Resistencia - Universidad Nacional del Nordeste

by Kelly Talbert

This morning, Rotarian Cielo Molina and I went to the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste, the comprehensive, major public university in the area. This university has a few branches, but the one in Resistencia is the largest. I was excited because in terms of size and course offerings of the schools I've visited, this institution is most like the University of Oregon.

I first met with the Dean of the School of Engineering, Dr. Jorge V. Pilar (photo left). Argh, the one bachelor's degree we don't offer! I thought to myself - what on earth will I ask him? Luckily, our conversation had more to do with comparing our systems, and more importantly, how this department has worked to make sure all students start out on the right foot.

They've instituted a course for all first year students that starts before the formal school year. The six-week course covers algebra and other fundamentals the students will need to continue successfully, but it also covers themes like study skills, responsibility, the importance of attendance, what engineers do and what the rest of the major looks like. Jorge said that students come in with such varying levels of prepardness from secundaria (high school) and varying levels of clarity about what the think an engineer does, that it was necessary to create this comprehensive course to cover those bases.

At first the course was optional, and they commented that they could see a marked difference in the level of engagement in classroom discussions and overall comfort in maneuvering through the university system between those who'd taken the course and those who had not. This "pre-class" is now mandatory. So they're trying to orient them, like a mini academic refresher and IntroDUCKtion (UO´s summer orientation for new students) all in one.


Next, I met Professor Roxana Rojo (above), one of three people at the University in the Department of Vocational Orientation. While our college/career centers in high schools are a balance between discussing different careers and which college fits a student's personal and educational goals, this office is already within a university, so it focuses only on careers and outcomes. This effort hopefully lowers attrition rates, and helps them find their path faster.

They showed me the schedule with all the secondary schools they'd visit over a three month period. Sometimes they take a faculty member with them to the high school, to talk about a specific career. But more common are the panels that they put together on campus, featuring a variety of faculty. The invite students from all over the area to ask questions of the faculty. An interesting difference is that the don't really touch on th social or personal aspects of the campus, such as student life, advising, housing, etc. This is partly because they don't have some of these resources, and partly in part to a view of college as more of a means to an end rather than a comprehensive experience.

Roxana's main frustration was that, by the time she sees these students, they are conditioned to have certain expectations in terms of their opportunities or trajectory, based on commentary from teachers or financial limitations. She wishes this kind of orientation coud start earlier. They start meeting with the students in their last year of high school, so they don't have time to get to know them. They used to have small, intensive career exploration workshops in their department, where students would talk about family situations, perceived barriers to going to college, etc. However, they've lost their space and don´t have the room for that on a regular basis.

It was interesting to see how the university has stepped up and responded to the challenges of inadequate preparation, or a lack of college or career counseling in high school.