The main purpose of this study was to understand teaching and assessment practices of two university professors of Arts and Humanities. Thus, the following pedagogical aspects were analyzed: a) teaching organization and classroom dynamics; b) teaching and assessment tasks as well as professors and students' roles; c) feedback; and d) utilization of assessments. Data were collected through classroom observations and both professors and students' interviews. Narratives showed that although professors shared similar pedagogical perspectives, they made use of different teaching and assessment practices. This study allowed one to conclude that well defined structured classes with clear purposes; diversified teaching and assessment dynamics; utilization of carefully selected tasks; students' active participation in the learning and assessment processes; systematic distribution of high quality feedback; utilization of formative assessment; and utilization of self and combined modes of assessment are closely related to better learning, according to both professors and students' accounts. Besides, this research enabled one to come up with some reflections on the tasks nature, students' participation, feedback and quality of learning.Keywords: teaching practices; assessment practices; formative assessment; higher education.
IntroduçãoA pesquisa que se apresenta e discute neste artigo enquadra-se num projeto mais amplo, financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) de Portugal (PTDC/CPE-CED/114318/2009), envolvendo 36 investigadores de sete universidades (quatro portuguesas e três brasileiras) e que decorre entre Abril de 2011 e Abril de 2014. O seu principal propósito era descrever, analisar e interpretar práticas de ensino e de avaliação dos docentes e aspetos relacionados com as aprendizagens dos alunos no contexto de unidades curriculares de quatro grandes áreas do conhecimento: Ciências Sociais, Artes e Humanidades, Ciências da Saúde e Ciências e Tecnologias.O projeto foi desenvolvido de acordo com cada uma das seguintes fases, fortemente relacionadas entre si: a) Fase Teórica e Conceitual, em que se construiu um referencial teórico a partir de uma análise abrangente e profunda da literatura internacional relevante nos domínios do ensino, da avaliação e das aprendizagens em contextos do ensino superior; b) Fase da Análise Documen-