Abstract
Este estudo desenvolveu-se numa Unidade Curricular da Licenciatura em Engenharia Informática, no contexto de ensino superior português a distância, com alunos maiores de 23 anos, na qual se adotou a abordagem pedagógica e-SimProgramming. Esta abordagem situada em ambiente empresarial simulado recorre a narrativas imersivas desenvolvidas através da técnica OC2-RD2, contemplando o argumento, as personagens e os espaços. Os nomes das personagens têm significados que remetem para arquétipos. Para operacionalizar esta técnica adaptaram-se os nomes dados às personagens ao contexto cultural de Portugal, origem da maioria dos alunos, já que os originais tinham sido concebidos para o contexto cultural do Brasil. Adotou-se uma metodologia de investigação quantitativa e qualitativa, numa perspetiva de estudo de tendência, baseada na análise de respostas a um questionário online. O objetivo visa compreender as perceções dos estudantes sobre os nomes das personagens, em relação à sua adequabilidade na abordagem aos arquétipos da técnica OC2-RD2 no ambiente de simulação. O questionário é composto por questões relativas à perceção dos estudantes quanto ao nome de cada personagem, e caso considerassem o nome desadequado poderiam sugerir alternativas. Realizou-se a análise de dados quantitativa e qualitativa, sendo que em 99 alunos inscritos, 40 responderam ao questionário (40%). Os resultados demonstram que os nomes selecionados para as personagens foram aceites pela maioria dos estudantes (valores iguais ou superiores a 70%). Quanto às sugestões de nomes alternativos, surgiram três grupos distintos: 1- personalidades da área do desenvolvimento de software (e.g. Lovelace, remetendo para Ada Lovelace) e referências técnicas (e.g. Python, uma linguagem de programação); 2- nomes próprios portugueses (e.g. Manuel, Íris); 3- expressões figurativas (e.g. Quasenada, MaisouMenos). Conclui-se que a adaptação dos nomes originais das personagens para o contexto cultural de Portugal foi considerada adequada pelos estudantes, podendo contribuir para a aprendizagem situada com imersão em simulação de ambiente empresarial. Em trabalhos futuros recomenda-se a análise da interpretação dos nomes sugeridos pelos alunos às personagens, para aferir se correspondem aos arquétipos originais ou se induziram alguma alteração, para melhor compreensão da perceção das narrativas face ao contexto cultural e às várias áreas de conhecimentos.;This study was developed in a course of the undergraduate program in Informatics Engineering, in the context of online higher education in Portugal, with students over 23 years of age, in which the eSimProgramming pedagogical approach was adopted. This approach employs situated learning with immersive narratives to simulate a business environment. The narratives were developed through the OC2-RD2 technique, contemplating the script, the characters, and the spaces. The names of the characters have meanings that refer to archetypes. To deploy this technique, the names given to the characters were adapted to the cultural context of Portugal, the origin of most students, since the original names had been designed for the cultural context of Brazil. A quantitative and qualitative research methodology was adopted, in a trend study perspective, based on the analysis of answers from an online questionnaire. The objective is to understand perceptions of character names in relation to their suitability in addressing the archetypes of the OC2-RD2 technique in the simulation environment. The questionnaire is composed of questions regarding the perception of the name of each character, and if they considered the name inappropriate, they could suggest alternatives. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis was performed, and out of 99 students enrolled, 40 answered the questionnaire (40%). The results show that the names selected for the characters were accepted by most students (values equal to or greater than 70%). As for suggestions for alternative names, three distinct groups emerged: 1- personalities from the area of software development (e.g. Lovelace, referring to Ada Lovelace) and technical references (e.g. Python, a programming language); 2- Portuguese given names (e.g. Manuel, Íris); 3- figurative expressions (e.g. Quasenada, MaisouMenos meaning , We conclude that the adaptation of the original names of the characters to the Portuguese cultural context was considered adequate by the students, potentially contributing to the immersion in the simulation of the business environment. In future work we recommend the analysis of the interpretation of the names suggested by the students to the characters, to check if they match the original archetypes or if they induced some change, for a better understanding of the perception of the narratives vis-à-vis the cultural context and the various areas of knowledge.

Abstract
In view of the strong market presence and leverage of major corporations involved in this topic, the most straightforward answer to the questions above is “No”. Nevertheless, multiple perspectives should be considered. Thus, along this article we reflect about the concept of “metaverse”, what parts of it exist today, and what is foreseen that makes this concept a much discussed game changer.

Abstract
The emergence of accessible virtual reality headsets in the past decade multiplied educational uses of immersive virtual reality. Higher education, in particular, has seen many such reports emerge. However, there are scarce frameworks for higher education professionals to plan and deploy immersive virtual reality within their pedagogical practice. To attain a perspective on this field, we conducted a systematic literature review using SCOPUS search, focusing on Instructional Design Models for Immersive Virtual Reality in online Higher Education. This review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of these models, their respective phases, and distinctive characteristics. The review identified two categories of Instructional Design Models for Immersive Virtual Reality in Higher Education: 1) Models specific to such contexts, with aspects such as managing immersion time or providing prior contact with the immersive environment; 2) Models developed for other contexts and adapted to immersive virtual reality, addressing aspects such as the importance of creating objectives, assessment elements, or defining resource purpose. We conclude that current instructional models used for immersive virtual reality in higher education lack the combination of the overall pedagogical concerns with the specific ones for immersive virtual reality. Thus, we recommend further research to develop instruction models that combine both aspects of learning design concerns.

Abstract
There is evidence that some outdoor events may have contributed to the spread of COVID-19. We updated an empirical methodology based on regression modeling and hypothesis testing to analyze the potential impact of a demonstration that took place in Lisbon, within the scope of the ’Black Lives Matter’ context, on the contagion pattern in the region where this event occurred. We find that in the post-impact period there was no acceleration in the number of cases in the region, unlike in a prior event in the region. The proportion of counties where there was a potential impact of the event is not statistically significant. This result demonstrates that not all outdoor events contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and exemplifies how to apply the selected empirical methodology.

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