Latin American Workshop 2023

On April 13th, the Chía campus hosted the seventh edition of the Latin American Workshop 2023, where relevant learning experiences in the field of software were shared. The educational model proposed by the University of Cundinamarca moves beyond traditional professional models that simply transmit knowledge and information, seeking instead to develop individuals who, in addition to achieving personal growth, become transformative agents who contribute significantly to their environment, society, and nature. These types of learning experiences for students strengthen and enhance their skills and knowledge in record time.

Dean Javier Gracia considered the event a success. “We had 2,176 participants. During the day, workshops were held on various topics, including programming, time management, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, and cybersecurity, among others.”.

Likewise, a Programming Marathon was organized through the Colombian Programming Marathon League. “We had the participation of thirty-seven groups from our institution and students from the Gran Colombiano Polytechnic, Uniminuto, and Nowert Wiener University in Peru. In this event, students had to solve programming challenges in real time via the internet in the shortest possible time.”.

The competition was very close, but it showed the expected learning outcome, evidenced in an improved and transformative act, where the students acted, lived experiences and solved problems of the disciplinary reality, as stated in the Transmodern Digital Educational Model (MEDIT).

“The Gran Colombiano Polytechnic took first place, followed by the University of Collegiate Sciences (UdeC) in Facatativá in second, UdeC in Ubaté in third, UdeC in Fusagasugá in fourth, and UdeC in Facatativá in fifth, according to the Colombian Collegiate Programming platform, which is responsible for evaluating the participants. In this endeavor, it is important to recognize the dedication of the faculty in their efforts to enhance the learning process, and the commitment of the students,” stated Gracia.

For Erick Sang Ramírez, a teacher and coach of two programming marathon teams from Facatativá—one of which took second place in the championship and the other first place internally, while another team placed fifth—this victory is a source of pride. “The experience is very rewarding, as we achieved a good result against universities with many years of experience in marathons, such as the Politécnico Gran Colombiano. What happened today was unthinkable a few years ago; back then, we usually came in last.”.

Through these types of events, young people develop a range of skills, as Professor Sang explains. “It helps them build logical thinking skills and create a resume in the world of developers, since everything is recorded on the platform where they compete. That's where technology companies see their performance and hire them.”.

For David Santiago Castillo, a Systems Engineering student at the Ubaté campus, whose team placed third in the marathon, this experience provided valuable lessons. “I need to review the weaknesses I had during the exercises, because my goal is to become a better programmer and participate again to achieve a good result.”.

Meanwhile, for his colleague Sergio Bello, this dynamic of working against the clock was exciting. “I felt very nervous, but also happy when our exercises worked. Programming in the shortest possible time is truly demanding. I'm proud to have held this position. I'm happy!”.

In this way, UCundinamarca works to improve pedagogical processes through innovation in teaching methodologies, which help to train professionals who are in tune with the advances and realities demanded by the working world.

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