The kick-off meeting for the visit by the peers appointed by the National Accreditation Council (CNA) for the external evaluation process for the renewal of accreditation of the UIS Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics program was held in the UIS Rector’s Council Room: Diego Miguel Escobar Uribe, academic peer, and Saulo Mosquera López, coordinating peer.
This event represents a key stage for the School of Mathematics, which in recent years has worked to consolidate its teacher training model and strengthen its academic, research, and social outreach processes.
The director of the School of Mathematics, Professor Ronaldo Eduardo Paternina Salguero, highlighted the importance of this evaluation as the conclusion of an institutional reflection process that began in 2023. “It is very important for us to complete the self-evaluation process that we began in 2023. In it, we analyzed all the positive aspects of the program, as well as areas for improvement, and the peer visit consolidates that process by allowing us to see their assessments and observations about our work,” he said.
Professor Paternina also highlighted the program’s widespread presence in regional and national education. “The program has a presence in almost all regions of Santander, and we also have teachers in various schools, both public and private, outside the department. We are always continuing to build and consolidate the UIS’s presence in these municipalities,” he said, reiterating the program’s commitment to training high-quality teachers.
For her part, Professor Dora Roa Fuentes, coordinator of the self-assessment process and the Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics program, highlighted the progress made in terms of student retention and academic success. “We have improved our graduation rates, thanks to the different projects that teachers, the school, and of course the university have generated through the academic excellence system. We have managed to keep our students in university for the appropriate amount of time and also to support those who are struggling,” she explained.
Roa Fuentes also highlighted the renewal of the teaching staff and the strengthening of research. “We have just hired a new professor specializing in mathematics education, and we also have a research group recognized by Minciencias with the highest rating. We constantly accompany students in their teaching practices and in their participation in academic events and research with national and international reach,” she added.
The professor emphasized that the visit from academic peers is an opportunity to reaffirm the commitment to continuous improvement: “We hope to gain an outside perspective that will allow us to reaffirm our commitment to the pursuit of quality and help us identify areas where we can continue to improve.” The visit by academic peers provides new impetus to continue cultivating excellence and commitment to training teachers who transform education in the country.
