Abstract:

The main objective of this work is to show the findings on the conditioning elements of social capital in the construction of collaboration networks as a trend in Industry 4.0 and its relevance in the face of changes in higher education educational practices in order to establish coherence between the curricular project and vocational training. Hence, higher education institutions (HEI) recognize that professional practice in I4.0 is determined by changes in the structures of society, which demands that the pedagogical principles of teaching revalue the different ways of building and socially sharing learning through collaborative networks. In this sense, it is conceived that social capital is conditioned in a structural way, as a resource accessible to the individual from different situations, practices and symbols that affect his or her participation in social networks according to the educational contexts that mark the levels of his or her participation in collaborative networks. The research process was designed with a qualitative interpretative approach, so a survey was carried out to measure social capital among students at the Higher Polytechnic School of Chimborazo in Ecuador, in order to identify from students' perceptions: (a) the values associated with the construction of collaborative networks, (b) structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital generated in the learning process, and (c) modes of integration for collective action. From the results, it stands out that the confluence between social cooperation, participation and commitment is established as a substantive component of reciprocity in collaborative relations, based on affection, mutual trust, tolerance, solidarity and communication in the university space, mainly and extends to society through social projects oriented to the benefit of the community.

Keywords:

Social Capital, Collaborative Networks, Higher Education, Industry 4.0.