Technical training and innovation programming 'LAB Quality that brings us together'

The itinerary 'LAB Quality that unites us', led by ANECA, and developed with the UNESCO Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNESCO-IESALC) and the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID) within the framework of the Intercoonecta Plan of the Spanish Cooperation, The project confirms the firm commitment of the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region (LAC) to contribute to strengthening the technical training of the quality teams of their higher education institutions (HEIs) and, consequently, to improving the quality of these institutions and strengthening mutual trust in the Ibero-American Knowledge Space.

The work carried out during the more than ten months of development of the first edition of the 'LAB Quality that unites us' program can be summarized as follows:

  • 179 participants distributed in 53 quality teams from HEIs in 15 countries of the LAC region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay). 
  • 27 experts from 7 countries facilitating training and leading co-creation sessions.
  • 11 observers from 4 government institutions and quality agencies from 4 countries in the region.
  • An evaluation commission for the end-of-programming projects composed of 15 experts and people from the organizing institutions.
  • 8 people in charge of the follow-up of all the participating HEI teams.
  • 280 hours of work for each participant distributed in 7 blocks of training and innovation activities in synchronous and asynchronous modalities, which have resulted in:  
  • 40 co-creation sessions with groups of experts and teams of participating HEIs from different countries that have resulted in the construction of 5 knowledge portfolios and have fostered relationships and synergies between these HEIs.
  •  49 diagnostic and improvement plan reports tailored to each of the participating HEIs for their upcoming development; preceded by around 250 actions of reflection on the institution itself. 
  • 5 round tables. 
  • Numerous videos, and drafting and compilation of abundant written documentation, etc.

Link to the opening video of the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCk-O1gUB1A

Accompanying this program, ANECA has made available to higher education institutions and quality agencies in the region the following "Guidelines for the self-assessment of higher education institutions in the Ibero-American Knowledge Space".