Committee of Academic Vice-Rectors
Representatives from various educational institutions across the country worked for two days on topics such as inclusion and teacher training.
The Rector of UMCE, Dr. Elisa Araya, in charge of the COVRA Commission, explained that this plenary session focused on the “progress of the various CRUCH commissions. For example, we were looking at the work of the Commission on Pedagogies, the Gender Commission, but also something very substantive and highly valued by the vice-rectors: the sharing of practices.».
The Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, stated that “this opportunity for dialogue and reflection allows us to continue strengthening the quality and relevance of academic training, as well as the links between our universities and the territories we serve.».
Text and photographs: Communications Department, University of La Serena
Inclusion, institutional accreditation and the situation of pedagogies were some of the topics addressed during the third plenary session of 2024 of the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors (COVRA) of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), which was hosted by the University of La Serena.
The sessions on October 10 and 11 also provided an opportunity to learn about the work of the CRUCH's Gender Equality, Community Engagement and Pedagogy Strengthening Commissions.
Dr. Nelson Fernández Vergara, Academic Vice-Rector of UCN and President of COVRA, valued the opportunity to address such important topics during this plenary session, as well as the chance to strengthen ties with the other CRUCH commissions and thus work collaboratively. Regarding the situation Chile is facing in teacher training, he emphasized that this Commission has much to contribute: “Our objective will always be to contribute to public policy, and the idea is that, from these discussions on inclusion and teacher training, we can produce a document that can inform the work of university presidents.”.
According to the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, “this opportunity for dialogue and reflection allows us to continue strengthening the quality and relevance of academic training, as well as the links between our universities and the territories we serve. Our university, true to its public vocation and commitment to the Coquimbo Region and the development of knowledge, is dedicated to being a space that fosters new ideas and innovative solutions to face the challenges of the present and the future.”.
One of the speakers on the first day was Jasmine Valenzuela Saravia, Director of the Interdisciplinary Program for Inclusion (InclUdeC) at the University of Concepción, who emphasized that “inclusion is a dynamic process in universities. Students with disabilities are one of the groups of interest for inclusion policies, and it is very important for us to share with other universities how we have been building these inclusion programs, many of which began more than 20 years ago, based on our institutional identity and commitment. Our intention has always been to move forward and transform ourselves into a more inclusive society, and within that framework, I believe we can share best practices and experiences with other institutions, allowing them to enrich their own.”.
Also presenting on the role of the General Area of Rights and Duties for Comprehensive Education at the University of La Serena were Cristian Blanco Alfaro, General Coordinator of the AGDDFI ULS, and Alejandra Galleguillos Carrasco, Head of the Inclusion and Disability Area of the AGDDFI. “We were able to share the main advances and challenges we face regarding inclusion at our institution. At ULS, significant progress has been made in inclusion since these issues were institutionalized in 2020, and this event undoubtedly allowed us to showcase what we have accomplished during this time, as well as to renew our commitment. It also allowed us, along with the experiences of other universities, to adopt the best practices from other institutions and adapt them to our own context,” stated the representative of the host university, who emphasized that it was an opportunity to raise awareness of concepts and actions, such as reasonable accommodations.
The Academic Vice-Rector of ULS, Dr. Alejandra Torrejón, indicated that this working group demonstrates the alignment of universities in addressing these issues and also provides an opportunity to learn about the experiences of different teams. “We, the vice-rectors, make a tremendous effort at the universities because these issues can be integrated across disciplines, and above all, we strive to find solutions so that our undergraduate and graduate students can incorporate these topics into their education and become part of the much-desired comprehensive training we aspire to,” she stated.
Accreditation and Pedagogies
For their part, on the second day of the plenary session, experiences were shared about the first visits within the framework of institutional accreditation and the new criteria, in addition to discussing the current situation of the Pedagogies.
The Rector of the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences, Dr. Elisa Araya, head of the COVRA Commission, explained that this plenary session focused on the “progress of the various CRUCH commissions. For example, we reviewed the work of the Pedagogy Commission and the Gender Commission, but also something very substantive and highly valued by the vice-rectors: the sharing of best practices. We were discussing how the self-evaluation process for accreditation has been modified with the new standards and criteria. Experiences were shared, not only regarding data collection, but also report writing and peer review visits, and this is what makes this network so robust. Ultimately, universities share their experiences, successes, and failures, and we learn together, becoming a system.”.
Meanwhile, Iván Salinas, an academic from the Department of Pedagogical Studies at the University of Chile and a member of the CRUCH's Commission for Strengthening Pedagogies, stated that they have been working on a strategy to address specific problems related to teacher attraction, retention, and training: “This report, in a way, condenses a set of recommendations that allow both institutions and groups that are politically related to institutions, the Ministry, and regional governments, in some cases, to guide decisions to strengthen pedagogies,” he said.
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