Producción Científica

Circular economy (CE) describes a sustainable alternative approach to the current linear economy system. It is a growing topic among scholars, practitioners, and decisionmakers; it encom-passes several concepts related to sustainability and requires the synergy of multiple actors for success, including higher education institutions (HEIs) as one of the most relevant ones. Current CE is based mostly on experiences in Global North developed countries, where the concept has gained great attention and has already influenced policies and strategies. However, CE in Latin American countries (LA countries) have not yet received such attention. Thus, some “unique problems” may remain unattended, and efforts to attain a CE are more likely to fail. Likewise, the study shows how the role of HEIs in CE in LA countries has not yet been fully explored, as the literature on this topic is scarce. This paper aims to address the main research question: what is the role of HEIs in the transition to a CE in Latin American countries? For this, a two-fold methodology was performed: (i) a systematic review which allows understanding of the trends of CE research in LA and the extent of the HEIs involvement; and (ii) a narrative review, which provides insights into the state of the art of CE research (gaps, drivers, and barriers) in LA countries and how this relates to HEIs. This approach drew implications for the role of HEIs in the implementation of CE in LA countries. HEIs are key actors in this transition, contributing in several ways to the CE by collaborating with industry, assisting policy makers, building human and intellectual capital, supporting community engagement projects, influencing campus culture, linking with international CE networks, and promoting an inclusive CE discourse. This research contributes to the CE body of knowledge from a Latin-American Global South perspective by discussing the factors that aim to define the role of HEIs in the CE transition in LA countries.

The constant development of digital technologies has allowed living in a digital environment based on connections, also transforming the context of the educational process. Experiences show that digital technologies have influenced the way of learning and, consequently, the way of teaching. Learning in the digital age is a complex process since it is a multifaceted and diverse action. The aim of this research is to identify global trends in digital education and its link with the learning of artistic and visual education in higher education settings, during the period 2000-2019. For this, bibliometric techniques have been applied to 1291 documents, obtaining results from the scientific activity of the main authors, research institutions, and countries that promote this topic. The data show increasing relevance, particularly in the last three years. The main subject area is the social sciences. The study has detected the lines of research that are related to the Internet, education, visuals, computer programs, learning, digital media literacy, and educational technology. This work contributes to the academic, scientific, and institutional debate to enhance decision-making based on existing information.

This work is the result of one of the components of a macro investigation, which seeks to develop a Model to identify the degree of linkage of a university with its environment; in this case, it is applied to the University of Antioquia (Medellin-Colombia). This component refers to the visibility and impact of investigators from the perspective and data offered by altmetrics. To that effect, the altmetrics data of 1,032 investigators from six areas of knowledge are reviewed, taking into account different academic, professional and social platforms, as well as an integrating platform of altmetrics indicators. Although this measurement refers to University of Antioquia investigators, the general methodology for data capture and interpretation may be extended to other universities that share the same investigation and scientific communication, and that from the altmetrics wish to identify the visibility and impact of their investigators and the linking of the institution with its environment, and complement in this way, the traditional bibliometric measurements or other measurements of the university environment, such as the Manual of Valencia.