UMECIT
Hotbeds of research
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), through the declaration of the World Conference on Higher Education (2009), states that, given the complexity of present and future global challenges, the Higher education has a responsibility to advance our understanding of multifaceted problems with social, economic, scientific and cultural dimensions, as well as our ability to deal with them. Seen in this way, the substantive functions of research, teaching and extension should promote critical thinking and active citizenship.
The World Conference on Science for the 21st Century also states: A New Commitment, when in conclusion 56 it states: "Governments of developing countries should broaden the status of scientific, technical and educational careers and make specific efforts to improve the working conditions, increase its capacity to retain scientists and promote new vocations in areas of science and technology.” (Unesco, 1999)
Universities in Panama and in Latin America in general have been taking important steps in actions aimed at generating a research culture in the academic community and the development of research skills, critical and scientific thinking, and interest in environmental problem situations. That the student is interested and worried in front of them.
UMECIT from its institutional mission, establishes the orientation towards the promotion of scientific thought and research culture in students. The UMECIT Institutional Development Plan (2023-2027) also establishes that "research is structured in the careers and academic programs offered, as a transversal axis of the curriculum" (p. 25).
The research policies specify that UMECIT will promote the creation of research seedbeds, whose primary purpose will be to develop training actions, strengthen basic research skills that allow the development of scientific competencies and actively participate in formative research activities; all of which contributes to the training of professionals with a consistent graduation profile in research.
The foregoing is formally specified in the Cyberhumanist curricular educational model by stating:
“Consequently, UMECIT is empowered by the cybernetic, humanistic and complex conception, focused on the university-student-society relationship, as axes for addressing teaching-learning situations rooted in autonomous and collaborative performance that transcends institutional limits. from technological mediation, research, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the promotion of a culture of human development leading to the visibility of ethical references that contemplate the values and good customs of our teachers and students before the generation of science and technology with social relevance, a value that is granted not only from the basic training cycle of each academic program, but also from the curricular devices corresponding to professional practices, research papers, socio-productive projects, academic field practices, among others. other forms listed as institutional policies”. (UMECIT Cyberhumanist curricular educational model, 2018)
The quality of higher education is closely associated with the practice of research. The relationship between teaching and research and training for research and the investigative mission of higher education, goes through the precision around formative research, fundamentally linked to the degree and the concretion of the mission of the university in the component of investigation.
The UMECIT Research Regulation, in its chapter VIII, article 38, states that "Research seedbeds are made up of students, mainly at the technical and undergraduate level, who, with the direction and accompaniment of a teacher, participate in research activities. training and collaborative work aimed at the development of skills and competencies in the investigative area, from inquiry and other basic processes of science such as observation, analysis, inference, construction of instruments, among others”
Formative research is considered at UMECIT as a pedagogical strategy where innovation and creativity are fostered. Its theoretical foundation is constructivism, since it assumes the active participation of the student and the teacher in the development of contextualized processes, bringing the theoretical world to daily confrontation with reality. This process is generated continuously and permanently from the classroom, consistent with the curricular design and putting the student in contact, through various training strategies, with the problems of the environment, from their professional training area.
Echeverry (2003) makes important contributions regarding the importance of formative research and its dynamization through research hotbeds, as specified below:
“…. This is why students acquire a greater professional dimension that allows them to have a vision of what research is and how it relates to their future professional activity. Investigating is a process linked to training. Undergraduate research is preparing for life, for the profession and eventually for postgraduate studies” (Echeverry, 2003).
Additionally, the author states that "formative research is conceived as research focused on practice that goes from the reflective practitioner approach of Schon (1983, 1987, 1995) and the action science methodology of Argyris, Putnam and Smith (1985). ), to the evaluation studies initiated at Harvard University (Light, Singer and Willet, 1990) and to the classroom research of Angelo and Cross (1993).»
Given the above, the research hotbeds become a space par excellence based on: "Learning to investigate, investigating", guiding the pedagogical praxis for the development of reflective and critical thinking skills, argumentation and research, through the study , documentation, reading, analysis and discussion of topics of interest to students aligned to curricular content, favoring spaces to develop skills to discover and create in students guided by teachers. They are organized by Faculty and by careers or related areas.
Train in research, innovation and/or technological development and entrepreneurship.
Promote the creation and activity of networks and scientific communities of students where collaborative and interdisciplinary work is evident.
Foster the critical, creative and argumentation capacity of students.
Train "seed students" in research methods and techniques, as fundamental tools for addressing problems of interest to them, associated with their area of professional training.
Promote collaborative work and foster the generation of tangible products and activities, from the dynamics of the research hotbed.
To be admitted as an active member of a UMECIT Research Seedbed, the following requirements must be met:
a) Be an active student of UMECIT, at the Technician or undergraduate level.
b) Demonstrate interest and motivation for research in the thematic area of the Seedbed.
c) Manage the registration and registration forms of the Research Seedbed and be presented to the coordinating teacher of the Seedbed.
The registration form is done through a Google form:
The formal registration of admission to the Research Seedbed will be under the responsibility of the seedbed coordinating teacher, for review and endorsement.
The coordinating teacher will evaluate the application for admission, considering the suitability of the student in relation to the objectives and themes of the Seedbed, as well as the availability of places. Once the application has been reviewed, the coordinating teacher will issue an endorsement if the student meets the requirements and is admitted as an active member of the Research Hotbed. The student will be notified of the decision on their application for admission and will be informed about the next steps to follow to join the seedbed.
González, Jorge Semilleros de Investigacion: a formative strategy Psychology. Advances in the Discipline, Vol. 2, no. 2, July-December, 2008, pp. 185-190 University of San Buenaventura Bogotá, Colombia
Echeverry GE (2003). The strategy of research seedbeds as a contribution to research training in university students. Brocal Magazine. Vol 3, No. 5.
January to June Envigado University Institution (IUE). (2002). Research Division Research Seedbeds. Central committee of investigations. Work document.
THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH SEEDS Juan Carlos Villalba Cuéllar (Editor) Andrés González Serrano (Co-editor) EDITORIAL Prolegomena – Rights and Values 10 Bogotá, DC, Colombia – Volume XX – Number 39 – January – June 2017 – ISSN 0121-182X
