Gestão da evasão e permanência de discente nos cursos de graduação na modalidade a distancia em uma IFES

Abstract

The students’ dropout and stay management is a theme which needs special attention by Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The dropout in higher education reaches all types in Brazil, however the rates of the distance learning (DL) courses are higher than the in-person courses. To expand and internalize the online education it was necessary a great investment made by the federal government. Despite the growth of this type of course at the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), the undergraduate ones present higher rates of evasion at this institution. This study analyzed the strategies used by DL / UFAL managers to promote the permanency and prevent the school dropout of the students; to observe the courses’ statistical data; to know the general coordination’s degree of influence in courses management and to identify the mechanisms used for monitoring the students in DL courses’ coordination. The survey has been developed with the approach quali-quantity, which was analyzed the statistical data collected in the National Institute for Educational Studies and Research “Anísio Teixeira” (INEP), the data provided by the Law on Access to Public Information (LAI) and semistructured interview made by nine courses’ coordinators and DL’s general coordinator. In terms of outcome of studies, it was noticed that the statistical data provided presents inconsistencies and all the courses management work separately in relation to the students’ dropout. All the information gathered indicates the need for the implementation of an exclusive agenda, routine and collective, to deal with this theme and set strategies to quantify and diagnose the dropout’s causes and to apply measures to fortify the distance learning modality at the institution. For the application of these actions, it was suggested the student’s monitoring through questionnaires during its permanency in the course, putting the data in a shared spreadsheet to feed a database.