En este artículo se muestra el resultado de una investigación realizada en una institución de educación superior privada del caribe colombiano (La Universidad del Norte) donde existe gran diversidad multicultural y pluriétnica, que tiene como objetivo, analizar el nivel de desarrollado de la competencia intercultural de estudiantado virtual en los programas de grado de educación superior dentro de una de las necesidades principales de la Educación inclusiva en Colombia. La investigación multimétodo, principalmente de corte cuantitativo basado en encuesta, de tipo descriptivo y exploratorio. Para dicho estudio se seleccionaron 68 estudiantes de asignaturas virtuales de una institución educativa de educación superior que fueron encuestados a través de un instrumento en línea. Los resultados muestran que un alto porcentaje de estudiantes, se considera competente en las dos subcompetencias definidas: eficacia entre las culturas diversas y, el desarrollo de la comprensión y el respeto por las diferencias y la diversidad. Los resultados cualitativos, a partir del registro autobiográfico de 68 participantes, complementan desde el análisis de contenido, la comprensión del fenómeno estudiado. Entre las conclusiones principales que la mayoría tienen las habilidades cognitivas y afectivas para desenvolverse en un medio intercultural. Se finaliza con tres propuestas interculturales para la Educación Superior: el desarrollo de planes de inclusión teniendo en cuenta el enfoque intercultural, implementación de la competencia intercultural en las asignaturas de pregrado y posgrado a través de las TIC; así como investigaciones que complementen con métodos cualitativos para analizar la sobrevaloración de los resultados.

One of the main needs of Latin America, besides education coverage, is to reduce learning gaps in higher education. In order to respond to such need, many strategies have been designed, worldwide, to impact the demand and provision of higher education programs. Among these strategies we can find grants and scholarships, financial aids, and others. Many have been the options that have been proposed to raise the provision of higher education programs, such as offering technology-supported education modalities like blended-learning, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), and distance and online education. This paper aims to explore the potential of the provision of distance education programs to close learning gaps in Colombia’s higher education. In order to do so, we present an estimatation of the effects that students and programs characteristics can have on the results of the test “Saber PRO” (a Colombian standardized test that measures the level of competences developed by students in different higher education programs). This estimation was done applying a mixed model (Hierarchical Linear Modeling-HLM) based on the information of 451,358 students who were assessed in their last phase of their university major. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018. The econometrics estimations show that controlling individuals’ backgrounds and the characteristics of different academic programs, the variables that were highly associated with the reduction of learning gaps among individuals registered in distance programs compared to face-to-face programs are the students’ age and their cognitive backgrounds (grades in standardized tests taken before their undergraduate studies). The results show that we could expect distance education to become an efficient mechanism to contribute to the reduction of learning gaps in higher education. The quantitative findings suggest a series of research questions that invite to reflect about the potential of distance education in medium-income countries.

While some students had experience receiving online education prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency remote modality offered a different experience given that higher education faculty had limited time for planning and, most of them, did not have any experience in online education. This research aims to identify the differences between undergraduate students’ perceptions and preferences on emergency remote and online education. Researchers identified a set of online education courses–that pre-existed COVID-19 times–and courses that were transformed into remote education courses–designed as a response of the COVID-19 emergency. Participants of this study are a group of students who, during the same academic semester, participated in both online and (emergency) remote courses. Researchers used a survey to understand students’ perceptions and preferences assessing their experiences in different dimensions (e.g., interaction and evaluation). Researchers used the add-on preferential groups model to identify which of the two modalities was preferred by the students for each dimension. The quantitative analysis was complemented using content analysis of responses to open-ended questions, seeking to gain a better understanding of students’ perceptions and preferences between online and emergency remote education. The results show that students have a positive view of the online and remote modalities; however, each of these modalities offers students advantages for specific dimensions. For example, the remote modality was preferred for having greater interaction among peers and with the instructor. On the other hand, online education provided more flexibility. Students suggested improving assessments’ approaches and instructors’ technological skills for both modalities.

Technological advances in the information and knowledge society have influenced and transformed economic, social, and educational dynamics. Currently there are many digital gaps related to the access to technology, level of digital literacy, and social use. These gaps vary based on the age of the population and become more noticeable among elders. Digital illiteracy leads to the underusing of technological developments of the 21st century, making it difficult to take advantage of all the possibilities that they offer to our society. This study aims to analyze the level of penetration and use of handheld digital devices, especially the cellular phone, among the adult population. This study is based on the 2016 National Survey of Life Quality in Colombia, elaborated by Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Estadística-DANE, specifically on the module of ownership and use of ICT goods. Results of four age groups are compared, which include 32 year olds or under, from ages 33 to 45 years, 46 to 59 years, and over 60 years. The sample consists of 37047 inhabitants of the Colombian territory, grouped by regions (Antioquia, Bogota, Caribbean, Eastern Central, Orinoquia, Amazonia, Pacific, San Andres, and Valle del Cauca). Data have been analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistical procedures, contingency tables analyses, and logistic regression, in order to identify and know the effect of age on the level of penetration and use of handheld digital devices when comparing results in young adults and elderly people. Findings show that young adults use these technologies to a greater proportion when compared to older adults, showing a significant correlation between age and the increase of digital gaps in access and social use of handheld digital devices. Results also make evident that digital divide in Colombia may be associated to the place of residence, as people who live in rural zones are the ones who suffer greater from inequalities.

The use of properly designed educational videos has proven effective in strengthening intercultural competence in higher education. In this article, we present the results of an investigation whose objective was to determine the characteristics of learning activities that use videos to promote the development of the intercultural competence of students of virtual courses. The study was carried out using a mixed approach in which quantitative and qualitative techniques were used for data collection and analysis. The results showed that the significant changes in students occurred when the activities were based on videos that presented different situational and real contexts, promoting cultural knowledge, critical reflection and experiential analysis. The role of the teacher is paramount in the design of activities and in their role as facilitator and guiding them.

Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación que buscó promover el conocimiento de una región del caribe colombiano con un grupo de estudiantes de básica secundaria del caribe colombiano, mediante la producción de videos de bajo costo. Es una investigación de corte cualitativo con un diseño de investigación-acción -participación. El grupo investigador propuso a los docentes el diseño de una unidad didáctica en el que los estudiantes realizarían la producción de videos con dispositivos móviles sobre temas de su propia cultura. Participaron 54 estudiantes con edades entre 14 y 16 años. Se pudo evidenciar que los estudiantes y docentes, que participaron, se vieron interesados en investigar acerca de su legado cultural, saber y conocer cuál era la etnia o cultura de la que provenían sus padres, abuelos y ellos mismos. Las interacciones, resultantes del proceso de producción de los videos, ayudó a promover el conocimiento de su propia cultura, por medio del proceso de toma decisiones, solución de conflictos y respeto entre pares.