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Randomized experiments involving education interventions are typically implemented as cluster randomized trials, with schools serving as clusters. To design such a study, it is critical to understand the degree to which learning outcomes vary between versus within clusters (schools), specifically the intraclass correlation coefficient. It is also helpful to anticipate the benefits, in terms of statistical power, of collecting household data, testing students at baseline, or relying on administrative data on previous cohorts from the same school. We use data from multiple cluster-randomized trials in four Latin American countries to provide information on the intraclass correlations in early grade literacy outcomes. We also describe the proportion of variance explained by different types of covariates. These parameters will help future researchers conduct statistical power analysis, estimate the required sample size, and determine the necessity of collecting different types of baseline data such as child assessments, administrative data at the school level, or household surveys.

This systematic review presents the first synthesis of the scientific literature on estimating school and teacher/class effects on student academic performance using random-effects (RE) models with three or more levels. The review delves into the theoretical framework underpinning the estimation of educational effects, the associated statistical methods, and the empirical findings from multilevel analyses to date. It includes 94 analyses in 32 papers from diverse geographical regions, focusing on both primary and secondary education levels. The findings reveal a broad spectrum of Variance Partition Coefficients (VPCs) from RE models, highlighting the variability in the impact of school and teacher/class levels on student outcomes. The review emphasizes the necessity for comprehensive and diverse datasets, particularly the inclusion of detailed teacher-level data in African studies and the utilization of robust official educational databases in Chinese research. It also acknowledges the contributions of Latin American countries in advancing multilevel modeling and the holistic approach to educational analysis demonstrated in Cyprus. The conclusions underscore the importance of contextualizing educational policies and practices based on the multifaceted influences on student performance. The review calls for future research to expand data collection efforts, adopt standardized reporting practices, and explore advanced statistical techniques to address methodological challenges and approximate causal relationships more accurately.

Researchers in learning analytics have created indicators with learners' trace data as a proxy for studying learner behaviour in a college course. Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) is one of the theories used to explain these behaviours, distinguishing between deep, surface, and organized study. In Latin America, researchers have demonstrated that organized approaches to learning could be more effective in higher education, leading to better performance and course approval. However, further analysis of student behavioural data is needed to understand this relationship and inform interventions targeting study habits and academic performance. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between student approaches to learning and their final grade in six college courses, using behavioural trace data as a mediator variable. Specifically, we conducted a quantitative study in two Latin American institutions where data of different granularity was collected from their Learning Management Systems. We observed that most learning analytics indicators do not mediate the effect between approaches to learning and course performance. However, there was evidence for fine-grained indicators acting as total mediators. Implications are discussed at methodological and pedagogical levels, aiming to inform the advancement of learning analytics in the region and its use for supporting student learning.

This article discusses Earth's Rights as an environmental justice mechanism of reparation, protection, and justice for indigenous communities, environmental defenders, and other populations in Latin America. We argue that Earth's rights encompass and include the right to health and can be integrated into international human rights frameworks to protect all forms of life, responding to colonial legacies of discrimination and violence. We respond to the scarcity of literature discussing Earth's rights in relation to situations where human rights and Earth's rights are violated. We ground our argument in the theoretical conceptualization of Latin American proposals of Earth's rights and its potential for actionable policy approaches that include human health as inevitably interconnected to our planet's well-being. We address the environmental injustices that affect the right to health and argue that an Earth's rights framework can support reparations for historically marginalized communities.

This study explores Latin American perspectives on heterodox economic development by analyzing 23 development economics syllabi and conducting 37 semi-structured interviews with educators and students. Using a Foucauldian framework and an Archaeology of Knowledge approach, this research uncovers regional viewpoints and variations in course content. Results highlight the dominance of the neoclassical paradigm in syllabi and diverse opinions on development. This study provides nuanced insights into the coexistence of orthodox and heterodox paradigms in Latin America, revealing complex dynamics and power relations within economic education and the broader discourse on development in the region.

Background: Extensive research on massive open online courses (MOOCs) has focused on analysing learners' behavioural trace data to understand navigation and activity patterns, which are known to vary systematically across geo-cultural contexts. However, the perception of learners regarding the role of different learning design elements in sustaining their engagement in the course is still unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to examine learners' perception of learning design elements in MOOCs and explore the ways in which these perceptions differ between geo-cultural contexts. Methods: We conducted interviews with 22 learners from seven geo-cultural regions to gather insights into their learning design preferences. Results: Our findings indicate that learners from regions such as South Asia exhibit a strong inclination towards video-based content and a lesser preference for reading textual resources. In contrast, learners from regions such as Anglo-Saxon demonstrate a high preference for reading texts such as articles and video transcripts. Conclusion: The observed variations in self-reported interests in various learning design elements raise intriguing questions about the nature and extent of participation of various geo-cultural groups. This study underscores the need to develop inclusive MOOC designs and implement learning analytics approaches that adapt to the cultural preferences of learners.

This article synthesised the origin, evolution, current state, and future trends of information literacy (IL) in Latin America. This study employed a quantitative and qualitative review of documents published by Latin American authors to map out IL's development in the region, which was structured around four pivotal moments: 1) "beginnings" (1997-2007), marking the initial phase of IL's introduction and early development in Latin America, characterised by foundational texts and the organisation of critical events that set the stage for IL's growth in the region; 2) "advances-positioning" (2008-2019) pre-pandemic, it reflects a period of significant growth and establishment of IL, with the emergence of digital platforms, the creation of regional declarations, and the integration of IL into educational curricula, indicating a broader acceptance and institutionalisation of IL practices; 3) "main trends" (2020-2023), it focuses on the adaptation and innovation in IL practices influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the shift toward critical thinking, addressing misinformation, and integrating IL with other competencies in response to digital advancements; and 4) "some perspectives" (2024-…), which includes future directions for IL in Latin America, emphasising the need to adapt IL training to new technological realities such as generative artificial intelligence, and proposing IL as a dynamic research area poised for further integration with global educational and societal goals. The article emphasises the necessity of IL's continuous evolution in Latin America, advocating for its adaptation to technological advancements and its critical role in promoting informed citizenship and lifelong learning. Through the lens of these moments, the study offers a comprehensive overview of IL's progression and potential future impact in the region.

Mobile learning presents many benefits to lecturers, students, and universities. It provides the opportunity for all to access information anytime and anywhere and also promotes learning autonomy and mobility. This paper aims to systematically analyze publications on mobile learning in higher education conducted over twenty years by providing knowledge to help researchers in this area. The data were obtained from the Scopus database. A total of 587 peer-reviewed publications were analyzed. The results show that the number of articles increased significantly after 2016, and there was an upward trend after 2018. Our results regarding prolific journals show that many articles in this field were published in several prominent journals. Our results revealed that 91 countries contributed to research worldwide, and the most productive institutions are from different continents. In addition, results indicated that recently published countries on the topic are India, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Germany. Regarding research trends, our results yielded three research clusters. The first cluster focused on building a learning environment for students, while the second cluster included research on mobile learning in medical education. In addition, the third cluster investigated young adults' use and perceptions of mobile phones in learning through surveys and questionnaires. Moreover, the results we obtained demonstrated that recent studies also focused on academic performance and augmented reality was a trending topic before academic performance.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a worldwide commitment to a set of ambitious goals that advance sustainable social justice across the globe. Higher education (HE), while featuring in SDG 4: Quality Education, needs to occupy a bolder and more explicit position in the formulation of the SDGs and in their attainment, not only as an instrument toward the achievement of the SDGs but also in the sociocultural consciousness of countries towards a more sustainable and socially just world. Engaging with students in HE around these issues plays a vital role. Given Student Affairs and Services' (SAS) role and position in terms of support and development of students worldwide, it is a key player in supporting HE to become a more effective instrument in advancing the SDGs and in advancing students' attitudes and commitment to SDGs. To explore how SAS can play a more impactful role in advancing the SDGs and SAS' role in and contribution to SDGs around the world, we researched SAS practitioners' awareness of and engagement with SDGs. To collect data, we used a survey with open and closed questions via snowball sampling with self-selected participants from fifty-three countries (N=318). The results of our study suggest that SAS practitioners engage with and utilize the SDGs in a variety of ways across the globe, thus contributing to the role HE plays in advancing SDGs. In exploring the patterns, it emerges that SAS in the Global South (GS) and Global North (GN) engage differently with the SDGs. According to the results of our study, SAS in the GS appears to have more awareness of, engage more deliberately with, and use the SDGs more broadly in their work with students. While there are different trends on the role SDGs play across the global HE sector, the consensus seems to be around the need to discuss and engage with the SDGs more deeply, at curricular and co-curricular levels in higher education. Our research suggests that HE and SAS can do much more to generate awareness of SDGs, particularly in the GN.

Digital learning platforms as scaffolds for learning in formal and informal educational scenarios have had few assessments to determine their acceptance and success in fostering high order thinking skills. The primary objective of this study was to develop, validate, and assess the reliability of an instrument designed to measure the acceptance of a platform dedicated to nurturing complex thinking skills in social, scientific, and technological entrepreneurship. The methodology developed to systematize this process involved four stages: 1) instrument development based on the UTAUT2 model, 2) computation of the Kappa coefficient to select experts for instrument validation, 3) application of the Simplified Digital Delphi Method for validation, and 4) analysis of instrument reliability using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega coefficients. The results were 1) a questionnaire consisting of 9 dimensions and 22 items, all validated by experts and exhibiting an acceptable level of quality, exceeding the 0.8 coefficient threshold indicative of good item quality; and 2) the development of a methodology named EAAP that systematizes and objectifies the task of creating and refining an instrument and readying it for implementation. This work emphasizes the need to assess the acceptance of digital learning platforms to identify areas for improvement and promote the development of instruments using reliable methodologies.

This systematic literature review examines the panorama of interculturality in rural contexts of bilingual education in Latin America. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge in Latin America and identify key themes, challenges, and gaps in the field. The review highlights the importance of recognizing and valuing linguistic and cultural diversity, particularly in marginalized rural communities. It also discusses the lack of adequate resources and educational policies as significant challenges to promoting intercultural bilingual education in these contexts. The findings underscore the need for further research and the development of effective strategies to enhance intercultural understanding and bilingual education in Latin American rural areas.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the education sector worldwide, and on undergraduate students in particular. This Scoping Review seeks to unearth research examining the psychosocial impact of the pandemic on undergraduate students in the regions of North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Additionally, this review explores students' coping mechanisms as a means to guide researchers in conducting informed investigations and to allow institutions in making meaningful decisions to combat the effects of the pandemic and future disruptions. Despite the wealth of research on COVID-19, findings from this review show a notable scarcity of literature specifically focused on undergraduate students. Findings reveal a consensus among studies regarding increased stress, anxiety, and depression among undergraduate students. Coping strategies employed by students highlight possible challenges such as overuse of social media and substance use, but they also shed light on potential interventions including physical activities, emotional strategies, and social supports. Future research should focus on filling the gaps in the existing literature and assessing the efficacy of targeted interventions. By gaining a deeper understanding of undergraduate student experiences and identifying effective support mechanisms, we can enhance the overall well-being and academic success of students.

The internationalization of universities has become increasingly important in recent decades. A dominant internationalization model, influenced by principles of new public management, has emerged. Latin American universities have undergone significant changes as a result of this trend. This paper takes inspiration from the sociology of translation to examine how leading Latin American institutions are addressing these challenges at both organizational and cultural levels. The findings indicate that cultural transformation is prevalent, strongly influenced by the Latin American tradition of extension. However, at the organizational level, imitation is more relevant, as evidenced by the adoption of new public management principles to devise strategies, plans, and programs that prioritize professionalization and the widespread use of indicators. This development gives rise to a distinct cultural internationalization model for Latin American universities.

In the last three decades, the promotion of stakeholder involvement in evaluation has been gaining relevance in the Latin American and internationally, across varied agencies, institutions, and civic organizations. The 2030 Agenda and the Global Evaluation Agenda have also recognized the centrality of participation in evaluation. This article explores stakeholder involvement in evaluation based on collaborative work with stakeholders from 15 evaluative experiences. It shows what characterizes participatory evaluation in the region today and the principles of this practice.

This paper traces a conversation between the authors about their long-standing (Urban) and more recent (Gómez Muñoz, Zárate Pinto) engagement in and with RECE. The conversation revolves around the role and potential of reconceptualist thought in contexts of early childhood realities in the Global South, most prominently in Latin America, where two of the authors are based, while one has extensive work connections to the region. Given RECE's roots in US-American and English language worlds, what other approaches exist in Latin America contexts and beyond that enable us to challenge the dominant narratives of early childhood education, its narrow disciplinary base, its policies and practices? Drawing on work with marginalised communities, the conversation turns to necessities of advocacy and transdisciplinarity, and to possibilities of epistemic and new activist alliances.

Although executive functions (EFs) have been identified as a cornerstone of cognitive development, knowledge of this fundamental ability in children is based primarily on research with North American and Western European samples of middle to high socioeconomic status (SES). In this article, we highlight advances in research on developmental EFs from Latin American regions, an understudied area that provides a unique context important to understanding EFs. Our narrative review suggests the potential for both universality (e.g., increasing cohesion and longitudinal stability among EFs' task performance, general positive associations with age, and other social and cognitive abilities) and cultural specificity in EF development (i.e., contributions of SES, educational environments, parenting styles, and cultural values). It is important to consider the development of EFs outside of typically examined samples--and specifically within Latin American countries--to understand more thoroughly these abilities and to generate interventions that consider cultural context.

This study assesses the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and efficacy of a novel asynchronous video-based intervention for teaching respiratory physiology and anatomy to medical students in resource-limited settings. A series of short video lectures on pleural anatomy, pulmonary physiology, and pathophysiology was created using Lightboard and screen capture technology. These were uploaded to YouTube and Google Drive and made available to 1st-3rd year medical students at two Latin American universities for 1 week. Employing a parallel-convergent mixed methods design, we conducted surveys, focus groups, interviews, and pre/post testing for qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic Analysis was used to analyze qualitative data and McNemar's test for quantitative analysis. Seventy-six students participated. The videos' short format, interactivity, and Lightboard style were highly valued for their flexibility, time efficiency, and educational impact. Students recognized their clinical relevance and trusted their content, suggesting potential applicability in similar settings. Despite infrastructure and connectivity challenges, the use of flexible streaming and downloadable options facilitated learning. Survey results indicated high levels of feasibility (99%), appropriateness (95%), and acceptability (95%), with significant knowledge gains observed (37% correct pre-test answers vs. 56% post-test, p < 0.0001). Our findings demonstrate high acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and efficacy of a targeted asynchronous education centered on short-format videos in resource-limited settings, enabling robust learning despite local barriers. Flexible access is key for overcoming localized barriers. Taking an adaptive, learner-centered approach to content creation and delivery to address constraints was pivotal to success. Our modular videos could serve as versatile models for flexible education in resource-constrained settings.

Background: Mentorship is critical to success in postgraduate science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM) settings. As such, the purpose of this study is to comprehensively explore the state of mentorship interventions in postgraduate STEMM settings to identify novel practices and future research directions. The selection criteria for reviewed articles included: (1) published between 2002 and 2022, (2) peer-reviewed, (3) in English, (4) postgraduate mentees, (5) a program where mentorship is a significant, explicit focus, and (6) a description of mentee outcomes related to the mentorship intervention. Overall, 2583 articles were screened, and 109 articles were reviewed. Results: Most postgraduate STEMM mentorship intervention studies lack strong evidence to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, with only 5.5% of articles designed as randomized controlled trials. Most mentorship interventions (45.6%) were created for faculty, and few (4%) were for postdoctoral researchers. Also, only 18.8% of interventions focused on underrepresented groups in STEMM. Most interventions (53.7%) prescribed a dyadic structure, and there was more mentorship training for mentors than mentees. Conclusion: Overall, these findings identify gaps in mentorship interventions and provide step-by-step guidance for future interventions, including a consideration for underrepresented groups and postdoctoral scholars, robust mentorship training, and more randomized controlled trials.

Computer programming is a skill of increasing importance in scientific and technological fields. However, in introductory computer science (CS1) courses in higher education, approximately one in every three students fails. A common reason is that students are overwhelmed by an accelerated and inflexible pace of learning that jeopardizes success. Accordingly, in the computer science education literature it has been suggested that the pedagogical philosophy of 'mastery learning,' which supports students progressing at their own pace, can improve academic outcomes of CS1 courses. Nevertheless, few extended mastery learning implementations in CS1 have been documented in the literature, and there is a lack of guidance and best practices to foster its adoption. In this paper, we present a four-year action research study in which a modular mastery-based CS1 course was designed, evaluated and improved in successive iterations with cohorts of engineering freshmen in a Latin American research university (N = 959). In the first year of the intervention, only 19.3% of students passed the course in their first semester attempting it. In successive iterations, the instructional design, teaching and learning activities, course content, and course management were iteratively improved such that by the fourth year of offering 77.1% of students passed the course in their first semester. Over this period, course attrition was reduced from 25.0% to 3.8% of the cohort, and students' mean time spent in the course decreased from 23.2 weeks (SD = 7.38) to 14.9 (SD = 3.64). Results indicate that modularization for mastery learning is a viable approach for improving academic results in a CS1 course. Practical considerations towards successful implementation of this approach are presented and discussed.

A recent global reconnaissance of Christian higher education found a number of key themes that shaped current developments, such as the pressing challenges of secularization and nationalization but also the advantages of privatization and massification. This article provides an update to this older analysis by taking a birds-eye view of trends within the past 70 years of global Christian higher education. It reveals that privatization and massification trends do not predict new developments in countries and outliers always exist. Furthermore, it highlights some findings missed in previous analyses related to the importance of indigenous Christian groups and Christian general education.

Open-source hardware and software platforms have played an important role in democratizing access to technology and education in computer science and engineering. Recent advancements in tools, such as KiCad, MicroPython, and Thonny, integrated development environment potentially accelerate low-budget educational applications, providing a smooth and consistent learning curve for users. The BitDogLab, utilizing these platforms, is designed and developed for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics activities based on the Raspberry Pi Pico Board, featuring artificial intelligence (AI)-supported programming via the GPT model. BitDogLab is an open-source hardware solution with a flexible design for continuous expansion in both software and hardware areas. Its functionality, based on open-source code, can be enhanced by integrating various software resources. Additionally, BitDogLab's adaptability to sophisticated hardware like robotic systems or advanced sensors expands its educational applications. An evaluation of BitDogLab, conducted through a hands-on workshop at the Latin America Open Technology Conference--Latinoware 2023, revealed unanimous interest among 36 respondents, mainly for teaching programming (58%), and valuing its low cost, diverse components, and ease of AI-assisted programming. 75% of respondents expressed a strong desire to use BitDogLab, despite 19% preferring familiar boards like Arduino or Micro:bit. The project's open distribution encourages community contributions, promoting collaborative learning and innovation from children to preuniversity students.

This article presents an analytical framework for examining the different roles the state can play in improving higher education governance in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It argues that adequate governance of national higher education systems is fundamental to moving toward a new social contract in the sector. It describes different roles the state can play in a new social contract for the future governance of higher education and proposes recommendations for strengthening the governance of national higher education systems in LAC. It also reviews the literature on higher education governance and discusses changes in analytical approaches. It emphasizes that local factors are key determinants in understanding changes in the governance of national higher education systems and identifies trends toward the configuration of hybrid governance systems. It is suggested that a new social contract in higher education depends on the capacity of national governments to articulate the necessary political consensus; to pursue an agenda of higher education modernization as a human right and a public good; and to achieve greater effectiveness in addressing key challenges related to equity, quality, sustainability, and the long-term development strategy of higher education.

It is well known that there are disparities in access to education around the world, with developed countries generally having better educational resources and opportunities compared to developing countries. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have been proposed as a way to bridge this gap by providing free or low-cost online education to anyone with an Internet connection. This study aimed to better understand the effects of location, both country and region, on the use of MOOCs, using data from 3.5 million learners who registered for MOOCs offered by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The data set provided a broad picture of how MOOCs are being used around the globe. The results of the study indicated significant differences in the use of MOOCs among students from different countries and their corresponding economic levels. In order to address these differences and improve access to education through MOOCs, the study suggested several actions that could be taken. These include providing better infrastructure and support for MOOC learners in developing countries, increasing awareness of and access to MOOCs in these regions, and working to improve the quality and relevance of MOOC offerings. Overall, the study highlighted the potential of MOOCs to bridge the educational gap between developed and developing countries, but also emphasized the need for continued efforts to remove barriers and improve access to these resources.

Language placement tests (LPTs) are used to assess students' proficiency in a progressive manner in the target language. Based on their performance, students are assigned to stepped language courses. These tests are usually considered low stakes because they do not have significant consequences in students' lives, which is perhaps the reason why studies conducted with LPTs are scarce. Nevertheless, tests should be regularly examined, and statistical analysis should be conducted to assess their functioning, particularly when they have a medium or highstakes impact. In the case of LPTs administered on a large-scale, the logistic and administrative consequences of an ill-defined test may lead to an economic burden and unnecessary use of human resources which can also affect students negatively. This study was undertaken at one of the largest public institutions in Latin America. Nearly 1700 students sit an English LPT every academic semester. A diagnostic statistical analysis revealed a need for revision. To retrofit the test, a new test architecture and blueprints were designed in adherence to the new curriculum created following the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. After the institution gave two courses to language instructors in language assessment, new items were developed and tried out gradually in several pilot studies conducted with a sample of actual examinees. Then, Item Response Theory (IRT) was used to examine the functioning of the new test items. The aim of this study is to show how the test was retrofitted, and to compare the functioning of the retrofitted version of the English LPT with the previous one. The results show that the quality of items was higher than that of the former English LPT. This study has implications for the design of language tests administered large-scale in higher education, particularly in (semi) periphery countries that decide to design and administer their own LPTs.

This article inquires into a pedagogics that seeds a larger co-educational process outside of the Zapatista movement's autonomous territories. A Zapatista Seed Pedagogics (ZSP) is theorized as an educational, political, and ethical process that confronts oppressive power relations at all levels, growing a collective political and educational subject. While still asserting the need for Indigenous rights within a neocolonial context, a ZSP transcends a human rights education framework to insist on the inherent value of all beings and their birthright to a dignified life. Drawing on a qualitative transgeographic study conducted through interviews with pro-Zapatista interlocutors who are themselves involved in processes of social change in their localities, the author explores how this ZSP provokes a learning to learn and listen differently, contributing to a larger mutualistic political-ethical education that in turn grows Zapatismo itself.

As Latin American countries moved from military dictatorship to civilian government in the 1980s, a burning issue was how to deal with the massive repression and grave human rights violations of the recent past. Should there be an effort to hold perpetrators accountable, or simply "turn the page?" This article documents and analyzes the history of the NGO Coalition Against Impunity and its role in advocating for the United Nations (U.N.) to recognize impunity--or, the negation of accountability--as a serious human rights issue. The combined efforts of dedicated human rights leaders and organizations in Latin America, other NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and the Coalition spurred the U.N. and other bodies such as the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights to take up the issue of impunity in their documents and missions. The work of the Coalition is presented as an example of the incremental democratization of the United Nations system.

The article reveals trends in emergency higher education digital transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the enormous amount of literature discussing global higher education responses to the Coronavirus, the preference is given to publications with a systematic literature review published in 2021. The period indicates the end of the 2-nd wave of the pandemic and the lessons learnt. However, case studies were also the focus of attention, primarily used for a convincing illustration of the trends in a particular country. Moreover, descriptive survey research allows empirical evidence of 468 students and 179 lecturers from four Ukrainian universities and highlights the theoretical insights. The analysis of cross-cultural investigations, systematic literature reviews, case studies, and empirical data from four Ukrainian HEIs makes it possible to receive experience from 30 countries about their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021. This massive amount of evidence reveals universal consequences for higher education caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and shapes trends in emergency higher education transition to digital format. The findings show that the emergency higher education transition to digitally-based education during 2020-2021 worldwide is characterised as diverse and unprepared. In the case of Ukraine, the empirical data collected from four national HEIs situated in different regions of the country gives grounds for the following insights: 1) in response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the national HEIs show trends similar to global higher education; 2) university teachers have considerable responsibility in transitioning traditional teaching methods into a virtual educational environment and have successfully coped with this challenge; 3) universal trends in higher education are observed on the national level, while there is diversity on the institutional level among national HEIs; 4) there is an opposite attitude of lecturers and generation Z students to the preference for the educational mode in the future.

Based on a human rights and development approach, this article aims to study the influence and impact of structural violence in the Northern Triangle of Central America on children's right to education. First, it analyses the context of poverty, inequality and generalised violence that plagues the sub-region under study. Secondly, a diagnosis is made of the situation regarding the right to education through indicators of educational completion and efficiency, including critical moments in the transition through the education system, as well as the phenomenon of school dropout. The article then analyses a series of determining factors in the violation of the right to education, insofar as they are linked to the situation of generalised structural violence. Finally, a series of conclusions are offered in order to guide debate and reflection on possible solutions to the problem studied.

This article analyzes the self-concept about digital competence in university professors of Sciences, Health Sciences and Engineering and the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) use habits of professors in these areas. For this purpose, a survey designed by the authors was completed by 340 university professors in the aforementioned areas. Based on the answers obtained from this survey, a descriptive quantitative analysis of the assessments of the self-concept of digital competence and training of the participants, of the didactic use of ICT and the frequency of their use before and after the pandemic has been carried out. The results showed that the digital competence of the professors is intermediate, but their training is valued as low, especially in Sciences and Health Sciences. The assessment of ICT is very good. The pandemic has caused a generalized increase in the use of ICT, mainly in Health Sciences, which is the area in which university students were most reluctant to use them. In addition, a gender gap which did not exist before the pandemic has been generated favoring females in the use of ICT in Science and Engineering. An age-based digital gap that existed before the pandemic has also been corrected in Health Sciences.

In this article, we analyze contradictions, complexities, limits, and potentialities of internationalization of higher education (IHE) from Latin American decolonial perspectives. We argue that even when scholars may be holding decolonial critiques and aspirations towards IHE, the structures of universities are heavily influenced by colonial legacies, undermining the potentialities of decolonization. We pay special attention to those initiatives that apparently promise a decolonial exit, because they may be acting as traps, or what we called trampas (in Spanish). In this article, we particularly analyze the initiatives that are frequently seen as projects that deviated from the hegemonic discourses of internationalization: i) South-South international higher education cooperation projects, ii) policies and projects that seek to address colonial legacies, and iii) teaching and researching committed with decolonial intentions. In the end, we invite readers, practitioners and scholars alike, to welcome the contradictions we face in such work and not to lose sight of the ongoing, relational, and hyperreflective character of any project that aims to be an alternative to coloniality.

The primary objective of this study is to examine the relationship between education aid and different levels of schooling, specifically primary, secondary, and tertiary education, from a gender perspective, with a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four. The study is structured into three main parts: the analysis of female outcomes, the analysis of male outcomes, and conducting a comparative analysis of results between females and males. Firstly, the study analyzes the impact of education aid on completion rates for females and males at the primary level, net enrolment rates for females and males at the secondary level, and gross enrolment rates for females and males at the tertiary level. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the female and male outcomes is conducted. The study drew data from a 19-year panel (2002-2020) of fifty low and lower-middle-income countries. The system GMM (One-step GMM and Two-step GMM) was utilized for the analysis. Both methods demonstrated a favorable correlation between education aid and primary and secondary education. However, the results suggest that males benefit more from education aid than females at primary and secondary levels. Additionally, the findings for the tertiary level demonstrate that the relationship between tertiary education aid and tertiary education is not optimal. The primary contribution of this study lies in its focused examination of the impact of a specific level of educational aid on particular educational outcomes, with a special emphasis on gender considerations within a comprehensive framework aligned with SDG four.

Purpose: New philanthropy develops new forms of policy "problem-solving" through the influx of private actors' money and ideas. It adopts singular configurations across different policy spaces, with implications for education governance. We address this phenomenon by analyzing the Varkey Foundation's (VF) "landing" and "expansion" in Latin America. VF is a global philanthropic organization registered in the United Kingdom in 2011 with a main hub in Argentina, where it landed in 2017. Design/Approach/Methods: We use network ethnography to examine the influence of new philanthropy on education governance as this phenomenon demands new methods to grasp the "realities" of governing beyond conventional ways and understanding policy mobilities. Findings: Results indicate how VF "landed" in a little pro-market space via productive uses of policy networks. The second phase of data collection and analysis presents further consolidation of VF in Argentina, its expansion into Latin America, and its establishment as a legitimate education policy actor. Originality/Value: This study provides new evidence and insights into how policy networks enable new philanthropy to land and consolidate within national boundaries and, later, across the region as a legitimate actor in education.

This qualitative study reports the university experiences of Quebec students whose parents were born in Latin America. The analysis, which looks at students who have either persisted in school or discontinued their studies, underscores the importance of cultural capital and, especially, an understanding of the student craft for school retention. The students report a low sense of affiliation with the university, and a perceived lack of support and care from the university and its social actors. Our interpretation of the data highlights self-blame for the challenges faced in university concurrently with the implementation of strategies to meet the challenges of the institution. We conclude by emphasizing how important it is for universities to support students better, adequately inform them about their options and the institution's inner workings, and form a community with students in a spirit of care.