Design-Based Research in Higher Education in Ecuador

Ecuador‘s higher education system mirrors that of other Latin American countries in its many internal and external stresses. It also provides an opportunity to view a reform process occurring in a vacuum of central government influence and authority, one whose direction is largely set by the universities in response to perceived stresses. Those stresses arise from the differentiation of the system in the last decade, questions about the role of higher education in Ecuador, and the absence of governmental direction. Changes in higher education in Ecuador must be examined in the context of higher education‘s role in development. The paper notes the case for the importance of higher education and the new theoretical support for higher education that endogenous growth models provide. It then examines the self-generated reform process which is occurring in Ecuador in the areas of teaching, of student access and of university finance. The final issue addressed is the relation between these changes, with their important implications for transforming the higher education system, and the development needs of Ecuador. There are many positive elements to the reform process which will contribute to development. However, until the government policy vacuum is filled, their potential benefit will remain only partially realized.

This document analyzes the approaches and meanings through which the Universities and Polytechnic Schools in Ecuador have conceived and implemented the concepts of student well-being and formative accompaniment in higher education in Ecuador. Analyzed and understood as a set of tools, the relevance of the welfare approach helps, on one hand, to equate structural inequalities and, on the other hand, contribute to the scope of the purposes of university academic training. This approach tends to face student dropout while strengthening retention strategies during training courses, thus promoting greater terminal efficiency. Student well-being and training support as axes of higher education propose the challenge of incorporating support structures within educational models. This makes it possible to build the necessary conditions for the maximum development of students’ capacities. Well, it is not only a question of guaranteeing access to higher education, but, above all, has to do with enabling all students to continue studying and successfully complete their training processes. KeywordsStudent well-beingFormative accompanimentHigher educationInclusion

La tecnología ha cumplido un papel trascendental durante el confinamiento por el COVID-19, permitiendo navegar a través de la disrupción, eliminando fronteras de tiempo y espacio. La presente investigación evalúa la aplicación del U-learning en la educación superior del Ecuador frente al COVID-19, específicamente en la Universidad Agraria del Ecuador, carreras de Medicina Veterinaria e Ingeniería ambiental. Se realizó un estudio del tipo no experimental descriptivo a 140 estudiantes y a 15 docentes. Se aplicó un cuestionario estructurado con 12 preguntas y 5 ítems. Los resultados indican que el 89% coincidió que este modelo fomenta el trabajo colaborativo, el 94% consideró que flexibiliza la educación, el 95% permite un aprendizaje personalizado. Se Concluye que l U-learning, tiene un alto nivel de aceptación en la comunidad universitaria, mejora el desempeño individual y colectivo, por lo que es necesario implementar políticas institucionales que permitan su incorporación definitiva en el currículo dentro de la Educación superior del Ecuador.

Artificial intelligence has become a key tool in educational innovation processes, particularly within the field of virtual higher education. In the Ecuadorian context, its implementation has been driven by the need to expand access and modernize teaching methods. However, significant challenges remain, including the digital divide, insufficient technological infrastructure, and the urgent need to establish clear ethical frameworks for its use. This study aimed to identify the potential of artificial intelligence in Ecuadorian virtual higher education from an ethical and responsible perspective. Methodologically, the research is descriptive with a theoretical focus, based on classical documentary analysis. Analytical-synthetic and systemic-structural methods were applied to examine scientific literature, regulations, and institutional documents, with special attention to the Ecuadorian context and educational ethics principles. The findings highlight the personalization of learning, automation of administrative processes, enhanced teacher-student interaction, and the creation of immersive and inclusive learning environments. However, risks such as the improper use of AI in academic authorship, the proliferation of phantom citations, and the absence of specific regulations were also identified. It is concluded that for artificial intelligence to effectively contribute to equitable and high-quality higher education in Ecuador, it is essential to ensure technological access and promote an ethical use that respects the academic and social values of the country.

Introduction: Linking projects have become integral to Higher Education in Ecuador, necessitating thorough planning, budgeting, continuous monitoring, and rigorous presentation of outcomes. This study evaluates the impact of such projects on student competency development and society, focusing on the Logistics and Transportation Engineering program at Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL). A linking project conducted between October 2023 and February 2024 aimed to enhance public transportation in underserved areas of Loja. Methodology: Methodology involved ten seventh-semester students who conducted a detailed analysis of Loja's urban transportation system using advanced tools to assess demand, service schedules, and route availability. Subsequent stages included designing efficient transportation routes and presenting proposals to stakeholders. Results: Results indicate significant improvements in students' technical skills, project management, and communication and teamwork abilities, alongside heightened social responsibility and community engagement. Discussions: This research underscores the pivotal role of linking projects in fostering holistic student development and addressing societal needs through practical application. Conclusions: The study's findings highlight the transformative impact of linking projects on student learning outcomes and their ability to contribute meaningfully to societal challenges, particularly in the context of public transportation development.

La calidad educativa es tema de permanente debate en el mundo, debido a la importancia que tiene para el fortalecimiento de las naciones de cara a los retos y desafíos que encierra el siglo XXI. Por eso, el presente estudio, tuvo como propósito el análisis de la pertinencia de la investigación en el ámbito de la enseñanza del derecho en Ecuador, desde una perspectiva teórica. Se constituyó en un estudio no experimental, de tipo documental y descriptivo. Se revisaron diferentes fuentes legales, bibliográficas y antecedentes investigativos. Producto de ello, se reporta un análisis de los fundamentos legales que rigen los fines de la educación superior en Ecuador como base para la disertación sobre consideraciones que inciden en la enseñanza del derecho, dando lugar a una serie de reflexiones sobre el rol del docente-investigador de significación en este ámbito.

Information and Communication Technologies in Higher Education in Ecuador

The evaluation of organizational climate is a critical factor in business management, and its importance is even greater in military higher education institutions, due to the high motivation and commitment expected from their members. However, research on this topic in Ecuador is scarce. The present study validates a scale to measure organizational climate in Ecuadorian military higher education institutions. The instrument proposed by Hernández, Garrido & Rico (2016) was applied to an intentional sample of 44 Military Engineering School (ESINGM) members. Its reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, obtaining values above 0.960, indicating high internal consistency. The dimensions of the organizational climate present in the institution were identified, and the results of the first-level statistical validation were presented. It is concluded that the scale is valid and reliable for measuring the organizational climate in this institution. In addition, this study contributes to the understanding of the organizational climate in military higher education institutions in Ecuador and may have implications for the management and improvement of educational quality in the context of higher education in Ecuador.

Many observers would envy Ecuador's public universities, following adoption of a new governing law and the 2008 Constitution, which abolished all student fees. But its 25 public universities are in the odd position of getting too much of a good thing. Elsewhere, advocates for public universities lament a trend toward marketization and privatization and decry shrunken financial contributions from government. Higher education in Ecuador is about to find out if the recent reforms could be problematic, as strings tighten that have just been attached to universities under a bold experiment. There is a particular worry about the threat to university autonomy.

La presente investigación analiza el efecto que ha tenido la gratuidad sobre el acceso a la educación superior en Ecuador. Inicia con una revisión de la literatura sobre el acceso y gratuidad, y examina los principales estudios realizados sobre Ecuador. Luego desarrolla la sección empírica usando los datos correspondientes a la Encuesta de Empleo y Desempleo Urbano y Rural (ENEMDUR) para el periodo 2007-2017; y, estima mediante modelos Probit la probabilidad de acceso a la educación superior y sus efectos marginales. Los principales resultados del estudio se relacionan con un efecto positivo de la gratuidad en el acceso a nivel general, con énfasis hacia grupos marginados, aunque se ha visto afectada por las medidas adicionales asociadas al mérito y calidad.

This study assesses the quality of a Master’s Degree in education in Ecuador, a program delivered jointly by three institutions (the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education, the National Education University of Ecuador and the University of Barcelona) from 2017 to 2019. The study adopts a multi-dimensional definition of quality that encompasses organization, teaching and trainees’ satisfaction with the value of the course for their professional development. A survey was conducted among 308 trainee teachers using an online questionnaire featuring both open and closed questions. The descriptive analysis of the variables was performed with SPSS and the qualitative information was analyzed using Nvivo12. The findings showed evidence of quality in organization, administration and teaching, in addition to trainee satisfaction with the personal and professional benefits of the course. The study concludes with recommendations for adapting the pedagogical and didactic contents of the master’s degree to the Ecuadorian context and modifying the organization of the face-to-face phase. Evidence is also offered of the value of blended learning and suggestions are made for ongoing institutional self-evaluation to ensure continued improvements and internal regulation in Ecuadorian higher education, and to further develop the government’s Good Living program.

Higher education has different academic offerings and as a target the training of professionals in different areas, these proposals aim to achieve a high performance through the applications of information and communication technologies (TIC), which allow to improve the educational process; So that 81% of students do not apply virtual environments and do not know e-learning resources, which specifies that 79% of teachers do not work with online applications, while 21% apply these processes, Thus demonstrating that teachers teach their professors without TIC support and without the use of e-learning resources, so the technological progress in education is not encouraged and it is evident that 89% of teachers teach their classes theoretically, 8% link theory to practice and 3% use supports in virtual resources.

This paper discusses the potential of language centres in higher education as laboratories for innovation. Despite their hybrid character as central service providers that are also defined by their teaching, their positioning at the academic periphery, and the lack of a mandate to do academic research, language centres still have an obligation to conduct research as a means of promoting innovation. The design-based research (DBR) approach in learning and teaching, in which teaching stakeholders examine learning processes in real situation, offers a suitable opportunity for language centres to overcome the restrictions placed upon them. DBR can be done using existing resources and the innovation potential of a language centre’s teaching staff. The leadership and management of the language centre must be made responsible for providing and/or enabling the necessary structural, material, and cultural conditions for such research. This paper discusses the DBR approach at language centres in higher education and its impact on leadership. It then gives two examples of the successful implementation of DBR at the Language Center of UZH and ETH Zurich.

Research conducted these last years in the field of spatial cognition report empirical findings that are difficult to account for with the traditional visual cognitive model of scene perception. One of the major contributions of these findings has been to invite rethinking scene perception, which would benefit from not being apprehended as centered mainly on the sensory modality considered. On the contrary, the Multisource model of scene perception developed by Intraub et al. offers an alternative theoretical framework considering visual perception as an act of spatial cognition, with spatial information at its core. According to this model, during the initial understanding of a view, the cognitive system would be elaborating a multisource representation, with spatial information constituting an egocentric framework that conveys to the observer a sense of the environment in which he/she is embedded. Scene representation would be organized around an amodal spatial structure combining different sources of information: a bottom-up and external source of information derived from different modalities (e.g., visual, haptic), as well as internal sources of high-level information (i.e., amodal, conceptual and contextual information). These different sources of information would work together to create a simulation of the likely environment, integrating the perceived view into a broader spatial context. Beyond rethinking scene perception, one of the advances of the model is to unify different fields of cognition apprehended until then in isolation. The current paper aims to present this model and some of the results it allows to account for.

An organism's phenotype can be influenced by maternal cues and directly perceived environmental cues, as well as by its genotype at polymorphic loci, which can be interpreted as a genetic cue. In fluctuating environments, natural selection favors organisms that efficiently integrate different sources of information about the likely success of phenotypic alternatives. In such situations, it can be beneficial to pass on maternal cues that offspring can respond to. A maternal cue could be based on environmental cues directly perceived by the mother but also partly on cues that were passed on by the grandmother. We have used a mathematical model to investigate how the passing of maternal cues and the integration of different sources of information evolve in response to qualitatively different kinds of temporal and spatial environmental fluctuations. The model shows that the passing of maternal cues and the transgenerational integration of sources of information readily evolve. Factors such as the degree of temporal autocorrelation, the predictive accuracy of different environmental cues, and the level of gene flow strongly influence the expression of adaptive maternal cues and the relative weights given to different sources of information. We outline the main features of the relation between the characteristics of environmental fluctuations and the adaptive systems of phenotype determination and compare these predictions with empirical studies on cue integration.