Modelo de gestión de equipos virtuales en la ejecución de proyectos académicos colaborativos

Since we are immersed in the Knowledge Age, professionals (especially engineers) should receive a comprehensive training in which the academia becomes the main actor proposing activities that allow them to act and think globally because this will be key to the growth of nations and the local industry. For this reason, this study sought to develop a virtual team management model that allowed Universidad Santo Tomás (USTA) and Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC) to execute collaborative academic projects with each other. For this purpose, we conducted a pre-pilot study that revealed the most important variables for such activities, including communication, time, teamwork, and ICT use. Then, after a literature review in major databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, we found that agile and traditional project management methodologies are necessary for the shaping and flexibility of projects. Finally, we realized that individuals, processes, and technology generate new knowledge that benefits a specific community, thus enhancing their abilities and transforming their weaknesses into opportunities. Therefore, incorporating these spaces into the academia helps students develop autonomy in their learning processes and learn methodologies that will be very useful in their working life. Additionally, we were able to simulate the real context of transnational companies, which served to consolidate and create a holistic overview of the activities they perform. This favors each party involved because their knowledge is strongly enhanced. In addition, this addresses the current problem between theory and praxis, where there is still a great gap that needs to be bridged.