Exploring social groups: human values ​​in students of the UMNG industrial engineering program

Abstract

One of the concerns of today's society is the perception of human values, which have been transformed by technology, expanding its scope of action day by day, especially considering the rapid growth of artificial intelligence. This creates a need to strengthen human values, as they are essentially the foundational base for building fairer and more balanced societies. In this regard, the academic space represents an opportunity, particularly given that students dedicate a significant portion of their time to their professional training.

Human values are deep-seated convictions that shape individuals' ways of being and guide their behavior based on evaluations and assessments of people, objects, and situations. In our context, human values are considered the core beliefs of the students in the Industrial Engineering Program at UMNG, which guide their conduct and actions based on the perceptions they develop about the environment in which they operate.

These values begin to form within the family nucleus, where the first behavioral and belief foundations are established. Over time, these values are modified through socialization processes influenced by the environment, the university, friends, the media, religious and political beliefs, and mediated by technology and its evolving dynamics.

The purpose of this project is to identify human values in undergraduate students through the application of the LEGO® Serious Play® methodology. To achieve this, categories of human values that characterize UMNG undergraduate students have been defined. The LEGO® Serious Play® methodology was applied through the exploration of social groups, ultimately leading to the description of the human values that characterize the students.

As stated, exploring social groups through the LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) methodology involves a participatory and creative approach that allows for an understanding of the unique characteristics, dynamics, and perspectives of a group.

The methodology is structured in four stages: challenge, construction, socialization, and final product.

In the challenge phase, "Building Values," students develop their communication skills by presenting their individual perspectives. During the construction phase, students reinforce ethical and civic competencies by expressing their viewpoints, being heard, and being accepted. The socialization phase fosters interaction among all participants, showcasing achievements in terms of rediscovering the selected values. The final product, beyond the acquired knowledge, emphasizes the appropriation of values that may have been overlooked, ultimately making the student community a more inclusive, supportive, and cohesive space.

This project is the result of the training program "International Certification Program for Facilitators in the LEGO® Serious Play® Methodology," funded by the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada.