The discussion on immersive learning environments requires an in-depth understanding of the concept and its implications for the educational process. Contemporary higher education faces the challenge of adopting methodologies that promote experiential learning. Challenge-Based Innovation (CBI) emerges as a student-centred approach, integrating interdisciplinary collaboration and immersion in real contexts. This...
Introduction: Approximately 10 million annual deaths may be associated with hypertension. Adverse effects and non-response to pharmacological treatment limit therapy to a significant proportion of patients; hence, treatment alternatives seem necessary. Our objective was to review data about the impact of herbal medicine on reducing blood pressure (BP) in prehypertensive and hypertensive patients. Methods: A sys...
Complexity theory investigates complex systems made up of parts that mutually interact in a non-linear way, producing unpredictable results. Inspired by this theoretical approach, ECOLAH - Embracing a Complexity-Orientated Learning Approach in Health is an Erasmus+ project (https://ecolah.eu/about/) whose mission is to develop a better understanding of how the complex societal challenge of building a healthy so...
Annually, approximately 10 million deaths are attributed to hypertension, highlighting the critical need for effective treatments beyond conventional medications due to their limitations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Olea europaea L. on blood pressure in adults with prehypertension and hypertension. The search, conducted from November/2022- October/2024 was performed on EBSCO, ...
This paper explores a strategic co-design process undertaken in the rural municipality of Miranda do Douro, Portugal, aimed at formulating locally grounded innovation challenges. Situated within the framework of a broader initiative [blinded for peer-review], the study highlights the preparatory phase prior to student involvement, emphasizing how collaborative methodologies shaped a community responsive innovat...
Higher Education faces significant challenges, including internationalization (Msomphora, 2025), digital transformation - in particular the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into traditional methods and cybersecurity (Parambil et al., 2024), students increasing expectations (Amanzhol et al., 2024), pressure for higher alumni employability rates (Schueller, 2023), the increased need of interdisciplinar...
This chapter presents the results of a qualitative study carried out as part of the European project ECOLAH - Embracing a Complexity-Oriented Learning Approach in Health, which evaluated the health student’s perspective an intensive, immersive and co-creation training programme. The programme took place in April 2024 in The Netherlands, involving 46 students and 15 professors from five European countries. The t...