Efeitos da pandemia de covid-19 sobre o índice de rendimento acadêmico: uma análise dos estudantes do Curso de Administração da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, requiring individuals and organizations to adapt to a new mode of social interaction. In educational institutions, there was a shift from in-person to remote learning, prompting students and teachers to adjust to the tools and methodologies imposed by the circumstances. This study aims to analyze how the pandemic has influenced the performance of Administration students at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. To achieve this, academic results of these students are compared between previous periods and during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodologically, this investigation is conceived as an exploratory and descriptive research, conducted through the analysis of academic spreadsheets provided by the Administration course coordination and a spreadsheet obtained from the Undergraduate Pro-rectory of UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte), which together contain information on student performance and their classes, such as academic indexes. The results indicate that the pandemic is initially negatively associated with students' persistence, leading many to choose course deferment or cancellation. However, there was subsequently a lower number of deferments and dropouts compared to the period prior to the pandemic. There was also a similar relationship between the pandemic period and students' academic performance. Ultimately, it is hoped that this work will contribute academically to the management of the Administration course and other similar courses, as well as facilitate improvements in university management to mitigate the negative impact on students' performance, as suggested in studies on this topic.