Professors Viviana Marcela Celis, Marialucía Paz Medina, Cristina Eugenia Restrepo, and Professor Andrés Felipe Villaquirán, all from the Physiotherapy Program at our Alma Mater, make communication and the resources available at the University of Cauca a great ally in teaching.

From excellent academic training, with extensive experience and technical knowledge, to solidarity in times of need, it is indeed impossible not to praise the role of those who dedicate their lives to teaching. We know that, at this educational institution, we have professors who use various tools and methods in their pedagogy to teach their students in the best possible way. Undoubtedly, there are many comments about the indelible mark that teachers leave on their students. For this reason, on this occasion, we share several initiatives led by 4 distinguished professors from the Physiotherapy Program who, through communication, have enabled their students to develop different skills, even positively impacting people outside our university community. Does it sound interesting? Well, it truly is, so join us in discovering these experiences!

We begin by introducing Professor Cristina Eugenia Restrepo, a faculty member in the Occupational Health area, who, through the Social Interaction domain, specifically the Work and Well-being Program, aims to reach the formal, administrative, productive, and informal populations in the region by promoting occupational health activities. To achieve this goal, she has collaborated with the Popayán City Hall and our institution, the University of Cauca, through the Communications Management Center.

"Since 2023, we have established a collaboration with the Communications Management Center and have been broadcasting a radio segment on Fridays in the 'Al Instante' news program on Unicauca Estéreo, during the midday broadcast, in a health section. In this segment, we, along with our students, address a topic of interest each week," explained Professor Cristina. She added, "This activity is specifically aimed at individuals engaged in work activities. It is one of the initiatives we have carried out in a very innovative and creative way along with our students."

Similarly, Professor Maríalucia Paz Medina shares her experience with the radio collective 'Amor a la Salud.' "It has been 12 years since the creation of the radio collective, and in the first nine years, I had the participation of some volunteer students and the team from the Communications Center, from the radio station. Later on, we managed to coordinate this opportunity so that fifth-semester students could get involved in a radio pre-production process. Although communication is not the main field of our profession, I believe that what students gain from this experience greatly enriches their lives and also the content of the radio station. This relationship has been very reciprocal, as we have received communication wisdom and the opportunity to share, but we have also contributed content that I consider important for Unicauca Estéreo," said Professor Maríalucia.

Additionally, Professor Maríalucia carries out an important communication exercise through the institutional email, sending information about "Well-being in the Family" every Wednesday. This information is shared with all members of our university community to promote love and care in University of Cauca households. Similarly, she contributes to the section 'El Break,' which is featured in the newsletter designed for our professors, 'Al TablerU,' issued biweekly to keep our teaching staff informed.

On the other hand, Professors Viviana Celis and Andrés Felipe Villaquirán, both members of the radio collective ‘Escenario Deportivo,’ stand out. This important space "primarily aims to showcase university sports, but also allows listeners to recognize everything related to regional, national, and international sports within major universities. News and updates on sports. This has allowed us to carry out an enriching experience with our students, where we aim to strengthen verbal communication, recognizing the environment and context not only of sports physiotherapy but also of sports in general," explained Professor Andrés Felipe.

"We want to thank the Communications Management Center and Unicauca Estéreo for opening their doors to us. They allowed not only us as professors but also our students to get involved, and it has been very important because we have seen how students develop their soft skills and communication abilities, which can be very challenging for undergraduate students. It’s wonderful to see how they start with some shyness and, as they progress, they strengthen each of these aspects, eventually becoming confident and comfortable speaking in front of microphones," stated Professor Viviana Marcela Celis.

Inspiring stories like these warm our hearts. We are excited that alliances are being created among the various departments that make up this great institution, #HeritageOfAll, especially when these alliances are based on solidarity among our members. From different areas and fields of knowledge, they enrich their skills while positively impacting society, thus building a culture of excellence and solidarity—two fundamental principles we continue to strengthen as we approach our bicentennial.

And you, if you are a professor, what types of pedagogical strategies do you implement in and outside the classroom? Remember that the university's communication channels and its communications team are always ready to support and back the communicative processes you have in mind.

For more information:

Physiotherapy Program
Email: fisioterapia@unicauca.edu.co