Desempenho acadêmico: estudo sobre uma estratégia institucional de orientação acadêmica

Abstract

The access system to higher education in Brazil has been through major transformations in recent decades. Such transformations are motivated by educational policies related to expansion of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the democratization in students’ access. All of this contributed to the diversification of incoming students, a circumstance that is associated with the process of integration of new students at this level of education and that has demanded from the HEIs greater dedication to the welcoming and monitoring of students until their graduation. In this context, both retention and dropout rates have become even more relevant to studies that seek alternatives to combat those issues and in which pedagogical strategies have been presented as important tools. Following such topic, this study aims analyze which is called Academic Performance Observation Regime (RODA, in Portuguese), an institutional strategy adopted by UFRN for the monitoring of students with poor academic performance. In order to conduct a proper investigation, electronic forms were made available to students, academic advisors and coordinators of both Science and Technology and Pedagogy/Education Center courses. The results revealed that difficulties experienced in high school were decisive to the poor performance of most students, and this happens specially between the first and third semesters of their courses. Nevertheless, the absence of information on the RODA has interfered in the conduct of activities related to the students’ retaking, who have felt demotivated, pressured, and ill under such condition. On the other hand, most professors have reported being overwhelmed with conjoining teaching activities with the activities planned for the academic advisor’s role, and that the relationship between advisor and advisee does not seem to have worked as expected. The association of the collected data also allowed to identify both weaknesses and potentials of RODA and the recommended improvements by the participants included mainly the use of technological resources that may facilitate both communication between the involved ones and fulfillment of academic advising activities. Regarding the investigation of the contribution of this pedagogical strategy to the students' academic trajectory it was observed that, among the records of students who were removed from the regime at each school term, the number of those who overcame their academic difficulties was predominantly higher than the cancellations that occurred in the same period, which may indicate a contribution from the regime. However, to curricular integration process, it was found that the excessive majority of integrations related to the same group analyzed did not occur within the standard term of the course, signaling a marked retention and it may seem ineffectiveness of RODA in this condition. At last, RODA is accepted as a pedagogical strategy for institutional support, although it requires considerations through some adjustment proposals.