Learned in University Extension Projects under the Perspective of Academics of EAD Courses

Abstract

The study investigates "if" and "how" public outreach programs contribute to learning in real contexts for on-line students from a university in Rio Grande do Sul. The research comes from the debate about knowledge production in public outreach programs, guided by the interaction between territory, research and curriculum. Its relevance is justified by the challenge presented by curricularization in the context of public outreach programs in on-line courses, via programs and projects, based on Goal 12, Strategy 7, of Brazil's National Education Plan (2014-2024). Methodologically, the study is characterized by a qualitative-exploratory approach centered on the student experience, via an analysis of assessment instruments pertaining to the 12 public outreach program projects developed between 2017 and 2018. Therefore, this paper is classified as a social study conducted via the phenomenological perspective, looking into the everyday of public outreach programs in the institution and what the subjects have learned through them. It was concluded that student participation in these programs has significantly contributed to a learning experience connected to territorial demands and potentialities, to the professional profile of the courses involved, and to the nature of the institution. It is worth mentioning that the transversality of the problem situations that guided the aforementioned projects was a relevant factor to transcend the walls of academia; additionally, the action research methodology catalyzed the interaction between academic dimensions and integration with the territory.

Keywords: On-line education. Public outreach programs. Experience based learning. Public outreach program curricularization.