UOC supports two public universities in Peru in their digital transformation process

The eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC) met up online with six managers from the National University of Trujillo and the National University of the Peruvian Amazon as part of the Improvement of Academic and Pedagogical Management at Public Universities project organized by the Peruvian Ministry of Education and run by the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

In order to strengthen Peru’s public universities so that they can develop programmes in blended, distance or online formats, the Peruvian Ministry of Education has helped organize the Improvement of Academic and Pedagogical Management at Public Universities project – a nationwide project that seeks to support universities in their implementation of innovation programmes. The Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), one of Peru’s leading universities, is responsible for providing support in the implementation of these innovation projects at the National University of Trujillo and the National University of the Peruvian Amazon. This support includes training sessions, technical assistance, and a virtual visit to a renowned institution in order to foster the exchange of good practices. As part of this project, the eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC) at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) ran an online session on 1 February for these two Peruvian universities with the aim of promoting an exchange of good practices.

Sílvia Sivera, director of the eLinC, opened the session by welcoming the participants and presenting the eLinC and the work done there, and thanked the Peruvian institutions for placing their trust in the UOC. She was followed by Gemma Carrera, Deputy General Manager for Teaching at the UOC, who explained the university’s role, and then by members of the eLinC team who covered topics including instructional design, digital assessment, content production and technology.

The managers exchanged doubts and thoughts with the various UOC teams throughout the event, and at its conclusion they rated it very positively, highlighting the learning they had obtained. In the words of Eduardo Sosa, from the National University of Trujillo, “What struck me most was the planning. That is the cornerstone. If we plan well enough in advance, we realize the needs we have. First, we need help with planning; second, we also need help with monitoring students, and third, with assessment, which is very different online.” In turn, Perla Magnolia Vasquez, from the National University of the Peruvian Amazon, asked “How can we work with the students?” and said “What we want is to adapt what we already have. Although it is true that we already have monitoring and follow-up for teachers, we need monitoring and follow-up for students.” The situation at the National University of the Peruvian Amazon involves a wide range of cultures with a community of seven ethnic groups, and in that respect, “specialized support is required,” added Vasquez. One of her colleagues, Pilar Bardales, emphasized the importance of verifying students’ identities: “I was very interested in the way they verify their identity. We can implement that here too,” she said.

The online session with the Peruvian universities was very fruitful. Experts from various UOC departments were able to provide support and the meeting offered both institutions the chance to share their experiences. For the Peruvian university managers, it represented input for strategic reflection and helped identify good practices and lessons learned from the UOC, a pioneering institution in fully online education. For the UOC, the session represents a challenge and an opportunity to support these universities in their digital transformation plans, to share experiences and knowledge in order to improve the world’s educational systems, and to contribute to increased access to and reach of higher education. 

This initiative is part of the UOC’s commitment to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, Quality Education.

The UOC provides advice and support on digital transformation 

The UOC has over 25 years of experience, and it shares and exchanges knowledge and innovation with other educational institutions in order to have an impact on their digital transfer so they can create their own tailored, high-quality online education models. The UOC provides this support in response to the strategic importance of the digital transformation of higher education institutions and the incorporation of knowledge and information technologies in their learning models.

The UOC: a pioneer in e-learning and digital transformation in education

The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) was the world’s first fully online university, and for over 25 years it has been using its high-quality online methodology to open the door to lifelong learning.

With over 20 research groups studying e-learning and its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), the UOC has been able to provide numerous universities, quality agencies and governments with advice and guidance for the designs of their quality online education systems, and it has become a leader in the field of digital transformation in education.

Further details: Committed to the digital transformation of education #UOC4LearningEvolution.