This week, the ASPIRE project announced a call for the “ASPIRE 2023 Instructors’ Program” for UVG instructors. This effort supports the training objective of the ASPIRE project, which seeks to build the capacities of UVG professors, researchers and staff to provide world-class training in the generation and use of research and innovation for development.

The participants in this training program will work to strengthen their skills to connect their classes with projects based on community needs, incorporate participatory design methodologies, and apply inclusive innovation techniques to solve local challenges.

The program will begin in January 2023 and will be composed of the following phases:

• Learning Phase (January – April 2023): professors will receive training in foundational pedagogy for the design and development of projects with communities. During this phase, MIT D-Lab instructors will provide support and mentoring to define the desired changes in UVG instructors’ courses.

• Preparation Phase (May – June 2023): personalized support from the ASPIRE team will continue in order to make the necessary modifications and changes to courses, so they  can be taught in the second semester of the 2023 academic year.

• Implementation Phase (July – November 2023): the new curricular design built during the previous phases will be implemented. The ASPIRE project will provide ongoing monitoring and feedback to support the UVG instructors. At the end of this program there will be evaluation sessions, as well as presentation of results and lessons learned.

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Alix Van Zandt at akvan@uvg.edu.gt.

About the ASPIRE Project

ASPIRE is a five-year project sponsored by USAID and implemented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), UVG and the Guatemalan Exporters Association (AGEXPORT) with the objective of creating a world-class replicable model of how Latin American universities can respond to local and regional development needs. The project implements a collaborative approach to research, teaching, innovation, entrepreneurship and transfer, based on the MIT innovation ecosystem.