Joint actions with the Inter-American Development Bank

MetaRed, in the spirit of supporting the digital transformation of Higher Education Institutions, has proposed the strategy of partnering with various international organizations in order to enhance its actions. In this line, it is worth mentioning the work done with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

In this case there was already a previous relationship between Universia and the IDB, which led to dialogues between rectors, and this synergy was used to propose an International Course on strategy and digital transformation, 100% online and exclusively for university rectors in Latin America. Therefore, we sought to support the highest authorities of the institutions to lead the digital innovation processes that these institutions need today.

The International Course for Rectors on Digital Strategy and Transformation of the University, organized jointly by Fundación Universia and the IDB, has as its main objective to provide them with new skills to manage the enormous possibilities offered by technology to improve the quality of teaching, research and its link with society.

In addition, this initiative seeks to form a network of leaders in Latin America who will become a reference for educational and digital innovation for the rest of the institutions in their regions.

It is a course with a strategic focus oriented to the decisions of the university government, without overlooking the review of concepts related to emerging technologies and working methods, so that the participating rectors acquire the relevant knowledge to think about transformations and lead these changes. It is also important to highlight its practical approach: each of the participating rectors will generate, along with their institutional team, lines of work to incorporate into a digital transformation plan for their university.

To achieve this ambitious objective, a work team was formed with specialists from both institutions (IDB / Metared by Fundación Universia) and international experts from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Spain and the United States who were invited to participate in the generation of content that responded to the previously defined design. These experts also participated in activities with the rectors during the course. Thanks to intense and coordinated work, in just four months the first edition of this course was held, with 28 rectors from 14 Latin American countries, which began on 9 November 2020.

It should be noted that all the material for the course has been specially designed and developed for this course.

Course details

Learning objectives:

  1. To recognize the main trends in Higher Education in the digital era.
  2. To identify disruptive technologies and mechanisms that help them to detect threats and also beneficial opportunities for their universities.
  3. To detect and share innovative projects that transform Higher Education Institutions and that can have a relevant impact on their mission.
  4. To apply strategic operating models and work dynamics that allow their teams to move towards the digital transformation of their institutions.

Modality and duration of the course

  • SPOC – 100% online with a teacher per module
  • EDGE Platform by edX
  • 5 modules (module 0: introductory, module 1: The digital era and digital changes, module 2: Disruptive technologies for digital transformation, module 3: The digital transformation and its opportunities, module 4: ICT strategy and governance)
  • 5 weeks duration + a final project (3 weeks)
  • Language: Spanish

Resources generated especially for the course:

  • 18 Learning Videos (12 with interactive questions)
  • 4 videos with interviews about university cases
  • 180-page reading publication (one chapter per module)
  • 4 summary infographics (1 per module)
  • 7 surveys or activities at the beginning of the modules that provoke reflection and contextualize the contents that will be seen, also providing the participants with a diagnosis about the vision or reality of their colleagues
  • 25 links to complementary resources recommended by the experts

Synchronous activities

  • 3 participative synchronous meetings during the course
  • 1 elective conversation after finishing the course

Final project

  • A final project for the rector to carry out together with his or her teams in the institution, which allows to apply the topics seen in order to encourage the improvement of the institution, with the possibility of receiving feedback from international experts.

Information on the participants in the first edition

  • 28 participants
  • 14 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal and Spain)
  • There are about 900,000 students in their institutions