Exchange of community practices in virtual environments: a collaborative experience between the minuto de dios university corporation (colombia) and the autonomous university of tamaulipas (mexico)

Abstract

The present document aims to systematize the experience and results obtained from the virtual exchanges carried out between the Academic Unit of Social Work and Human Development Sciences of the Autonomous University of Tamaulipas (UAT) in Mexico, and the Minuto de Dios University Corporation in Colombia, during the years 2020, 2021 and 2022. These exchanges were conducted through the "Collaborative Online International Learning" (COIL) model, which connects students and teachers from different cultures to learn, discuss, and collaborate together (Avalle, 2022). The collaboration focused on the subject of Community Social Work and was implemented during the academic periods 2020-3, 2021-3 and 2022-3 in the months of September, October, and November of each year. Students from the third semester of the Social Work Educational Program of the UATSCDH at UAT in Mexico and the sixth period of the Social Work program of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the Minuto de Dios University Corporation in Bogotá, Colombia, participated in these exchanges. The experience of the three collaborative projects was guided by the teachers from Mexico and Colombia, who led the process under the methodological approach of Community Social Work. This virtual exchange stands out for its contribution to strengthening professional training and the practical application of knowledge acquired by students in community contexts