- HETS CELEBRATED ITS SUMMER BOARD MEETING WITH A RECORD ATTENDANCE OF 75% OF ITS MEMBERS REPRESENTATIVES CONNECTED VIRTUALLY.
With a record of attendance of 32 out of 43 presidents and representatives from our institutional members; HETS celebrated its Summer Board Meeting on June 28, 2021. This is the third time that Board Members attend a virtual meeting through the Zoom platform due to the pandemic. The Board meeting discussed the results of the academic year 2020-2021 and the fourth year of the Strategic Plan 2017-2021. This report showed positive results like the increase of the use of online resources, more webinars with new speakers, Student Leadership Showcases in English and Spanish, continue offering HETS online workshops, among others. Also, presented new projects for next semester like adopting the final stage of the Open Source of our peer reviewed HETS Online Journal and offering the first Edition of the HETS Learning Technologies Leadership Academy (H-LTLA).
Among the initiatives shared with the Board, the HETS Executive Director and staff highlighted the major activities to support the organizational programmatic goals based on the three strategic core areas: Access, Retention and Successful Completion, and Online Learning/ Technology Integration. These activities included online webinars ...
- HETS Learning Technologies Leadership Academy (H-LTLA) announced that will start in August 2021
HETS announced its new professional development program called: Learning Technologies Leadership Academy (H-LTLA), starting in August 2021, focusing on developing the next generation of leaders with a special emphasis on the challenges and opportunities present at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). As a pioneer organization in the use of technology in higher education with enormous expertise and resources, the HETS Chair, Dr. Carlos Morales, proposed to develop an Academia during the HETS Board of Director meeting held in February 2021 and was approved.
As part of the virtual launch, Dr. Carlos Morales presented the program’s purpose, the format, the competencies, among other benefits of enrolling in the first edition of HETS Learning Technologies Leadership Academy (H-LTLA). Dr. Morales continued explaining the curriculum of the H-LTLA, which consists of synchronous presentations of eight different topics designed to provide competencies to prepare professionals to support their institutions and transform their organizations to be more resilient, flexible, and relevant. Also, the H-LTLA faculty had the opportunity to briefly explain their topics to the attendees, what to expect, and what will obtain during these synchronous presentations, scheduled from August 3 to 6, 2021. Click here to see recordings of H-LTLA faculty explaining their topics.
After the curriculum presentation, HETS Executive Director, Dr. Yubelkys Montalvo ...
- HETS proudly presents its Learning Technologies Leadership Academy to develop the next generation of leaders in Learning Technologies at HSI’s
HETS is delighted to present a new professional development program called: Learning Technologies Leadership Academy (H-LTLA), focused on developing the next generation of leaders with a special emphasis on the challenges and opportunities present at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Academy’s main goal is to provide the competencies to prepare professionals to advance their careers to the next level and pursue administrative or senior leadership roles. The H-LTLA format includes an online program scheduled to start on August 3 to 6, 2021 through the HETS Bb Collaborate platform. For four days, attendees will gain knowledge and skills through synchronous presentations offered by leaders in the higher education community.
The H-LTLA curriculum will be in English or Spanish and consists of topics related to Academic Technology, Online Learning, Instructional/ Curriculum Design, Teaching and Learning, Project Management, Accreditation, Professional Development, and Data for Digital Learning. The topics have been selected to prepare higher education leaders to understand how to transform their organizations so they can prepare and support their institutions to be more resilient, flexible, and relevant as they face an array of increasingly difficult challenges. Eligibility is open to individuals whose job is to promote and facilitate the adoption of teaching and learning technologies.
Acceptance to the H-LTLA is made through a competitive application process, drawn from all divisions ...
- HETS OFRECE WEBINARS CON EXPERTOS DE PUERTO RICO, ESTADOS UNIDOS E INTERNACIONALES
(Read the English version here)
El Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS, por sus siglas en inglés) invita a participar de los webinars educativos programados para este semestre con expertos reconocidos de Puerto Rico, Estados Unidos e internacionales de países como España, Chile, Argentina y República Dominicana. Estos webinars tienen como fin brindar especial apoyo a las instituciones miembros en Puerto Rico, Estados Unidos y Latinoamérica, como parte de nuestro enfoque y misión. Estos webinars son libres de costo, sobre temas relacionados a la educación a distancia a través del Blackboard Collaborate, uno de los aliados corporativos de HETS.
El primer webinar será en español por la Dra. Cristina Villalonga Gómez, Directora de Global Campus, la unidad de educación digital de la Universidad Nebrija (Madrid) el 19 de marzo de 2021. El webinar lleva por título: Los retos del Modelo Educativo Híbrido y discutirá la experiencia de la Universidad Nebrija en España, que ha desarrollado un modelo integral de presencialidad híbrida, que aprovecha la potencialidad tanto de los espacios presenciales como de los escenarios digitales. La Dra. Villalonga posee un doctorado en Comunicación y Educación en Entornos Digitales, un ...
- HETS update on Spring semester offerings to support its members
This Spring semester, HETS continues providing support and services to its member institutions and academic communities, locally, nationally, and internationally, as a pioneer organization in the use of technology in higher education with enormous expertise and services ready to use. Follow HETS as hestorg on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram for the latest news regarding the events held and additional offerings for the remaining Spring semester:
Events held or services already in place
More than 20 recordings of presentations of the 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase focusing on distance learning, which is crucial and valuable in our new academic reality. All the recordings will be available until June 14, 2021.
Two recordings of the Virtual Student Leadership Showcases Tour in Spanish and English for PR, Latin America, and the US, offered to more than 500 students in February and March 2021 to reinforce student leadership skills and promote HETS services and tools free of charge for them.
Tutorials in Spanish and English for students on how to use the resources and tools at the HETS Student Placita.
Access to more than 25 recordings of webinars for faculty and administrators in English and Spanish.
More than ...
- HETS celebrated its Winter Board Meeting with 36 representatives connected virtually.
With attendance of 36 out of 42 presidents and representatives from our institutional members; HETS celebrated its second virtual winter Board Meeting on February 5, 2021 through the Zoom platform. The Board meeting discussed the first semester of academic year 2020-2021, the fourth year of the Strategic Plan 2017-2021. With a positive report on our Strategic plan results, including the increase of the use of our online resources, while envisioning to continue with new projects for next semester, including more webinars and continue offering our online workshops initiative.
Among the initiatives, HETS shared with the Board, were highlighted the major activities to support the organizational programmatic goals such as the publication of the Fall Issue of the HETS Online Journal in another special collaboration with HACU and additional tools and services that were enhanced to the HETS Virtual Plaza. Other initiatives included the Student Leadership Showcase held online in September in Spanish for Puerto Rico and Latin America, and in October in English for the United States, and the 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase Conference and Opening Session.
During the meeting, HETS Chair Dr. Carlos Morales welcomed the representatives of two of the ...
- HETS successfully inaugurated the 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase with more than 100 attendees at its Opening Session.
The 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase was inaugurated with its Opening Session held on February 4, 2021 via Blackboard Collaborate with more than 100 attendees from 23 different institutions and organizations in Puerto Rico, the US and Latin America. This opening session was a panel presentation titled: Strategically Use Technology to Support, Drive, and Optimize Retention of Online Students and the Learning Gap as a Result of the Pandemic. The panelists shared their perspective and answers questions about this important topic. The panel was composed of international experts from HETS members institutions including: Dr. Maritza Rondón, Chancellor of the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Dr. Omayra Caraballo, Vice president of Distance Learning, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Dr. Alice J. Casanova, Dean, Distance Learning at EDP University, Mr. Carlos Guevara, Director, Office of Educational Technology Co-Director, Center for Teaching and Learning Hostos Community College (CUNY), and Mr. Francisco García, Director, Center for Online Learning & Teaching Technology, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley. The panel was moderated by Dr. Juan “Tito” Meléndez- Alicea, Professor, Faculty of Education, Rio Piedras Campus, and ...
- Save the Date and register for the 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase.
HETS members register free of charge.
We are pleased to invite you to Save the Date and register to participate in the 2021 HETS Virtual Best Practices Showcase that will be held from February 4- February 12, 2021. This Best Practices Showcase will open with a panel presentation focused on the conference main tracks: Innovation, Retention, and Online Learning and Technology Integration, scheduled from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST) on February 4, 2021. Besides, more than 20 presentations were evaluated and selected to be part of this Virtual Showcase. See all the topics and presenters’ information on the following link:
2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase Schedule
As you may see, this event is a combination of live and asynchronous online presentations that highlights and celebrates the outstanding work of HETS member institutions in meaningfully and strategically using technology to achieve Hispanic student success. The event is free of charge for HETS members (HETS members should use an institutional email to register in order to apply for the discount coupon code assigned to your institution). Non-members can register for $75.00 to get access to the Opening Session and all tracks presentations ...
- HETS launches a special testimonial campaign to share the experiences of those who benefited from its services.
A special testimonial campaign was launched to share the experiences of those who had used and benefited from HETS services. For more than 27 years, HETS has constantly worked to fulfill the need of its membership and its constituencies. On these difficult times that all institutions are facing in a new academic scenario, HETS services became especially vital. HETS staff had the opportunity to talk to those who the Consortium serve, who has benefited from its services and initiatives. Among the participants of the campaign are HETS Board Members, which are the presidents of the universities or colleges affiliated, who were asked about the attributes that members enjoy the most and what motivates them to join the Consortium.
On the other hand, HETS had the opportunity to offer more than 20 online webinars to administrative and faculty members on different topics in both English and Spanish languages. For the students, HETS celebrated two Student Leadership Showcase events and more than six webinars, in English and Spanish, in which more than 1,000 students from Puerto Rico, United States, and Latin America enjoyed ...
- Invitation to submit Proposals for the HETS 2021 Virtual Best Practices Showcase.
Don’t miss the opportunity to share your expertise submitting a proposal for the 2021 Virtual HETS Best Practices Showcase on or before December 4, 2020. You can download the Call for Proposals document or submit online your proposal (either in English or Spanish) on the following link: 2021 VBPS Call for Proposals.
The 2021 HETS Virtual Best Practices Showcase will be held from February 4 – February 12, 2021, focused on three main tracks: Innovation, Retention, and Online Learning and Technology Integration. We invite you to save these dates to take advantage of all the presentations of this Virtual Best Practices Showcase. HETS seeks to highlight and celebrate the outstanding work of its member institutions in meaningfully and strategically using technology to achieve Hispanic student success. This event will be a combination of live and asynchronous online presentations. To learn more about this event visit: 2021 VIRTUAL BEST PRACTICES SHOWCASE.
See below the details of the event:What: 2021 Virtual HETS Best Practices Showcase When: February 4 to 12, 2021 Where: Virtual Conference (Online). After selecting the proposals, the event Schedule will be published ...
- Fall Issue, Volume XI, of the HETS Online Journal in another special collaboration with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).
Pamela Vargas, HOJ Chief Editor
Dr. Marcela G. Cuellar, Invited Co-Editor
Welcome to the Fall 2020 edition of the HETS Online Journal! Like everything in 2020, it’s been a challenge This edition marks the second time that HETS and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) have collaborated to bring you an even more informative Journal. By working together, we can offer a larger variety and number of articles. The HETS Journal recognized the valuable collaboration of Dr. Marcela G. Cuellar from the University of California, Davis, who represented HACU as an invited editor.
As always, the Journal focuses on ensuring the success of Hispanic students in higher education, which is at the core of the missions of both organizations. Many of the articles include the use of technology in student success, while all include information designed to help Hispanic students access higher education and succeed in their studies. In light of the pandemic and all of the other challenges of recent months, learning from the experiences of others has become even more vital. In this edition, you’ll find the following articles:
1- A National Portrait ...
- HETS proudly joins the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Being HETS the first bilingual consortium dedicated to serving the higher education needs of the Hispanic communities, HETS Executive Director has published a short video about the importance of Hispanics and their contributions to the society to join this important festivity. We are pleased to celebrate the history and culture of the U.S. Latino (or Latinx) and Hispanics communities annually, as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month observed from September 15 to October 15. Is important to commemorate how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large. This month it’s also representative of the anniversaries of several Latin American countries’ independence celebration within the 30-day period. Congratulations to all!
We invite you to see the video that emphasize some of the most important contributions and characteristics of the Latinx /Hispanic community that had made them earn the respect and reputation such as their drive to achieve their goals. HETS is constituted by more than 40 higher education institutions in Puerto Rico, United Sates and Latin America. Now more than ever, we provide essential services focused on institutional and ...
- Se celebra la séptima edición el HETS Student Leadership Showcase con más de 350 participantes
Más de 350 estudiantes se conectaron para participar de la séptima edición del HETS Student Leadership Showcase: Llevando tus metas a otro nivel, el 18 de septiembre de 2020 vía Zoom. Puede ver la grabación del evento en el Student Leadership Showcase bajo el Tab de SLS PR & LA. El propósito principal del evento fue promover la gran variedad de servicios disponibles libre de costo para apoyar las metas académicas de los estudiantes e incrementar las oportunidades de éxito. Como en eventos anteriores, participaron estudiantes de las instituciones afiliadas en Puerto Rico: American University, Atenas College, Colegio Universitario de San Juan, EDP University, Humacao Community College, Ponce Health Science University, National University College, ICPR Junior College, Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Universidad Carlos Albizu, Universidad Central del Caribe, Universidad de Puerto Rico, y la Universidad Interamericana de PR. Además, participaron de otras instituciones invitadas de Puerto Rico y por primera vez participaron estudiantes de nuestras instituciones miembros en México: la Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara y de Colombia: la Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia. Acceda aquí la grabación del evento.
El evento comenzó con una ...
- HETS offerings for Fall semester to support its members locally, nationally, and internationally.
This Fall semester, HETS commitment will be to continue providing support and services to its member institutions and academic communities, locally, nationally, and international challenged to offer their courses remotely in this academic scenario. This requires training and skills that allow in these environments to achieve equal results or the same objectives that are achieved in face-to-face courses. As a pioneer organization in the use of technology in higher education with enormous expertise and services ready to be used by our academic communities, HETS announces its offering for the Fall semester that includes the following:
Free webinars with HETS Student Ambassadors to promote services free of charge at the Student Placita in the HETS Virtual Plaza, and expert resources in topics like leadership, entrepreneurship, job search, among others.
Virtual Student Leadership Showcases in Spanish and English for PR, Latin America, and the US, to reinforce student leadership skills and promote HETS services and tools free of charge for them.
More than 10 webinars in Spanish and webinars in English regarding Distance Learning and related topics to support faculty and administrators on this new ...
- HETS news about the international student’s government policy
Thousands of international students in the U.S. relief of being deported
The Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS), committed to expanding educational opportunities and higher education for the Hispanic community, is pleased to learn about the decision that brings relief to thousands of international students who had been at risk of being deported. More than 1,000,000 international students enroll in the U.S. institutions, based on the 2018-19 academic year data from the Institute of International Education. Hispanic students represent almost 7% of this amount precede by Asia with 70%, Europe and, Middle East/North Africa with 8% each.
“As Chairman of an organization focuses on Hispanics that helps with the integration of technology in education; we praise the legal effort of hundreds of universities to defend international students forced to transfer or leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online because of the coronavirus pandemic” commented by Dr. Carlos Morales, HETS Chair. Under this policy, international students would have been forbidden from taking all their courses online this fall. Besides, new visas would not have been issued to students at schools planning to ...