La educación virtual universitaria como medio para mejorar las competencias genéricas y los aprendizajes a través de buenas prácticas docentes

"Virtual education in Higher Education as a means of maximizing generic competences and learning through good educational practices" addresses the problem faced by Virtual Education in Panama, by early 2014, only 1% of a total of 745 degrees approved by the Technical Supervisory Commission of Panama, are exclusively offered under the virtual teaching and learning modality. This research has the following goals: first, highlight the great potential of virtual education as a means to improve the competences required by the university graduate that contribute to their professional success and improve the learning of students from the adoption of good practices by faculty using Panama as a country case study and second, maintain the interest of the scientific and academic community of the potential of virtual education and explore other study variables such as teacher training based on competences, scientific research using information and communication technologies, among others. The aim of this doctoral work is to demonstrate that virtual education is an alternative for the development of generic competences and the adoption of good practices in the teaching-learning process based on two specific experiences: first, a comparative study with Bachelor's students who experienced learning in both classroom and virtual education and second, the use of good practices in virtual learning activities with Master's students. The theoretical framework underlying this doctoral work includes information on generic competences, international models that define generic competences, types of educations (modalities) used in Higher Education, learning activities, and good practices. With respect to the results of the first case with undergraduates, 50% of the competences have been enhanced in classroom and virtual education. In the second study case with graduate students, learning activities developed virtually received a good evaluation based on activities composed by using good practices by the faculty. The results of the two study cases confirm the hypothesis that virtual educational is a means to improve both competences and learning in university students. "La Educación Virtual Universitaria como medio para fortalecer las competencias genéricas y los aprendizajes a través de buenas prácticas docentes" aborda la problemática que enfrenta la Educación Virtual en Panamá, como caso país, ya que para inicios del 2014, solo el 1% de un total de 745 carreras aprobadas por la C