Dr. Andrea Franjul Sanchez

Dr. Andrea Franjul Sánchez is a senior scholar and a leading figure in Latin American higher education, recognized for over three decades of university teaching, curricular innovation, and the ethical use of artificial intelligence applied to learning and risk management.

Academic profile and leadership. Dr. Franjul serves as Ambassador for PhET simulations and Coordinator of Broward International University (BIU) in the Dominican Republic, where she promotes the use of interactive digital resources and simulations in science education. She blends the rigor of the exact sciences with educational technology, active methodologies, and quantitative research, establishing herself as a regional benchmark in the transformation of technology-enhanced curriculum design. Her trajectory includes serving as a researcher in the National Researchers Program of MESCYT and as an international reviewer in high-impact venues such as the STEM Miami Symposium and the RELACE Congress.

Education and scientific foundations. Her strong academic background combines a Doctorate in Education from Nova Southeastern University in Florida with a postgraduate degree in Structures, a master’s degree in Physics, and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. This convergence of education, physics, and structural engineering underpins an interdisciplinary vision that connects the classroom with the material reality of the built environment and disaster risk management.

University teaching and pedagogical innovation. Since 1997, she has been a faculty member in the Schools of Physics and Civil Engineering at the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, where she has guided generations of professionals through courses, seminars, experimental projects, and the supervision of undergraduate and graduate theses. Her teaching practice is oriented toward meaningful learning, emphasizing reports, labs, models, simulations, and collaborative projects that link theory to real-life phenomena. At the Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC), she has promoted a pedagogy grounded in connectivism and competency-based education, shaping critical, autonomous students who can work effectively in contemporary technological contexts.

International teaching and virtual environments. At Broward International University (BIU), where she serves as Adjunct Professor in the School of Education, Dr. Franjul has developed a virtual pedagogy focused on digital curriculum design and interactive online resources. Students learn through reports, simulated practices, experiments, and digital conceptual models, combined with collaborative projects designed to foster creativity, engagement, and long-lasting learning in remote environments. In addition, at Alen South Lake University (ASLU) in Clermont, Florida, she has distinguished herself as an Adjunct Professor of College Algebra, Business Analytics, and Quantitative Marketing Research, designing higher education experiences that integrate mathematical and statistical theory with real-world business and market problems.

Curriculum design and digital environments. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Franjul has led the design of innovative virtual courses such as College Algebra and Fundamentals of Programming for associate programs at ASLU. In algebra, she has created a dynamic, interactive course that combines open resources, online exercises, forums, and collaborative whiteboards, ensuring a robust and accessible training experience. In programming, she has structured a learning environment centered on computational thinking and continuous practice through interactive coding platforms and cloud-based IDEs, enabling students to begin programming from day one.

Scientific output and authorship. Her scholarly output includes scientific articles, textbooks, and chapters in collective volumes on education, technology, and science. Among her contributions is the article “La aplicación de las TIC en la educación: avances, desafíos y perspectivas futuras” in the journal Pedagogical Constellations (2024), as well as her participation in the collective volume “Grandes experiencias de docentes extraordinarios,” published on Amazon. As an author for Editorial Santillana, she has developed content in Financial Mathematics and Technology and physics textbooks for various levels of basic and secondary education, directly influencing the scientific education of thousands of students.

Structural engineering and risk management. Parallel to her academic work, Dr. Franjul has built a distinguished career in structural engineering, leading calculations, designs, and redesigns of educational, hospital, commercial, and residential buildings in the Dominican Republic. She has contributed to emblematic projects such as the Regional Hospital of San Pedro de Macorís, the Bávaro Golf Resort project, and the structural reinforcement of the Torre Centro de Otorrinolaringología in Santo Domingo. Her participation in the review of the Dominican Seismic Code as a representative of CODIA reflects her commitment to structural safety and disaster resilience.

Conferences, leadership, and international projection. Dr. Franjul is an active speaker at national and international conferences, where she brings together science, pedagogy, and cutting-edge technology. In 2025, she delivered the keynote address “From Bit to Bloom: Prompt Engineering as the New Engine of Pedagogy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” at the RELACE Congress, showcasing her leadership in the use of generative AI in instructional design. Her participation in scientific research conferences, mathematics education meetings, and educational technology congresses demonstrates a sustained trajectory of scientific dissemination and critical reflection on the teaching of mathematics, physics, and engineering.

Professional identity. Her membership in organizations such as Kappa Delta Pi, the Dominican Physics Society, the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors, and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World reinforces a professional identity committed to excellence, ethics, and gender equity in science. Dr. Andrea Franjul Sánchez thus emerges as a figure who weaves together exact science, pedagogical innovation, structural engineering, and risk management, embodying the profile of a twenty-first-century academic who leverages artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to transform education and society.

Professional networks:

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5300-8899
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dra-andrea-franjul-sanchez-edd-981674a5/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@andreafranjul