Combining research and learning: an example using local e-government evaluation

Abstract

Between 2010 and 2015, the authors implemented a set of research-based learning activities in the context of two curricular units offered at the University of Aveiro in Portugal. Although initially designed with strictly pedagogical purposes and to familiarize students with research, these activities have formed the basis of several studies that have been published in journals and international conference proceedings. In general, the activities developed with students aimed at evaluating the maturity of municipal websites, under different perspectives of analysis, at different dates, and in different geographies, using content analysis and, as appropriate, maturity models or conceptual analysis. In this article, the motivations, methods, and results achieved are described. The experiment demonstrates that, in appropriate contexts, the link between teaching and learning and research can contribute to student motivation and the development of relevant learning and simultaneously be an added value for research.