Project-Based Learning from the GANEMOS Master’s Program Stands Out at Educational Event

• Adriana Escobedo, CATIE’s Sustainable Agribusiness Specialist, opened the third day of the Meeting for the Exchange of Best Practices in Quality and Innovation in Education in Costa Rica.
  
  

"Quality and innovation in education are goals that cannot be achieved in isolation; they require a committed community, willing to learn from one another, to question the status quo, and to explore new horizons." With these words, Katalina Perera, head of the Academic Division of the National Council of Rectors (CONARE), set the tone for the third day of the education event held on August 29, virtually, where CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) played a prominent role.

"The presentations today precisely embody this—a deep commitment to improving education, equity, and quality as cornerstones of our education system," added the CONARE representative.

Adriana Escobedo, a specialist in sustainable agribusiness from CATIE’s Environmental and Sustainable Agribusiness Economy Unit (UEAAS/EfD), is also the coordinator of the Master’s in Sustainable Agribusiness and Markets Management (GANEMOS). She was the first of five speakers to present, and her topic, developed alongside María Inés Miranda and Evelyn Chaves, was "Educating with Purpose: Project-Based Learning for Strengthening the Business Ecosystem of Latin America and the Caribbean," in which they discussed the vision and project-based approach to training.

The remaining four presentations of the day came from educational institutions such as the National Technical University (UTN), the National University (UNA), the Villarreal High School and Fundación Tamarindo Park, and San Marcos University (USAM). These talks covered topics ranging from accessibility and equity in education to pedagogical mediation with artificial intelligence.

A Replicable Educational Experience

The GANEMOS Master’s, being virtual, allows individuals from all over Latin America and other regions to be trained in sustainable agribusiness, acquiring not only knowledge but also practical experience through project development during the courses.

This is achieved through a project-based approach, which revolves around real-life challenges and problems, a key aspect for competency acquisition.

This approach aims to promote authentic learning for students participating in each course by solving real problems within the complex business environment, all within a teamwork perspective that is encouraged by addressing problems and the innovations truly needed.

Adriana Escobedo added that “this approach promotes effective collaboration and highlights the need for critical thinking, which becomes indispensable in the context we live in with the presence of artificial intelligence.”

The two GANEMOS Master’s courses used as examples were Sustainable Business Models, taught by María Inés Miranda, and Sustainable Value Chains, taught by Adriana Escobedo. However, a total of six courses, out of twelve, use this methodology. 

“To design these courses, we restructured them with the goal of providing students with the necessary competencies through the resolution of real cases,” Escobedo explained.

It is worth noting that this type of approach allows students to collaborate with entrepreneurs from different countries, developing real projects in coordination with the owners. In this way, academic work becomes high-quality free processes, which hold great value in the early stages of these ventures.  

Educational Event

The Meeting for the Exchange of Best Practices in Quality and Innovation in Education in Costa Rica was organized from August 27 to 30 by the National System for Higher Education Accreditation (SINAES) and the College of Licensed Professors in Arts, Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters (COLYPRO).

Due to its relevance and in accordance with the Organic Law of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) No. 3481, the event was declared of public interest.