On 18 February, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto publicly presented Academ_IA XP, a new initiative dedicated to promoting Artificial Intelligence that is ‘ethical, responsible and academically competent for the challenges of the present and the future’. The session took place in the afternoon and marked the official launch of a project that aims to be an integrated ecosystem of knowledge, training and innovation in AI in higher education.
Promoted by the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation (CIP) of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (P.PORTO), the academy was presented as a structured response to the pedagogical, ethical and social challenges posed by emerging technologies in teaching and learning processes. The initiative aims to go beyond isolated training actions, proposing a continuous, collaborative and evidence-based approach, involving students, teachers, technicians and all those interested in educational transformation using AI.
The afternoon also included a round table dedicated to the topic of AI in higher education, which brought together Sandra Soares, Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro and Coordinator of the CNIPES Higher Education AI Group, Francisco Fernandes, President of FAP, and Paulo Dimas, CEO of the Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence. The discussion was moderated by Inês Cardoso, editorial director of the JN/TSF Group. The meeting ended with a moment of socialising among the participants.
During the presentation, it was emphasised that Academ_IA XP will function as a hub for courses, seminars, forums, communities of practice, podcasts, talks, classes and live events, organised in a flexible and personalised way. The methodology is based on gamification principles, allowing each participant to build their own training path and accumulate XP (Experience Points) as they attend activities and develop skills. These points recognise the learning path in Artificial Intelligence and lead to final certification.
The project also anticipates emerging trends, such as agent-based AI, advanced prompting, multimodal systems, cognitive automation, AI-assisted assessment, and adaptive technologies, positioning itself as a platform that seeks not only to keep up with technological developments, but to lead them with responsibility and pedagogical vision.
Academ_IA XP is officially online and open to registration for the entire community: students, teachers, technicians, professionals, and other interested parties, regardless of their institution of origin. The activities are free, entirely online, and certified, with each participant entitled to a certificate upon completion of their training course.
Registration is open until 11:59 p.m. on 28 February. After that date, only registered members will be able to participate in the activities scheduled for the coming weeks. The organisation also provides a WhatsApp channel to follow the latest news and publicise initiatives. Register at academiaxp.cip.ipp.pt.
With the launch of Academ_IA XP, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto reinforces its commitment to a structured strategy for integrating Artificial Intelligence into higher education, promoting an approach based on ethics, responsibility, and academic competence.