This study preliminary evaluates the effectiveness of INSPIRA (Inspiration, Nourishment, Significance, Practice, Integration, Real Challenges, and Advice), an andragogic model developed by the Vice-Rectory of Continuing Education (VCE) at Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico to enhance facilitator competencies within the evolving framework of Industry 5.0. Implemented in 2016, INSPIRA aims to improve the skills of continuous education (CE) facilitators; however, its impact has not been assessed from their perspective until now. In the first stage, we explain how a training of trainers (ToT) program can impact Industry 5.0. Afterward, we describe previous ToT programs and their characteristics. Next, we describe the INSPIRA program and present preliminary results of its assessment. This research involved 158 facilitators in a survey and 16 in focus groups. Findings reveal that while INSPIRA effectively enhances knowledge application and teaching, it faces challenges in addressing “Real Challenges” and “Advice,” potentially due to diverse organizational contexts. The study also notes that while INSPIRA contributes to facilitator competency, it could better address aspects of work satisfaction. Feedback indicated a need for more tailored workshops and coordinator support. Facilitators value the structure and clarity INSPIRA brings to teaching, suggesting further customization for different program formats (online vs. in-person) and evidence of INSPIRA's organizational impact. Quantitative analysis showed that 60 % of facilitators believe INSPIRA positively affects teaching dynamism and content clarity. This study emphasizes the importance of aligning educational strategies with Industry 5.0's human-centric and resilient training needs, recommending INSPIRA enhancements to meet facilitators' and organizations' evolving requirements in continuous education.

This study addresses the remediation of mathematical knowledge in engineering education, a critical issue as many students lack foundational skills upon entering essential courses. We conducted a quasi-experimental study that compared traditional instruction methods with a self-study strategy across three phases: diagnosing initial knowledge, providing tailored self-study resources to an experimental group, and assessing the effectiveness of the intervention. During the first period of the Fall 2024 semester, an initial diagnostic test on key mathematical topics was administered via CANVAS in a first-year Engineering and Sciences course. The experimental group received CANVAS instructional videos, supplementary documents, and access to the AI tool Jungle for optional self-study. In contrast, the control group had access to voluntary tutoring sessions. Post-intervention, both groups completed a final exam to measure improvements in problemsolving abilities. Additionally, a follow-up survey gathered feedback on self-study materials and Jungle. The analysis shows a positive correlation between Jungle usage and academic improvement. Jungle users initially scored slightly lower, saw greater improvements, and achieved higher post-test and final scores. The experimental group of Jungle users showed a statistically significant score improvement over the control group ($p=0.05$). Qualitative feedback highlights Jungle's effectiveness, feedback, and ease of use, though students suggested enhancing question variety. Results demonstrate the potential of structured self-study interventions to improve mathematical understanding among engineering students. The theoretical implications of this work are that by emphasizing tailored resources, this study aims to contribute effective strategies for bridging knowledge gaps in STEM education, enhancing student retention, and supporting academic success in engineering programs.

This innovative practice full paper describes implementing a challenge-based learning (CBL) strategy in civil engineering education to develop the discipline competencies needed for the next generation of workers in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Industry. First, it discusses the challenges and opportunities in the AEC following the 5th industrial revolution and highlights the required competencies. Next, we describe implementing a challenge-based learning (CBL) approach as an educational intervention for skills development in the final semester of a civil engineering program at a private Mexican Higher Education Institution. The challenge for the students was to design project components and plan the construction phase for a real construction company. This challenge encompasses everything from the pavement, hydrological studies, and the potable water network to the structural design of the architectural project. A Building Information Management (BIM) tool was included in the challenge for the first time. The entire process was conducted using the BIM methodology and advanced computational tools. The challenge accounts for the involvement of 16 specialized professors in various study areas, demonstrating the interdisciplinary approach taken in the program. From these experience results, it can be concluded that the students showed a genuine interest in the BIM methodology, which aims to integrate all areas of the construction processes through an organized and transparent workflow to avoid deviations and delays in deliverables. Furthermore, the manuscript explains the sessions with the training partner, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and communication between the students and the industry representatives. This needs negotiation, management, operational, digital, and advanced technical skills, which are aimed to be developed during this CBL intervention. Ultimately, this work highlights challenges, opportunities, and the importance of higher education in preparing students for their impact on the AEC Industry 5.0.

This research WIP paper provides an innovative, clear, and practical methodology for instructors who wish to assess their teaching practice's impact on their students' competencies. It was carried out in a Mexican Higher Education Institution. It compares students' perceptions from two undergraduate engineering programs participating in a six-week Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) concentration. Studies on CBL in engineering programs analyze its effectiveness compared to traditional and other innovative methodologies and its impact on disciplinary, soft, and cross-disciplinary competencies, mainly in undergraduate programs. To answer the following questions, this study examines the effect of CBL educational experience on the Technical, Methodological, Participatory, and Personal competencies perceived by participant students: Q1) What is the impact of CBL on the perceived acquisition of cross-cutting competencies in students in two engineering programs? Q2) How do students in two interrelated engineering programs perceive the dimensions of crosscutting competencies, and how might these interrelationships influence academic performance? A descriptive, comparative, and correlational approach was used to examine two groups of students from two engineering programs in Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering who learned using a CBL approach. The data corresponded to the responses of 31 students to the Competencies Acquired through CBL (CA-CBLQ) questionnaire, adapted in the wording of the items for the present study. The results showed the positive effect of the CBL approach on the development of methodological competencies. It was also identified that an increase in methodological competencies reinforces the development of technical, personal, and moderately participative competencies. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that contextualized and authentic learning experiences enable students to develop competencies that allow them to apply their theoretical knowledge to practical situations in their personal and professional lives. Given that CBL is supported by other favorable methodologies, such as collaborative learning and situated cognition, future studies can explore contrasts between groups in quasi-experimental conditions by comparing CBL with other associated variables.

This innovative practice WIP paper discusses the importance of deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Latin American Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It presents the preliminary findings of a workshop in Mexico that brought together nineteen Latin American universities' academic and IT leaders to define strategies for AI deployment. AI can shape higher education (HE) by advancing skills and technologies, generating and sharing knowledge, and supporting people adjusting to technological changes. However, AI integration in HEIs is limited, and there are significant global gaps, particularly in resource-constrained contexts and countries without guaranteed infrastructure. Thus, the intended outcomes of this work are the dynamic involvement of participants, who were encouraged to introduce novel topics that contribute to the overall AI discourse to yield a comprehensive and adaptable global strategy for AI implementation and deployment in HEIs through collective wisdom. Under this rationale, we designed and conducted a workshop sequence. A survey was conducted before the workshop to obtain leaders' opinions about AI deployment in HE. Later, participants were distributed in teams, and a unique restriction was considered for their proposals to generate a deployment strategy. As findings, academic institutions have been slow to adopt AI, but the new generation patterns have forced them to embrace it. They are considering automating their operations to improve student services and attract more students. However, the primary challenge is the lack of strategy. Conclusive remarks emphasized the collaborative efforts among universities to fortify and enhance the implementation and deployment of AI solutions within HE. In the future, we aim to establish a foundation for future collaborations on innovation projects related to AI in education among the workshop attendants.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) connects students and professors from different countries, universities, cultures, and educational models to engage in projects and coursework, working together for a common goal. By implementing this collaboration in courses that are part of the engineering program study plan, both students and faculty develop different disciplinary and transversal competencies while learning the knowledge and skills required for their specific engineering programs. In the context of engineering education, program accreditations are quite relevant to ensure the standards and quality to develop graduates that are well prepared to enter the global workforce and contribute to build a better world. This study analyzes the student outcomes of different engineering accreditation organizations to identify common student outcomes and explore the impact of COIL experiences to contribute to the development of these student outcomes. Some COIL experiences in literature report that students build communication skills, work in multicultural environments creating consciousness about different social, economic and political contexts, develop critical thinking and problem-solving competencies while proposing solutions to complex problems, among others. This study aims to investigate how COIL courses align to the development of engineering student outcomes and document COIL as a tool for this purpose, emphasizing best practices and recommendations for universities that intend to engage in this pedagogical approach.

The new reality demands that engineering graduates develop digital skills. Furthermore, globalization requires university students to develop global perspectives and cultural awareness to become responsible and sustainable global citizens. One of the most popular strategies in recent years, mainly due to the confinement by COVID-19, was the strategy of Collaborative Online International Learning (Collaborative Online International Learning, COIL). COIL is a voluntary association between teachers from different countries collaborating in co-constructed learning experiences to enhance international and intercultural understanding. The analysis of 10 COIL experiences between Tecnologico de Monterrey and other universities worldwide was conducted based on evaluating and developing student competencies. The students' satisfaction level has been high. Results suggest that COIL helps them to develop skills to navigate the challenges of the 21stcentury, giving them new perspectives and ways of thinking about how they relate to the world. Detected opportunity areas were specific preparation of teachers, evaluation systems, instructional design, and the assignment of digital badges to participating teachers. COIL is a powerful tool for developing the engineering skills that employers demand.

This Research to Practice Work in Progress Paper focuses on the Education 4.0 Framework, based on built-in skill development mechanisms and innovative learning pedagogies related to Active Learning approaches. Practicing engineers are increasingly expected to act as boundary spanners who manage and participate in diverse interdisciplinary global teams, leverage cultural differences, and draw on expert knowledge from multiple fields and specialities to translate competing stakeholders' needs into practical design solutions. This demand for a holistic type of engineer stems from the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: engineers who assume the role of leaders can integrate knowledge and work seamlessly across intellectual, social, and cultural challenges. Our exploratory study aims to identify the implications for practice, challenges, and opportunities in Higher Education. More specifically, we look at two engineering programs of two universities, one located in Mexico and the other in the United States of America. Both universities have implemented massive Experiential and Challenge-Based Learning efforts with industry and external organizations as educational partners to immerse students in real-life contexts. The methodology used was qualitative-experimental, involved more than 120 students, and included a post-test for skills assessment with different instruments such as rubrics, questionnaires, interviews, and surveys. The preliminary findings of this work-in-progress study reveal that the role of Higher Education professors in the training of future engineering professionals within the Education 4.0 Framework has different degrees of complexity related to the cross-border nature of educational innovation, that requires the commitment and alignment of multiple actors: students, professors, organizations, and industry.

Currently, there is great concern about the increasing percentage of school dropouts at all school levels, therefore student engagement has been at the center of the discussion of the use, design and implementation of innovative teaching techniques that promote student interest, awaken passion for the discipline of each program and through educational activities decrease the percentage of desertion in undergraduate studies. The Tec21 model, implemented at the Tecnologico de Monterrey, aims to reduce school dropout through the acquisition of new knowledge through the resolution of real-life challenges. Here we report on a learning experience based on the Tec21 model for students of the Biotechnology Engineering program who were taken out of the school to the Epidemiological Diagnosis and Reference Institute and exposed to solve challenges related to the analysis of nucleotide sequences of genomes of current infectious germs. Study modules to support the solution of the challenges were designed to boost transversal competences such ethics, collaborative work, resilience and critical thinking. Analyses of achievement indicators, such as learning gain, and a student engagement survey showed that this active learning experience was 20 to 40% more efficient than that of students who remained in traditional classroom education. Interestingly, the academic challenge, the active learning, the staff-student interaction, the enriching educational experience, the supportive learning environment and work interacting learning, were also considerably higher. Our results support the idea that student achievement is directly linked to engagement and demonstrated that having a Challenge Based Learning experience helps to increase student's commitment.