EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA E DESENVOLVIMENTO PESSOAL E PROFISSIONAL: um estudo sobre a microrregião de Varginha-MG

Abstract

This work seeks to understand the perception of students and center managers regarding the contributions made possible by higher education provided in the EaD modality, towards the personal and professional fulfillment of Unis Group students, particularly those who study at centers in the cities that make up the microregion of Varginha-MG. Quali-quantitative in nature, this research evaluated the statements of a population of 70 students, from 16 cities, in addition to eight center managers (including partners, employees and entrepreneurs of the HEI). The following research instruments are used: (i) the online questionnaire distributed to all students enrolled in the courses at the centersconsidered; (ii) and semi-structured interviews with the centers' managers and nine students who, according to the managers, were successful after higher education. Thequestionnaires, elaborated on the Google Forms platform, were sent to the students via the Internet, through institutional e-mail; the public was urged to respond via WhatsApp as well. Online interviews, both with students and center managers, were recorded individually through the Google Meet platform. The questionnaires were previously treated with the Excel program and analyzed according to the descriptive analysis. Theinterviews were initially treated by the IRaMuTeQ lexicological analysis softwareandsubsequently submitted to Content Analysis. The results pointed to the importance of a well-structured center for the satisfaction and good professional training of students. Many respondents mentioned the existence of the center in their city as a decisive factor fortaking the course and a relevant majority considered the distance modality important for their own training and as a factor that generates knowledge and transforms their lives.