Adapting to the Future: Benefits and Trends of Virtual Education

After the pandemic, young people began to become more aware of their time and quality of life, which is why they chose to work or study virtually.

This is what, according to the rector of the Virtual University System (SUV) of the UdeG, Iván Moreno, increased the enrollment of students studying an online bachelor’s or postgraduate degree, allowing them to have greater control over their time to allocate it to other activities. , as is work. “There is a trend that accelerated with the pandemic, where students increasingly demand more flexibility, omnichannel learning in their lives and a multi-platform. And that is what leads the general rector, Ricardo Villanueva, and the SUV, to promote a reengineering of the virtual university system, one of the pioneers at the national level, created in 2005 with a series of certified international education programs. “high-quality online.”

Say what The system has more than six thousand students in undergraduate and graduate degrees, but there are also around a thousand in the general high school. Through a reengineering It is estimated that, in the medium term, they will have 30 thousand.

At the door, university centers migrate their careers to virtuality

After a survey carried out in 2021 among the educational community of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG), the university found that eight out of 10 teachers agreed that their courses could be taught in parallel through an online course. Hand in hand, seven out of 10 students indicated that they could take their courses virtually, as reported by the rector of the Virtual University System (SUV), Iván Moreno.

This is part of what has led to the promotion of strategies so that the university centers of the UdeG can transfer their courses to virtuality, simultaneously, in order not only that the university can offer greater coverage to young people who intend to study a career, but to mainstream the programs offered by the university.

For this reason, we are working on a project that allows the usual face-to-face degrees to be able to also offer their courses online. “What we want is for each and every one of the university centers to also have 100% virtual courses, that are theirs. That is the approach of mainstreamingwork with the professors of the university network so that their programs that they already have can offer them simultaneously online. We seek to help them virtualize their own educational programs, with all the experience they have in the management of platforms, instructional design, teacher training and technologies that the SUV has.”

In this way, in addition to strengthening the SUV and the centers themselves, educational coverage is expanded so that more young people can continue and promote their higher education, without leaving aside that it will allow the “multi-thematic centers” promoted to become an increasingly closer reality. by the general rector, Ricardo Villanueva, since students will be able to take their degree classes from anywhere, without wasting time traveling between one center and another.

“The black thread is not being invented either, This is the model that UNAM has, which houses approximately 40 thousand students in its online system. This is how your Open University System works, who works with the professors of the UNAM faculties, and creates online programs from it. Another successful model with which we work hand in hand is that of Arizona State University, which today has 90 thousand students in its online system.”

At the moment, there is no minimum deadline to complete it in its entirety, as it is part of the general reengineering process of the UdeG. The challenge is to achieve the necessary investment in technology, pedagogical design, instructional design, teaching support and certification, to achieve it with the prestige and quality offered by the University of Guadalajara.

Mexico is the third place in the world with the most subscribers

According to the analyzes carried out by the SUV of the University of Guadalajara, together with Coursera, a massive provider platform for open online teaching courses, Mexico is one of the countries that hosts the most subscribers regarding this type of teaching.

As explained by the rector of the Virtual University System (SUV), Iván Moreno, Mexico is the third country in the world with the most users enrolled in one of the programs offered by Coursera with a total of 5.7 million subscriptions, according to the global skills report, released this year by the platform.

Mexico is only below the United States, which reported 22 million subscribers, and India, where Coursera has 19 million users. However, in Mexico, all formal education programs are around only five million, Therefore, it is necessary to take advantage of the interest and demand for flexibility, in order to also venture into “short” programs that can certify those interested in particular learning.

“We have to make better use of continuing education, certification course models, microcredentials, modular learning, education that, although it does not grant an academic degree, certifies the person in particular knowledge, which each time has a greater demand among both young people and professionals.”

He states that although the SUV has an average of about 10,000 students a year in “continuing education” courses, which do not necessarily represent a postgraduate degree, the system has reached an agreement with Coursera to achieve a greater number of certifications for work in set, intended especially for the Hispanic community in Los Angeles, California, in the United States.

They bet on new careers and postgraduate degrees

With the aim of expanding the offering offered by the Virtual University System (SUV) of the University of Guadalajara, which today includes more than 20 programs, This university center is looking to launch new careers and postgraduate courses that benefit the educational community and society, Well, says rector Iván Moreno, they are focused on “the needs of the future.”

SThere is the proposal to have a computer engineering degree, a degree in public accounting and another in cybersecurity. Also in design, art and interactive technologies, politics and public affairs, machine learning, data science and health innovation, among other.

“We are exploring them, we do not yet have an exact launch date, but some could come next year, According to the offer we analyzed, it is susceptible to being carried out 100% online,” the rector said.

More students join virtuality

According to the “Statista” platform, in its update from last August, A total of 27.9 million students around the world chose to take their education virtually.

The above represents an increase of 15 million more students compared to 2019, year prior to the contingency caused by COVID-19, when 12.9 million were reported, which demonstrates the trend that more students have preferred the benefits that come with being able to study online, thanks to the flexibilities in the different areas that are available. modality offers.

The above, according to the rector of the Virtual University System of the University of Guadalajara, Iván Moreno, opens the panorama to the increasing trend, which is committed to gaining 30 million students by 2027, reaching up to 42.8 million in the virtuality at a global level.

“Online education had had gradual growth at the beginning of the century, but let’s say that it stabilized in the last 20 years until the onset of the pandemic, and these statistics demonstrate it. This tells us that online education is no longer just an option for those who work or who have various jobs. “More and more students are opting for virtual education for flexibility, for allowing them to combine it with other activities, which is increasingly desirable.”

He added that the change in vision, especially among the young population, has not only led to choosing jobs home officebut also to seek better study conditions through online education.

“Today that is what is desirable, to be able to combine work, study and free time in a better way. This is possible, precisely, thanks to online education programs, such as the UdeG Virtual University System.”

BACKGROUND CURTAIN

They offer certifications for employment in the United States

The University of Guadalajara, in collaboration with Arizona State University, the University of Guadalajara Foundation in Los Angeles and Coursera, presented a few days ago an innovative project to offer certifications for employment through online and distance education. The initiative seeks to provide access to quality education to the Latino community in the United States, allowing students to take subjects remotely at their own pace and obtain certifications endorsed by recognized educational institutions.

During a meeting in Los Angeles, university authorities announced the launch of the project in March 2024. The general rector of the University of Guadalajara, Dr. Ricardo Villanueva Lomelí, highlighted that this program represents the first time that the university will have Latin students outside of Jalisco, even virtually. He highlighted the importance of adapting universities to the future, focusing on flexibility and constant updating of curricula.

The project will be carried out in collaboration with Arizona State University, sharing a building to develop joint work teams. The certification program aims to reduce the educational gap in the Hispanic community of Southern California, providing essential digital skills for life and work. These academic micro-credentials are increasingly valued by employers.

The first course, called “Family Business”, will allow the registration of a thousand people in its initial virtual phase. Those who successfully complete this stage will have the opportunity to participate in a bootcamp in-person in March 2024, which will take place at the Herald Examiner Building, headquarters of Arizona State University in Los Angeles.

The program was designed with flexibility so that anyone in the Hispanic community can access it, without age limits, schooling or language requirements. It will be offered in Spanish and with English subtitles to ensure greater access. The Rector of the Virtual University System, Dr. Carlos Iván Moreno Arellano, explained that The first three certifications will be “Family business”, “Professional certificate in information technology support” and “Certificate in data science and innovation”.

In the presentation of the project, Gustavo Padilla Montes, president of the UDG Foundation USA, expressed his gratitude to universities in the United States for the strategic alliances that allow the University of Guadalajara to offer educational alternatives to the Latin community. This is a significant step to expand access to education and foster career development in the Hispanic population in Southern California.