Do you want your research to help solve the leading education sector challenges in Chile today?
Education Challenges is a program sponsored by the Catholic University Innovation in Education Laboratory (UC EduLab), focusing on encouraging solutions to key challenges faced by the education sector nationwide, by bringing together interdisciplinary research teams and public and private entities.
Program Operations
Based on challenges brought forth by education sector organizations, the program seeks to form interdisciplinary research teams assigned to solving these challenges through the development of research-based innovative education solutions.
Benefits
The program provides participating teams with the following benefits:
- Funding for the team to develop an innovative education solution to the challenge at hand.
- Physical workspace at UC EduLab, which has an observation room for prototype testing and a co-work area.
- The opportunity to pilot the solution at establishments chosen by the partners.
Applicant Profile
The competition is geared toward interdisciplinary teams of three or more members, one of which must be a UC-affiliated researcher with a contract for 22 hours or more weekly.
If you do not have a research team, are looking for more members or need to join up with a UC researcher, we invite you to fill out the form at this link so that we can assist you in the process.
Challenges
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Challenge 1: Fundación Luz
- Description of partner institution: Fundación Luz seeks to educate and train the blind and others with low vision by making the most of their potential, so that they can acquire the skills they need to succeed and be independent in their personal and social lives and at school and work, thereby enabling them to engage in society as active citizens.
- Challenge: Developing a model for the educational community of Colegio Santa Lucía, for the integration, use and mediation of technologies for the blind (tiflotechnology) that are readily available on the market,
- Expected deliverables: The solution should include an analysis of all initiatives currently promoted by the school, along with a user manual for the tiflotechnology solution and a roadmap for the school to implement the model developed.
- Funding for the challenge: $4,000,000
Premio: $4,000,000 for developing the solution to this challenge.
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Challenge 2: BrainToys Foundation
- Partner Institution Name: BrainToys Foundation
- Description of partner institution: Chilean company specializing in play-based education. Its work consists of providing games, instructional/teaching materials and educational and social programs that, together, supplement the important work of teachers, parents and caregivers.
One of its lines of work is aimed at the cognitive stimulation of older adults through the use of recreational material. - Challenge: Developing an evaluation model and a measurement tool to analyze the impact of the program on the cognitive skills of older adult beneficiaries of BrainToys Foundation.
- Expected deliverables: The solution should include a measurement tool and guidelines for conducting the assessment.
- Funding for the challenge: $4,000,000
Premio: $4,000,000 for developing the solution to this challenge.
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Challenge 3: Educational Effect Foundation
- Name of partner institution: Fundación Efecto Educativo
- Description of partner institution: The Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in 2018, under the auspices of Efecto Educativo’s 14 years of experience. Its work consists of seeking and offering new and innovative ways to contribute to individuals’ and institutions’ development while improving their quality of life through learning. Given that we live in a dynamic world marked by rapid change, when learning we must be constant, flexible and focused on building the skills we need to allow for greater adaptability and well-being.
- Challenge: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on students by delaying their acquisition of key skills and widening learning gaps as a result of difficulties in addressing the wide range of student learning paces, styles and ways given the lack of stable, safe, predictable and suitable learning environments. Furthermore, hybrid education calls for having fair and equal technology and connectivity plans, as well as ways forward, tools and practices that allow educational communities to overcome hurdles such as losing the Internet connection, studying in vulnerable homes, providing support for teachers, administrators, parents and students, and diversifying teaching and learning strategies to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to learn.
These issues and context led to the challenge of developing a methodology and educational resources to revert the situation of primary school students who have fallen behind and close their learning gaps. - Expected deliverables: Methodology and teaching or technological resources.
- Funding for the challenge: $4,000,000
Premio: $4,000,000 for developing the solution to this challenge.
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Challenge 4: Arauco Educational Foundation
- Name of partner institution: Fundación Educacional Arauco
- Description of partner institution: Fundación Educacional Arauco focuses on providing more development opportunities for children and young people through education, by means of quality cultural and educational programs that are marked by excellence, have an impact and are sustainable wherever they are rolled out, while also contributing to the discussion, reflection and generation of knowledge in education, thereby strengthening the link between theory and practice. We work directly with municipal schoolteachers, administrators, and school board members in four regions across Chile (Maule, Biobío, Ñuble and Los Ríos).
- Challenge: Our proposal consists of designing a technology-mediated distance learning training program that will enable teachers and administrators from across the country to self-train interactively on two specific topics: academic assessments and improvement cycles. The proposal should encourage self-learning and collaboration between schools, using motivating, practical and dynamic modules, the specific contents of which have already been developed and implemented by Fundación Educacional Arauco, and will be available to the research team for inclusion.
- Expected deliverables: The proposed solution should include self-training modules using an instructional, motivating and easy-to-follow training path, whose contents will be specified by the Foundation in digital format.
- Funding for the challenge: $4,000,000
Premio: $4,000,000 for developing the solution to this challenge.
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Challenge 5: Foundation Corporation
- Name of partner institution: Corporación Cimientos
- Description of partner institution: Corporación Cimientos focuses on preparing individuals for work in the 21st century, by developing pro-social skills in vulnerable populations. One of its main activities is working with adolescents under the age of 18 who are also beneficiaries of the national foster care/juvenile justice department (SENAME), in order to strengthen their general skills while assisting them in developing a lifetime plan, starting their career path, and finding work in the future.
- Challenge: Corporación Cimientos’ didactic model has been used at Sename’s closed centers. After conducting a process to identify and assess the general skills of Sename wards, it was decided that Cimientos’ current didactic model had to be adapted to fit the needs of the new juvenile population sentenced to SENAME’s Semi-Closed Systems. The profile of the floating population with little motivation to attend the Center was taken into consideration as well as the current situation in Chile, which calls for including remote teaching methods based on available technology.
- Expected deliverables: The proposal should include a methodology for training staff members on how to use the methodology, the didactic material and a schedule of activities to be carried out by the adolescents over a semester.
- Funding for the challenge: $12,000,000
Premio: $12,000,000 for developing the solution to this challenge.
Application process terms of reference and specifics
To learn more about the application process, we invite you to look at the program’s rules and regulations at the following link: Bases Desafíos de la Educación 2021.
Application Process
The application process will be available online using the following form, until April 29, 2021, at 23:59 hours.
The following documents must also be attached to the application:
Contact
If you have any comments or questions, please contact:
Diego Caro
Head of EduLab
dccaro@uc.cl
Descargar bases:
Bases Desafíos de la Educación.docx cloud_download
Colabora:
Fundación Brain Toys
Corporación Cimientos
Fundación Educacional Arauco
Fundación Luz
