The FONDEF IDeA Project – ID23I 10335 has the participation of academics from the University of Chile, the Austral University of Chile, the University of O’Higgins and the Universidad Católica del Norte.
During April 29 and 30 and May 2, the Faculty of Education of the Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN) hosted a pioneering initiative focused on the integration of Computational Thinking and Programming (PCyP) in initial teacher training . The conference, part of the FONDEF IDeA Project – ID23I 10335, brought together experts and academics from several Chilean universities, in order to address and reduce the gap in these crucial competencies.
The project aims to develop a model that other universities can adopt to effectively incorporate Computational Thinking and Programming (PCyP) in their curricula, thus responding to the current technological and pedagogical demands of Higher Education.
The participating academics worked around four critical components of the proposed model: diagnosis of local needs, definition of specific competencies in PCyP, design of innovative learning strategies and evaluation of the impact of these initiatives.
Jocelyn Simmonds, academic at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chile and director of the project, pointed out that “The objective is to integrate Computational Thinking and Programming in the initial training of teachers. In this way, when students graduate, they will arrive at school classrooms equipped with advanced tools to use technology effectively in education.” In addition, he mentioned that they are currently finalizing the design of the pilot projects that will be implemented in two courses this semester, considering expanding to more courses in the second half of the year.
The days of the event were structured around group follow-up sessions, progress presentations, feedback sessions, concluding with a plenary session where best practices and strategies for integrating PCyP into teacher training curricula were discussed.
For Victor González, academic at the School of Education of the Universidad Católica del Norte and member of the FONDEF project, the involvement of the UCN in this interdisciplinary initiative is fundamental for progress in teacher training. “It is an invaluable opportunity to establish links with colleagues from other universities and disciplines, thus enriching our educational approach and practice,” he claimed.
Interdisciplinary collaboration was highlighted as a central strategy in the development of the project. ““This approach significantly improves the quality of teaching and prepares future teachers to implement these concepts in secondary schools, particularly at the third and fourth grade levels.”assured the academic.
According to the participants, this first version will be carried out during May and June, which will facilitate the reorganization and optimization of the approach for the second semester, based on the results obtained. Likewise, the incorporation of students in focus groups was mentioned to better understand their level of knowledge and perceptions about these competencies.
