Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC): Unit representatives contribute in co-creation sessions to the UC Academic Portfolio
A total of six meetings with various members of the academic body were organized by the Data and Information Governance Directorate , dependent on the Office of the President , together with the Academic Development Directorate , to analyze the taxonomy of the UC Academic Portfolio , an online platform that will make the knowledge and various activities carried out by those who work as teachers.
Professors from various areas and disciplines, such as health, social sciences, education, arts, humanities, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), participated in these co-creation sessions in which they sought to validate and improve the classification and concepts of the academic activities that were used in the portfolio and that were based on the academic regulations and the complementary regulations of each unit.
“The main objective of the co-creation sessions was to build the Academic Portfolio collaboratively with UC academics,” explains Claudia Leiva, director of the Data and Information Governance Department. She adds that it is very important “to have the vision of those who work as teachers in the early stages of the project to be able to improve it, economically and efficiently, before it is built and ready, and also to have a valuable tool, useful and truly used by its main users”.
“The main objective of the co-creation sessions was to build the Academic Portfolio collaboratively with UC academics” – Claudia Leiva, director of the Data and Information Governance Department
The UC Academic Portfolio is inserted in the process of digital transformation that the university is promoting and will record both research, teaching activities and training of people, extension, connection with the environment and institutional management. It will thus become a powerful tool that saves time and supports management, but also facilitates greater interaction and collaborative work in academic and research matters.
Silvana Zanlungo, director of the Academic Development Department, evaluates the sessions of the co-creation workshops very positively. “I believe that these sessions are fundamental, since they have allowed us to listen to the opinions of academics in relation to the proposed taxonomy for academic activities and lead us to reflect and seek how to improve the academic portfolio”, she points out.
“I believe that these sessions are fundamental, since they have allowed us to listen to the opinions of academics in relation to the proposed taxonomy for academic activities and lead us to reflect and seek how to improve the portfolio” – Silvana Zanlungo, director of the Direction of Academic Development UC
Asimismo, destaca que era muy importante incorporar al cuerpo docente en el proceso por el conocimiento que tienen del trabajo académico. “Son ellos y ellas quienes vincularán los datos a sus trayectorias académicas y quienes conocen mejor que nadie las particularidades de su quehacer disciplinario o interdisciplinario”, agrega Silvana Zanlungo.
Próximos pasos
Terminadas las sesiones de co-creación se pasará a una etapa de consolidación de los resultados. Luego Claudia Leiva explica que se realizará una presentación a la comunidad UC de la taxonomía de actividades académicas construida en conjunto con los académicos y las académicas de la institución y la implementación de ésta en el Portafolio Académico.
Subsequently, the project will move on to its next stage of “Information Completeness”, in which all relevant data that is not currently being systematically captured is identified. This is to offer the possibility that the academic units of the UC can generate loads of data and academic activities. This information will be consolidated in “data cubes” in the institutional system (Datawarehouse), which will also allow them to be shared with the community.