Strengthening pedagogical competencies to guide the teaching process of natural sciences at the university level

Abstract

This essay analyzes the impact of the diploma course “Pedagogical Foundations for Teaching Natural Sciences”, offered within the continuing education programs of the Faculty of Marine Sciences (FACIMAR) at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa. This program is based on an innovative, learning-centered curricular model that provides students of Aquatic Biology, Fisheries Biology, and Coastal Zone Management with the necessary elements to develop pedagogical competencies oriented toward the construction of knowledge in various areas of the natural sciences. The diploma course is structured in accordance with the new educational model established in the University’s Institutional Development Plan and addresses the theoretical foundations of pedagogical techniques aimed at improving the teaching and learning of natural sciences, integrating a humanistic perspective characteristic of higher education. It promotes analysis, reflection, and learning management from a competency-based approach for life and work, understood as the capacity to mobilize conceptual, procedural, and attitudinal knowledge. Finally, the preliminary results of its implementation are presented, showing significant progress in the training of graduates capable of entering labor niches related to teaching.