The challenges of university professors in relation to classroom research

Abstract

The current situation of teachers in relation to the tools used by students, as well as the constant use of social networks, mobile phones, artificial intelligence, and other technologies, poses significant challenges in teaching. These challenges invite a rethinking and redesign of the teaching-learning process to adapt to an ever-evolving context. Nonetheless, teacher autonomy remains a key advantage for educational work in the classroom. This is manifested in the creation of evaluative actions included in course plans and teaching activities, focused on the development of competencies. Undoubtedly, an effective strategy based on teacher autonomy in the classroom is research through classroom projects. This allows students to acquire new knowledge, work independently, and develop real solutions to social problems present in their own contexts. The article presents the results of a classroom project conducted by a group of ninth-semester students from the Business Administration program at the Technological Units of Santander in Barrancabermeja, who developed research work focused on identifying the productivity and personal efficiency of entrepreneurs in the grocery sector, which has been severely affected by the arrival of large supermarket chains. The results reveal that the interaction of classroom projects as a research exercise, along with the use of digital tools, enables the achievement of student competencies.