Programa de iniciação à vida acadêmica (PIVA) : um desafio a professores e gestores universitários

Abstract

The number of students entering higher education bringing accumulated learning gaps from previous stages of schooling has disquieted professors and administrators at higher education institutions, who pursue alternatives to solve or minimize these issues by implementing actions in this regard. To this end, since 1999 the Catholic University of Santos has been undertaking an annual project titled ""leveling course,"" which first got underway with engineering students. In 2003, the University extended this initiative to all undergraduate courses, creating the Initiation to Academic Life Program (IALP) to provide educational support and guidelines to freshmen to assist them in remaining in higher education successfully. The purpose of this research project is to examine how students perceive their experience in the IALP. The proposed analysis is based on a study on higher education today, especially in Brazil, highlighting the increase in access and the hegemony in the private sector. To achieve its goal, the project adopts a qualitative approach (case study) and uses official internal and external documents and a structured questionnaire with open and closed questions, which was applied to 36 students who entered the University in January 2012. The principles of content analysis were used to analyze the responses to the open questions. The data were grouped into categories emerging from remarks made by the students and showed that they understand and value the content and activities developed in the IALP and consider them a key to begin the course they chose and to do well in it. They believe the IALP is critical not only insofar as overcoming difficulties arising from elementary and/or middle education is concerned, but also in for integrating into University life.