Knowledge management in quality processes of higher education

Abstract

Knowledge management in universities contributes to access to the information society, the only way to lead a country to the knowledge society and reduce inequality gaps. This research seeks to promote theoretical reflection between models of knowledge management and university educational quality in Ecuador. An exhaustive documentary review of the theoretical foundations of knowledge management and quality in higher education in the national context is carried out in the last evaluation period of these institutions (2018-2020). It supports a positivist epistemological meaning that allowed discovering how knowledge management works in the processes of university educational quality and how they are significantly affected in a proportional way. It executes an explanatory (non-experimental) approach based on obtaining qualitative data through observation, with a national scope. It was identified that the quality of higher education institutions will be proportional to their ability to respond to current and future challenges imposed by society. Knowledge management systems are essential for these institutions to improve their adaptability to the environment and their ability to respond to prevailing contexts. Obtaining these conclusions is based on the inductive method from the observation of real events that allowed us to establish predictions or generalities, observing transversally the situations in the same period.