FUESE – Fortalecimiento de la Extensión en el Ecosistema Social de las universidades en Centro América
In recent years, universities in Central America have undergone profound changes as a result of globalisation, the development of the knowledge society and advances in information and communication technologies. These changes particularly affect their tasks, their management and their social role. The FUESE project aims to modernise university continuing education by reforming institutional policies and practices in order to strengthen their impact on the socio-economic environment in the region. The project will be implemented in three phases, with all partners involved in the diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation and institutionalisation of a new model designed to improve the effectiveness of university continuing education.
Over the past few years, universities have developed a very important transformation in their mission, governance, and social function due to different factors such as globalization, the knowledge society, the impact of ICT, etc. In this context, the University Extension is not exempt from difficulties and tensions. It is necessary for the University Extension to overcome the political-technical approaches of assistance or compensatory nature and evolve towards a model that guarantees a greater effectiveness in the social impact.
The purpose of FUESE is to strengthen the impact of higher education institutions in the socioeconomic ecosystem through the transformation of the institutional policies and practices of University Extension in Central America. It is structured around 3 main lines of action:
- modernization of structures for the integration of the institutional functions of research, teaching and transfer within the university extension
- transforming university practices and policies to reduce bureaucratic processes that allow meeting the socioeconomic and cultural demands of the most vulnerable groups
- designing and evaluating a comprehensive methodology that favors the organizational and curricular transformations of higher education institutions to increase the impact of their University Extension policies and practices.
The project will be implemented through three work phases:
- Diagnosis and Analysis
- Implementation and Development
- Monitoring and Transformation
The planned activities will promote the co-creation among all the partners, allowing their engagement in the diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation, and institutionalization of the comprehensive and innovative model to enhance University Extension across the Central America region.