Evaluation of the Integration of Teaching, Research, and Outreach Processes at UNIANDES

Introduction: The integration of core processes in higher education institutions has been identified as a critical factor for enhancing academic and social impact. The present research focused on evaluating the efficiency in the integration of teaching, research, and community engagement functions at the Universidad Regional Autónoma de Los Andes.Method: A quantitative approach was adopted, and the Analytic Hierarchy Process method was applied to integrate and weight relevant criteria based on the perceptions of administrators, faculty, students, and administrative staff. A structured survey was designed to collect data on the equity of workload distribution, the quality of research, participation in community engagement projects, and satisfaction with resource allocation. The information was processed using specialized software, generating comparison matrices that enabled the identification of priorities and the development of a ranking of improvement alternatives.Conclusions: The results revealed that the distribution of workload exhibited imbalances that favored teaching to the detriment of research and community engagement. It was evidenced that the resources available for research were insufficient and that the integration of community engagement did not reach the desired level. The evaluation by experts established that the reassignment of workload emerged as the most viable strategy, followed by the strengthening of research resources and the restructuring of community engagement programs. It was observed that optimizing the integration of core processes requires structural changes and a reconfiguration of the distribution of responsibilities.