Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On behalf of the organizing committee, I am glad to invite you to attend the VIIII IEEE World Engineering Education Conference (EDUNINE2024). The conference will be held as a Hybrid Conference (virtual and face-to-face combined) in Guatemala, Guatemala, from March 10-13, 2024, hosted by the Galileo University

The IEEE World Engineering Education Conference - EDUNINE is a unique and innovative international conference that favors the exchange of knowledge, experiences and is a meeting point for academics, professionals, researchers and students of education in Engineering, Technology, and Computing and related topics. The program of the conference covers the main issues that are presented in education today, among which stand out: the design and development of new learning environments, the use of new technologies and experiences, the motivation of students, the evaluation of learning and competences, intervention in the face of learning difficulties, etc.

The goal of the EDUNINE2024 International Hybrid Conference (virtual and in-person) is to bring together scholars, researchers, educators and practitioners from around the world to address advances in engineering, computing and technology, and instructional technologies. It provides a premier interdisciplinary platform for academics and researchers to present and discuss the latest trends and concerns as well as practical challenges in developing and implementing innovative pedagogies and instructional technologies for high-quality engineering education that meets the changing needs of the world. In addition, the conference provides a unique opportunity to meet peers and establish regional and global networks of contacts in a hybrid format that connects face-to-face and virtual attendees alike.

Another goal of this conference is to provide opportunities for doctoral students to network outside of their own research environment to broaden and enhance their experiences, support their development as researchers, and improve their understanding of the field of engineering education as a whole. At the EDUNINE Doctoral Symposium, doctoral students have the opportunity to present their ongoing research to a panel of internationally renowned experts in engineering education, receive constructive feedback, and take advantage of valuable networking opportunities. This in-person event offers a highly interactive and collegial format.

The conference will simultaneously host mixed sessions with in-person and virtual attendees to allow for face-to-face and virtual social interaction. We hope that such an approach can help our attendees reduce their reliance on financial, travel, health, visa, and other restrictions while enhancing inclusivity and cultural diversity.

The theme of this edition of the conference is "Empowering Engineering Education: Breaking barriers through research and innovation".

Authors can choose to present their papers in person or online. Presenters (in person and online) will be treated equally. Each presentation will be seen by two audiences (local and online) of registered participants. All oral presentations will be recorded.

The language of the papers for publication in the IEEE Xplore® digital library of IEEE will be English for wider international dissemination. The languages for oral presentations of all types of papers at the conference are English and Portuguese and Spanish, the most widely spoken languages in the Latin American region.Papers will be evaluated by peers based on originality, technical and/or scientific content/depth, correctness, relevance to the conference, contributions, and readability in English.

Through a mix of virtual and in-person sessions with workshops, plenary sessions, panels, parallel oral presentations by authors in the technical sessions, posters by doctoral students for the doctoral symposium, and special sessions for social activities (hybrid coffee breaks and hybrid brunch meetings with invited guests), the four-day conference is designed to explore and focus on the key challenges of the congress theme and changing times. Engineering, computer science, and technology education have become multi-faceted and complex phenomena. Therefore, reflecting on needs, challenges, paradigm shifts, innovations, and localized and contextualized experiences shaped by specific academic cultures and educational systems will allow us to better understand the pressing demands of this new era. It is an ideal forum to share ideas, learn about developments, and network with colleagues.

EDUNINE2024 Best Paper Awards are given for the best papers presented at the annual EDUNINE conference, nominated by the reviewers, Technical Program and Awards Committees. In addition, EDUNINE2024 Recognition Awards and EDUNINE2024 Meritorious Services Awards are given to members of the EDUNINE organizing committees who have demonstrated outstanding achievement or service to this conference.

The IEEE World Engineering Education conference - EDUNINE will be held every year in a different Latin American city. The venue for this edition is Guatemala, Guatemala. It is an annual conference of the IEEE Education Society organized jointly with COPEC (Science and Education Research Organization) for Region 9 (Latin America). This conference is part of the renowned list of regional conferences of this Society that are: FIE (FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION, mainly in the United States and Canada, Regions 1-7), EDUCON (GLOBAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, Region 8), EDUNINE (WORLD ENGINEERING EDUCATION CONFERENCE, Latin America, Region 9) and TALE (TEACHING ASSESSMENT AND LEARNING IN ENGINEERING, Asia and Oceania, Region 10).

Join us at EDUNINE2024 so that together we can enjoy the conference activities and, as always, offer the best opportunities to strengthen and create new networks among all participants!

Prof. Dr. Claudio R. Brito
General Chair EDUNINE2024