Avaliação dos cursos de graduação a distância no contexto brasileiro: a excelência como garantia de padrão de qualidade

This paper, which is the result of a doctoral thesis, investigates aspects related to the quality assurance of distance undergraduate courses in Brazil. It provides a critical analysis of the Brazilian distance education system and compares it with the international accreditation process used in the USA. The study consists of a qualitative and descriptive analysis, several case studies, a literature review, and interviews with the evaluators and the coordinators of distance-run undergraduate courses (D.Ed.). The data from the instruments were then processed according to Discourse Textual Analysis (DTA). The evaluation process for undergraduate distance education courses in the USA was evaluated by identifying those quality indicators adopted by international accreditation agencies. Based on the analysis of the evaluation process of distance undergraduate courses in Brazil, a further study was carried out about the results and impacts of the Brazilian system, especially the indicators used and the level of confidence that existed when measuring the quality of distance-based undergraduate courses. As a result of this research, our researchers observed there was a real need to establish a quality assurance benchmark in Brazil along these conceptual lines, namely one that represents quality in D.Ed. and includes the usage of indicators that reflect the excellence of the degree course that are offered. This level of excellence is assessed on the basis of the training, experience, knowledge and skills of the evaluators, as well as on clear, precise and transparent criteria for measuring the quality-based distance degree courses. On the other hand, it is also necessary to be equipped with a Bank of Evaluators – not only for those who work in this field, but also for a group of experts that is large enough to implement the Brazilian evaluation system in distance education programs.