Conference Agenda

Ensuring equitable participation of students with disabilities in engineering education remains a persistent challenge despite extensive inclusion frameworks and expanding support services. This study provides qualitative insights into domain-specific barriers these students face during their studies and early employment, and examines their readiness to adopt artificial-intelligence–based tools within an academic accommodation process. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with current and recently graduated engineering students with disabilities, representing diverse mobility, sensory, cognitive, and communication profiles. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed dominant barriers in both study and work contexts. While students expressed a strong preference for human counselling, they also recognized the value of AI tools for selected tasks. Findings highlight the continuing implementation gap between formal inclusion policies and everyday practice, and suggest that combining human support with carefully targeted AI solutions offers a feasible pathway toward more equitable, efficient, and individualized accommodation processes in engineering education.

Hackathons have become an active learning tool that integrates digital transformation, skills development, and social impact.
This study integrates a systematic mapping of the literature on student hackathons (2014–2024) and a case study of Hack4Women (Chile,2021–2023) to analyze how educational hackathons contribute to the development of technical and cross-cutting skills, along with social awareness. A mixed design was used: a systematic mapping (PRISMA-ScR) in Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, and a case study based on participation metrics, jury evaluation, and surveys applied to students. The mapping identified 37 studies, showing sustained growth, with a higher concentration between 2020–2022 (43.2%), with a predominance of educational/curricular hackathons (47.4%). The most widely used methodological frameworks were Design Thinking (31.6%), agile methodologies (21.1%), and Challenge-Based Learning (15.8%), highlighting the value of user-centered approaches. The evidence is concentrated in the United States (29.7%), showing low Latin American representation. Hack4Women brought together 623 students organized into 102 teams, generating 75 proposals with the support of 62 mentors.
The jury's evaluation showed sustained improvements in innovation, technical feasibility, social impact, and pitch quality, while surveys showed increases in technical skills (requirements analysis and digital prototyping) and social awareness with a gender focus. The results suggest that gender-focused educational hackathons function as high-impact training platforms, strengthening key skills and supporting social awareness and meaningful engineering education.

Despite sustained efforts to expand access to engineering education, women and other underrepresented groups continue to face persistent barriers throughout their educational trajectories. These challenges are not only rooted in social and cultural stereotypes but are increasingly shaped by the ways technology is designed, implemented, and used within engineering education. This full paper examines the intersections of technology, gender, and engineering education, analyzing how gender stereotypes and structural biases influence participation, retention, and leadership opportunities in engineering programs.

Drawing on international literature and educational frameworks, the paper explores how technological environments such as programming education, digital learning platforms, learning analytics, and emerging applications of artificial intelligence can both reproduce and mitigate gender-based inequalities. The study discusses how implicit biases embedded in pedagogical practices, evaluation systems, and technological tools may reinforce exclusion, while inclusive technological approaches offer opportunities to promote equity and diversity.

In addition, the paper reviews educational experiences, institutional policies, and technology-supported models aimed at fostering inclusive learning environments in engineering education. Particular attention is given to the implications for curriculum design, student retention strategies, and the development of leadership pathways for women and diverse populations. The findings highlight the need to integrate a gender perspective into technology-enhanced engineering education, emphasizing that diversity and inclusion are not only ethical imperatives but also key drivers of educational quality and innovation.

This article examines the origin and development of access programs for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers at Chilean universities, within the context of the persistent gender gap in these disciplines. Utilizing a qualitative approach that includes interviews with academics and administrators, the study identifies systemic factors that have enabled the creation of these programs, highlighting the crucial role of the feminist movement of 2018 and the leadership of women in academia. It argues that these programs not only respond to the need to increase female enrollment but also aim to empower women by providing them with tools to challenge patriarchal structures. The analysis reveals how the convergence of public policies, normative changes, and the agency of committed women has facilitated the institutionalization of equity in access to engineering education. This study contributes to the discussion on diversity in engineering and proposes an intervention model that can be replicated in other Latin American contexts, promoting a more inclusive and equitable environment for future generations of women in STEM.

Gender-based violence is a persistent social problem that disproportionately affects women, especially in contexts of economic vulnerability. In this context, states have promoted the formation of micro-enterprises as a potential strategy to strengthen women's autonomy and empowerment and thereby transform unequal power relations. The objective of this study is to analyze the perceptions, experiences, and mechanisms through which women's economic empowerment, through their participation in microenterprises, would
contribute to reducing situations of gender-based violence that are so prevalent in countries such as those in Latin America. An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted, using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis to examine the accounts of women entrepreneurs linked to microenterprises. The study focuses on understanding how income generation that leads to increased self-esteem, economic decision-making, and expanded social networks influences personal and family dynamics from the perspective of the women interviewed. The results show that economic empowerment is perceived as a factor that promotes autonomy, bargaining power in the home, and the visibility of rights, contributing to, but unfortunately not eliminating, gender-based violence on its own. Likewise, limitations are identified as structural, social, cultural, and institutional factors that condition the scope of these processes. It is concluded that microenterprises can play a significant role in transforming contexts of violence when they are coordinated with public policies, support, and formalization programs, and comprehensive social intervention strategies.

STEM education continues to face challenges associated with limited exposure to experimental methodologies and predominantly lecture-centered practices, particularly in Latin American contexts. This study presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of Ciencia para Todos (Science for All), an integrated university-led outreach model centered on three main lines: Science in Public Spaces, Science in Museums, and Science in the Classroom. This work promotes and articulates experiential public activities, mediation by university students, structured teacher training, and digital dissemination within a unified operational structure. Evaluation was conducted using quantitative and qualitative perception indicators collected from public participants, undergraduate facilitators, and secondary school teachers across multiple implementation contexts. Results indicate high reported levels of satisfaction and perceived usefulness in informal environments, strong perceived applicability of active methodologies among teachers, and consistent formative reflections from participating students. Since the evaluation relied primarily on perception-based measures, rather than controlled learning instruments, the findings should be interpreted as indicators of perceived reception and transferability. The proposed framework provides a basis for future longitudinal evaluations of university-led STEM outreach initiatives.

Gender stereotypes continue to shape educational choices and career trajectories, contributing to persistent underrepresentation of women and other marginalized groups in engineering. LaleoLab, a research-informed board game originally developed in Italy, offers an innovative approach to addressing these challenges through collaborative, game-based learning. By engaging students in critical reflection on gender roles and their influence on STEM pathways, LaleoLab fosters inclusive thinking and challenges normative assumptions about who “belongs” in engineering.

This paper reports on the adaptation and implementation of LaleoLab within UK higher education, highlighting its potential as a pedagogical intervention for promoting diversity in engineering. Building on a multicultural student workshop funded by a Society & Culture Seed Grant at the University of Warwick, the game was enriched with additional “special cards” featuring diverse role models—including scientists, engineers, and innovators from the Global South—responding to student feedback that representation must extend beyond Eurocentric narratives. These additions aim to broaden students’ understanding of engineering as a global discipline and to inspire aspirations among underrepresented groups.

We discuss the educational impact of LaleoLab in fostering critical awareness, intercultural dialogue, and engagement with equity issues in engineering education. Preliminary findings suggest that integrating playful, reflective activities into curricula can complement traditional teaching, supporting efforts to dismantle stereotypes and create more inclusive learning environments. Future work will explore classroom implementation and evaluate its influence on students’ attitudes toward engineering careers.