Institucionalização da educação a distância no ensino superior: diagnóstico e recomendações na Universidade Federal de Alagoas

Abstract

The Higher Education Census shows that Distance Education has been a major driver of growth in enrollment in higher education. However, However, less than 2% of distance learning enrollments in the country were carried out in the federal education network. The present work aimed to analyze, considering the National Education Plan, the participation of distance learning at the Universidade Federal de Alagoas (Ufal) for the expansion of higher education. To achieve the objectives, empirical, qualitative, descriptive research was conducted through a case study at Ufal. For data collection, in addition to information and data extracted from the institution's official documents and Higher Education Census and National Education Plan reports, in the months of June and July 2024 structured interviews were conducted with five (5) directors of Academic Units and five (05) coordinators of distance learning undergraduate courses. And a questionnaire was administered to a representative of the Coordenadoria Institucional de Educação a Distância (Cied). Information processing was conducted through triangulation of the data collected with a content analysis, systematized into five categories of analysis: Planning, Organization, Infrastructure, Personnel and Student Service. This study revealed, regarding the Planning dimension, that the adoption of procedures described in the institution's main normative documents contributes to the institutionalization of distance learning, however the dependence on external financing is the most worrying point in the process. In the Organization dimension, the insertion of Cied, as a support body in the organizational structure, linked to the rectory enhances this process, but the technological infrastructure is quite deficient at Ufal and at the centers. That the staff category is diverse with permanent employees and UAB scholarship holders, but there are no exclusive teachers for distance learning and that the teaching effort is not always compensated. That the Distance Learning Student Service is the same as that offered in person, but benefits such as participation in research and extension activities are not always guaranteed. It was found that the participation of Ufal's distance learning in the expansion of higher education has been gradually decreasing during the National Education Plan's validity, due to the very irregular supply of places. It is concluded that more than 60% of those interviewed understand that distance learning is not institutionalized at Ufal, and that the biggest challenges are related to planning and infrastructure and that the lack of knowledge, identified as the main form of resistance to the modality, can be mitigated by publishing the results achieved.