MIT J-WEL Welcomes Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México as Newest Higher Education Member

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Dec. 15, 2020 - PRLog -- The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) joins the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL - http://jwel.mit.edu) as the newest member of the Higher Education Collaborative and the second Mexican university to join J-WEL.

UNAM, a public research university that boasts over 360,000 students, is the largest university in Latin America and the top-ranked university in Mexico. UNAM will use its experience in online and blended learning, which includes teaching the four million plus learners who have taken any of its 103 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) on Coursera, to integrate and implement a hybrid education model using a state-of-the-art educational framework to serve its large student body.

As its classes are already online due to Covid-19, this plan aligns with their current teaching and learning practices. UNAM's transformational goals will be supported through participation in J-WEL and J-WEL events. To guide this work, UNAM will collaborate with J-WEL on curriculum mapping and online education research.

"UNAM's vision to incorporate the science of learning and student-centered practices in blended and online learning align perfectly with the five strategic areas we've identified as key to transformation in higher education, as well as with our interests here at MIT," explained Julia Reynolds-Cuéllar, Associate Director for J-WEL Higher Education. "UNAM's knowledge and unique experience will also be of significant value to MIT and the J-WEL community, providing important insight and deepening our connections with Latin America. We couldn't be more excited about the possibilities to come.

Melchor Sánchez, Coordinator of Open University, Educational Innovation and Distance Education at UNAM, commented: "The enormous educational and technical challenges that emerged during the pandemic have tested Mexican universities' capabilities for adaptation. UNAM has risen to these challenges and managed to continue providing quality education to our students, implementing a variety of strategies on several fronts. I am certain that working with MIT and the J-WEL community will yield many useful products."

An initiative of MIT and Community Jameel, J-WEL promotes excellence and transformation in education at MIT and globally by engaging educators, technologists, policymakers, societal leaders, employers, and employees. Through in-person and online collaborations, workshops, research, and information-sharing events, J-WEL member organizations—including schools, universities, NGOs, government agencies, and companies—work with MIT faculty and staff to address global opportunities for scalable change in education.