INCORPORATION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE: CASE OF THE AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF BAJA CALIFORNIA

Facing technological advances and global development, the incorporation of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) in Higher Education, has contributed to an Education for all, allowing not only an increased access to learning, but also an encouraged and strengthened continuous improvement of knowledge. For this, Higher Education Institutions are constantly challenged to maintain a further increased participation and to achieve high quality outcomes that the knowledge society demands for better practices. The objective of this document is to present the reflections made about the results of courses taught in the blended modality with the support of ICT in Higher Education programs in Mexico. For this, the case study of the Autonomous University of Baja California was analyzed through the experiences and best practices of teaching and learning processes with ICT, accumulated since 2005 until the present day. Additionally the challenges encountered in keeping the education continuity in isolated cases, such as in natural disaster events, which generate an automatic interruption of the traditional institutional education process were analyzed. The results of this study illustrate the importance of education supported by ICT, not only as to diversify the methods of teaching and learning, but also to increase access opportunities and achieve equity, and to allow the continuous improvement of knowledge, even under unexpected circumstances that could threaten and create the disruption of Higher Education learning and teaching processes. Thereby, ensuring with these, the role of technology as a tool that aids in the quality of education and the enforcement of the institutional commitment.