2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper outlines a multi-year reform that integrates capacity building for university educators with system-level mechanisms for transparency, professional recognition, and quality assurance in Ecuador. Grounded in a national needs analysis, the project responds to shifting labor-market demands by coordinating four mutually reinforcing pillars: (1) institutional Capacity Development Centers (CDCs) that provide structured support services; (2) competency-aligned professional development programs (PDPs) designed and accredited against international frameworks; (3) a digital backbone—learning management and analytics—to enable evidence-based teaching and decision-making; and (4) a transparency and open-government framework that embeds integrity, public accountability, and citizen engagement into higher-education governance. Collectively, these components aim to professionalize teaching, elevate pedagogical competence, and increase social recognition of excellent educators.
Methodologically, the study will employ co-design with national and institutional stakeholders; iterative PDP development and revision; CDC piloting with service portfolios (advising, portfolio coaching, micro-credentials); and deployment of an LMS with learning analytics to guide improvement cycles. A governance strand will diagnose current practices and then define standards, indicators, and evaluation tools for transparency; these will be applied as a proof-of-concept to the educator evaluation and recognition system developed in parallel. The recognition strand will prepare educators for individual professional registration, supported by clear criteria, portfolio guidance, and peer-review processes. Quality assurance will combine internal monitoring with external peer review and risk management to keep implementation on track and align outcomes with international expectations.
Evaluation will triangulate institutional, instructional, and governance outcomes. Institutional outcomes include CDC establishment, service uptake, and policy updates that embed transparent decision-making. Instructional outcomes include PDP adoption, demonstrable gains in pedagogical competence, and analytics-informed course improvements. Governance outcomes include adherence to transparency standards and strengthened public communication and participation. Expected contributions to the ASEE International Division include: (i) a transferable model for building educator capacity at scale in low-resource contexts; (ii) an integrated pathway from PDP participation to professional registration that heightens educator recognition; and (iii) a practical framework for coupling open-government principles with quality assurance to sustain reform beyond project life.