Beatriz Soledad
Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Venezuela
Beatriz Soledad is a Full Professor and Researcher. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a specialization in Corporate Finance, a Master’s degree in Chemistry specializing in Food Chemistry, and a PhD in Chemistry specializing in Analytical Chemistry. She is the Director of the Tekhné journal at the Faculty of Engineering. She has worked in the food and pharmaceutical industries, holding senior management positions. She is a researcher at Andrés Bello Catholic University (UCAB) and works in the areas of contaminants, sustainability, and food chemistry. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses at both UCAB and the Metropolitan University, where she teaches engineering and Food Technology graduate courses. She teaches Ecology, Environment, and Sustainability and has collaborated on COIL projects with Indiana University (USA, 2021), the Southern University of New York (USA, SUNY, 2022, 2025), Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (Mexico, 2023), Universidad Católica de Uruguay (Uruguay, 2024), Philippine (Holy Child Central Colleges and Certified Management Consultant, 2024), Post crisis Contours of the Word Economy Ucrania (Odessa, 2025). She is currently a Professor in the Doctoral Program in Engineering in the chair of Advanced Engineering II.
“In all virtual exchange pedagogical experience, it was found that the topic related to sustainability and different areas like for example, health, food, psychology, served well as a reflection tool in this dynamic multicultural experience. The different topics topic helped students reflect on environmental issues, food, health, sustainability, and environmental psychology, and seek possible solutions to problems studied. It helped students build empathy and cross-cultural understanding through joint final video projects. Students reported critically re-evaluating their responses to the experience.”
Project Information
Project Name: UCAB – SUNY, EAS
Partner: Marcie Desrochers, SUNY Brockport (United States)
Project Length: 5 weeks
Modality: Synchronous & Asynchronous
Technology Tools Utilized: Padlet, Google docs, Zoom, WhatsApp, email
UN Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger; Good Health and Well-Being; Quality Education; Reduced Inequalities
Project Summary:
During our 5-week Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) module, implemented between April 1 and May 12, 2024, 108 students from two countries jointly developed comparative research projects on sustainability and environmental psychology, focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals, in the cities of New York (USA) and Caracas (Venezuela). In 20 teams, students from both countries reflected on the various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and psychological perspectives for understanding and solving sustainability problems through research, written presentations, and PowerPoint or other presentations. All project participants had some knowledge of English, and some had knowledge of Spanish. The subject matter helped students, from the outset, interact with each other, represent their everyday realities, and develop empathy and cross-cultural understanding. The products made in our COIL module helped stimulate students’ critical thinking as they conducted in-depth analyses of the similarities and differences between the two cultures and proposed solutions to environmental problems.
Learning Outcomes:
- COIL project promotes skill development and meaningful learning in an intercultural online environment, such as…
- Critical thinking,
- Sustainability Development Goals (SDG),
- Decision-making and Global perspectives.