8th semester students majoring in mechanics in our branch campus in Quito took part in the Collaborative Online International Learning program (COIL) , organized by Tecnologico de Monterrey (TEC) along with other universities. The program seeks to encourage international participation through collaborative projects. 

COIL is an international collaboration model adopted by several higher education institutions worldwide that are interested in this learning approach. Students of the Product Design subject in our university and students of Biomimetics in TEC worked on a project that focused on addressing the problem of water scarcity.

The final project included presenting a proposal for a product or service that provides a solution to the water shortage in a region of the participating countries.
The proposals ranged from collecting water through collectors to treating it through recirculation systems. The proposals are available on the website: https://sites.google.com/tec.mx/880-tec-y-ups/inicio where the projects were uploaded.

With this participation, students acquired knowledge about other cultures and developed empathy towards the problems experienced in different regions. They also shared and received knowledge from other subjects, enriching their professional development. The medium-term objective is to implement some of these initiatives to help mitigate the lack of water.

This project strengthens international professional links that allow students to establish global networks, which can facilitate job opportunities in different countries.

Professor Víctor Cabrera accompanied his students in this experience by facilitating communication between the groups and ensuring that the academic objectives were met. “From my role, I learned the importance of interculturality in the educational process and how diverse perspectives can significantly enrich academic projects. In addition, I acquired skills in international project management and in the use of technological tools for online education,” he said. 

Students who participated will earn a digital badge as recognition, which can be included on their resumes and is equivalent to an academic exchange. With their participation, UPS students left a mark in terms of leadership, group organization, responsibility and generation of innovative ideas.
 
“I hope that our proposals can be applied and contribute to improving the living conditions of different communities” said Darío Zurita, UPS student.
 
The Mechanics program wants to repeat this experience with other groups of students in the near future, since international collaboration has proven to be a valuable tool for their academic and professional development.