Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Applied to Civil Engineering Teaching

The pandemic era transformed the reality of everyone in the world and especially the way we interact, education is one of the areas that was most affected by this global calamity, the acquisition of knowledge in a classroom became from a computer at home, so the strategies of teachers to transmit in the best way their teachings had to be restructured. The necessary adaptations for continuous training are made thanks to information and communication technology tools (ICT), primarily through tools such as Google Meet and Skype. As a result of the above and the new lived reality, people around the world have learned to improve Emergency Distance Education (DEE). This study will reveal the main applications and software of ICT in civil engineering and related professional higher education, describe and mention their characteristics and impact on the quality of education

Migration and the Environment in the Galapagos: An analysis of economic and policy incentives driving migration, potential impacts from migration control, and potential policies to reduce migration pressure

From 1974 through 1997 the Galapagos experienced very rapid population growth, around six per cent per year. Sustained at this level, the population would continue to double every 12 years. Increased population brings an increased risk of invasive introduced species, which endangers the fragile ecosystems. On 18 March 1998, a Special Law was passed to protect the Galapagos. This law severely limits migration to the islands. We discuss the environmental problems that motivated the law, describe the law, and discuss anecdotal evidence on its operation and potential to date. We then theoretically assess the implications of limiting migration and empirically assess the history and drivers of migration to Galapagos. In particular we discuss distorted incentives arising from subsidies and inadequate regulations that exacerbate migration pressure. Finally, we draw on our analysis to offer some short and longer term policy solutions and ideas on how existing capacity could be enhanced to implement them.Galapagos, migration, environment, tourism, fish

Migration and the Environment in the Galapagos:An analysis of economic and policy incentives driving migration, potential impacts from migration control, and potential policies to reduce migration pressure

From 1974 through 1997 the Galapagos experienced very rapid population growth, around six per cent per year. Sustained at this level, the population would continue to double every 12 years. Increased population brings an increased risk of invasive introduced species, which endangers the fragile ecosystems. On 18 March 1998, a Special Law was passed to protect the Galapagos. This law severely limits migration to the islands. We discuss the environmental problems that motivated the law, describe the law, and discuss anecdotal evidence on its operation and potential to date. We then theoretically assess the implications of limiting migration and empirically assess the history and drivers of migration to Galapagos. In particular we discuss distorted incentives arising from subsidies and inadequate regulations that exacerbate migration pressure. Finally, we draw on our analysis to offer some short and longer term policy solutions and ideas on how existing capacity could be enhanced to implement them.Galapagos, migration, environment, tourism, fish.

Racial Microaggressions of Indigenous Undergraduate Students in an Ecuadorian Higher Education Institution

Although subtle, racial microaggressions have an impact on lives of people who endure hostilities by virtue of their race or ethnicity (Solórzano et al., 2000; Sue et al., 2007). Research on racial discrimination indicates that college campuses can be threatening environments especially for underrepresented students who constantly face elusive hostilities in their interactions with teachers, peers, and administrative (Allen, 2010; Helm, 2013; Nadal et al., 2014, Reid, 2017). The current mixed-methods study examined the most commonly experienced types of microaggressions affecting Indigenous undergraduate students while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in a public higher education institution in Ecuador, as well as perceived relationships between microaggressions and students’ self-esteem and self-efficacy. The present study also analyzed experiences of Indigenous students in regard to their responses and coping mechanisms for racial hostilities. A sequential transformative mixed methods design was used to survey and interview participants. In the quantitative component, three surveys—Nadal’s Racial and Ethnic Nadal (2011) Microaggressions Scale (REMS), Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and Schwarzer and Jerusalem’s General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) — were administered to 112 Indigenous students. In the qualitative component, a semistructured interview was conducted with 12 participants. A Pearson Correlation coefficient was ascertained to assess the relationship between microaggressions and Indigenous students while emotion coding was utilized to capture themes from students’ accounts. Findings suggested that Indigenous students experience six principal types of microaggressions contained in the REMS, with assumptions of inferiority and microinvalidations named most commonly by participants. Results showed negative associations between three components of the REMS and students’ self-esteem, while a negative correlation was observed for five of the six components of the REMS and self-efficacy. Students’ lived narratives revealed the profound manifestations of oppression they endure in their academic environment. Responses to microaggressions were described by participants as those of resilience, pride, and affirmation of identity. Students’ accounts revealed that their main coping mechanism to hostilities refers prominently to family support as they pursue academic endeavors. A key recommendation coming from the study suggests creating space where both Indigenous students and university officials can learn about and understand how microaggressions can affect on-campus experiences

Exploring Social Sustainability and Economic Practices

Given the three pillars of sustainability, besides the environment, the interplay of social and economic dimensions provides valuable insight into how society is molded and the key components that should be considere. In terms of social sustainability, processes and framework objectives promote the wellbeing that is integral to the balance of people, planet, and profit. Economic practices consider the system of production, resource allocation, and distribution of goods and services with respect to demand and supply between economic agents. As a result, an economic system is a variant of the social system in which it exists. At present, the forefront of social sustainability research partially encompasses the impact of economic practices on people and society, with notable emphasis centered on the urban environment. Specific interdisciplinary analyses within the scope of sustainability, social development, competitiveness, and motivational management, as well as decision making within the urban landscape, are considered. This book contains nine thoroughly refereed contributions that interconnect detailed research into the two pillars reviewed

Contested Identities: Urbanisation and Indigenous Identity in the Ecuadorian Amazon

This thesis is a study of indigenous urbanisation and ethnic identity in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Taking as its focus Shuar urban residents of the rainforest city Sucúa, it argues that urban indigenous residents feel simultaneously more and less ‘indigenous’ than their more ‘rural’ counterparts. On the one hand, the experience of living in a multiethnic city, on the ‘boundary’ of the Shuar ethnic group (Barth 1969), increases urban Shuar residents’ awareness of their ethnic identity, as Shuar and as ‘indigenous’. Furthermore, they want to identify as indigenous, as they are aware of the value that is placed on this identity by, for example, international organisations, NGOs, environmental activists, eco-tourism agencies, and indigenous political leaders. On the other hand, indigenous identity in urban areas is formed via a ‘play of mirrors’ (Novaes 1997) as a result of which urban Shuar are exposed to a variety of contradictory perspectives on what it means to be ‘indigenous’. These tend towards romanticisation and exoticisation of indigenous peoples as ‘ecologically noble savages’ (Redford 1993), creating the image of a ‘hyperreal Indian’ (Ramos 1992) that urban Shuar cannot hope to emulate. This leads many urban Shuar residents to feel that they are ‘not indigenous enough’. Nevertheless, with increased international migration and rising levels of education and professional achievement, a new urban indigenous middle class is acquiring the economic, cultural and social capital (Bourdieu 1984) to throw off the ‘burden of heritage’ (Olwig 1999) and determine for themselves what it means to be ‘indigenous’. Finally, I argue in this thesis for an anthropology of Amazonia that addresses the significant changes which are taking place in Amazonian peoples’ lives. If we continue to depict Amazonian groups as isolated, small-scale societies existing in an eternal ‘ethnographic present’ (Rubenstein 2002) we risk ignoring or misrepresenting the very real challenges and transformations that are increasingly facing our informants

Conceptualización teórico-metodológica para la introducción de la gamificación en el desarrollo de las competencias STEAM en la Educación Superior. Caso: Universidad Ecotec

La presente investigación propone un modelo teórico- metodológico que engloba la incorporación de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación, TICs, y la gamificación para el desarrollo de competencias STEM en Instituciones de Educación Superior sostenibles. En la consecución de estos objetivos se realizó, en primer lugar, un estudio bibliométrico con el propósito de analizar el impacto de estas herramientas metodológicas, y en el que se manifestaron los aspectos positivos y negativos que se observan de su inclusión en la educación superior. Por otra con el análisis de resultados se proponía determinar la existencia de una tendencia creciente en la última década de modelos de implementación específicos y su adecuada implementación en las IES. A continuación, se realizó un estudio comparativo entre Instituciones de Educación Superior (IES) en Ecuador y España, en el cual se utilizó una encuesta cualitativa previamente validada y distribuida en línea, para determinar los factores de inclusión y uso de las TICs en las IES en dos momentos cruciales de la pandemia sobrevenida en 2019, antes y después del confinamiento. Los resultados mostraron la esencialidad de las TICs para lograr IES sostenibles, destacando el beneficio de su inclusión en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje y en el desarrollo de habilidades TICs en los docentes. También, se evidenció que los docentes carecían de capacitación y modelos específicos para una correcta inclusión y uso de las TICs en el aula, el cual se destacó mucho más en docentes con mayor experiencia. Otras de los resultados obtenidos fue la relación existente entre el uso de las TICs, experiencia de los docentes, y capacitación en su uso, con el bienestar emocional de los profesionales. El siguiente estudio cualitativo se centró en analizar la influencia de la tecnología y el Coivd-19 en docentes con alta experiencia en educación STEM en las IES. Los resultados obtenidos mostraron las dificultades presentadas por los docentes en una situación excepcional como el COVID-19 en la que el cambio en la modalidad de enseñanza, imposición de uso de tics entre otros factores, generaron altos niveles de ansiedad y estrés emocional relacionado con su percepción de la metodología de trabajo online, indistintamente del país de procedencia. También se evidenció que los docentes con mayor formación en los campos STEM y dominio de las TICs eran menos propensos a desarrollar tecnoestrés, por lo que se consideró que esta variable actuaba como un efecto preventivo. Por último se propone un modelo general STEM sostenible para las instituciones de Educación Superior, que concibe a los diferentes actores (estudiantes y docentes) y los beneficios de la inclusión y uso de las TICs en el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje que contribuya al desarrollo de sus habilidades tecnológicas y bienestar emocional.This research proposes a theoretical-methodological model that conceives for the incorporation of ICT Information and Communication Technologies and gamification for the development of STEM skills in sustainable Higher Education Institutions. For this, a bibliometric was carried out with the objective of analyzing the impact of ICTs and gamification, highlighting positive and negative aspects of their inclusion in higher education, which would allow determining if there was a growing trend in the last decade or specific implementation models of ICTs. its proper implementation in HEIs. Next, a comparative study was carried out between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ecuador and Spain, in which a qualitative survey previously validated and distributed online was obtained, to determine the factors of inclusion and use of ICT in HEIs. in two moments before and after confinement. The results showed the essentiality of ICTs to achieve sustainable HEIs, highlighting the benefit of their inclusion in the teaching and learning process and in the development of ICT skills in teachers. Also, it was evident that teachers lacked training and specific models for the correct inclusion and use of ICT in the classroom, which was much more prominent in teachers with more experience other difficulties related to emotional well-being. In the following qualitative study, the influence of technology and Coivd-19 on teachers with high experience in STEM education in HEIs was analyzed. The results obtained showed the exhibitions presented by teachers in an exceptional situation such as COVID-19 in which the change in the teaching modality, the imposition of the use of tics, among other factors, generated high levels of anxiety and emotional stress related to their perception. of the online work methodology, regardless of the country of origin. It was also shown that teachers with more training in the STEM fields and ICT proficiency were less likely to develop technostress, which is why it is considered a preventive effect. Finally, a general sustainable STEM model is proposed for higher education institutions, which conceives the different actors (students and teachers) and the benefits of the inclusion and use of ICTs in the teaching and learning process that already contributes to development. of their technological skills and emotional well-being