring to flag risks of abandonment and academic failure. It develops peer mentoring programmes, such as UCP4Mentor, which promote integration and support among students. The workshops support student adaptation and learning and offer professors training on new pedagogical challenges and innovative tutoring models. It promotes cultural activities that strengthen integration, respect for diversity, and students' personal development. The UCP4SUCCESS Scholarships recognise students who show the greatest progress in their academic results throughout their first year.
In this project, the priority is to create spaces for joint reflection that inspire the renewal of practices and policies supporting students' academic careers, in order to strengthen a culture of sharing and overcoming challenges at Católica. In line with the University's values — social justice, inclusion, excellence, and respect for human dignity — the UCP4SUCCESS project reaffirms the role of teachers as protagonists in building resilient, innovative academic communities geared towards sustainable success."
Armanda Gonçalves
Professor at the
Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences,
Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Coordinator of UCP4SUCCESS