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Publications

Publications by Fernando Luís Almeida

2019

Decision Support System for Assigning Members to Agile Teams

Authors
Almeida, F; Adao, D; Martins, C;

Publication
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AND SYSTEMS APPROACH

Abstract
The use of agile methodologies like SCRUM is seen by companies in the software engineering field as a strategic necessity for their competitiveness, which makes them more reactive and dynamic in an increasingly demanding and competitive international market. One of the critical factors in the implementation of a SCRUM environment is the set-up of teams that are simultaneously homogeneous and composed of the best collaborators for each SCRUM role. In this sense, this study describes the modeling process and presents the implementation of a decision support system that can contribute to improving the process of assigning an agile team simultaneously considering the technical and social skills of employees. The results of the study allowed testing the application considering different competencies associated to each Agile position, the impact that the attribution process suffers from oscillations in the process of evaluation and self-evaluation, and the impact in terms of the performance of the inclusion of new collaborators and criteria comparison.

2020

Adoption of a Serious Game in the Developing of Emotional Intelligence Skills

Authors
Almeida, F;

Publication
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INVESTIGATION IN HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION

Abstract
Emotional intelligence is intrinsically associated with the ability to understand, manage, and express feelings and deal with other people's emotions. This competence is essential for the formation, development, and maintenance of personal and professional relationships. Furthermore, emotional intelligence can be extensively worked out and developed over time, which allows each individual to become a better professional. Nevertheless, the perception that higher education students have about the importance of emotional intelligence remains residual and there are few contexts that allow them to develop emotional intelligence skills. In this sense, this study proposes the use of a serious game to assess and develop emotional intelligence skills in the context of an entrepreneurship discipline attended by multidisciplinary students from the courses of management and computer engineering. The performance of students is measured and discussed considering a mixed methods approach. The findings indicate the existence of a correlation between the player's emotional intelligence skills and his performance in the game, and this occurrence is common to students regardless of their course, gender, age, and number of years of professional experience. The study also explores the importance of emotional intelligence considering the distinct profile of students.

2019

Urban Tourist Motivations in the City of Porto

Authors
Almeida, F; Silva, O; Amoêdo, N;

Publication
Ottoman Journal of Tourism and Management Research

Abstract

2013

WALKABOUT IP - AN APPROACH FOR LEARNING THROUGH CONTEXTUAL MOBILE GAMES

Authors
Bollaert, H; Loureno, J; Possemiers, P; Almeida, F; O'Reilly, D; Hlobaz, A; Szewczyk, G;

Publication
EDULEARN13: 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION AND NEW LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract
Contextual mobile games provide an important opportunity for learning and development by embedding a smooth form of learning in a game. They provide a rich, rewarding, relevant and multifaceted environment in which one can actually put theory into practice in a safe, simulated manner and learn at a far deeper level as a result. They also offer continuous feedback and cooperative team learning in an inquiry-based, authentic environment where players are motivated by rewards and new levels towards achieving game goals. This paper presents a novel development framework and methodology for contextual learning mobile games systems that enables learners to practice and enhance 21st century skills, while generating and playing mobile contextual games. Additionally, we discuss the main results obtained during this Intensive Programme (IP), by looking at the potential of our design approach, the software framework and the learning experience that was afforded to the students.

2019

Assessment of Entrepreneurship Competencies Through the Use of FLIGBY

Authors
Almeida, F; Buzady, Z;

Publication
DIGITAL EDUCATION REVIEW

Abstract
Serious games are increasingly being used as innovative tool for developing entrepreneurial skills, such as strategic management, leadership, communication, negotiation or decision making. FLIGBY is a serious game that was initially developed with the objective of simulating the business management process and the application of Flow theory in a business context. However, most recently it has been suggested that serious games in general, and FLIGBY in particular, can be used in other contexts, namely in the development of entrepreneurial skills. In this sense, this study tries to verify if the competences developed and evaluated in FLIGBY on the Master Analytics Profiler (MAP) can be used to evaluate the entrepreneurial capacities of the students in the context of the course of entrepreneurship in a higher education institution. The findings indicate that the performance of these students in FLIGBY is very similar to the benchmark with only small oscillations. However, some asymmetries emerged considering the educational and professional experience, such that the students of the management course showed better business-oriented thinking and IT students revealed greater time-management skills. Finally, professional experience has proved to be relevant for making decisions about stress and for the completion of managerial tasks successfully.

2019

Challenges and facilitators practices for knowledge management in large-scale scrum teams

Authors
Almeida, F; Miranda, E; Falcão, J;

Publication
Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research

Abstract
Sharing and managing knowledge is an essential resource for the success of a Scrum team. However, widely known knowledge management practices typically address only team level collaboration, which cannot be easily scaled to multiple Scrum teams. In this sense, this paper conducts an empirical study at one of the largest information technology companies operating in Portugal, in which multiple Scrum teams working locally and in remote offices develops e-commerce solutions for the African market. Several facilitators’ knowledge practices are identified and discussed, and also the main challenges and difficulties of scaling Scrum practices for large-scale teams are addressed. © 2019, © 2019 Fernando Almeida, Emanuel Miranda and João Falcão.

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