Impact of technological project fairs at UNAD: emerging trends and competency development

This Working Paper presents the analysis of emerging trends in applied projects presented at the Technological Project Fairs held in 2024 at the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD), with the purpose of identifying the social approach, the technological contribution in science, innovation and entrepreneurship in the national territory in which the university has coverage. The events, held in May and October, promoted the participation of 36 students from the Wireless Network Management Technology, Industrial Electronic Automation Technology and Food Quality Technology programs. These spaces for socialization and academic dissemination allowed students to develop key competencies in project formulation and soft skills essential for effective and harmonious interaction with the academic community and the general public. The analysis highlights the importance of interaction and visibility of projects in formal academic contexts to strengthen practical and theoretical learning. Feeding back different findings found in the projects presented, where different key aspects that reflect the quality and clarity of the work presented were quantitatively evaluated. Additionally, the articulation with the Technological Management Project Phase I and Technological Management Project Phase II courses, taking into account the articulation of the learning outcomes of the courses, the harmonization with the results of each of the articulated programs and the contribution to each of the problematic cores. It allowed students to develop applied project proposals and different academic products such as posters, presentations, and articles for participation in scientific dissemination events, where the exchange of ideas, validation and feedback of the work carried out and the construction of academic and professional networks are sought.