The 2025 Virtual Best Practices Showcase (VBPS), was held on January 16 to 24, 2025, sharing more than 25 presentations from institutions in Puerto Rico, the United States, and Latin America. The 2025 VBPS allowed the Consortium to showcase innovative projects and best practices in four major tracks focused on Innovation, Student Mobility, Online Learning and Technology Integration in Higher Education, and a track of talented students who showcased innovative projects they had been working on within the academia. More than 200 participants registered from Puerto Rico, Latin America, and the United States to join the live and asynchronous presentations shared by different Higher Education institutions.
This year, the Opening Panel about Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education featured three speakers including Prof. Tonya Skinner from Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. José Ferrer from the University of Puerto Rico, and Esq. Jorge Silva Puras from Lehman College, moderated by Dr. Carlos Vargas-Aburto, HETS Vice Chair and President of Southeast Missouri State University. Click here to see the recording.
In addition, the conference showcased the Track Winners Panel, which achieved the highest scores on their presentation proposals per track, moderated by Dr. Yubelkys Montalvo, HETS Executive Director. The Innovation track winners were Dr. Carmen Caiseda and Dr. Omayra Rivera-Castro, from Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón Campus, and Dr. Carlos Martínez-Bonilla from IAUPR San Germán Campus; Prof. Lisa Thon from EDP University was the Student Mobility Track Winner; Ms. Patricia St. Fleur from John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY was the Student Track winner, and the Online Learning and Technology Integration Track Winners was Dr. Neyla Idaliz Rivera from University of Puerto Rico, Ponce Campus, who also received the highest scores in all categories. Click here to see the recording.
HETS would like to recognize the valuable collaboration of President Gladys Nieves, President of EDP University, and her attentive staff for hosting and making possible the success of these events.
For further information regarding the Virtual Best Practices Showcases, please access the Conference webpage on this website or call our HETS Office at 787- 250-1912, extension 2373.