Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC)

UFABC is a Brazilian federal public institution of higher learning based in Santo André and São Bernardo do Campo, municipalities belonging to the ABC region, both in the state of São Paulo.

What is EMBRACE?

EMBRACE is a project led by Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK) to which several institutions from Brazil, Colombia and Portugal have joined, with the idea of looking to the future and supporting the modernization of higher education.

Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina

Areandina is a Higher Education Institution IES in Colombia, founded in 1983 in the city of Bogotá, Cundinamarca. Their motto: “We fulfill dreams”

Instituto Federal do São Paulo (IFSP)

IFSP is a multi campuses pluri-curricula higher and professional education institution.

Empowering Educators: Transforming Teaching through the EMBRACE Professional Development Program

The EMBRACE Professional Development Program enhances digital and pedagogical skills of higher education teachers in Brazil and Colombia, addressing gaps exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative promotes teacher training, inclusive digital learning, and collaboration with the European DigCompEdu framework. Initial feedback highlights the program’s rich content, accessibility challenges, and its potential for transformative educational change.

D4.2 Series of workshops to support ecosystem development in partner institutions

This report presents the development of collaborative learning ecosystems within the EMBRACE project, focusing on university–industry cooperation. Through workshops, mentoring, and pilot initiatives, partner institutions designed and implemented innovative models that enhance skills development, foster co-creation, and strengthen connections between academia, industry, and society.

Higher Education Innovation Ecosystem LatinAmerica and Europe: Self Assessment and Development Plans

This study examines how higher education institutions in Latin America and Europe assess and develop innovation ecosystems through participatory self-assessment. Findings reveal shared challenges, contextual differences, and strategic priorities, highlighting universities’ evolving role as key drivers of collaboration, inclusion, and sustainable innovation in complex educational and societal environments.

Instituto Federal del Espírito Santo (IFES)

With more than four thousand students, preparing for the job market is just one of the institution’s functions.

UTP: “Embrace Project, a success story”

Our partners from UTP tell us how the project has developed in their institution and also their expectations for it.

Embrace closing ceremony at IFES

The Embrace project (2023–2026) advanced higher education modernisation through MOOCs, staff training, and international collaboration. IFES played a key role in coordination, platform innovation, and multilingual course delivery, achieving significant institutional impact, strengthening global partnerships, and fostering future initiatives in digital education and cooperation.

Digital transformation in higher education: UFABC towards the development of a learning ecosystem

The project, entitled EMBRACE: “Education Modernization Brazil, Colombia, Europe – the new era of digital higher education cooperation”, was approved under the ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE call, Development of Competences in the Field of Higher Education, Axis 2: Partnerships for Transformation in Higher Education.

Virtual course: digipedia – digital and pedagogical competences

From the CRIE, the UTP invites teachers to enroll in the MOOC Digipeda – Digital and Pedagogical Competencies, starting in October 2024. They will not only be able to strengthen their digital competencies, but also share and exchange ideas and experiences with teachers from Brazil.

Rethinking Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems in Latin America and Europe -Lessons from the EMBRACE Project –

This report presents the design and implementation of strategies to strengthen digital competencies and institutional innovation within the EMBRACE project. It highlights collaborative approaches, capacity building, and systemic transformation across partner institutions, fostering sustainable digital education and enhancing academic and professional practices.

Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira

The Technological University of Pereira is a public institution of higher education accredited with high quality in several of its undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Teachers’ Digital Competency Development

Collaborative book outlining digital competency frameworks, policies, and institutional practices to support higher education teachers’ digital pedagogy in Latin America.

Instructional Design Research in the Brazilian Context: Contributions of Qualitative Principles

The present essay proposes a reflection on the contributions of qualitative principles in research to be developed in the field of Instructional Design, aiming to contribute to the proposition of new methodological approaches.

Between the human and the artificial: towards a digital teaching approach based on the generative dialectic of AI

This article explores AI-assisted digital teaching through the lens of digital dialectics. It highlights how human-AI interaction can foster critical thinking, argumentation, and knowledge construction, while warning against cognitive sedentarism. Emphasizing ethical use, it presents AI as a human extension that should support—not replace—deep, reflective learning.

Between Northern Lights and Digital Clicks: Why Teaching Is Also About Continuing to Learn (V.8, N.7, P.8, 2025)

The article highlights the importance of continuous teacher training, using Finland and the international EMBRACE project as examples. The initiative promotes inclusive and collaborative learning ecosystems in Brazil, Colombia, and Europe, fostering teacher development through technology, internationalization, and co-creation tailored to diverse contexts.

Dynamic Tests for Assertive Formative Assessment

This paper explores the use of generative artificial intelligences to create dynamic tests in formative assessments. Through personalized quizzes, immediate feedback is facilitated, allowing the teacher to adjust his or her teaching in real time. This innovative methodology improves students’ understanding, catering to their individual needs and fostering deeper and more meaningful learning.

Conference In BragançaInternational conference in Bragança boosts collaboration and innovation in higher educationConference In Bragança

An international conference in Bragança highlighted collaboration within the European STARS EU alliance. It fostered dialogue, showcased projects, and promoted academic innovation. Notably, Professor Inês Barbedo presented the Embrace project, emphasizing its potential to strengthen collaboration and innovation in higher education, especially within the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB) community.

EMBRACE UFABC team’s continuing teacher training experience

The EMBRACE project, funded by EACEA, focuses on modernizing higher education by enhancing teacher training in digital pedagogy, integrating CLIL and ePedagogy approaches. Through international collaboration and active learning strategies, UFABC participants developed digital competences and adapted global practices to local needs, emphasizing inclusion, accessibility, and student-centered methodologies for lasting educational transformation.

Education, Modernization, Brazil, Colombia, Europe. The New Era of Higher Education Cooperation. (101083111). Final Publication.

The EMBRACE project showcases a collaborative initiative focused on strengthening teachers’ digital competencies. It highlights its participants, outputs, and communication channels, while reflecting on key experiences such as teacher training, administrative challenges, and the development of an innovative learning ecosystem that fosters digital transformation in education.

Building and Empowering Professional Learning Communities in Higher Education: case Embrace

This article examines how the EMBRACE project builds professional learning communities in higher education, fostering collaboration, digital pedagogy, and institutional transformation. It highlights achievements, challenges, and strategies to strengthen teacher development, innovation, and sustainable partnerships between academia and society.

What are MOOCs?

According to George Siemens, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are online courses that provide learning on a large scale, allowing mass participation and free access to high-quality materials, without the need for prerequisites for participation.

The construction of MOOCs in the Embrace project

The EMBRACE project is developing a trilogy of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) with the aim of training higher education teachers and managers in digital and pedagogical competences, and based on the European Digital Competence Framework for Educators.

Per(courses) of researchers in teacher training: possibilities and challenges for institutional transformation in education and technologies

Thus, the following sections present actions coordinated by the researchers, such as training courses, workshops and events, which culminated in the approval of the international research project Erasmus Capacity Building Higher Education “EMBRACE – Education Modernization Brazil, Colombia, Europe – the new era of digital higher education cooperation, valid from 2023 to 2026, in which, in addition to UFABC, other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) from Brazil, Finland, Portugal and Colombia participate.

Launch of the Embrace MOOC trilogy

The EMBRACE project, led by HAMK (Finland) with partners from Brazil, Colombia, and Portugal, launched a trilogy of MOOCs to train educators in digital and pedagogical skills, based on the ADDIEM model and DigCompEdu framework. The courses are available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

From the Traditional Classroom to the Digital Space: The Need for Digital Competences in Teaching for Learning

The enhancement of teaching and learning activities is a central objective in contemporary education, especially in the context of the digitisation of information. In this context, digital teaching strategies promote a learner-centred process when properly managed and thought through by significantly enhancing the learning process.

Faculty Development and Training for Global Digital Learning Initiatives

The fast evolution of digital technologies is transforming higher education, highlighting the need for ongoing professional development in global digital learning. Faculty must be trained in digital pedagogy, cross-cultural collaboration, and emerging technologies to create engaging, inclusive, and flexible online learning experiences across international contexts.

Joint development of EMBRACE MOOCs, a perspective from UTP teachers

This article reflects on the collaborative creation of MOOCs by Colombian and Brazilian universities within the EMBRACE project. It highlights intercultural teamwork, pedagogical reflection, and the transformative power of international cooperation in digital education. Language differences became bridges, fostering inclusive, participatory, and meaningful learning design for diverse contexts.

At the top of the picture, the header has a navy blue image cut by light blue bundles of lines and dots. In the left-hand corner of the image is written Open courses - Federal Institute of Espírito Santo and the menu for accessing the options: Home, Courses Search and Embrace. At the bottom of the picture, the three available EMBRACE MOOC courses are shown side by side: 1. DIGIPEDA - Digital and Pedagogical Skills; 2. Active Pedagogies Using Digital Tools; and 3. World of Work: Digital Skills and Innovation.

Provision of MOOCs in the EMBRACE project: UFABC team tutors’ perspective on MOOC 1.

The EMBRACE project MOOCs involved UFABC teacher tutors who evaluated and improved content to ensure academic quality. They praised the variety of materials and digital tools but noted challenges in language integration, assessments, and Moodle navigation. Their feedback will help refine future editions.

Instituto Politécnico De Bragança

The IPB is a public institution of higher education, committed to providing quality training and promoting research and extension activities with an impact on the economic, social and cultural environment.

Rethinking Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems in Latin America and Europe -Lessons from the EMBRACE Project –

D4.2 Series of workshops to support ecosystem development in partner institutions

Higher Education Innovation Ecosystem LatinAmerica and Europe: Self Assessment and Development Plans

Main Articles

Rethinking Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems in Latin America and Europe -Lessons from the EMBRACE Project –

D4.2 Series of workshops to support ecosystem development in partner institutions

Higher Education Innovation Ecosystem LatinAmerica and Europe: Self Assessment and Development Plans

Other Articles

Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC)

What is EMBRACE?

Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina

Instituto Federal do São Paulo (IFSP)

Empowering Educators: Transforming Teaching through the EMBRACE Professional Development Program

D4.2 Series of workshops to support ecosystem development in partner institutions

Higher Education Innovation Ecosystem LatinAmerica and Europe: Self Assessment and Development Plans

Instituto Federal del Espírito Santo (IFES)

UTP: “Embrace Project, a success story”

Embrace closing ceremony at IFES

Digital transformation in higher education: UFABC towards the development of a learning ecosystem

Virtual course: digipedia – digital and pedagogical competences

Rethinking Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems in Latin America and Europe -Lessons from the EMBRACE Project –

Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira

Teachers’ Digital Competency Development

Instructional Design Research in the Brazilian Context: Contributions of Qualitative Principles

Between the human and the artificial: towards a digital teaching approach based on the generative dialectic of AI

Between Northern Lights and Digital Clicks: Why Teaching Is Also About Continuing to Learn (V.8, N.7, P.8, 2025)

Dynamic Tests for Assertive Formative Assessment

Conference In BragançaInternational conference in Bragança boosts collaboration and innovation in higher educationConference In Bragança

EMBRACE UFABC team’s continuing teacher training experience

Education, Modernization, Brazil, Colombia, Europe. The New Era of Higher Education Cooperation. (101083111). Final Publication.

Building and Empowering Professional Learning Communities in Higher Education: case Embrace

What are MOOCs?

The construction of MOOCs in the Embrace project

Per(courses) of researchers in teacher training: possibilities and challenges for institutional transformation in education and technologies

Launch of the Embrace MOOC trilogy

From the Traditional Classroom to the Digital Space: The Need for Digital Competences in Teaching for Learning

Faculty Development and Training for Global Digital Learning Initiatives

Joint development of EMBRACE MOOCs, a perspective from UTP teachers

Provision of MOOCs in the EMBRACE project: UFABC team tutors’ perspective on MOOC 1.

Instituto Politécnico De Bragança