Education at the Tec: Acquiring skills in real-world settings

Just five weeks into their university studies at Tec de Monterrey, Natalia, Rocío, Renata, and Yuri found themselves in front of Kellanova’s directors.

The team had developed an app in one of their classes that uses augmented reality to enable customer interaction with their cereal brands.

This illustrates one of the main characteristics of education at the Tec: learning by solving challenges, often in collaboration with companies, civil society organizations, and governments, known as Training Partners.

“The Educational Model focuses on acquiring competencies. It’s an innovative educational approach because these competencies are developed in real-life settings,” explained Rafaela Diegoli, Academic Vice-Rector of the Tec.

“Our professors told us: ‘Be disruptive, think outside the box,’ which led us to focus on finding a differentiator for our proposal,” said Rocío, part of the winning team in ‘The Role of Business in Society’ challenge, a first-semester activity at the Tec’s School of Business.

Their proposal included the use of artificial intelligence, project management, and analytical skills, winning them the prize.

This illustrates how learning is experienced at the Tec, Diegoli said. Although each study program has its owngraduation profile with specific disciplinary competencies, the Tec’s educational system seeks to broaden students’ competencies.

“Cross-cutting competencies are those shared across all fields, which provide the distinctive Tec de Monterrey seal,” notes the Academic Vice-Rector.

In contrast to other educational proposals in Mexico and globally, Tec students can personalize their education through stages that allow them to explore, focus, and specialize.

Beyond the academic aspect, it also offers a memorable university experience through sports, arts, leadership, and holistic wellbeing activities.

This distinctive approach to learning at the Tec was implemented in 2019. To date, 18,755 students have graduatedunder this model.

The application and improvement of the teaching process have produced several outcomes, notably that the June 2024 graduating class achieved the highest level of employability, with 89% employed within three months of graduation.

1. Learning that develops through real-world challenges.
2. Opportunities for specialization
3. Education and guidance
4. How technology is leveraged
5. A memorable and comprehensive university experience

At the Tec, the teaching-learning process is centered on addressing real-world challenges.

Tec professors are the ones who create these active learning environments and design challenges to foster the acquisition of both disciplinary and cross-cutting competencies.

The faculty collaborates with companies, organizations, and governments to create these challenges, often approaching them from multiple perspectives.

“Addressing real-world challenges involves facilitating education from multiple disciplinary perspectives, highlighting how these disciplines interact to solve challenges,” notes the Academic Vice-Rector.

Over the years, more than 2,500 partners have participated, with 66% of them being among the top 10 employers in Mexico.

“This approach has an impact on the employability of our students and their entry into the job market, as they work on real-world projects and receive feedback from the very first semester,” said Diegoli.

-Cross-cutting competencies acquired by Tec students

“Previously, value lay in what you knew; today, it lies in what you can do with that knowledge, in learning to learn and adapting quickly,” David Garza, Executive President of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, pointed out in an interview with CONECTA.

Consequently, the Tec seeks to ensure that its students possess not only the competencies of their chosen discipline, but also the following cross-cutting competencies:

• Self-awareness and self-management: This is the foundation of leadership, enabling students to better understand themselves and lead others effectively while adding value.
• Ethical and civic commitment: This allows students to develop and implement projects that transform the environment for the benefit of all.
• Communication: Relating effectively by employing various languages, resources, and strategies tailored to the context.
• Innovative entrepreneurship: Generating solutions that provide value to society.
• Social intelligence: This enables students to build effective collaborative environments in multicultural contexts.
• Reasoning for complexity: Thinking outside the box and daring to look beyond.
• Digital transformation: Tackling professional challenges by incorporating cutting-edge digital technologies.

Las y los estudiantes de Tec tienen la opción de desarrollar habilidades que estén relacionadas con sus pasiones, intereses y planes profesionales.

Al cursar su Semestre Tec se involucran en actividades a nivel local, nacional o internacional. Se puede vivir a través de:

• Concentración para una especialidad o complementaria.
• Prácticas profesionales.
• Estancias de investigación o de innovación y liderazgo social
• Incubación de una empresa.

Tec professors serve as learning facilitators, going beyond teaching content and procedures to guide students in applying their knowledge to solve real-world challenges.

“Many challenges are multidisciplinary, so our professors, each from their respective specialties, work collaboratively to help students integrate this content,” Diegoli said.

“Additionally, the faculty plays a crucial role in developing skills that support our students’ personal and professional growth,” he added.

In addition, a support system is in place to ensure that students, from the moment they enter the Tec, feel part of a community that helps them discover their purpose and talents.

The Admissions and Program Director provides guidance on academic decisions throughout the student’s journey, while the Student Mentor supports the development of various aspects of student wellbeing.

Technology plays a key role in the evolution of the Tec’s teaching and learning process.

“It has evolved to include greater integration of technology, artificial intelligence, and personalized learning, while our curricula remain flexible enough to adapt and incorporate emerging topics,” explained Diegoli.

Artificial intelligence is being utilized to personalize learning, deliver real-time feedback, and enhance teaching efficiency.

“Many professors are actively working on integrating artificial intelligence into their teaching practices.

“Mastering the fundamentals of artificial intelligence and acquiring practical skills for its application across diverse industries is vital for our students,” remarked the Academic Vice-Rector.

Beyond the academic aspect, the Tec prioritizes comprehensive education and fosters a memorable university experience.

LiFE (Student Leadership and Education) plays a key role in fostering cross-cutting competencies, ensuring all students benefit from this integral development.

“Education over the last 200 years has centered around knowledge, which is something machines will inevitably excel at.

“So, what should we be teaching?  Values, meaningful relationships, caring for others, teamwork, along with greater emphasis on art, sports, music, and painting,” explained Luis Raúl Domínguez, Dean of Student Leadership and Education.

The goal, he explains, is to encourage students to fully immerse themselves in university life rather than simply attend; to make the most of all the opportunities for growth as part of their holistic education.

If you want to find out more about how to learn at Tec de Monterrey, please visit this section.

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