Instituto Superior Tecnológico Iche

We co-created three food & hospitality education programs tailored to Rural Ecuador

A project for Fundación FUEGOS

Together with FUEGOS foundation, Mycelium collaborated in the co-design and conceptualization of the academic curriculum for the Instituto Superior Tecnológico de ICHE (ISTI) in Ecuador. ISTI is the first technical institute in the Ecuadorian provinces, and this effort was carried out by a multidisciplinary and international team.

Some of the results of this co-creation project include the objectives, institutional pillars (conceptual and methodological), and course structure, as well as the syllabus and activities for the different courses:

Transferring global knowledge, especially from the Global South, to the local context of Manabí for the co-creation of the values and institutional pillars of ISTI.
Development of a comprehensive institution with a systemic vision.
Development of three programs: Gastronomy, Regenerative Tourism, and R&D for new product development.
These programs are designed to be practice-oriented, focusing on real-world experiences and aligned with the values that underpin essential shifts in the food system.

The Challenge

How can we solidify a pedagogical proposal for ISTI, to create a leading institution for empowering change agents with the ability to glean insights and leverage resources from their ecosystems, to catalyze transitions toward regenerative food systems?

How we tackled it

Phase 1:
Co-development of the ISTI pillars, courses, and objectives

We organized multiple Work Groups with local and international experts from diverse disciplines to formulate the objectives, cross-cutting principles, institutional pillars, and methodological foundations for ISTI. We meticulously prepared all the necessary documentation and annexes for the three programs to seek approval from the Ecuadorian government.

ISTI’s Pillars

Promoting the transition towards regenerative systems, through learning based on nature and the rural environment
Systemic thinking and abilities to discover and propose images of the future that guide present actions
Inclusion, diversity and non-hegemony
Leadership and entrepreneurship, collaborative and community, become drivers of transformation when creating sustainable, identity-based and impactful gastronomic and food businesses.

Phase 2:
Syllabus development

During this phase, we delved deeply into each program, crafting a total of 31 syllabi. To develop these syllabi, we conducted collaborative meetings and sessions with a diverse group of experts from across the globe. We aimed to determine the most suitable content for each course, ensuring that we seamlessly integrated global knowledge into the local context and that the course content harmonized with ISTI's pedagogical proposal.

Areas of knowledge of ISTI

Sciences
Culture and culinary arts
Business and entrepreneurship
Sustainability and connection with society

For each syllabus, we outlined a week-by-week breakdown, specifying the didactic units for each week and the corresponding activities necessary to cover the topics effectively. Additionally, we compiled a didactic guide for each subject, comprising a detailed description of the course, the expected learning outcomes, a suggested evaluation model, and a comprehensive list of specific references.

As the final step, we conducted a comprehensive review of the Tourism and R+D programs. This was to guarantee the seamless cross-cutting and vertical integration of knowledge throughout the curriculum.

Deliverables

Co-creation of an innovative institute with 3 programs tailored to the local context of Manabí but with a global, multidisciplinary and systems-oriented perspective.

Co-design of 31 syllabi following active learning methodologies and using nature as a laboratory.
Co-design >100 activities to implement the different theoretical concepts in each program.
Design of an innovative Sustainable Agri-Food Systems Bootcamp for the students using the multidisciplinary knowledge of foresight practitioners and sustainability experts.
5 collective intelligence sessions with Mycelium experts to co-design and develop the programs.
3 programs to be approved by the Ecuadorian Government + annexes which included I. program objectives, graduate profile, and learning outcomes; II. Drafting of substantive functions and learning methodologies; III Development of the section on cross-cutting relevance to the programs following legislation; IV Preliminary delineation of research lines for the research plan of the ISTI; V. Development of learning environments under legislation and Fuegos documentation.
31 syllabus which included: I. Excel breakdown by weeks with didactic units and activities and II. document with the course description, learning outcomes, evaluation model, and bibliography.
A comprehensive review of the general curriculum and the Tourism and R+D programs to ensure the cross-cutting and vertical integration of knowledge.
Instructions for the FUEGOS team for implementing the programs.