One of the priorities of the University of Cauca has always been to bring the theory learned in classrooms into the everyday practices of the students’ departments of origin. This has been very clear to Professor Raúl Hernando Cortés Landázuri, who teaches in the Economics and Environmental Engineering programs.

Thus, since 2004, he has been implementing two pedagogical models entitled Research in the Classroom and Collaborative Learning. The main objective of these models is for students from the two aforementioned programs to establish communication and interact with communities, becoming familiar with their views and perceptions regarding development-related issues. Additionally, the models seek to encourage participants to relate to one another, engage in dialogue, share knowledge, and develop research projects that contribute to the populations with whom they work and that, in turn, allow them to participate in national and international events.

Accordingly, during March 2025, Professor Cortés, accompanied by 27 seventh-semester students from the Environmental Engineering program and 35 tenth-semester students from the Economics program, visited the municipal center of Cajibío and the El Cairo district. In these locations, they received information from officials of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Environment regarding ongoing activities and projects that have an impact in terms of the municipality’s development and sustainability. Subsequently, they administered surveys on residents’ perceptions of the problems present in the community and conducted interviews with several social leaders regarding their perspectives as representatives of civil society.