Latin American Universities Research Articles

Incidence of university sustainability on university performance: An exploratory analysis from five private Latin American universities

Sustainability has become a generalized concern for society, specifically businesses, governments, and academia. In the specific case of universities, sustainability has been approached from different perspectives, some viewing it from environmental practices, management initiatives, operational criteria, green buildings, and even education for sustainable development. This research focuses on sustainability as a managerial practice and investigates how it affects the performance of five private universities in Medellin, Colombia. For this purpose, a literature review using a mixed sequential approach, including bibliometric and content analysis, was initially conducted. In the s second phase, more than 5000 responses from students, professors, and employees of the five mentioned private universities were collected. A previously validated instrument for both sustainability and performance was applied in the quantitative phase, and a novel dimensionality of the constructs was proposed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis using the SPSS software. Results were then processed through a structural equation analysis with the Smart PLS software. The impact of sustainability on university performance is verified, making some managerial recommendations.

Inclusive Education in Latin American Universities: Proposal for A Care Model

In Latin America, policies on inclusive education in the university are implemented in an irrelevant way, despite the foundations that seek a university that guarantees in all students the learning, skills and competences they need. To try to provide solutions, the Social Model of Inclusive Education (MSEI) is proposed, which allows identifying management in inclusive education, by calculating the effectiveness index, using the cause-effect structure among three variables: i) policies in inclusive education, ii) conditions presented by students and iii) attitudes towards students. The variables are derived into indicator variables, developing items that allow the collection of information with all the members of a higher education institution; thus formalizing a mathematical model of structural equations. The MSEI was applied as a pilot plan in a higher education institution in Ecuador, showing that the management effectiveness index in inclusive education is 60.3%, related to a work of greater weight in indicator variables such as: support that provides the educational institution to the students, the socio-economic situation of the students and the differentiated assessment of learning.

Exploring the Role of ChatGPT in Higher Education Institutions: Where does Latin America Stand?

This research examines how stakeholders in higher education institutions in Ecuador, Chile, and Costa Rica are adopting ChatGPT. Unlike existing literature that predominantly focuses on North America, Europe, or Asia, this research shifts the lens to Latin America. Adopting a qualitative approach, the study gathered data through 26 semi-structured interviews with higher education institution decision-makers (9), academic (14), and administrative staff (3), revealing the landscape of ChatGPT adoption and application. The findings show a varied level of ChatGPT adoption across different functions within these institutions, with no apparent contextual differences. While academic staff show a higher level of engagement for enhancing educational and research processes, administrative staff use it to perform day-to-day activities, such as improving writing. The role of ChatGPT in decision-making and transformative policies remains limited. Despite recognising the potential of ChatGPT to enhance education, decision-makers often mention challenges like discerning between human and artificial intelligence-generated content, fostering critical thinking, and addressing student inequalities. Decision-makers agree on the importance of training to tackle these challenges. The study seeks to help develop a strategic agenda for integrating technologies, such as ChatGPT, in Latin American universities.

Leveraging technology to improve access to medical education in anatomy and physiology in resource-limited settings: A mixed methods study.

This study assesses the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and efficacy of a novel asynchronous video-based intervention for teaching respiratory physiology and anatomy to medical students in resource-limited settings. A series of short video lectures on pleural anatomy, pulmonary physiology, and pathophysiology was created using Lightboard and screen capture technology. These were uploaded to YouTube and Google Drive and made available to 1st-3rd year medical students at two Latin American universities for 1 week. Employing a parallel-convergent mixed methods design, we conducted surveys, focus groups, interviews, and pre/post testing for qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic Analysis was used to analyze qualitative data and McNemar's test for quantitative analysis. Seventy-six students participated. The videos' short format, interactivity, and Lightboard style were highly valued for their flexibility, time efficiency, and educational impact. Students recognized their clinical relevance and trusted their content, suggesting potential applicability in similar settings. Despite infrastructure and connectivity challenges, the use of flexible streaming and downloadable options facilitated learning. Survey results indicated high levels of feasibility (99%), appropriateness (95%), and acceptability (95%), with significant knowledge gains observed (37% correct pre-test answers vs. 56% post-test, p < 0.0001). Our findings demonstrate high acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and efficacy of a targeted asynchronous education centered on short-format videos in resource-limited settings, enabling robust learning despite local barriers. Flexible access is key for overcoming localized barriers. Taking an adaptive, learner-centered approach to content creation and delivery to address constraints was pivotal to success. Our modular videos could serve as versatile models for flexible education in resource-constrained settings.

Artificial Intelligence in Latin American Universities: Emerging Challenges

Artificial Intelligence in Latin American Universities: Emerging Challenges

Undergraduate dissertation problems: an aggregate cross-sectional analysis from five Latin American universities

ABSTRACT Latin America may have higher attrition rates than previously assumed. Many students in Latin America do not graduate on time because they cannot complete the traditional undergraduate dissertation. This paper examines the factors contributing to delayed graduation for a context-specific variable: dissertation problems. We designed a questionnaire survey based on multi-item scales and surveyed 480 university students from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. Aggregate-cross-sectional data and multilevel structural equation modeling show that institutional assistance and supervision quality [personal problems] reduce [increase] dissertation problems. These results may enable university authorities to identify undergraduate students with dissertation problems and thus improve their strategies for reducing attrition rates.

Do not forget about me, do not forget about you. Usability of a mobile app for professional identity formation

PurposeProfessional Identity Formation is the dynamic evolution to “think, act and feel” to become part of a professional community. This document presents the development and the study that aimed to assess the usability of a m-Learning Identity App (MLIA) focused on the formation of professional identity among undergraduate medical students.Design/methodology/approachMLIA development included four phases: Conceptual, prototype, pilot and implementation, before further deployment. The conceptual model was designed by eight faculty members from three Latin American universities. The prototype was developed and tested with stakeholders. The pilot was performed during 5 weeks before the implementation. Cross-sectional data collected during implementation from 138 medical students who completed a survey to assess the usability of MLIA are presented. During deployment, 977 posts were made on Professional Identity Formation, and examples of these posts are presented.FindingsThe prototype and pilot phases demanded improvements. The survey explored (1) Familiarity, (2) Perceived ease of use, (3) Perceived usefulness for Professional Identity Formation, (4) Satisfaction, (5) Intention to reuse (6) Digital aesthetics and (7) Safety. Results from the usability assessment suggest that students perceived MLIA as a secure space with positive aesthetics and ease of use.Research limitations/implicationsImportant limitations of the present study include, firstly, that it does not provide information on the effectiveness of the MLIA in shaping professional identity in medical students, it focuses exclusively on its development (conceptual model, prototype, pilot and implementation) and usability. Secondly, the study design did not consider a control group and, therefore, does not provide information on how the App compares with other strategies addressing self-reflection and sharing of meaningful experiences related to professional identity.Originality/valueMLIA introduces a different approach to education, simulating a secure, easy-to-use, social media with a friendly interface in a safe environment to share academic and motivational moments, transitioning from being to becoming a professional.

Neural longitudinal mapping of multidimensional performance profiles of Latin American universities

Objective. To introduce an artificial intelligence method and to use it to analyze the evolution of the multidimensional performance profiles of the most prominent Latin American universities, according to the Times Higher Education Latin America University Rankings.&#x0D; Design/Methodology/Approach. To multidimensionally characterize universities' performance profiles, we use the rankings' sub-scores indicators, which quantify five dimensions of academic endeavor assessed by this ranking. To automatically compare and visually analyze performance profile's evolution our method uses an artificial neural network.&#x0D; Results/Discussion. The neurocomputational procedure allowed us to discover all the characteristic performance profiles of the 50 best ranked universities (20 institutional profiles in 2019), and to visualize, in a knowledge map, the universities' groups sharing similar profiles. Furthermore, the profile's evolution of this group of universities was analyzed, and visually displayed in a sequence of knowledge maps, covering the four years period 2016-2019. In general, these universities show a remarkable improvement in Teaching, Research and Citation scores during 2016-2019. The profiles diversity of the best ranked universities, and the predominance and homogenization process of Brazilian universities profiles are noteworthy.&#x0D; Conclusions. Performance profile characterization using multiple indicators is a matter of interest in diverse domains. However, visualization or comparison of multidimensional performance profiles is not an easy task for the human mind. Even more challenging is the visual analysis of multidimensional performance profiles evolution. The neuro-longitudinal technique introduced is a useful tool to analyze and visualize the evolution of multidimensional performance profiles.&#x0D; Originality/Value. The approach and techniques introduced in the paper have an important degree of generality and can be used to analyze other type of rankings or multidimensional data.

Exploring Complex Thinking in Latin American Universities: Comparative Analysis Between Programs and Alternative Credentials

Exploring Complex Thinking in Latin American Universities: Comparative Analysis Between Programs and Alternative Credentials

Supporting Decision-Making for Promoting Teaching and Learning Innovation

The quality of the data and the amount of correct information available is key to informed decision-making. Higher education institutions (HEIs) often employ various decision support systems (DSSs) to make better choices. However, there is a lack of systems to assist with decision-making to promote innovation in teaching and learning. In this study, we evaluate an analytic tool called PROF-XXI that supports strategic decision-making of teaching and learning centres (TLCs) by identifying their competencies in teaching and learning innovation. Through a multiple case study conducted with three Latin American universities and supported by quantitative and qualitative data, we observed how this tool is used and how it facilitates strategic decision-making. Our findings indicate that the tool is accessible, user-friendly, and effective in 1) initiating identification and systematic reflection of institutional competency levels in teaching and learning innovation, 2) enhancing understanding of strengths and weaknesses as well as identifying opportunities for innovation, 3) supporting TLCs with short- and long-term decision-making, and 4) continuously evaluating their strategies, programs, and initiatives. This research can benefit policymakers in higher education who are involved in measuring institutional competencies to improve teaching quality or in making strategic decisions related to teaching and learning innovation.

Factors Associated with Student Dropout in Latin American Universities: Scoping Review

Dropping out of university studies is present all over the world and is considered a problem of social impact that affects the student's economy, the family and the State. In recent years, the health crisis due to COVID-19 and socio-political problems have increased university dropout in some countries. The present study systematically and comprehensively explored primary studies on the factors and variables involved in dropping out of university students. The research was reviewed in the Latin American context in the last ten years, in the following databases: Scielo, Web of Science, and ProQuest. The selection and inclusion of the 21 studies was carried out according to the scoping review methodology. The findings show a positive trend in the last three years in the production of articles; the factors and associated variables were grouped according to the recommendations of the ALFA-GUIA project for a better understanding. It is concluded that factors and variables such as: Academic: academic performance, Individual: lack of motivation, Economic: family economic support, and Institutional: academic and psychological support are the main factors when deciding to abandon a university career.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 11 November 2023 / Accepted: 25 February 2024 / Published: 5 March 2024

Зарубежные эксперты о процессах внутриполитической трансформации в странах Латинской Америки в третьем десятилетии XXI века

The article’s introduction includes the main prerequisites for internal political transformation’s process in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The study’s purpose is to identify new trends in the largest countries’ domestic policies in the region in the third decade of the 21st century. The study’s materials are used mainly by Spanish-speaking authors and Spanish-speaking news agencies who most closely and fully know the situations in LAC countries, the objective data from reports of the various UN structures, and independent Englishspeaking researchers invited to Latin American universities. The article’s methodological basis was the scientific principle of objectivity, which it made possible from the available array of information to identify the main directions of transformation taking place in LAC countries in the study period. The systematic approach’s application made it possible to identify the main events in LAC countries that characterize the multi-vector transformation trends. The article’s author identified further perspectives for LAC countries development with the help of special historicalcomparative and historical-genetic methods. The study’s results were the author’s conclusions that the domestic policy of big Latin American countries in the third decade of the 21st century is characterized by a tendency of “catching up” development. There is a noted instability of the domestic political course in the political system of these Latin American countries (from a liberal to a conservative course and vice versa), and the economic models’ frequent change does not give the desired result. The social problems are caused by the main population’s poverty, especially the indigenous one, and these problems cannot be resolved due to transnational migration of the population and transnational crime (from drug trafficking to human trafficking and weapons). All this explains the diversity of the internal political transformation in Latin American countries.

Social entrepreneurship in young students promoted by Latin American universities

ObjetivoO objetivo deste estudo é an analisar as estratégias que permitem semear iniciativas de empreendedorismo social entre jovens universitários da América Latina. Permitirá conhecer as diferentes necessidades e expectativas atualmente tratadas no ensino superior no desenvolvimento do seu papel de promotor do empreendedorismo nos alunos.Desenho/metodologíaO estudo utiliza um método de análise de regressão logística multinomial baseado em dados coletados por meio de uma pesquisa on-line, aplicada a uma amostra de 599 estudantes avançados de administração de empresas em cinco países latino-americanos.ResultadosOs resultados mostram que três das variáveis independentes em estudo são relevantes como estratégia para incutir nos estudantes universitários a iniciativa de criar empreendedorismo social: ter ligações com comunidades sociais, proporcionar educação empreendedora com orientação social e fornecer educação financeira.ImplicaçõesOs resultados desta investigação indicam o papel que as universidades devem ter na promoção do empreendedorismo social nos estudantes universitários. Portanto, as estratégias propostas são fundamentais para melhorar esse tipo de empreendedorismo.OriginalidadeA principal contribuição deste estudo é analisar temas tão importantes quanto o empreendedorismo social nos universitários latino-americanos, e ampliar o conhecimento das principais estratégias que as universidades desta região devem adotar, para que os estudantes se lancem na área social.

Effectiveness of online and blended teaching methods in developing professional engineering cross-curricular skills: A study in the context of Latin America

This study explores the effectiveness of online and blended teaching methods in developing cross-curricular skills crucial for an ideal engineering profile among undergraduate students. Involving 587 online and 635 blended students across 11 Latin American universities, the research incorporates Likert tests for student perceptions and Mann-Whitney statistical tests for hypothesis scrutiny. Challenges emerged due to diverse academic contexts and the subjective nature of self-reported perceptions. Despite these hurdles, findings highlight the blended method’s superior effectiveness in fostering key engineering skills. The study not only contributes to teaching method exploration but also addresses challenges in cross-cultural research settings, enhancing our understanding of the complexities and adaptations required for cross-curricular skill development in engineering education.

Qualitative Research From Grounded Theory to Build a Scientific Framework on the Researcher’s Epistemic Competence

The Epistemic Competence of the Researcher is a critical success factor for ethical, rigorous, and creative research performance, but it requires a deep epistemological and methodological mastery, however, the current scientific literature has not yet achieved a conceptual arrangement, that allows researchers and educators to have a comprehensive theoretical framework for a holistic understanding of this competence. The objective of this study was to build a comprehensive theory on the epistemic competence of the researcher. A qualitative approach was used, deploying an open interview and the grounded theory method. Ten experts in social science didactics from 7 Latin American universities and 3 Spanish universities participated. The interviews were processed manually and with the support of ATLAS.TI software, finding 23 emerging categories that were contrasted with the results of a term co-occurrence network of 6081 studies imported from Scopus. From the cross-check of empirical and theoretical results, the following concepts were selected to coincide. Finally, the theoretical framework established was made up of the following concepts: 1.- knowledge building and conceptual change, 2.- epistemological beliefs, 3.- concept mapping and knowledge creation, 4.- conceptual understanding, 5.- conceptual framework, 6.- concept formation, 7.- epistemic beliefs, 8.- science education (learning science and science teaching) 9.- cognitive complexity, 10.- personal epistemology, 11.- virtue epistemology, 12.- formal logic, 13.- epistemic cognition, 14.- nature of science, 15.- epistemic emotions. A proposal for teaching and learning science from this epistemic perspective is established. Future studies should continue to explore the concepts and categories that this work leaves open.

Exploring team roles for social innovation labs: Toward a competence-based role self-assessment approach

This research proposes a competence-based role model as a methodological basis for guiding the conformation of social innovation lab (SI lab) teams. Based on a comprehensive literature review including the comparison of 7 innovation team frameworks and a set of 14 competences for SI lab teams, a model consisting of the roles of facilitator, maker, visionary and manager is proposed. Applied to 10 nascent SI lab teams from Latin American universities, the self-assessment methodology provides an interpretative approach for SI lab teams to position themselves with regards to their competence profile and proposed roles, while identifying strategies for improvement.

Higher Education of Latin America in the Trajectory of International Student Mobility

Latin America and Caribbean Region (LAC), with a student enrollment about 30 million, has its own space in the global inter-university exchange. And the article aims to observe current trends and specific features of the internationalization of LAC higher education systems. The author analyzes different models of interaction of the region, firstly, with the countries of the global “North”, secondly, in the “South-South” format, and in a trilateral model – “North-South-South”. Also, the article studies some versions of intraregional cooperation in South America, as well as the Network university consortium (BRICS as example). The research exposes a new trend, the participation of LAC countries in the virtual student mobility, which has become a “new normal” during the pandemic period and has retained its significance at the present time. A special place is given to Russian-Latin American cooperation which has a long history. Additionally, the opportunities and difficulties of this bi-regional partnership in the higher education sphere at the present time are analyzed.Despite the fact that the Latin American region lies somewhat away from the main routes of global interuniversity exchange, it is gradually increasing its share in the flow of mobile students by active participation in triangle formats. Simultaneously, the region develops new options for intra-regional cooperation to increase the competitiveness of Latin American universities in the international education market.

New Public Management and Internationalization in Latin American Top-Tier Universities: A Multiple Case Study

The internationalization of universities has become increasingly important in recent decades. A dominant internationalization model, influenced by principles of new public management, has emerged. Latin American universities have undergone significant changes as a result of this trend. This paper takes inspiration from the sociology of translation to examine how leading Latin American institutions are addressing these challenges at both organizational and cultural levels. The findings indicate that cultural transformation is prevalent, strongly influenced by the Latin American tradition of extension. However, at the organizational level, imitation is more relevant, as evidenced by the adoption of new public management principles to devise strategies, plans, and programs that prioritize professionalization and the widespread use of indicators. This development gives rise to a distinct cultural internationalization model for Latin American universities.

THE DYNAMIC INTERPLAY BETWEEN STUDENTS AND STAFF IN ENHANCING INCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA

This paper presents findings from the ENTENDER Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project (funded by the European Union Commission) involving five Latin American (LA) universities in Argentina and Mexico and three European partner universities. The project aimed to raise awareness of neurodiversity, create processes and tools to identify neurodivergent students’ learning needs and promote teacher training to design and provide inclusive learning environments. A collaborative cocreation approach was implemented. All elements of the project were evaluated against a baseline via a needs analysis. We discuss the initial challenges, the gains, and the unexpected outcomes that have propelled neurodiversity to the top of the agenda in the partner institutions initiating a change in attitudes from a deficit model to a strengths-based focus.

The mediating role of self-regulation between emotional intelligence and student performance in online global classroom-based collaborative international online learning (COIL): Empirical evidence from four partner universities of Latin America

The online global classroom of the Collaborative International Online Learning (COIL) initiative can be valuable for many local and international students who do not have the opportunity to participate in the worldwide in-person exchange programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research focuses on determining the role of self-regulation in considering undergraduate engineering students' emotional intelligence and performance in online global classroom courses. The convenient data was collected through an online questionnaire that measures emotional intelligence, self-regulation, and student performance. It was applied to 144 students taking three different online courses from four international Latin American universities: (1) Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico, (2) Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, Dominican Republic, (3) DUOC, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Chile (4) San Sebastian University, Chile. Tecnologico de Monterrey designed and offered online global classroom courses to the students in these collaborating international universities. The online survey links were distributed during the last lecture of each online global classroom course through a convenient sampling method. Collected quantitative data were analyzed with the Jamovi statistical application. The statistically analyzed results of the mediation test affirmed that students' self-regulation partially mediated local and international students' emotional intelligence and academic performance. Furthermore, this research provides guidelines to both local and international professors in higher education institutions for promoting and implementing global classrooms in their existing educational settings. The aim is to help local and international students gain international experiences in COIL educational settings and guide them toward self-regulation of study and emotions for better academic performance.