Hands-on Learning? It’s a YES in EPRALIMA 🔬

In April 2026, students in Informatics and Technology at EPRALIMA had the opportunity to choose the workshop theme and take part in a hands-on session tailored to their needs and preferences. The topic of inclusion and accessibility emerged as the main interest, as a technical-focused field often disconnected from the community.

The Aim

The workshop is part of the R-XSCAPE roll-out activities, designed to expand hands-on and real-life opportunities for VET students to apply research competencies – demonstrating that research has a meaningful role beyond academic settings.

In Portugal, the workshop was clear and challenging: to guide students’ in creating a Python programme capable of detecting Portuguese Sign Language, based on neural network techniques. The activity was supported by EMAI, the portuguese Multidisciplinary Team for Inclusive Education, navigating how Artificial Intelligence can be used to support communication of individuals with auditory impairment.

Throughout the workshop, students analysed visual data, trained gesture recognition modules and integrated computer vision components with machine learning.

The Outcomes

As with most impactful activities, the workshop wasn’t always easy! 💥The project took time, leading to students’ final presentation of the steps and procedures undertaken to address communication inaccessibility. At the end, however, the workshop it was fruitful:

Students’ became empowered with research and innovation skills, learning how to navigate real-world contexts with technical and social impact.

Speficically, when surveyed, 100% of participating students highlighted that the event had contributed to the development of competencies found crucial for their future career; with 96% interested in following follow career options linked to research.

Ultimately, R-XSCAPE’s pedagogical potential was highlighted: an interdisciplinary approach transforms thinking and leads to new pathways, make resilience of sectors an achievable target.

What’s Next? ⏭️

From aware to skilled research agents, R-XSCAPE students from Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania will be engaged in national and EU-level competitions, where their competencies will be put into test.

The underlying common factor? The R-XSCAPE Game, currently in development, that merges learning curriculum of VET institutions with immersive learning experiences and inquiry-based learning.

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