STEBE: Digital Competencies and AI, from the Student Experience

Currently in education, a misconception persists about the new generations’ digital skills. The notion of the “digital native” suggests that young people, simply because they were born in the digital age, inherently possess the skills needed to function effectively in complex technological environments. However, evidence shows that most of these young people barely possess a basic level of digital skills (González, 2014), (Kirschner & De Bruyckere, 2017), and (González-Calatayud et al., 2022). This reality poses a critical challenge: how can we develop practical digital skills that prepare students for a complex future? The Evidence-Based Educational Technology Seedbed (STEBE, for its acronym in Spanish) emerged as an innovative initiative to respond to this problem. Its primary objective is to train students with advanced digital skills through applied research, preparing them as active creators of knowledge and technological solutions. I will share more information about this program and how to participate in this article.

The STEBE program forms part of the Living Lab of the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) at Tecnológico de Monterrey. This initiative places the student as a protagonist and co-researcher in developing digital skills, rather than as a passive recipient of knowledge. STEBE is based on the premise that developing advanced digital competencies requires active experimentation in real environments, where students can explore, create, and evaluate educational technologies under the guidance of experienced mentors. The proposal of the STEBE program focuses on transforming the student into a young researcher, which implies developing research, digital, and artificial intelligence skills, primarily through face-to-face activities and practices in the laboratory.

Trends in the development of digital skills

Current trends in developing digital competencies point towards more participatory and experiential models. The “inquiry learning” approach has shown promising results, with 43% improvements in advanced digital skills compared to traditional methods (Ramírez-Montoya & García-Peñalvo, 2023). Likewise, the Living Lab methodology, which integrates end users as co-creators of innovations, has emerged as a particularly effective approach (Morán-Mirabal, et. al., 2025).

A notable success story is the Stanford d.school, where students collaborate with technology companies to develop solutions to real problems, achieving an 87% effective transfer of advanced digital skills. Similarly, the MIT Media Lab has implemented experimentation ecosystems where students lead technological projects, resulting in a 56% increase in critical thinking skills applied to emerging technologies.

Integrating methodologies such as Peer Instruction (developed by Eric Mazur at Harvard) with protected experimental environments is a significant innovation with transformative potential. This combination allows students to build knowledge collaboratively while developing technical, research, and ethical competencies in authentic contexts (Schell & Butler, 2018).

How to participate in the STEBE program?

The STEBE program is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students at Tecnológico de Monterrey. A student can join this program or “Seedbed” (as it is colloquially known among the student community) in several ways. One option is through the institutional system of fellows, with the IFE’s Living Lab as a training partner. It invites students with pending social service to apply or accredit professional practices per Tecnológico de Monterrey guidelines aligned with the nature of the project in which they collaborate. Another frequent route is through academic experiences, such as research stays. The program has also received students who previously participated in various activities, such as technology demonstrations, hackathons, seminars, talks, or collaborations among students in different Tec careers (disciplines). However, one of the most effective channels for attracting students to the “Seedbed” has been the recommendation of students who have participated in the STEBE program, who usually return and invite their classmates from Tec to join in the subsequent school cycles.

At the end of their participation in the program, each student receives a certificate backed by blockchain technology that officially validates their experience, the competencies developed, and the specific activities carried out in the different program areas. This certificate can be fully integrated into their professional digital networks and profiles, adding value to their academic career and facilitating their projection in work or research contexts.

The experience in the STEBE program is designed to be an opportunity for return, that is, we seek that students return, encounter new challenges, generate innovative solutions, and co-build knowledge in an environment of continuous learning.

“The STEBE program transformed my view of educational technology. I went from being a passive consumer to an active creator of solutions that respond to real needs.” – Computer Technology Engineering Student.

The profile of the students participating in the STEBE program

A marked intellectual curiosity and a natural affinity for technology characterize the profile of the student participating in the Evidence-Based Educational Technology Seedbed. They are methodical, orderly young people with digital hobbies. They also stand out for their self-motivation and constant desire to learn; they like to propose project ideas, showing a respectful and collaborative attitude with their peers and the team of mentors. We have observed that they have an easy time forming work teams, are committed to the established agreements, and are not satisfied with superficial solutions; instead, they explore various alternatives when facing challenges. Generally, they are outstanding students in their fields of study, firmly committed to their training and developing competencies that transcend academics.

One of the most enriching experiences of the STEBE program has been the participation of students with diverse profiles in their chosen careers and their technological mastery level. Although many enter with basic skills, they all share an interest in learning and exploring new technologies. Throughout the program, we have observed how even those who started with less experience managed to develop the expected digital skills, actively enjoying the process. This diversity enriches the learning environment and confirms the value of including different trajectories in technology training initiatives.

“The possibility of experimenting in a safe environment, where mistakes are part of learning, allowed me to develop competencies that I would not have acquired in a traditional environment.” – Psychology Student.

The role of the mentor in the STEBE program

The role of the mentor in the Evidence-Based Educational Technology Seedbed (STEBE) is deeply formative and strategic. Unlike traditional tutoring, our accompaniment model is framed in the Living Lab methodology, which proposes an innovative real-world environment where students, researchers, users, and partners actively collaborate to resolve authentic educational technology problems. The physical environment, the Experiential Classroom Learning Lab, is located in the Expedition Building on Tec de Monterrey’s Monterrey campus. It allows for face-to-face and virtual interactions; it is the physical and symbolic space where knowledge is constructed in the community.

The mentoring team comprises four members: three teachers with long careers who specialize in education. These mentors come from different Ibero-American countries, providing a diversity of approaches. They are solidly grounded in the pedagogical knowledge necessary for high-level research training. The fourth, younger member is a natural bridge with the students, facilitating communication and representing a horizontal dynamic from the first contact.

Each mentor guides students according to their interests, level of digital skills, and proficiency with artificial intelligence, based on a progressive model designed by the Living Lab team. This personalized, multi-modal accompaniment incorporates formal, non-formal, and informal learning spaces to ensure comprehensive and sustained development.

In addition to their pedagogical work, mentors actively participate in the Seedbed’s external networks. They interact internationally with educational technology companies, Ibero-American universities, and research centers. These strategic networks enrich the student experience by providing access to knowledge of the frontiers, opening concrete opportunities for collaboration, validation of technologies, and participation in high-impact scientific and academic events.

In summary, the Seedbed mentors are key agents who combine academic expertise, pedagogical sensitivity, strategic vision, and access to global networks, all to enhance student talent and consolidate significant applied research experiences.

Project assignment in the STEBE program

Assigning projects in the Evidence-Based Educational Technology Seedbed is based on knowing students’ educational interests. At the beginning of participation, each student responds to a diagnostic test of digital skills and artificial intelligence based on the DigCompEdu competency frameworks and the UNESCO AI Competency Framework. Unlike instruments solely measuring students’ self-perception, this test presents micro-cases that allow the real level of competency to be identified so that the student can be placed on an appropriate progression trajectory.

Based on this diagnosis, the student can join one of the four axes of the program:

Experimentation. Participate in validations of educational technologies, perform data analyses, and prepare scientific reports.
Communication. Support the strategic dissemination of knowledge by transforming technical concepts into accessible messages for teachers.
Creation. Construct technological solutions – from algorithms to hardware – to respond to real research challenges.
Learning. It is a transversal dimension where self-learning, peer collaboration, and problem-solving are stimulated.

Although most students join ongoing projects, it is also possible—especially for those in the last semester or postgraduate degree—that they can propose and lead their own research projects. In these cases, the Living Lab team evaluates the proposal’s feasibility and accompanies the student in its design, management, and documentation.

Three highlighted projects:

1. Biometrics for education (BFE) or Biometría para la educación

Students of the bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship participated in this project, accompanied by Dr. Alejandra Ruiz Ramírez. The objective was to better understand how students learn as they work in entrepreneurial activities by combining technological tools with educational methods.

To achieve this, the students adorned wearable biometric devices, such as bracelets and sensors, which record body data such as temperature, heart rate, or brain activity.

Students were observed and interviewed throughout the project as they completed their activities. The data collected by the sensors was analyzed. All this information was studied together to identify patterns and understand how the students’ physical reactions related to their learning process.

2. Learning analytics in immersive environments

For this research, led by Rodrigo Romo, biometrics and virtual reality were combined to analyze collaborative work in immersive versus remote environments. Audio files and transcriptions were analyzed to identify conversational patterns and evaluate collaborative work under immersive environments (with virtual reality technology) and non-immersive environments (using a computer without virtual reality).

During the experiment, physiological data such as body temperature, sweating, heart rate, and volumetric blood pressure were collected using a clinical bracelet. These data made it possible to observe how the participants’ bodies responded when collaborating using different technologies. A self-assessment instrument was also applied, and participants reported how they felt during each phase of the activity. This information was cross-referenced with physiological data and the cybersickness indicator reported in the literature. One of the relevant findings was that men tended to have headaches and women dizziness when using virtual reality technology.

These findings provide evidence on how immersive technologies affect collaborative dynamics and the participants’ physical and emotional experiences, contributing to a better understanding of the design of technology-mediated work and learning environments.

3. Validation of telepresence devices and predictive models

Students of Engineering in Computational Technologies and Robotics collaborated in this project. They worked on validating and documenting a telepresence device used in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), integrating it into the IFE Living Lab catalog. They also participated in the maintenance and documentation of biometric sensors and virtual reality headsets. Additionally, they developed machine learning models that predict biometric indicators based on data collected in the Experiential Classroom. This project strengthened advanced technical competencies and contributed to a comprehensive understanding of the life cycle of educational technology.

These three projects show how the STEBE program enables students to develop and apply digital and research competencies. It also allows differentiated training trajectories and authentic experiences, which connect with the mission of the IFE Living Lab: to catalyze knowledge, innovation, and collaboration in the educational ecosystem.

STEBE Program Results

Tangible results of the STEBE program include impact projects such as “BFE – Biometrics for Education,” which gained international recognition by the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança in Portugal; twelve academic articles and eight technical reports; and the technology transfer of three developed prototypes that educational institutions adopted. This demonstrates the potential of university initiatives to generate impact in real contexts, as Betancur-Amariles et al. (2023) described in their analysis of knowledge transfer from universities to companies.

Perhaps the most significant impact has been on the participants’ career paths. The longitudinal follow-up shows that 87% of the program’s graduates occupy positions that require advanced digital competencies, and 73% report that their participation in STEBE was a determinant in accessing high-value professional opportunities. In addition, 68% continue to be involved in research and innovation activities in educational technology.

Reflection

The STEBE experience demonstrates that effective digital and AI competencies development requires transcending traditional approaches that transmit knowledge passively. Demystifying the “digital native” and implementing training models based on active experimentation are fundamental steps toward preparing new generations for the challenges of a digitally transformed world.

The STEBE program model demonstrates that digital and AI competencies are not inherent to a generation; instead, they are the result of intentional, structured training processes employing active experimentation and collaborative knowledge construction. Students’ participation as active researchers fundamentally transforms their relationship with knowledge and technology.

I invite you to join our practice community in the IFE Living Lab, where we share experiences, methodologies, and research results on developing digital and AI competencies. Do not hesitate to contact me for more information or to explore collaborative possibilities.

About the Author

Antonio A. González Grez (grezan@tec.mx) is a researcher of educational innovation and Coordinator of Collaborations and Dissemination at the IFE Living Lab. He is a PhD student in Educational Technology, he explores digital competencies, AI applied to learning, and the valuation of educational technologies.

References

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Editing

Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Editor of the Edu bits articles and producer of The Observatory webinars- “Learning that inspires” – Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tec de Monterrey.