García Higuera, María del Carmen
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Preferred name
García Higuera, María del Carmen
Official Name
García Higuera, María del Carmen
Alternative Name
García Higuera, Carmen
mcgarcia
Villa, Carmen G.
G.-Villa, Carmen
García Villa, Carmen
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ORCID
Scopus Author ID
25655594500
Researcher ID
CRE-3256-2022

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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Improving student retention and soft skills: Faculty experiences on transitioning to active learning approaches on first-year engineering programs at Universidad Panamericana

2019 , García Higuera, María del Carmen , Chávez Tellerias, Rocio , Alemán Juárez, Armando , Niembro García, Isabel Joaquína

Motivation and problem background. This complete evidence-based practice paper describes the pedagogical redesign process of an introductory physics course for first-year engineering students at Universidad Panamericana, and the experience of professors that applied problem and project-based learning methodologies. Teaching and learning concepts and approaches in higher education are experiencing dramatic transformations due to contextual changes in recent years. Contemporary teaching models are student-centered, and based on active learning, technology, and social media integration. Engineering education research has grown exponentially and even though there is vast evidence of how different teaching practices can improve learning, professors still face a lot of barriers to include them in their practice. Adequate transfer of conceptual knowledge to problem solving requires appropriate pedagogies that ensure student engagement in the learning process. Quality of instruction and pre-college preparation are key for student success in STEM courses, and therefore, in the decision of students to stay in their programs (Chen & Soldner, 2013,). In Mexico, according to ANFEI (National Association of Colleges and Schools of Engineering), only 40% of engineering students graduate on time. First-year course are easy for some students, but represent a big challenge for others, who frequently do not succeed (Vargas Leyva & Jiménez Hernández, 2015). In addition, research has shown that student's prior mathematics and physics training, as well as their academic attitude, influence their decision to stay in STEM majors (Astin, 1993). Besides, since 2010, Universidad Panamericana has deployed a series of strategies to help students strengthen the professional skills. These strategies include skills ABET proposed for engineering graduates, such as multidisciplinary teamwork, critical thinking, and effective communication. Nevertheless, there is still a significant gap between the skills engineering graduates need to succeed in the workplace and those developed through college experience. To address the previous concerns, the Center for Innovation in Education was invited to collaborate with the College of Engineering at Universidad Panamericana to redesign an introductory physics course. Problem and Project-based Learning (PBL) methodologies were chosen to teach the course and strategies to develop students’ soft skills were included. The course was taught in the fall of 2017. This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part we describe the redesign process that the Center for Innovation in Education followed in collaboration with three engineering faculty members teaching the course. The second part we present the experiences of the eight professors that taught the redesigned course. ©2019 American Society for Engineering Education

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Success Center : a center for the development of soft skills among Universidad Panamericana students

2017 , García Higuera, María del Carmen , Repellin Moreno, Adriana Agnes , Matienzo Cáceres, Yanira

Higher education institutions have sought to develop in students the knowledge and abilities that prepare them to a particular profession in the current job market and to shape personality traits necessary through life (Shakir, 2009). Graduates should not only be experts in a certain field, but also they need mature personalities, with a well-balanced, rounded off education. Many colleges and universities are focused in promoting students with the highest ethical standards and a strong sense of responsibility for society. In its mission statement, Universidad Panamericana (UP) expresses these values, convinced that only college graduates with these abilities will help Mexico raise its capacity for professional competencies, creativity and innovation. However, a gap has been identified between the skills college graduates have and those needed to succeed at the job place (Schultz, 2008). Under this consideration, UP proposed two venues as an effort to assure a learning model that integrates soft skills. First, a proposal to work with professors in order to include soft skills into curricula; and second, the Success Center (SC), as a specific initiative to address student competencies outside the classroom. This paper describes the experience of creating the SC and the results obtained during its first year of operation.The SC initiated in the spring of 2016 with two projects: the first project was a logo design student contest for the center. The final design is used as the SC official logo. This project helped students not only develop awareness about the new center, but also about the need to acquire soft skills for their lives after college. The second project was a survey conducted among students to identify the perceived needs of attitudes and competencies for their integral development. The survey was available to the students in different open spaces throughout the university for two days and was accessible online for two weeks. 1,321 students from all disciplines answered the survey. Results include time management, oral and written communication, critical and creative thinking, negotiation and personal finance as important soft skills to develop among students. Based on the survey, the SC proposed 16 projects to be released the next academic year. These projects seek to address students in different stages of their college experience. Moreover, SC team up with academic colleges in order to attract more students and to develop skills and competencies for the specific professional fields. In addition, SC worked with other centers inside the university such as the Center for Innovation in Education and student organizations, in order to better understand student needs. During the first year, nearly 12% of the undergraduate population participated in at least one project experience, and most of them are now ambassadors for the services provided by the SC. Encouraged by the first year student participation, 18 new projects will be offered in next year with follow-up tests of the skills acquired. Initiatives like the SC are thus documented as an example of how to enhance soft skills in students in order for them to compete in a globalized world. ©2017, Iated Academy S.L.

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Women students in engineering in Mexico: exploring responses to gender differences

2014 , García Higuera, María del Carmen , González y González, Elsa M.

The percentage of women students in engineering in Mexico is still low compared to the percentage of women enrolled in higher education institutions in the country, which has achieved parity with male enrollment. It is thus important to understand how gender can shape the experiences of female college students in engineering programs, which was the focus of this study. Findings for this study are presented in two sections. We first describe how female students have an extra burden dealing with the possibility that their performance might confirm the stereotype of female inferiority in math and science and that they may be judged according to that stereotype. Secondly, we describe the challenges faced by female students in engineering colleges in Mexico, namely, a demanding academic curriculum, and competitive and individualistic environment. This study illustrates how successful female students negotiated the gendered expectations in engineering in Mexican engineering programs, and how they use resistance strategies like academic success to become accepted in the male-dominated engineering environment.

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Teaching undergraduate students entrepreneurship skills : a boot camp for high impact technological business projects

2018 , Alemán Juárez, Armando , Capetillo García Williams, Ximena , García Higuera, María del Carmen

Our understanding of teaching and learning in higher education has grown exponentially, and in some cases has outpaced the conceptions of teaching. Bass (2012) describes how the fine boundary between the classroom and life experience, along with the increased power of social learning, and integrative contexts have created new ways of learning and disruptive teaching experiences. Literature has shown that entrepreneurship education benefits students from all socioeconomic backgrounds because it nurtures unique talents and skills, such as critical thinking, communication, and collaboration (Rodov & Truong, 2015). Moreover, Hegarty (2006) states that teaching entrepreneurship in universities can encourage students to look creatively at their future opportunities, and can help develop not only the capacity to start companies, but also to think creatively and ambitiously. Recognizing the value of teaching entrepreneurship, Universidad Panamericana has mandatory courses in the undergraduate curricula. Furthermore, this year, the university offered a full immersion semester-long entrepreneurship boot camp in collaboration with a private company: i-Lab, a program for high impact technological business projects. This paper presents the experiences of the students in the workshop, as well as the benefits and challenges faced by the participants. Fourteen students, four men and ten women participated in the i-Lab boot camp. Two participants were from the School of Pedagogy, and twelve from the College of Engineering. The camp was designed with the intent to develop entrepreneurial talent by guiding students through the process of building up ideas and making them real. Students defined how to solve a worldwide problem meaningfully with the correct business model. The methodology of the study was qualitative in order to understand and describe the experiences of undergraduate students attending the i-Lab camp. Data came from a questionnaire with open-ended questions sent to the students participants. In addition, individual interviews with the students were conducted. Preliminary findings focus on how entrepreneurship influenced the development of undergraduate students. They strengthened some skills such as teamwork, synthesis, analysis, self directed learning, leadership, negotiation, empathy, and critical thinking. Students described their experiences in i-Lab as very challenging but rewarding. In addition to hard work and the sacrifices they had to make in order for their projects to come through, they shared the importance of living the methodology, their personal growth, and how the experience enhanced their decision-making skills. Alongside this results, the findings provides insights to move to a student centered model. Higher Education Institutions need to include experiential learning projects and partner with different centers inside and outside the university to reshape the curricula and provide different learning experiences. ©2018 INTED2018 Proceedings

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The Right to Education for Female Engineering Students in Mexico: Cultural Considerations in their Retention

2011 , García Higuera, María del Carmen , Gonzalez, Elsa

The Right to Education for Female Engineering Students in Mexico. Cultural Considerations in their RetentionAs part of a larger study examining the experiences of female engineering students in Mexico;the purpose of this study, was to explore how cultural considerations shape the experiences ofcollege women students that have persisted in engineering programs in Mexico. The percentageof women students in engineering is 24%; this percentage is still low compared to the percentageof women enrolled in higher education institutions in general which accounts for nearly 50%1 inMexico. It is thus important to understand the reasons for this difference and to analyze ifcultural factors among others shape the experiences and impact the retention of female collegestudents in engineering programs.Mexican culture has traditionally discouraged women from entering and succeeding inengineering professions2. Today inequalities in education are often masked as culturalexpectations where stereotypes concerning the roles of women still abound2. Dweck’s studies onmotivation examine the role of self-conceptions in motivations and self-regulation, and theirimpact on achievement3,4. These studies describe how female students seek effective solutions inthe face of difficulties and are less susceptible to stereotypes.Twenty female engineering students participated in this qualitative study; these women wereenrolled in at least their third year in selected colleges of engineering in Mexico, in both publicand private universities, and pursuing a variety of engineering majors (Computer, Mechanical,Industrial, and Civil Engineering.) Data came from three different sources: interviews withparticipants, on-site observations, and analysis of documents.Significant conclusions of this study include the role that Mexican culture plays in the studentexperience of the participants. This masculine culture manifests in the cultural and family valuesthat associate the female gender with inferiority and perceive women as caregivers. Participantsin this study describe the pressure they experienced to conform to these traditional roles.Overgeneralizations and stereotypes about women have permeated colleges of engineering suchas women’s low aptitude for math and science and female students seen as unfeminine, nerds andthe least attractive students across campus. Participants seem to embrace the engineering collegeculture and prove they belong to the field negotiating the cultural expectations of females inMexico using resistant strategies like academic success to become accepted in the male-dominated engineering environment.As results of this study it is recommended that when considering the under-representation ofwomen in engineering, institutions, faculty, and administrators need to be careful about over-generalization and assumptions of gender differences. Cultural values still lead to perceptionsand expectations of female behaviors and attitudes that can affect learning. However, as Muller5states, “men and women are more alike than they are different” (p. 3). An orientation towardpersonal development with good educational practices, focusing on the learning of all students,can help challenge social beliefs and stereotypes, and can benefit the learning of all students.

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Perceptions of COVID-19 patients in the use of bioethical principles and the physician-patient relationship: a qualitative approach

2024 , Cantú Quintanilla, Guillermo Rafael , Gómez-Guerrero, Irma Eloisa , Aguiñaga-Chiñas, Nuria , López Cervantes, Mariana , Jaramillo Flores, Ignacio David , Slon Rodríguez, Pedro Alonso , Bravo Vargas, Carlos Francisco , Arroyo-Valerio, America , García Higuera, María del Carmen

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the approach to the health-disease system, raising the question about the principles of bioethics present in physician–patient relations. The principles while widely accepted may not be sufficient for a comprehensive ethical analysis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perception of these principles and the physician–patient relationship during a hospital stay through a qualitative approach. Method: Sixteen semi-structured interviews took place to know the patients’ perception during their 2020 hospitalization for COVID-19. The data was analyzed through the constant comparison method, creating categories and comparing them. In the end, seven categories were established and were grouped in three: bioethical principles (dignity, charity, vulnerability, autonomy), doctor-patient relationship (participant commitment, informed consent, health staff-patient relationship) and the experience of the disease (illness, the role of the family). Results: The research found that most patients described a positive experience, with the feeling of having been well cared for with no sense of discrimination or injustice done. The majority also reported that their autonomy was respected in the treatment decisions. The evaluation of these attitudes is an area of opportunity, especially when the patients' vulnerability is at risk. Conclusions: The ethics of virtue offers a better reflection of how human beings manifest themselves by emphasizing the development of virtuous character and behaviors that allow them to realize their values in life. Authorized by the Research Ethics Committee with registration: DI/18/105-B/3/308. © The Author(s) 2024.

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Experience of the Center for Innovation in Education engaging college professors in the use of new technologies : the "Virtual and Augmented Reality Showroom" project

2019 , Ruiz Leyva, María de Lourdes , García Higuera, María del Carmen

This paper describes the “Showroom of Virtual and Augmented Reality” project developed by the Center for Innovation in Education at Universidad Panamericana during the spring of 2019. The purpose of this project is to engage professors in the use of new technologies in the classroom. The recent development of instructional models based on simulation has helped education to introduce new tools and develop new teaching methodologies to enhance learning. A study about integrating augmented reality in the classroom suggests that the methodology can foster novelty towards learning and can improve interaction with learning through the establishment of spatial concepts (Mark, Graham and Barbara, 2004). Similarly, research has shown that Augmented and Virtual Reality (VAR) can improve motivation and concentration of students in order to obtain better learning effects ( Yeh, 2004, Chen, Wu, & Zhung, 2006; Yen, Tsai & Wu, 2013). Even though ed-tech experts predict an acceleration of activity including virtual reality in classes, they caution the need of sound pedagogical foundations (McMurtrie, 2019). ©2019 IATED Academy

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Socialization, appropriation and adaptation of outstanding teaching competencies as an enhancement of curricular improvement : the creation of a Center for Innovation in Education

2013 , Matienzo Cáceres, Yanira , Diez Uriarte, Isabel , García Higuera, María del Carmen

New educational paradigms, such as what the UNESCO identifies as “the dynamic networks and work spaces for the discussion, creation, diffusion and socialization of knowledge, integrating development strategies that enhance innovation in higher education” (Observatorio Mexicano de la Innovación en la Educación Superior [OMIES]; 2011: 5), force us, as a college, to start looking in different directions. The world in which we operate is looking forward to the creation of interdisciplinary curricular programs and the transformation of academic organizations, under the notion that professors should rethink their role –traditionally though of as lecturers and knowledge holders¬–, and recreate their teaching practice through personal and collegiate work, aligned with the academic training (mastery of their discipline) and pedagogical and didactic education (didactic instrumentation and curricular design) that all teachers need. Set in this scenario and as a response to the challenges that these paradigms entail, Universidad Panamericana [UP] has set the goal of developing interdisciplinary learning environments that encourage the development of professors and college students through dialogue and reflection, in order to achieve a solid academic formation. This is the reason why more than two years ago, the university firmly got interested in creating a space where its professors’ talent could be enhanced, a space that contributed to the improvement of the teaching and learning process and the promotion of innovative learning environments through academic and cross-disciplinary collaboration. This concern materialized since the 2010 Fall term as the Center for Innovation in Education [CIE], whose utmost goal is to enhance teaching talent through the innovation of learning environments, in order to have a positive effect on the students’ integral learning. The following paper aims to present the center’s efforts regarding curricular work and program development as a teaching practice, tasks in which educational innovation has been promoted, having as a foundation each professor’s outstanding teaching competencies and strengths, that is, their “best qualities” (Lopez and Louis; 2009: 2). ©2013 IATED Academy

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The use of gamification to facilitate learning of multimedia subjects in undergraduate education students

2017 , García Higuera, María del Carmen , Becerra Mariscal, Arturo Eduardo , Alemán Juárez, Armando

In this sense, this paper questions the learning relevance of Gamification, especially in a context of education students in Mexico. It describes the experiences of 144 college students, at Escuela de Pedagogía (School of Pedagogy), Universidad Panamericana, campus Ciudad de México who had taken a full-semester multimedia workshop with game design principles. The purpose of the study was to better understand their learning experiences of taking a class with such a methodology. The objective of this course is that students learn to use technology and multimedia tools and apply them to educational contexts, such as videos, podcasts, infographics, websites and webinars. For this reason, a platform called Classcraft was implemented throughout the course, using Gamification elements to generate interest, empathy and class engagement. ©2017, IATED .

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Revista de Integridad Académica : an effort to foster academic integrity in Universidad Panamericana

2018 , Alemán Juárez, Armando , Becerra Mariscal, Arturo Eduardo , García Higuera, María del Carmen

As an effort to promote a culture of AI in Latin America, and specifically in Mexico, Universidad Panamericana developed an online publication called: Revista de Integridad Academica, with four universities in the region: Universidad EAFIT at Colombia, Tecnológico de Monterrey and Universidad de Monterrey at Mexico, and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. The publication seeks to disseminate and promote academic integrity values among universities in Latin America. Its long term-purpose is to emerge as an international reference on the topic. In this paper, we present an initial approach to a theoretical framework of AI in Latin America. Next, we relate this framework to the creation of Revista de Integridad Académica as a strategy to foster AI in Universidad Panamericana. Finally, we explain how the publication has grown to become periodical, as a result of inter-institutional collaboration and its digital impact. ©2019 IATED Academy

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