Digital proficiency and digital inclusion: Comparison between students of computer science, public relations and engineering

New information and communication technologies may be useful for providing more in-depth knowledge to students in many ways, whether through online multimedia educational material, or through online debates with colleagues, teachers and other area professionals in a synchronous or asynchronous manner. This paper focuses on participation in online discussion in e-learning courses for promoting learning. Although an important theoretical aspect, an analysis of literature reveals there are few studies evaluating the personal and social aspects of online course users in a quantitative manner. This paper aims to introduce a method for diagnosing inclusion and digital proficiency and other personal aspects of the student through a case study comparing Information System, Public Relations and Engineering students at a public university in Brazil. Statistical analysis and analysis of variances (ANOVA) were used as the methodology for data analysis in order to understand existing relations between the components of the proposed method. The survey methodology was also used, in its online format, as a research instrument. The method is based on using online questionnaires that diagnose digital proficiency and time management, level of extroversion and social skills of the students. According to the sample studied, there is no strong correlation between digital proficiency and individual characteristics tied to the use of time, level of extroversion and social skills of students. The differences in course grades for some components are partly due to subject 'Introduction to Economics' being offered to freshmen in Public Relations, whereas subject 'Economics in Engineering' is offered in the final semesters of Engineering and Information Systems courses. Therefore, the difference could be more tied to the respondent's age than to the course. Information Systems students were observed to be older, with access to computers and Internet at the workplace, compared to the other students who access the Internet more often from home. This paper presents a pilot study aimed at conducting a diagnosis that permits proposing actions for information and communication technology to contribute towards student education. Three levels of digital inclusion are described as a scale to measure whether information technology increases personal performance and professional knowledge and skills. This study may be useful for other readers interested in themes related to education in engineering. © 2013 IEEE.

Higher education in evening courses in Brazil: history, growth and public policies at the beginning of the XXI Century

There are three distinct and complementary objectives in this article in order to clarify the higher education outline in Brazil, specifically evening courses (classes are held on weekdays, generally from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm) and thesecurrent sector policies. The first objective is to present a short historical overview on the establishment of evening courses in Brazil, including those in the higher education level, occurred on the middle of last century. The second objective is to demonstrate the growth of evening higher education in Brazil, considering that in 1998, of the 2.1 million college enrollments, 55.3% were enrolled in evening courses; in 2010, twelve years later, of the 5.4 million students enrolled, there were 63.5% enrolled in evening courses. This expansion is due to the growing need of many students who must work while attending college, to defray costs of the study as well as personal and family costs. The reality of the working student is hostile considering external factors, such as transport problems, public security and lack of legislation for flexible working hours. The third objective is to discuss current public policies to expand eveningopenings in public institutions which represent nowadays only 16.1% of the 3.4 million enrollments for evening classes, including federal (6.8%), state (7.0%) and municipal (2.3%) institutions. In the third objective it is included the discussion of programs for scholarships and tuition loans. The methodology applied was to rescue historical information on the establishment and the expansion of evening courses in Brazil, analyzing the current general Brazilian policies and the specific ones from the State of São Paulo. The research results pointed to the importance of federal programs for scholarships and tuition loans for students from private institutions such as the 1,382,484 scholarships since 2004 (PROUNI Program) and the 847,000 tuition loans since 1999 (FIES Program). Important steps have been made by the Brazilian government. Considering that there are 3,987,424 enrollments in private institutions, the effectiveness of the programs for scholarships and tuition loans is still insufficient to meet the universal benefits for the student’s needs. Evening courses became the real instrument of social inclusion for many Brazilian youths and must be expanded quantitatively and qualitatively, with aggressive public policies, including also, scholarships and tuition loans.

The role of the state in health public policies: an overview of the debate on the concept of State and the Brazilian case

This article is the result of a narrative literature review. The objective is to show the development of an overview on the ideological debate on the design of state health policies. We argue that the role of the state in the development of health policy, even under the pressure of the global market, may create alternatives to promote and drive economic and social development, meaning they are not subject to economic constraints imposed by the liberal ideal of market. Here is a part of a theoretical discussion about the construction and presence of the State in Latin America, particularly in Brazil. We take the approaches of the Marxist tradition and liberal to the issue as reference. This discussion allows us to understand the historical role of the state in the maintenance of social policies, specifically health, is an alternative to public control eases the intense capital mobility promoted by economic globalization. In this sense, the theme makes the Brazilian health an important issue of social sciences, why is the historicity of the construction of the Brazilian health system, as a public policy that can mirror the actual reconstruction of the institutional framework of the Brazilian state with the establishment instances of negotiation between the various spheres of power that strengthen the state in this process of democratization of Brazilian society.

Relações entre pesquisa em ensino de Ciências e formação de professores: algumas representações

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de investigar representações de pesquisadores da área de ensino de Física sobre a possível interferência da pesquisa da área de ensino de Ciências na maneira como se formam professores no Brasil. Para tal, foram analisadas as respostas a uma questão formulada em entrevistas a treze pesquisadores do ensino da Física, indicados por seus pares por meio de correio eletrônico encaminhado a pesquisadores do ensino de Ciências, incluindo as subáreas de Biologia, Física, Geociências e Química. A análise de discurso desenvolvida na França por Michel Pêcheux, a partir de subsídios obtidos principalmente em publicações de Eni Orlandi no Brasil, foi o apoio teórico que sustentou o estudo. As representações que os discursos selecionados permitem inferir evidenciam pequena influência. Entretanto, foram enunciados fatores de grande abrangência, incluindo desde aqueles internos à própria área, quanto fatores associados a políticas públicas. Também se observou uma diversidade de posições entre os pesquisadores entrevistados. No conjunto, os fatores abordados pelos entrevistados constituem um amplo quadro configurativo de representações que pode ser elemento de reflexão para outros pesquisadores. Acreditamos que essas representações têm potencial de contribuição para efetivas interferências na forma de realização de políticas públicas, sem a necessidade do uso de prescrições e cada vez menos com recomendações vazias.

Políticas públicas e história de formação de professores de ciências: uma análise a partir da teoria social de Habermas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Apropriação da informação: um olhar sobre as políticas públicas sociais de inclusão digital

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Emergy assessment of tilapia cage farming in a hydroelectric reservoir

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Media Education and Brazilian Educational Policies for the Enhancement of Learning

As media education concepts and practices have been disseminated and strengthened in European countries and Americas, the policies responsible for that expansion remain little known, particularly in countries where the achievements have been recently noted. That is the case for Brazil, where there have been new opportunities for media education, considered as a valuable resource to help accomplish goals of the educational system. This paper looks into the contribution of media education to the enhancement of teaching and learning in the context of innovations brought by recent policies of the Brazilian Ministry of Education. After educational reform programmes which brought the opportunity for emerging fields such as media education, we produced teaching material and conducted a series of workshops with students and teachers from state secondary schools. By reading and producing multimedia information about local public services available to young people, pupils learned about democracy, citizenship, civic engagement, media language, and identity. Lessons from our experiment are discussed against the backdrop of education policies being implemented to ameliorate harsh conditions resulting from the recent economic crisis. We suggest that media education can help by creating a learning environment in which the students become aware of the value of educational attainments.

Desenvolvimento territorial, políticas públicas e inovação social no Alto Jequitinhonha - MG

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A igualdade como paradigma para efetivação de um direito processual coletivo no Brasil

Pós-graduação em Direito - FCHS

Comunicação pública, cidadania e internet: a popularização da ciência nos portais eletrônicos de governo

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Saúde, comunicação e nanotecnologia: o papel do debate público para a expansão da cidadania

Amongst thematic networks, strategic laboratories and master and doctorate scholarships awarded by the National Program of Nanotechnology, an actor of great relevance can be distinguished due to its relative absence: the lay people, once more relegated to a secondary agent in Brazilian democracy, although citizens’ views have been increasingly recognized all over the world as an indispensable factor to the science and technology public policies which are intended to be democratic. Whereas Europe and United States have incorporated public values and feelings in the policy planning, Brazil is still waiting for opportunities of public participation in the definition of research guidelines. This paper examines contemporaneous demands of science communication to the strengthening of citizenship, aiming to offer contributions to a debate directed to question the present arrangement — of antidemocratic indifference towards the public — adopted in the formulation of public policies in Brazil.

Contribuições a uma teoria da democracia digital como suporte à formulação de políticas públicas

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Alfabetização científica em nível médio e a preparação dos cidadãos para o processo de tomada de decisões

The concept of scientific literacy nowadays is permeated by principles eventually inconsistent. Development of cognitive skills, preparation for continuing studies in higher education, preparation for working life and the strengthening of citizenship are some of the competing goals of science education. In respect of Science, Technology, Society and Environment (STSE) Education, the politics of science should be properly taken into account by science education. This paper examines the concept of scientific literacy in the context of STSE Education and points to why and how physics education in high school curriculum should address topics of energy consumption and production in order to provide the background necessary to assess public policies of science, technology and innovation, in particular the Decennial Plan for Expansion of Energy 2020, subjected to public consultation by the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy in 2011.

Formação de professores de ciências: reflexões sobre a formação continuada

This article reflects on the continuing education of science teachers and, for that, it was conducted a documental analysis of the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Educations (Law No. 9394/96) and a bibliographical research to make a survey and a study about the authors with recognized contribution in this area, focusing on the following items (i) aspects of legislation and public policies for the continuing education on Basic Education teachers; (ii) teaching knowledge needed in their professional training; and (iii) continuing education of science teachers. It was concluded that teachers’ professional development should happen through institutional continuing education, guided by a work plan, so that they can effectively develop their as mediators between the students' interaction with the information obtained, so that the teaching-learning process can happen and consistent scientific knowledge can be constructed by students.