Ser bacharel e professor: sentidos e relações entre o bacharelado e a docência universitária

The need to research about meanings and relationships between individuals with Bachelor s degrees and Teaching can be considered an exercise capable of aiding in the comprehension of the very performance of the Bachelor as teacher. The guiding question of this study asks: what relationships are established by Bachelors, who are teachers, between their professional education and their performance as a teacher? My objective is to understand the meanings attributed by the Bachelor teachers to teaching at the university level, seeking indicators about the relationships established by them, between their professional education and being a teacher. For this, the methodology used was the Comprehensive Interview, which permits, through the individual s oral discourse, the interpretation of meanings and values expressed by the teachers about their actions. The research is done through oral discourse collected in interviews and from these I analyze the elements that are revealed, and those which help me in the development of this object of study. I understand that the contribution about the possibilities of action and continued education for Bachelors who act as instructors in Higher Education is increasingly necessary, through research, because through continuing education teachers can revisit their actions and reformulate meanings they attribute to teaching as a profession. I consider the debate about meanings about teaching and the relationships with the initial education is not only necessary in the investigation of the Bachelors who act as professors, but also the credentialed teachers, because the teacher s sense of identity and their professional development is constructed through a historical process and in relation to the alternative positioning in the contexts of which they are a part

O desenvolvimento da docência nas engenharias: um estudo na universidade federal de campina grande (UFCG)

This research has the objective of studying the teacher-engineers awareness regarding their teaching practice of courses Civil, Electrical and Materials at the Federal University of Campina Grande. It presents and analyses major themes concerning the teaching work. At the same time, it pinpoints the need to develop good teaching practice in higher education. The study is based on the concepts of bricolage (KINCHELOE; BERRY, 2007) and multi-referentiality (ARDOINO, 1998). The Case Study procedure was adopted as an investigation strategy (YIN, 2004; AFONSO, 2005). The data collection was done through the application of questionnaires based on the teacher education paradigms (ZEICHNER, 1983; SACRISTAN, 1998; ALTET, 2001; BRÜTTEN, 2008). The theoretical background for the thematic axis is oriented by reflections on university teaching (MASETTO, 2003; 2007; ZABALZA, 2004; CUNHA et al, 2005; GRILLO, 2008; PIMENTA; ANASTASIOU, 2010 ); on Engineering teaching (BAZZO, 2001; MASETTO, 2009) and on the present-day relationship between educational policies and higher education (MENEZES, 2001; SANTOS, 1995;2005; BOSI, 2007). The data analysis was done by means of a quantitative and qualitative approach (SAMPIERI; COLLADO; LUCIO, 2006), allow us to understand how the teachers surveyed live their professional activity. The results make it possible to generalize that the teacher-engineers give value to research as part of their teacher education and they view the university pedagogy as an important aspect to improve their practice. A considerable number of them is interested in being part of reflection groups, aiming to enhance teaching at higher education. The teacher-engineers dedicate themselves to university teaching without sharing their experience with other teachers, consolidating a present tendency seen in the international and national literature. They tend to apply a pedagogy originated from their daily teaching practice, because they believe that teaching is perfected through practice, though they admit that practice alone is not sufficient for professional development. In the view of most informants, good teaching requires willingness, along with the political element, the mastery of the lesson contents and familiarity with the discipline objectives, if we regard teachers as advisors in the educational process. Throughout the teaching process, the teachers use diversified pedagogical strategies, such as contextualization and exemplification of the lesson contents, epistemological basis in the scientific field, and group work. They do not share any bond of relationship between them and the students, though they consider it important. In general terms, they lack preparation for university teaching and no involvement or interest in institutional issues, by supporting and improving the teaching quality

Ofício, Estresse e Resiliência: desafios do Professor Universitário.

The objective of this study was to investigate the elements that contribute to the state of stress which often affects those who embrace the university teaching career, and also to learn whatever strategies professors use to cope with stressing situations in order to develop resilience and a sound exercise of their profession. To the very nature of university teaching belong a variety of attributions, demands and challenges which, together, may contribute to the development of stress. The epistemological principles which guided this research were those of Complex Thinking, which facilitate a deeper comprehension of the human and social phenomena as viewed through the lens of complexity principles: the dialogical principle, the organizational recursivity principle and the hologramatical principle. Fully acknowledging the many difficulties brought about by any attempt that would try to explain human phenomena based only on one theoretical reference, we have elected multi-referentiality as the support for this study, thus being able to dialogue with a variety of authors about the same phenomenon. This was a qualitative research in which questionnaires and interviews were used as instruments for the empirical work. The data has been articulated into categories and subcategories, allowing for a thematic analysis. Participants of the study were seventeen professors from two different colleges in the city of Natal, state of Rio Grande do Norte. Bad working conditions, demands from the institution, student s lack of commitment, long working hours, low salaries, lack of incentives to university teachers, uncertainty concerning timetable and difficulties in proper time administration are the variables that contribute to the stress of professors. Although this is a problem that affects the group as a whole, strategies to cope with it are individually sought and vary from trying to find different leisure options, opening one s heart to colleagues or relatives, individual planning, prayer, rational facing of the situation, to simply giving in to exhaustion. The study has proposed institutional as well as personal actions that may foster a development among professors which takes into account a resilience development in a collective perspective. Also, it shows some articulations that are already under way so that professors may be attended to.

A cultura organizacional influenciando o comportamento do capital humano na biblioteca universitária

DUARTE, E. N. ; CARVALHO, Andréa Vasconcelos ; PINHEIRO, E. G. ; CARVALHO, Luciana Moreira ; NOGUEIRA, N. M. F. . A cultura organizacional influenciando o comportamento do capital humano na biblioteca universitária. Informação & Sociedade. Estudos, João Pessoa - PB, v. 10, n. 2, p. 190-210, 2000

A Literatura de Cordel como recurso didático na orientação de usuários em uma biblioteca universitária

A Literatura de Cordel consiste numa forma de conhecimento que produz conteúdos importantes para serem inseridos nos mais diversos contextos educacionais. Através de sua linguagem simples, o cordel versa sobre os mais variados temas, proporcionando uma leitura prazerosa. Assim, o objetivo geral desse trabalho é utilizar-se do cordel, com sua característica lúdica, para educar usuários e funcionários de bibliotecas, promovendo um espaço de formadores de habilidades e competências no uso consciente do acervo. A metodologia constou de abordagem aos alunos durante a visita guiada à Biblioteca Central da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, onde são prestadas informações dos serviços oferecidos e da importância do acervo de uma biblioteca na sua vida acadêmica, bem como de sua preservação. Ao final da visita, cada aluno recebe um folheto de cordel contendo informações sobre o uso consciente do acervo, além da recomendação de que após a leitura do cordel, o mesmo seja repassado sucessivamente para outros membros da comunidade, de forma a alcançar uma maior parcela de leitores. Os resultados apontam que o cordel destaca-se como um poderoso instrumento didático-pedagógico e disseminador de informações. Ademais, ele tem a facilidade de alcançar desde os mercados e feiras, que divulgam a ciência e a arte, bem como as tradições populares. Conclui-se que o uso do cordel, numa perspectiva educativa, permite transmitir para os usuários de uma biblioteca, bem como à comunidade em geral, as boas maneiras de utilização dos suportes informacionais.

Cordel Informativo: serviços oferecidos aos usuários de uma biblioteca universitária

Na observação prática cotidiana da Biblioteca Central Zila Mamede (BCZM), procurou-se identificar o comportamento dos usuários com relação ao uso das informações disponibilizadas. É bem possível que os usuários não se interessem pelos serviços por não conhecê-los plenamente. Tais observações levaram aos seguintes questionamentos: a) a comunidade acadêmica da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) sabe da existência de todas as fontes de informação disponibilizadas para pesquisa nessa unidade informacional? b) O desinteresse por algumas dessas fontes de informação tem relação com o desconhecimento das mesmas? Estes questionamentos motivaram a realização de um projeto que tem como objetivo divulgar as formas de acesso à produção científica da UFRN. Esse artigo descreve os serviços oferecidos pela BCZM, através da Literatura de Cordel, com a finalidade de estimular e sensibilizar os alunos de graduação, pós-graduação, professores e funcionários sobre a importância do acesso ao conhecimento científico disponíveis na biblioteca, acredita-se que a Literatura de Cordel, por ser um suporte informacional que alcança desde mercados e feiras, divulga a arte, a ciência e as tradições populares, ajuda, também, na disseminação das informações e estimula o prazer pela leitura. Tais requisitos capacita a nossa Comunidade Acadêmica, bem como o público em geral, o qual terá acesso às informações relevantes que servirão de insumos na construção do conhecimento. Neste artigo, serão apresentados em versos e estrofes escritos em forma rimada, os serviços que a BCZM oferece à sua comunidade. Posteriormente, serão divulgados outros serviços e as formas de acesso à produção científica da UFRN.

Educação complementar e desenvolvimento humano: alcances e limites da estratégia socioeducativa do projeto OASIS de intervivência universitária

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

Juventude universitária nos anos 1980: as práticas culturais do movimento estudantil na UFRN

The 1980s, at UFRN represented a moment of resumption of student struggles. The major goals of the student movement in this period was the fight against the authoritarian regime and for the democracy within and outside the university. In this context, events, activities, artistic and cultural productions were organized in order to make a critical policy for the procedure, trying to establish a dialogue between the university community and the population. Our work has made a research on cultural practices of the student movement in the 1980s. We did an analysis on the process of democratic transition in Brazil, the political participation of youth, their cultural practices in the country, society and politics in the RN, the student movement at UFRN and its cultural practices. We also discussed the concept of culture and cultural practices, but also pointed each of the the main activities and cultural productions organized by students of UFRN in that period. As methodological resource, were used the oral sources, the academic literature on the subject and newspaper pieces, newsletters and advertisement material of the students

Extensão universitária e formação cidadã: a UFRN e a UFBA em ação

Se parte de la comprensión de Universidad como un campo científico que permite elecciones, conflictos y luchas internas y externas, en sus dimensiones históricas y temporales, proponiéndose comprenderla en su naturaleza institucional. Históricamente, la universidad viene respondiendo a demandas de la sociedad, configurándose en momentos de crisis de institucionalidad, de hegemonía y de legitimidad. Tales crisis profundizase en el contexto de la globalización hegemónica, pero, al lado de esta, emergen experiencias en el campo de la globalización alternativa. De ello adviene los siguientes desafíos: considerados en este trabajo como cuestiones a contestar: ¿cómo la Universidad pública brasileña podrá actuar en una perspectiva de formación ciudadana, interagiendo con la sociedad en la cual está inserida? ¿Cómo poderemos vislumbrar caminos alternativos para la universidad enfrentar desafíos y para conquistar a su legitimidad? Se discute la extensión universitaria como una de las alternativas para que tales universidades enfrenten sus crisis y desafíos, a la medida en que posibilita el diálogo con la sociedad en su entorno, promoviendo la formación ciudadana. Se tiene como objetivo comprender e interpretar la extensión universitaria en su práctica efectiva en las comunidades en las que las experiencias fueron desarrolladas, analizándose dos prácticas de extensión universitaria en la Universidad Federal del Rio Grande do Norte y en la Universidad Federal de Bahia, a través de la interpretación de la participación de profesores, alumnos y comunidad en dos programas: Saúde e Cidadania (SACI/UFRN), y Atividade Curricular em Comunidade (ACC/UFBA), en el período de 2001 a 2005. Se busca en el diálogo con los participantes envueltos, conocer las experiencias y como estas contribuyen para la compresión de universidad con sus funciones direccionadas para la formación ciudadana. Como procedimientos metodológicos, se hace un análisis de la documentación de las experiencias, complementadas por entrevistas sémi-estructuradas, envolviendo 51 sujetos en los dos programas, para aprehender a la historia y comprender la participación de los alumnos, profesores e integrantes de las comunidades, en Natal/RN y Salvador/BA. Para presentación de las voces de los participantes, se cría diálogos temáticos, mapeando expresiones que surgieron en el habla de los Pro- Rectores de Extensión y Pro-Rector de Graduación, alumnos, profesores y participantes de las comunidades envueltas, identificándolas en movimientos creativos y llenos de significados, entre ellas: vivencia y acción; interacción y diálogo; identidad y práctica solidaria; generosidad y responsabilidad; ciudadanía y condición humana; saber contextual y crítico. Estas prácticas y sentimientos traducen bien la participación de los sujetos envueltos, dialogando sobre la compresión de Universidad y extensión universitaria direccionada para la formación ciudadana. Se concluye que estas experiencias contribuyen para pensar una Universidad actuante, dialogando con los intereses de la comunidad, sin perder su autonomía, formando profesionales responsables, solidarios y ciudadanos, actuando en la construcción de un conocimiento que pueda contribuir en la superación de la crisis de legitimidad desarrollando experiencias inseridas en la globalización alternativa, contra-hegemónica, ya que contemplan acciones para la superación de las desigualdades sociales, en la lucha por la emancipación social de los sujetos participantes

Ideal Mariano e docência: a identidade feminina da Proposta Educativa Marista

In the teaching history course it s found the female teacher entering, reflecting significantly in the continuous process of her identity redefinitions and reconstruction. This entering brings, even in a silent and not explicit way, the confluence of gender identity to professional identity, in which are present the relations of the proper to female. In the mastership case, these relations are found imbricated in the teaching identity construction and in the translation of this profession as female, based in Virgin Mary, through Mariano ideal diffused by the catholic church. Therefore there is a lanck in educational historiography towards the register of female teachers presence, mainly in male religious institute, the reason of this study, in which we seek to investigate: how to explain that a female identity can give support to a highly male educational project? What relations can we establish between this female identity and the entering of female teachers in Maristas Province Schools of North Brazil? We performed a bibliographic research in Maristas Schools Libraries, of Marista historial, in Recife, of Pontificia Universidade Católica do Paraná (Catholic University), in Curitiba-PR. We searched for support in studies about pedagogy history, of Marista Institute, Catholic Church, Brasilian Education and of Women; Mariologic studies, the referring to Marista Educational Proposal, to feminization and to teaching identity; and feminist theology productions. The empirical research included 10 schools from referred province and Marista Schools from Lisbon Portugal. Through semi-estructured interviews, we interviewed pioneer female teachers, Marista former Brothers and Brothers from those schools, due to their presence and action within the study period and for the concern to save their memories about the theme. The study reveals the particularities of Mariano ideal as female model and teaching, and her presence in Marista Educational Proposal. This study, in a historical approach, aims to contribute to give visibility to the woman in history and teaching construction in Brazil, mainly in religious institutions from male origin

Era um sonho desde criança : a representação social da docência para os professores do município de Queimadas-PB

The objective of this work was to access and understand the teaching social representation (MOSCOVICI, 2005) for the teachers of the children education and fundamental education at Queimadas city, Paraíba. We assume that one representation that allows the teacher to name its profession and to act on it, is a derivative of regularities that are expressed by means of a habitus (BOURDIEU, 1983a), generative matrix of perception and action. This teaching habitus is originated from the experiences and the trajectories of social and professional life of the group. Therefore, from some variables, we tried to access the profile of the group of teachers studied and to get closer of their life style to understand their profession choice and the teaching social representation for this group. In this research, it was used four data sources: a) the questionnaires of characterization; b) the questionnaires of practices and meanings; c) the experience reports and; d) the interviews in depth. The analysis of the data collected was done by means of the simple statistics (frequency), the intersection of variables through cross tables and, the thematic analysis of the contents. The results show that there is a lightly homogeneous group in terms of its social origin and its life style, moreover, they conduct to an overlap between this origin/style and the professional choice. On the other hand, the teacher representation is multi-dimensional such that, all dimensions intercept and articulate with each other to provide a concise teacher representation. They are four dimensions: love and care, help and donation, teaching and learning and, sacrifice and hope. The elements of the teacher representation are substantiated in the schemes of perception and appreciation of the group, in the regularities and life experiences in the context of religion, family, gender and profession. In these regularities we find the elements that comprise the teaching habitus which drives perception and action, representation and daily practice of these teachers. The teaching social representation is still perceived as a threshold for the professional identity of the group of teachers considered. We also observed that there are signs of changes in the practices used by these professionals since they graduate from the course of pedagogy. However, it is not possible to say that these changes are isolated or they lead to a transformation in the teaching habitus or the teaching social representation

Teorias implícitas dsos estudantes de Pedagogia sobre a docência nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Esta tesis (desarrollada en la Base de Pesquisa, Formação e Profissionalização Docente da UFRN) concentra su ámbito de interés en el problema de la formación, de la profesionalización del pensamiento del profesor, buscando investigar las Teorías Implícitas de los estudiantes del Curso de Pedagogía sobre la docencia en los años iniciales de la Enseñanza Fundamental. La emergente necesidad de términos acceso a las Teorías Implícitas de estudiantes de Pedagogía (futuros profesores) sobre la docencia en los años iniciales de la Enseñanza Fundamental, a través de un instrumento de pesquisa que posibilite su aplicación en varios contextos formativos para contribuir con su proceso de profesionalización docente, constituye el problema analizado. La pesquisa tiene como objetivo elaborar un instrumento investigativo para estudiar las Teorías Implícitas de los profesores sobre la docencia en los años iniciales de la Enseñaza Fundamental. La complejidad del estudio nos ha llevado a integrar diferentes procedimientos metodológicos, según orientación del paradigma sociocultural, tales como: estudios exploratorios, a través de la revisión bibliográfica de la literatura especializada y técnica de trabajo creativo en grupo; técnicas normativas y psicométricas. A través de los estudios exploratorios identificamos y configuramos tres teorías profesionales de la docencia en los años iniciales de la Enseñanza Fundamental, las cuales presentan una importante relación con el Estado: la docencia como actividad laica, la docencia como actividad técnica y la docencia como actividad profesional. Para la configuración de la teorías, definimos siete subdominios estructurales de la docencia: función docente, concepción de aluno, contenidos de enseñanza, gestión de aula de clase, proceso formativo, condiciones de trabajo y naturaleza del grupo profesional. El cuestionario normativo ha sido el instrumento orientado para investigar las representaciones de los estudiantes a nivel de conocimientos establecidos y reglamentados por la cultura, como condición básica para investigar sus Teorías Implícitas sobre a docencia. El estudio ha constatado que los subdominios determinados para la comprensión del objeto de estudio están presentes, de manera reincidente, en la literatura especializada como los son representativos en las identificaciones de los estudiantes investigados. Hemos concluido que las teorías configuradas para caracterizar la profesión docente en los años iniciales de la Enseñanza Fundamental hacen parte de la estructura de conocimientos de los estudiantes sobre la docencia, aunque los enunciados de las teorías, como actividad laica y como actividad técnica, no presente índice de tipicidad y de polaridad muy significativo cuanto aquellos relativos a la teoría de la docencia como actividad profesional. Las Teorías Implícitas de los estudiantes enseñan que ellos comparten elementos o rasgos de todas las teorías de la docencia, aunque se revelen más predispuestos a la docencia como actividad profesional. El estudio orienta la aplicación del cuestionario reglamentado a un grupo de profesores actuantes en el nivel de enseñanza en cuestión, para que averigüemos si los enunciados que hacen parte de la estructura de conocimientos de los profesores son los mismos que componen la estructura de conocimiento de los estudiantes, de modo a fortalecer la validación de nuestro instrumento de pesquisa

Dimensões didática, afetiva e formativa de docência que tecem as representações sociais entre licenciandos da UFPI

This study intends to analyze the social representation of teaching for students of first years of undergraduate courses in Education, Letters and Biology. The field of this research was the Federal University of Piaui - Campus of Picos in 2009. To reach the objective proposed above, was used the theory of social representations to the seizure of the elements which constitute such representations according to Moscovici and colleagues, considering the contribution of Abric with his Theory of Central Nucleus and Wagner with the Theory of Sociogenesis. Data were collected in two phases: first, through the Technique of Free Association of Words (TFAW) of which 100 subjects evoked representations of their teaching through the inductor terms 'to teach', 'student' and 'teacher'. For those data we used the EVOC software that promoted to detect the elements of the core and to conclude that the social representation of teaching is one of the work performed by a master / teacher who transmits, directed to an apprentice who learns, confined to the school involving the student with all his virtues to be smart, interested and dedicated, and teacher to be friend, wise bearer of knowledge and also intelligent. Then, using the Multiple Classification Procedure (MCP) only 10 subjects made ratings of 25 more evoked words in the first phase, for the analysis of data from the MPC with the use of the SPSS software we used Multidimensional Statistical Analysis (MSA) for the Free Classification we found three dimensions of Social Representation of Teaching: The Didactic, that focuses on teacher and student being superimposed, meaning the inseparability of these elements, the Affective, which presents the elements inherent in teachers with love as the strong point of this dimension, and the Formative, that is as ambiguous as ambivalent because it sees the teacher as a professional directed to help students get an education; for Directed Classification with Similarity Structure Analysis (SSA), we learn that teaching is a profession that materializes in the classroom, which is extremely true because the action happens in this teaching space, supposing a caring, loving, cheerful, capable, apt, patient, partner, responsible, dedicated, committed educator, who has wisdom and knows how to teach and help students through dialogue to there study and learning. All of it s necessary to occur the result of teaching, which is education in a disciplinary manner. The results point to a very traditional social representation of what is the role of teachers, the role of students and the role of the relationship itself between teaching and learning through the act of teaching. With this statement, we can confirm that the structure of Social Representation of Teaching for the investigated subjects reflects the sociogenetic conditions that engendered them, and that these conditions permeate their structural organization, in particular time-context in which social representation was captured

Identidade e docência: o saber-fazer do professor de sociologia das escolas públicas estaduais de Picos - PI

This study deals with Sociology teacher identity issues. This is done considering daily routines of Sociology grade school teachers in the city of Picos in the state of Piauí-Brazil. Thus, the research aims to acknowledge the manner the inter-relations between the teacher s know-how and the process of construction of the professional identity of these teachers occur. It is seen that the discipline of Sociology in this context brings out processes related to inclusion and exclusion once the subject of Sociology is distinguished as unstable in relation to other disciplines. However, in June 2008, the law included the Sociology as a discipline 11,684 mandatory on all high school series.The theoretical and methodological procedures of this research were based on an ethnographic qualitative nature research and enabled a documental analysis. In order to collect data, a semi-structured questionnaire was applied in collective and individual in four state schools in the city of Picos in Piauí. The analysis of the information was based in content analysis from the proposals made by Bardin (1997), and Franco (2008). The information was then organized in knowledge matrixes that allowed the identification of themes divided into two thematic axes: teacher education: the search for sense making in experience and the exercise of teaching as well as the Sociology grade school teacher s daily routine. The research enables the understanding of the senses the subjects have on their own activity since the work deals with concrete situations and experiences in the scholar context. These senses are considered relevant in order to enable a comprehension of the inter-relations that are established between the know-how and the construction of the identity on behalf of these teachers. Almost all of the interviewed subjects did not have a degree in Social Sciences and came from other backgrounds especially ones related to Education. Sociology teachers investigated almost in its entirety, do not have specific training in the social sciences, becoming teachers of Sociology by lack of school and to complete the work load. But, in spite of the difficulties experienced in the practice of the discipline all are in favour of its inclusion in high school. They have a clear vision, that through the work of the theoretical content of the discipline with the daily life of the students by using teaching strategies that add value to the relationship of knowledge that are prepared in society at large, to Sociology provides a critical analysis of the reality in which they are inserted

Televisão universitária do RN (TVU): contribuição para a democratização da informação e a difusão do conhecimento científico produzido pela universidade

In this thesis we propose to investigate the contribution that the Universitary Television from Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil (TVU RN), offers to democratization of information and diffusion of the scientific knowledge produced by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) from the perception of their own students. We adopt the basic assumption in wich the TVU RN needs to be connected with the scope of the current UFRN policy, since plays an important role regarding democratization and social inclusion policies in UFRN. We support the thesis that TVU UFRN offers important information for those who are part of academic culture (COULON, 1995a; 1995b, CHARLOT, 2000; BOURDIEU, 2007, 2005, 1997, 1996, 1975), as well as for society in wich it is inserted, since it contributes to the dissemination of scientific knowledge and relevant information about the university. We consider TVU RN a Public Sphere (HABERMAS, 2002; 2003a, 2003b; 2003c; 1999; 1989) conducive to discussion of issues involving higher education. Researches on Universitary Television are recent and some studies on it advanced in the way to define it and present it as a means of dissemination of scientific knowledge (ROCHA, 2006; COUTINHO, 2006; CALLIGARO, 2007; AIRES, 1999; PORCELLO, 2002; PRIOLLI, 2003, 2008, 2009; MAGALHÃES, 2002, 2008; RAMALHO, 2008; 2010; CARVALHO, 2006). For our investigation we chose the combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, both equally valid and accepted by many authors (FLICK, 2009; BAUER; GASKELL, 2002; RICHARDSON, 1999; LAVILLE; DIONNE, 1999). We developed a questionnaire initially with objective questions ending up with open questions of free text. The questionnaire was developed and hosted from a tool of Google Docs and the link to the webpage containing those questionnaires was sent by e-mail by the Permanent Commission of Vestibular of UFRN, COMPERVE, for all university students who were with their registration (status) active in the COMPERVE registers of the second half of 2010. The analysis of this material was performed using the techniques of content analysis and, within this mode was chosen thematic analysis considered appropriate for both qualitative and quantitative research (BARDIN, 2004; MINAYO, 2002). The investigation found that although most students consider that the TVU RN contributes to the democratization of information and dissemination of scientific knowledge produced in university, and moreover to arouse the interest of the academic community, still has not yet become an object of interest of the entire academy. Therefore, the research highlights the relevance and abrangency of further studies on the TVU RN due to the strategic role it plays in this new reality of public universities in the country. In addition, we suggest to the UFRN managers that they put TVU within the hall of discussions in order to receive the so much needed investment for any university organ