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- Evaluate Academic Performance of Coursera Courses Integration, a Case Study of a Collaborative Smart LearningPublication . Oliveira, Pedro Filipe; Matos, PauloThis project presents a case study that examines the impact of collaborative smart learning on academic performance using Coursera courses. Collaborative smart learning integrates collaborative learning techniques with intelligent technologies to create an interactive and adaptive learning environment. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach and its influence on learner outcomes. The case study involves collecting and analyzing data related to academic performance, engagement levels, and learner feedback. By comparing the performance metrics of learners in courses with collaborative smart learning integration to those in traditional online courses, the project assesses the impact of collaboration, personalized recommendations, and adaptive learning mechanisms on academic performance. The study also analyzes engagement patterns, collaboration behaviors, and learner satisfaction to gain insights into the effectiveness of collaborative tools and features. In conclusion, this project showcases the positive impact of collaborative smart learning on academic performance. The case study provides evidence supporting the effectiveness of collaborative tools and features in enhancing engagement, knowledge acquisition, and learner outcomes using Coursera courses.
- Consumption Performance, of a Multi Agent System Used to Achieve Comfort PreferencesPublication . Oliveira, Pedro Filipe; Paulo Novais; Matos, PauloIn this work, a multi-agent system was developed to manage comfort preferences, in an autonomous and completely automatic and non-invasive way for the user. This system was based on the use of an architecture supported by low cost hardware, namely Raspberrys, to support the different actuators present in the different spaces. To carry out its validation, a methodology was created to analyze consumption performance, and the results obtained in two scenarios are demonstrated here, a domestic housing scenario, and a professional environment scenario. The results obtained were quite positive for the prototype developed, and validate the option of using low cost hardware.
- The tourist experience and the use of virtual reality in destination marketingPublication . Marco Martins; Ricardo Jorge da Costa Guerra; Lara Santos; Lopes, Luisa; Ana Rita CondeToday, physical and virtual spaces are increasingly intertwined, transforming how tourists perceive, interact with and ultimately choose their travel destinations. This evolution significantly influences tourist behaviour across all stages of the customer journey. Virtual reality emerges as a powerful tool in an experiential destination’s marketing, offering immersive pre-visit experiences that allow potential tourists to explore a destination’s atmosphere and anticipate emotional responses before arrival. By integrating VR into marketing strategies, destinations can influence both the information search and decision-making phases of the tourist journey, effectively bridging the gap between real and virtual perceptions. This chapter explores how virtual reality can enhance the tourist experience by serving as a strategic instrument in destination marketing. To achieve this, a non-systematic literature review was conducted. This method allowed a flexible yet objective and rigorous analysis of existing research on key topics including tourist experience, the tourist customer journey, virtual reality and virtual experiential marketing. The chapter proposes a holistic model integrating virtual reality into the tourist experience and customer journey. Based on the findings, the chapter offers informed recommendations for tourism marketers and stakeholders seeking to leverage immersive technologies to better engage with prospective travellers and enrich their overall experience.
- Smart Environment: Using a Multi-agent System to Manage Users and Spaces Preferences ConflictsPublication . Oliveira, Pedro Filipe; Paulo Novais; Matos, PauloIn this new technological era of the Internet of Things (IoT), people search for comfort and everything that can simplify their daily lives. This paper proposes a smart environment to help achieve this purpose. The problem or challenge, which aims to overcome this, can be defined in general terms as a contribution to creating intelligent environments capable of adapting to the user’s comfort, needs, and preferences in an automatic, transparent, and non-invasive way, whether these environments are for domestic, professional, or public use. We propose the use of a multi-agent system to achieve the management of the user’s preferences, as well as any preference conflicts that may naturally exist. In this way, the space can adapt smartly to the present user’s preferences in a transparent and non-invasive way. This solution also supports the user’s mobility between different spaces and at different times, making it a fully ubiquitous solution, and consequently, an Ambient Intelligence (AmI) solution. We have developed a complete specification of an architecture that supports the proposed solution. The multi-agent system is fully developed, tested, and validated with the presented results.
- From Venus to VenereItalia: The Rise of Virtual Influencers in Tourism Destination MarketingPublication . Correia, Ricardo; Fontes, Ruta; Martins, Márcio RibeiroThis paper explores the burgeoning role of Virtual Influencers (VIs) in tourism destination marketing, exemplified by the case of Veneraltalia, a digital persona created to promote Italian tourism. It delves into the theorical underpinnings of VIs, utililizing frameworks like Parasocial Interaction and Source Credibility, to understand their impact on consumer engagement and destination promotion. The study adopts a qualitative approach, analyzing Venereltalia's interactions on social media to assess the effectiveness and challenges of using VIs in tourism marketing. While highlighting the adavantages such as control, innovative engagement, and cots-effectiveness, the research also addresses the challenges of authenticity and evolving consumer expectations. The findings underscore a strategic equilibrium between digital storytelling and interactive content to enhance VI effectiveness. This paper contributes to the digital marketing field by providing insights on leveraging VIs for tourism promotion, recommending a blend of narrative depth, user engagement, and cross-platform presence to optimize impact.
- Generative AI and its application by Destination Marketing Organizations: Enhancing tourist experiencesPublication . Marco Martins; Ricardo Jorge Costa Guerra; Lara Santos; Lopes, Luisa; Ana Rita CondeAlthough Generative AI is intrinsically interrelated with artificial intelligence (AI), it presents distinctive aspects that expand its potential. While AI compiles, classifies, and analyzes existing data (which is why it is also known as analytical AI), Generative AI differs in its ability to create or generate new data (Zhang et al., 2023). For example, while traditional AI can analyze data on travel preferences or tourism products, booking history, or online search patterns to identify and segment target audiences and recommend specific tourism destinations, Generative AI goes further, as it can create personalised destination descriptions, never-before-seen promotional images, and completely new and unique travel itineraries that match consumers’ interests. In short, traditional AI performs the necessary analyzis to identify and segment target audiences, while Generative AI brings about creative and dynamic content that interacts directly with consumers (Wen et al., 2024).
- Exploring Video Game Monetization: Analysis of Strategies, Trends, and Ethical ImplicationsPublication . Tatiana Ferreira; Tatiana Batista; Pedro Malheiro; Tiago Lopes; João Vitorino; Sousa, João PauloThis study offers a comprehensive mapping of the scientific literature on video game monetization, addressing a significant gap in the systematic exploration of this multidimensional topic. Drawing on data from the Scopus database and analytical tools, the research highlights key themes, influential authors, and emerging trends shaping the field. The analysis reveals distinct waves of scholarly interest, correlating with industry innovations like freemium models and battle passes, and highlights the interdisciplinary nature of the field. Co-citation and bibliographic coupling analyses uncover robust intellectual and social networks, with prominent contributors advancing knowledge on monetization's ethical, psychological, and economic dimensions. Furthermore, the study explores the implications of monetization practices on player retention, engagement, and satisfaction, underscoring the balance between profitability and ethical considerations.
- Rethinking History Teaching: A New Multiplayer Digital Games Platform to Overcome the Challenges of EngagementPublication . João Paulo Sousa; Julio César Leal de Faria; Rogério Tavares; Rui Pedro LopesThis work introduces a new multiplayer digital game called TimeCraX, which aims to improve history education by making it more interactive, engaging, and fun. It highlights the challenges of traditional learning and how digital games can overcome them by utilizing gamification and game-based learning. The TimeCraX game platform is designed to be cooperative, allowing students to work together to complete a challenge based on a historical timeline. The goal is to promote learning through practical experience, encouraging critical thinking, and developing collaboration and teamwork skills. The article discusses the multiplayer platform architecture of TimeCraX, which includes authentication modules, team and student rankings, matchmaking, and reporting tools, all aimed at providing teachers with the tools to monitor student progress and create balanced student groups based on specific criteria. The article concludes with a discussion of the next steps for the game's development, including a play session with students to evaluate the platform's effectiveness.
- O atual regime da prescrição das dívidas tributárias – análise críticaPublication . Aguiar, NinaO presente estudo analisa criticamente o regime atual da prescrição das dívidas tributárias no ordenamento jurídico português, com especial incidência sobre os artigos 48.º e 49.º da Lei Geral Tributária. Parte-se de uma clarificação conceptual da prescrição tributária, distinguindo-a da prescrição civil e sustentando que, em matéria fiscal, o instituto não assenta na inércia do credor, mas antes nos valores da certeza, segurança e estabilidade das relações jurídico-tributárias. Defende-se, ainda, que a prescrição constitui uma verdadeira garantia material dos contribuintes, integrada no âmbito do princípio da legalidade tributária. Após uma reconstituição da evolução legislativa do regime, o artigo centra-se na análise das causas de interrupção e suspensão do prazo prescricional, questionando criticamente a interpretação jurisprudencial que atribui à interrupção prevista no artigo 49.º, n.º 1, da LGT um efeito duradouro, especialmente no caso da citação em processo de execução fiscal. Sustenta-se que, após a revogação do anterior n.º 2 do artigo 49.º, deixou de existir base legal bastante para essa leitura, a qual se mostra desconforme com a letra da lei, com a lógica sistemática do regime e com a natureza da prescrição como garantia dos contribuintes. Em particular, critica-se o recurso à declaração em falhas como momento relevante para o reinício da contagem do prazo, por tal solução carecer de apoio normativo claro e permitir uma compressão arbitrária e indefinida da garantia prescricional. Conclui-se que a interpretação dominante levanta sérias reservas de conformidade com o princípio da legalidade e com as exigências constitucionais de certeza e cognoscibilidade em matéria de garantias dos contribuintes
- PortugalPublication . Aguiar, NinaThis chapter analyses the relationship between commercial accounting and corporate income taxation in Portugal, with particular attention to the evolution and current configuration of the Portuguese book-tax conformity system. Traditionally, Portuguese corporate taxation developed around a strong dependence model, under which taxable profit is determined on the basis of accounting profit, subject to corrections expressly provided by tax law. The chapter examines both the formal and material dimensions of this dependence, as well as the decisive role of case law in shaping its practical limits. Portuguese courts have significantly constrained the tax administration’s power to disregard accounting records, relying on constitutional and procedural principles such as taxation according to real income, justice, and material truth. It also explores the impact of the adoption of IAS/IFRS and the introduction of the Sistema de Normalização Contabilística (SNC), which brought Portuguese accounting law closer to international standards while simultaneously accelerating the erosion of strict book-tax conformity through numerous tax-specific exceptions. The Portuguese experience thus reveals a hybrid model: accounting remains the legal and evidentiary starting point for determining taxable profit, but its influence has been progressively reduced by increasingly detailed tax adjustments and sector-specific deviations.