From March to July, I had the privilege of taking part in the Erasmus+ BIP on Digital Humanities (digHuman), which brought together students and lecturers from diverse fields (Informatics, Arts and Humanities), and different universities: Universidade do Porto, Università degli Studi di Salerno and Universitat Politècnica de València. It was, without a doubt, an absolutely fantastic experience. The digHuman BIP offered an international and interdisciplinary environment that created a truly stimulating learning atmosphere, where technology and the humanities met in meaningful and unexpected ways.
The idea of the programme is for students to work collaboratively and in cross-disciplinary teams in order to create a solution for a real project. It combines an online phase (from March to July) with an onsite week (21–26 July in Salerno). During the online phase, students attend lectures that build a shared foundation, and begin working together on different simulated projects that prepared them to the real challenge: developing a solution during the on-site phase.
Once in Salerno, they had the chance to engage directly with the rich historical context of the Associazione Scuola Medica Salernitana (the oldest medical school in Europe), for which they were tasked with creating a DigHuman solution. During the week, we visited several remarkable historical and cultural places (the Duomo, Minerva’s Garden, Paestum), which provided immersive information to help them develop their projects. Seeing how they connected history, technology and social issues was truly inspiring. This phase culminated with each team presenting their project before an academic (the teachers) and professional (the director of the Scuola) panel, showcasing innovative ways to link cultural heritage with digital tools.
As a teacher, I learned a great deal from this experience too. Seeing the clash (in the best possible sense) of different cultures, academic backgrounds, and approaches to create a unique and enriching atmosphere was fascinating. It is a real example of the immense value of international collaboration in higher education: it pushes us out of our comfort zones and allows new ideas to flourish.
In an increasingly technological world, we need to keep human and social perspectives at the centre of our work. This is something I try to pass on to my students in informatics. They are normally just in front of the computer, but their solutions should be made for real people. That’s precisely the spirit of this programme. DigHuman demonstrates how digital humanities can foster both innovation and critical reflection, encouraging students to think deeply about the role of technology in society.
I would also like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the students for their incredible effort, enthusiasm, curiosity, and commitment throughout the programme. Their energy and creativity were at the core of what made this experience so special. Also, a sincere thank you as well to my colleagues, Fernanda Ribeiro, Teresa Silveira, Filomena Ferrucci, Andrea Abate, Fabio Palomba, and Eduardo Vendrell, for their dedication, support, and inspiring collaboration.
I feel genuinely grateful to have been part of this edition, and I hope to see the programme continue to grow in the future. I would absolutely encourage students to get involved, as it is a brilliant opportunity to learn, share and collaborate across borders.
Next year, the programme will take us to Universidade do Porto, and I can’t wait to experience the next chapter of this wonderful journey =)
See you on the adventure ahead!
