Cristian Jair Hernández Ferreyra, a pioneer who hopes to change expectations around education, founded Mexico’s. Taking advantage of his knowledge as a developer with a passion for design, Cristian founded an online university dedicated to visual arts, like the university of the future, where everything is digital.
If our collective experience in recent years has taught us anything, it is that our ideas about how educational institutions work need to be more flexible. This is a fact that Cristian recognizes very well and something that he intends to address with his own university.
The most fundamental aspects of UCAV defy convention. Everything from registration to qualification is managed digitally. Students can sign and submit documents and attend all classes from anywhere, as long as they have an internet connection.
Even more futuristically, the school incorporates the concept of non-expendable tokens (NFTs). Students can earn points as they improve their knowledge, which can be redeemed for prizes such as smartphones and laptops.
The ultimate goal of the university is to offer a non-hierarchical institution, based on a streaming platform, that offers access to quality education in more reasonable conditions.
Reject outdated models
Cristian’s dedication to digital education is rooted in his critique of traditional learning dynamics, dating back to the birth of mass learning. «The beginning of education, as we know it today, was given as a way to teach workers to do things efficiently».
“Over time, schools have not changed the base model, the intellectual and pedagogical movement followed the same Spartan doctrine of punishment and reward.”
The university existed as an idea in Cristian’s mind since 2016, but before starting it, he delved into pedagogy research (the theory behind teaching methods). Thanks to his research, he discovered neuroeducation, a current of thought that introduces neuroscience into the classroom and proposes radically new ways of approaching teaching.
“Have you ever seen a series that has left you hooked? This happens because the brain receives serotonin and dopamine, which together cause happiness or pleasure. If we don’t get that to happen with a class, students will get bored, causing discomfort and, therefore, rejection of learning. We have designed our classes so that you can watch them as if they were a series. We focus a lot on the editing, the visuals, and the things that the brain needs to learn.”
The cornerstone of this approach is the quality of the content created by the university. Unlike other online learning options that rely on webinar screenshots or lecture recordings, UCAV creates exciting and engaging content that focuses on student needs.
NFT along with learning?
Another notable difference from other educational institutions is UCAV’s promise to offer tangible rewards to its students beyond a quality education. You can see that this move stems from Cristian’s desire to keep students engaged and stimulated in new ways.
At a very basic level, UCAV students have the opportunity to obtain smartphones, laptops, televisions, and other items. All they have to do is do a good job, show improvement or shine in class and they are rewarded with points. If you collect enough points, you can redeem them for these gifts.
However, taking things one step further, Cristian was inspired by the model of “play-to-win” NFT games. These online games offer players the ability to earn token-based non-fungible digital assets simply for playing the games.
NFTs or Non-Fungible Tokens are unique digital files that can take the form of images, artwork, videos or collectibles. UCAV offers students the chance to collect NFTs “which they can sell, or keep and do with as they please.”
This type of incentivized teaching is intended to give students constant motivation and reward for progressing through their course.
Bringing teaching to the Internet
Launching your school online can be a decision based on ideology, but Cristian also understands the importance of having an online presence for the success of your business. “Today, the Internet and intercommunication between people from all over the world are very important. If you don’t have a website, in the vast majority of cases, you are destined for failure.”
“One of the most fundamental things about having your own website is being able to take your services and products to the whole world. In my case, this helps me to get my clients, the students, in addition to providing them with a quality education.”
Since much of UCAV’s success depends on the performance of its website, it’s only natural that Cristian looked for a hosting provider that could offer a reliable and scalable service that would meet the demands of a streaming service and a school.
“I chose mainly because of the options to expand the project as much as needed in terms of servers and data processing. It has also been very easy and comfortable for me to modify, edit and manage the web pages that I have”.
The future of education and business
Building on the success of the university in Mexico, Cristian hopes to take his philosophy abroad and spread his message of accessible learning. He says that his goal is to “expand to several more countries that require this educational model and in the future offer free quality education.”
If you live outside of Mexico, but feel that Cristian’s university model could work for you, be sure to keep an eye out for similar projects coming to where you live.
But with all this talk about his approach to education, it’s easy to lose sight of Cristian’s approach to business. After all, the university is a company run mainly by a man. “One of my suggestions for those who want to start a business is that creating a business, especially online, is simple and usually requires minimal investment, and the only thing that always requires investment is marketing.”
Since UCAV’s goal is to equip its students with the knowledge, experience, and resources necessary to succeed in their chosen fields, it seems appropriate to leave Cristian’s motto for success to them.
“Pursue your project. It’s better to waste a little money and say ‘I tried’ than to be left wanting and sorry you didn’t.”
Luis is an eCommerce and website builder professional who loves digital marketing. He is dedicated to helping companies improve their online presence through marketing practices. When he is not sitting in front of the computer, he is surely cooking a meal or training.
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