Ensino superior público e as novas políticas de expansão e de inclusão: o Programa UNIVESP

No Brasil, a importância da educacao superior como forma de producao de conhecimento e de profissionalizacao tem se intensificado. Tendo consolidado o funcionamento desse sistema, as politicas do Estado de Sao Paulo voltadas para a area de ensino superior tem investido em programas de expansao do ensino superior para ampliar o numero de vagas oferecidas e de ampliar sua distribuicao geografica. Diante dos limites fisicos de expansao do ensino superior publico paulista emerge a proposta do ensino virtual - uma concepcao de educacao que ultrapassa os limites geograficos – por meio do programa Universidade Virtual do Estado de Sao Paulo – UNIVESP. O programa, como abordado no presente artigo, amplia o numero de vagas nas tres universidades publicas paulistas – USP, UNICAMP E UNESP – utilizando metodologia inovadora, que associa o uso intensivo das tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao as praticas tradicionais do ensino presencial, o que permite uma grande qualidade na formacao dos alunos. Palavras-chave Educacao superior; Educacao a distância; Tecnologias de informacao e comunicacao; Ensino presencial; UNIVESP Abstract In Brazil, the importance of university education as a way of producing knowledge and accomplishing professional abilities is facing a significant increase. In view of that, the Government of State of Sao Paulo has been adopting policies with a view to investing in programs of expansion of university education, aiming at both increasing the number of people able to attend the university courses and expanding the geographic distribution of such courses. Due to the physical limits imposed to the expansion of public university education in the State of Sao Paulo, a new concept arises – the virtual education system, offered by the program called “Virtual University of the State of Sao Paulo”. A concept of education that exceeds geographic limits. Such program, as one may infer from this essay, allows an increase in the number of people attending university courses at the three main public universities in Sao Paulo – USP, UNICAMP and UNESP – by using innovative methodology, which associates the intensive use of the information and communication technologies to the traditional practices of the teacher-student relationship with the quality of the university education. Keywords Higher education; Distance education; Information and communication technologies; Teacher-student relationship; UNIVESP