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Various technological devices, especially information communications technologies (ICTs), have become increasingly remarkable in higher education to help develop students' skills and qualifications. Considering this trend, supported by several academic theories, this paper proposes a breakthrough guidebook for universities and other scholastic environments based on reasoning-for-complexity using mainly artificial intelligence (AI) and social robotics (SR). The current research provides the instructions to follow in a real class supported by AI and SR with a precise compendium of steps. On the one hand, this is done by reviewing previous studies on educational processes with AI and SR and synthesizing their findings to draw out common themes from the literature. These topics are categorized into clusters in the form of guiding questions that professors can use to prepare their classes. On the other hand, it describes the students' steps for completing the activities. These were developed with previous forms to establish different profiles and apply custom-made assessment activities. The final part of this paper involves a set of reflections regarding these two technological resources (AI and SR) to demonstrate their utility in education.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Open Educational Resources (OERs) has increased due to its advantages for academic activities and educational quality. Hence, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have sought to develop strategies to promote curricular and extracurricular activities that favor developing disciplinary and transversal competencies such as complex thinking and its meta-competencies: critical, systemic, scientific, and innovative thinking, oriented to favor problem-solving among students and the academic community. The main objective of this study was to analyze how using OERs in virtual education can promote the development of complex thinking as a transversal competency in higher education. We analyzed the content of 65 educational projects in a webinar aimed at promoting the adoption of OERs in the professional practice of the educational community. Each project had to comply with specific requirements, from the project's identification and description to measuring and evaluating the results and its impact and added value. Once all the projects were reviewed, the responses were classified into defined categories for better presentation; the sub-competency of complex thinking promoted by each project element was identified qualitatively. The results highlight how an OER can, through concrete activities, elicit complex thinking and its sub-competencies in higher education. The present study adds new evidence to the literature regarding boosting OERs as a tool to develop competencies aligned with UNESCO recommendations and contribute to fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals in education.

The purpose of this article is to present the results of an exploratory analysis of the level of perceived achievement of the complex thinking competency in a group of engineering students in their last semester at a university in Western Mexico. Its intention is to identify whether this population has the necessary skills to be able to meet challenges and solve problems related to the demands of their future professional environments. Specifically, it seeks to identify their level in the meta-competency of creative or innovative thinking, considering it a valuable skill for Industry 4.0. Methodologically, a descriptive statistical analysis focused on arithmetic means, standard deviations, boxplot, principal components and biplot has been performed. In conclusion, and from the results, it is possible to appreciate that sufficient data were found to confirm that the participants show a high level of perception of creative thinking performance, making them more suitable to the contemporary challenges that Industry 4.0 implies for their professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental disorders are highly prevalent among children, yet access to timely and effective treatment remains limited. Untreated or poorly managed mental disorders in children are associated with significant functional deterioration and long-term consequences. The validation of reliable assessment tools is crucial for identifying functional impairments and guiding interventions in this population. This study aimed to assess the utility and psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) in evaluating functional impairment among children and adolescents receiving specialized mental health care in Mexican psychiatric hospitals. Method: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from January 2018 to February 2020 in two psychiatric public hospitals in Mexico. The Spanish version of the WHODAS 2.0 was adapted for the pediatric population, and its psychometric properties were evaluated among 390 children and adolescents receiving psychiatric care. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and tests of internal consistency and validity. Results: The WHODAS 2.0 demonstrated high internal consistency (α =.92) and convergent validity, with significant correlations observed between WHODAS scores and clinical variables. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a six-dimensional structure, with gender-specific differences identified in functional impairment patterns. Discussion: The study provides robust evidence supporting the utility and psychometric properties of the WHODAS 2.0 for assessing functional impairment in children and adolescents with mental disorders in Mexican psychiatric hospitals. These findings have implications for clinical practice, policy-making, and future research aimed at improving outcomes for this vulnerable population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the relationship between academic performance and the development of transversal competencies of reasoning for complexity and digital transformation in higher education students. The Tec21 educational model of the Tecnológico de Monterrey was used as a framework for analysis. Data from 33,319 students were analyzed following a CRISP-DM methodology, first an exploratory analysis was performed on the data to recognize and understand the presence of competencies in the educational model. Machine Learning methodologies, including Random Forest and XGBoost, were then employed to identify the most influential curricular and co-curricular variables in the acquisition of studied competencies. The results revealed a significant correlation between academic performance and the acquisition of the competencies, highlighting that high grades are consistently associated with success in developing these competencies. This study extends the understanding of how competency-focused educational interventions can facilitate professional and personal development in a labor market that demands advanced skills and adaptability. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for formulating educational policies and pedagogical practices that prioritize both academic achievement and the comprehensive development of essential 21st-century competencies. From a broader perspective, our work is framed in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 Quality Education and is oriented to identify variables that boost the acquisition of 21st Century Skills in higher education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creativity is a 21st Century skill. Promoting problem-solving and attending to global complex issues in formative learning experiences and professional endeavors is considered necessary. The assessment of creativity in higher education is a challenge itself due to few objective instruments for Spanish speakers and Latin populations considering this skill as key for current and future challenges. In addition to formal creativity training, which is based on curricula formed by a set of tools and processes, there is also the role of self-perception over this skill. The objective profile is the expected performance, while the subjective is seen as a self-declared ability. In this sense, having a proper assessment of creative behavior allows to align the intentions of institutions and educators toward an integrated professional profile in a multidisciplinary manner. In this study, the Creative Behavior Assessment Instrument was applied to pregraduates from Creative Studies (CS; Design, Architecture, Digital Animation, and Communication) areas and other disciplines to answer three main research questions (1) Are CS students more creative than other discipline students?; (2) How does fluency vary between students from different disciplines?; (3) Is there coherence between the objective and subjective responses to the instrument? The methodological approach for this study is mixed methods, focusing on total score, visuospatial ability, fluidity, and self-perception. Results are discussed in terms of the difference shown by the students' objective/subjective profiles in relation to their discipline, the relevance of promoting creativity in higher education, and the implications of individual differences regarding the subjective profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive learning strategies applied to e-learning have become a relevant approach towards diversity and inclusion. They bring several benefits to learners in the role of digital platform users, related to the user experience, primarily in the learning process optimization. It aims to provide mediation, tailored content, and adequate channels for users' capabilities and learning styles. The OpenEdR4C is a digital open educational platform designed to expand complex reasoning skills in students and lifelong learners of higher education. The platform addresses five types of learning obstacles: sensory limitations, learning styles, sociodemographic and socioeconomic contexts, and certain kinds of neurodiversity. All these considerations require a dynamic and assertive user profiling strategy to provide compelling adaptive learning experiences. This paper presents a Systematic Literature Review of user profiling strategies published in the last five years in SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. The findings allowed us to identify successful and applicable strategies that the OpenEdR4C research and development teams might use to select and shape the suitable strategy for the platform in two levels: a) procedures that favor the user to self-declare their profile and preferences; and b) profiling based on the system's detection of patterns and behaviors shown by the users. The results and discussion presented are valuable insights for educators, developers in the context of open educational resources design, and decision-makers of HiEd institutions or training centers. There is a suitable strategy for every type of profiling necessity; here is a combination of many to be used and developed collectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the findings of a comprehensive skills-and-competencies analysis conducted among incoming Engineering and Health Sciences freshmen at a leading technological university in Mexico. The primary objective was to determine whether these students possessed an ideal competency profile that would effectively prepare them to meet the evolving demands of their future professional training. The study focuses on evaluating complex thinking macro-competency, recognizing its critical importance in equipping individuals to tackle the multifaceted challenges and intricacies they will encounter in their academic and professional journeys. More precisely, this research focuses on the assessment of scientific thinking as a meta-competency of complex thinking macro-competency and considered a cornerstone competency essential for success in the fields of Engineering and Health Sciences. The statistically significant findings demonstrated marked disparities in the perception and development of complex thinking macro-competency and, specifically, in the meta-competency of scientific thinking among incoming students in the Engineering and Health Sciences domains, as opposed to their counterparts in Humanities and Social Science. This observation gains particular importance in the context of the requisite competency sets for career paths in Engineering and Health Sciences, accentuating the students' proficiency and preparedness to excel in their selected fields. These results emphasize the criticality of conducting competency assessments at early stages and advocate for the modification of educational methodologies to foster the specialized competencies vital for prospective success in these disciplines. The results are analyzed in terms of their suitability for aligning educational goals with the evolving demands of the Engineering and Health Sciences fields. Overall, this study centers on the fundamental aspects of education, highlighting its importance not only due to its relevance but also for its capacity to drive meaningful changes in the future landscape of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various technological devices, especially information communications technologies (ICTs), have become increasingly remarkable in higher education to help develop students' skills and qualifications. Considering this trend, supported by several academic theories, this paper proposes a breakthrough guidebook for universities and other scholastic environments based on reasoningfor-complexity using mainly artificial intelligence (AI) and social robotics (SR). The current research provides the instructions to follow in a real class supported by AI and SR with a precise compendium of steps. On the one hand, this is done by reviewing previous studies on educational processes with AI and SR and synthesizing their findings to draw out common themes from the literature. These topics are categorized into clusters in the form of guiding questions that professors can use to prepare their classes. On the other hand, it describes the students' steps for completing the activities. These were developed with previous forms to establish different profiles and apply custom-made assessment activities. The final part of this paper involves a set of reflections regarding these two technological resources (AI and SR) to demonstrate their utility in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mental disorders are highly prevalent among children, yet access to timely and effective treatment remains limited. Untreated or poorly managed mental disorders in children are associated with significant functional deterioration and long-term consequences. The validation of reliable assessment tools is crucial for identifying functional impairments and guiding interventions in this population. This study aimed to assess the utility and psychometric properties of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) in evaluating functional impairment among children and adolescents receiving specialized mental health care in Mexican psychiatric hospitals., Method: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from January 2018 to February 2020 in two psychiatric public hospitals in Mexico. The Spanish version of the WHODAS 2.0 was adapted for the pediatric population, and its psychometric properties were evaluated among 390 children and adolescents receiving psychiatric care. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and tests of internal consistency and validity., Results: The WHODAS 2.0 demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .92) and convergent validity, with significant correlations observed between WHODAS scores and clinical variables. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a six-dimensional structure, with gender-specific differences identified in functional impairment patterns., Discussion: The study provides robust evidence supporting the utility and psychometric properties of the WHODAS 2.0 for assessing functional impairment in children and adolescents with mental disorders in Mexican psychiatric hospitals. These findings have implications for clinical practice, policy-making, and future research aimed at improving outcomes for this vulnerable population., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Díaz-Castro, Arroyo-Belmonte, Suárez-Brito, Márquez-Caraveo and Garcia-Andrade.)