Abstract

Formative processes to strengthen Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) are demanded by the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP). Our objective was to describe and analyze the educational practices developed by teachers, aiming to reflect and propose adjustments to improve the distance formative process in FSN in the CPLP context (Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe). This is applied research, with a qualitative approach and a descriptive and explanatory nature, using video classes as study material, mainly based on Discursive Textual Analysis. The proposal indicates that courses of the same nature require: teacher education; recognition of students’ knowledge; insertion of dialogue in the video lessons; offering local activities capable of generating an understanding of the reality; creation of a sequence for the elaboration of the undergraduate thesis (UT); and writing UTs aimed at transforming reality.

Community of portuguese speaking countries; Distance education; Educational practices; Food security and nutrition

Introduction

The interest regarding Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) has become more relevant in national and international debates, especially regarding the development of public policies aimed at promoting it¹1. Abbas M. (In) segurança alimentar e território em Moçambique: discursos políticos e práticas. Rev Nera. 2017; 20(38):106-31. .

The awareness to worldwide FSN becomes even greater with the alarming data released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)²2. Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization. The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable. Rome: FAO; 2021. .

Moderate or severe food insecurity, based on the experience of individuals and families not having enough resources to eat, grew exponentially between the years 2020 and 2021, equivalent to the rate of increase of the previous five years²2. Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, World Food Programme, World Health Organization. The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable. Rome: FAO; 2021. , ³3. Food and Agriculture Organization. Voices of the Hungry. Escala de experiencia de inseguridad alimentaria [Internet]. Rome: FAO; 2022 [citado 6 Jan 2022]. Disponível em: https://www.fao.org/in-action/voices-of-the-hungry/fies/es/
https://www.fao.org/in-action/voices-of-... .

According to the report, this increase is added to large regional inequalities. Twenty percent of the population suffered from hunger in Africa during 2021, a figure that exceeds that of any other global region by more than twice.

This picture highlights the importance of local and FSN-promoting actions. In the Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP), as well as in Brazil, the institutionalization of FSN policies is in process, with greater or lesser progress, through laws, councils, and specialized institutional chambers⁴4. Sarmento F, Pinto J. Construção e implementação da Estratégia de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional da CPLP: histórico, balanço e perspectivas [Internet]. Rio de Janeiro: Ceresan; 2015 [citado 16 Out 2021]. Disponível em: https://ceresan.net.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/docs/Estrategia_de_SAN_CPLP.pdf
https://ceresan.net.br/wp-content/upload... .

In 2011, the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries (CPLP) developed the FSN Strategy (ESAN-CPLP), which in turn created its Council (CONSAN-CPLP), aiming to promote social participation and intersectorality in the coordination of actions, policies and projects of the FSN.

One of the several ways of action of the Council, the Facilitation Mechanism for the Participation of Universities (MU-CONSAN-CPLP), has identified demands for knowledge dissemination, capacity building and education of agents to act in the strengthening and institutionalization of FSN as a policy at all levels of government⁵5. Mecanismo de Facilicitação das Universidades no Conselho de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional da Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa. Quem somos [Internet]. Redenção: MU-CONSAN-CPLP; 2019 [citado 6 Jan 2022]. Disponível em: https://muconsancplp.unilab.edu.br/quem-somos
https://muconsancplp.unilab.edu.br/quem-... . In this context, distance learning (DL) has been a tool for the promotion of and access to formative processes.

Distance learning⁶6. Lévy P. Cibercultura. São Paulo: Editora 34; 1999. , ⁷7. Silva JCA. A integração das TIC no ensino secundário em Cabo Verde: um estudo de caso [dissertação]. Lisboa: Universidade Aberta; 2014. provides opportunities for integration, proximity, and exchange of experiences among virtual communities with common interests, needs, and desires, regardless of physical and geographical barriers or institutional domains. In addition, it favors lowering costs, flexibility of time, use of various types of media, and the valorization of curricular adaptation.

Thus, DL may be pertinent to the experience of teaching and learning according to the development of collaborative learning communities, and as such, requires, among other things, that teachers be pedagogically aware of the fact that DL is not based especially on a set of techniques, but rather on a process marked by the interaction between the collaborative (social) and constructivist (cognitive) nature⁸8. Garrison DR, Anderson T. E-Learning in the 21st Century: a framework for research and practice. London: Routledge; 2003. , ⁹9. Rourke L, Anderson T, Garrison DR, Archer W. Assessing social presence in asynchronous text-based computer conferencing. J Dist Educ. 2001; 14(2):50-71. .

According to this perspective, it is not enough to integrate DL in learning contexts to ensure the improvement of its quality. The learning processes depend on the technical, epistemological, pedagogical, and disciplinary knowledge learned and mobilized by teachers and students in learning situations, whose construction takes into account the experienced reality and the real teaching conditions¹⁰10. Tardif M. Saberes docentes e formação profissional. 13a ed. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2012. .

Therefore, educational processes based on DL are also linked to the idea of educational practice, as defined by Paulo Freire¹¹11. Freire P. Pedagogia da autonomia – saberes necessários à prática educativa. São Paulo: Paz e Terra; 2011.

12. Scorsolini-Comin F. Diálogo e dialogismo em Mikhail Bakhtin e Paulo Freire: contribuições para e educação a distância. Educ Rev. 2014; 30(3):245-65. - ¹³13. Menezes MG, Santiago ME. Contribuição do pensamento de Paulo Freire para o paradigma curricular crítico-emancipatório. Pro-Posições. 2014; 25(3):45-62. , that is, the understanding that it involves the apprehension of reality, which implies recognizing the multiple knowledges and experiences that it articulates¹¹11. Freire P. Pedagogia da autonomia – saberes necessários à prática educativa. São Paulo: Paz e Terra; 2011. .

Having this in mind, we developed the investigation of the second edition of the Lato Sensu Post-Graduation Course in Food and Nutritional Security, offered at a distance and for CPLP students (Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe). This course took place in two groups issuing double titling: one between UNESP (São Paulo State University “ Júlio de Mesquita Filho ”) and UNILAB (University of International Integration of Afro-Brazilian Lusophony), and the other between UNESP and UniZambeze (Universidade Zambeze), Mozambique.

The course was held between August 2019 and February 2022 and consisted of four hundred and eighty-five hours, divided into ten modules, including the Undergraduate Thesis (UT).

The ten modules of the Course comprised thirty-five subjects, and each of them had at least one video lesson, as well as the indication of complementary materials, a text prepared by the professor in charge, a discussion forum and an evaluation task.

This course was designed for professionals with higher education who work or are interested in FSN public policies. With one hundred and eighty students enrolled, the student body was composed of Brazilians (16%), Cape Verdeans (3.5%), Santomeans (8%) and Mozambicans (72.5%). There were 84% of these students in Africa.

PALOP member countries have difficulties regarding limited access to the Internet and ICT, due to financial and Internet availability issues. In addition, there are time zone differences between Brazil and these countries (varying from two to five hours), which hinders the experience of synchronous activities at night (preferred by those involved, since most of them work during the day). In this scenario, the use of asynchronous tools is indispensable and valuable.

Forty-one unpaid, cooperative teachers were responsible for preparing the didactic material. Thirty-one were Brazilian and seven Portuguese. In Africa, twelve teachers were involved in the articulation, tutoring and orientation of the final papers, and three of them also taught classes.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the educational practices developed by the teachers, in order to reflect and propose adjustments to improve the distance learning process in distance FSN in the context of the CPLP. In this sense, we start from the recognition that the gnoseological cycle associated with the construction of educational practices requires “awareness of incompleteness”, “critical reflection on practice” and “decision making”. Besides, we value translationality, as it allows a closer relationship between the researcher and the field of action, as it provides opportunities for new knowledge and new technologies for educational practice¹⁴14. Cabral Filho JE, Silva JR Jr, Agra KF. Pesquisa Translacional e a importância da sua difusão. Rev Bras Saude Mater Infant. 2013; 13(4):293-6. .

The theoretical framework used consists of authors who highlight the importance of building educational practices based on the mobilization of various knowledges¹⁰10. Tardif M. Saberes docentes e formação profissional. 13a ed. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2012. , the exercise of autonomy¹¹11. Freire P. Pedagogia da autonomia – saberes necessários à prática educativa. São Paulo: Paz e Terra; 2011. , and the questioning of abyssal thinking¹⁵15. Santos BS. Para além do pensamento abissal: das linhas globais a uma ecologia de saberes. Novos Estud Cebrap. 2007; 79:71-94. . We also used authors who highlight the need to think about the construction of knowledge through ICT in contemporary times⁶6. Lévy P. Cibercultura. São Paulo: Editora 34; 1999. , ¹⁶16. Canclini NG. Leitores, espectadores e internautas. São Paulo: Iluminuras; 2008.

17. Coll C, Monereo C. Psicologia da educação virtual: aprender e ensinar com as Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2010. - ¹⁸18. Silva B. A tecnologia é uma estratégia. In: Dias P, Freitas V, organizadores. Actas da II Conferência Internacional de tecnologias de informação e comunicação na educação. Braga: Centro de Competência da Universidade do Minho do Projecto Nónio; 2001. p. 839-59. .

Finally, we must point out that this work was developed under specific angles of analysis: those involved in management, tutoring, teaching, and UT orientation. To present and understand the students’ perspective, based on interviews and analysis of discussion forums or other actions developed in the course, is just as important. However, this task is beyond the existing scope, since the reflection of the two groups (teachers and students) requires an equally careful dedication to writing that goes beyond the limits of a single text.

Method

This research¹⁹19. Alves-Mazzotti AJ, Gewandsznajder F. O método nas ciências naturais e sociais: pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa. São Paulo: Pioneira; 1999. , ²⁰20. Gamboa SS. Pesquisa educacional: quantidade-qualidade. São Paulo: Cortez; 1997. is qualitative, applied, and reconciles exploration and description.

The research is qualitative in nature, based on the idea that

We used an applied research approach, because it aimed to generate knowledge directed to the implementation of university policy focused on distance lato sensu post-graduation courses.

At the same time, the research reconciled exploration and description, because it was promoted without formalized hypotheses a priori, involved specific cases and mobilization of empirical data, aiming to present the understanding of the studied subjects and social realities.

From the point of view of methods and materials, triangulation²²22. Flick U. Introdução à pesquisa qualitativa. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2009. (carried out by both authors of this manuscript) is registered, based on the performance of bibliographic (according to the cited references) and documental (video classes of the course studied) analyses.

To support the analysis of the educational practices in the video lessons, we developed a script based on the educator’s demands¹¹11. Freire P. Pedagogia da autonomia – saberes necessários à prática educativa. São Paulo: Paz e Terra; 2011.:

1. Does he/she report (“break the fourth wall”/teacher-student) to the students?

2. Does he/she consider their differences (class, gender, generation, race-ethnicity, nationality/regionality, academic background)?

3. Does he/she arouse the students’ curiosity?

4. Does he/she encourage critical thinking (does it bring ready-made content or content to be constructed with the student)?

5. Does he/she offer challenges?

6. Does he/she establish a relationship between the content and reality (constructed by the teacher or by the student)?

7. Does he/she propose a change in reality (favoring new interpretations of aspects of life in society)?

The video classes form the main material analyzed, since the course was based on this support, besides the dialogues promoted through the use of email, chat and WhatsApp. Its choice was due to the fact that it is present in all modules of the course, that it is an asynchronous activity, besides the possibility of being dialogical, because it provides contact with the figure of the teacher in sound and/or image, that is, it favors active listening, sharing, and the joint construction of knowledge, stimulated by teaching.

The preparation of the video classes was done under the guidance of the Course management. It made available a video containing the personal presentation of the students, and also organized a manual for the teachers (aimed at dealing with care in the recording and the construction of a language understandable by several areas of knowledge). Cell phone or computer cameras were used to record these classes, as well as software such as Google Meet and Power Point.

We watched sixty-six complete video classes, at least twice in a row, totaling nine hundred and eighty-seven minutes, with an average of 15 minutes each class and a standard deviation of 9. We listened to the teachers’ speeches, as many times as necessary for their understanding and verbatim transcription.

Next, we went through the steps foreseen in the Textual Discourse Analysis (TDA)²³23. Moraes R. Uma tempestade de luz: a compreensão possibilitada pela análise textual discursiva. Cienc Educ (Bauru). 2003; 9(2):191-211. , ²⁴24. Medeiros EA, Amorim GCC. Análise textual discursiva: dispositivo analítico de dados qualitativos para a pesquisa em educação. Laplage Rev. 2017; 3(3):247-60. . Deconstruction, the first stage, allowed the corpus to be derived into significant textual elements, so that the possibilities of meaning could be understood. Thus, the units of analysis (unitarization) emerged, guided by the research objectives. The articulations between the units of analysis created the categorization, being fundamental the script built from demands to the educator. Finally, we built the descriptive and interpretive text from the categories. The communication phase outlined, in a systematized way, the comprehensions reached throughout the analysis. The final research proposal was designed based on the knowledge of the analysis materials and on our theoretical assumptions. We did not use software for transcription and analysis.

The research was cleared by the Ethics Committee for Research in Human Beings under Opinion No. 2.689.78) and considered the ethical precepts of confidentiality, secrecy, and anonymity. Hence, we used the expression “Teacher”, followed by a letter (A, B, C...).

Results

After transcribing and performing the TDA, we organized the material into three categories: subjectivation, experience of autonomy, and transforming education ( Table 1 ).

Each course was composed of different numbers of video lessons, which were integrated by the treatment of the same theme. The average time of each video lesson was 15 minutes (standard deviation of 9). It can be seen that the category “Subjectivation” was present in more modules (9 out of 10), followed by “Experience of Autonomy” (7 out of 10) and “Transformative Education” (4 out of 10).

Subjectivation

We identified the category “Subjectivation” when we perceived the recognition of the Other by the teachers, represented by the students. By reporting to them, considering their differences, and establishing a relationship between content and reality, the teachers indicated concern and welcoming.

The first observation we made was the “breaking of the fourth wall”, identified when the teachers addressed the students directly. Examples of this are expressions like: “from now on guys”, “I told you a little while ago” or “it is important that you observe”.

The most visible form of respecting differences was related to nationality, during the initial greetings and in mentions of the participating countries. An example of this occurred when a Brazilian teacher greeted “Portuguese-speaking brothers and sisters”, pointing out their connections with Africa and remembering the celebration of the end of colonialism of the African peoples. We also identified in the image presented in the slide, showing the Cape Verdean food market, the sun over Mozambique and the preparation of a traditional dish (the cachupa from São Tomé e Príncipe).

The following excerpt shows the consideration of different nationalities:

We also identified a concern with the names given to foods in other countries:

We also noticed in the speech of a teacher the concern with the academic background and regionality of the students:

We consider as forms of respect to academic education the use by the teacher of language constructed from the perspective of everyday life, the explanation of specific terms of some areas and the presentation of the meanings of words:

Some Brazilian teachers reported a certain difficulty in appropriating the politics and culture of the other PALOP countries. The solution chosen by two of them was to give the students the opportunity to bring back the panorama of their countries. Thus, Brazil was treated as an example and the discussion about the other countries was forwarded in the Course forum, for the students to bring their perceptions. Some examples:

As for the establishment of the relationship between content and reality by the teacher, we identified cases such as:

We also verified a concern with this relation in the proposals to be answered by the students:

Experience of Autonomy

The second category, "Experience of Autonomy," gathers teachers’ provocations to the students, aimed at sharpening curiosity, encouraging criticism, and posing challenges.

Questions related to the content were the most used form. We select examples: “Why do some foods last longer than others?” (Teacher G); and “How can we transform the way food is produced so that we can provide food for all people and not destroy the Earth?” (Teacher H).

The incentive to critique was brought by teachers in the presentation of different concepts, such as family farming and peasantry, or the different positions in relation to the production of transgenic foods.

Another type of incentive to criticism was opened by a teacher to be built with the students, as in the question: “How does the FSN public policy reach the territory where you work?” (Teacher E).

Invitations to read, reflect, experiment, discover, participate, and analyze the local reality were expressed as challenges to the students:

Transformative education

The third category, “Transformative Education,” refers to the proposition of changing aspects of reality.

We identified the sharing of experiences of teachers with the communities, bringing problem situations experienced and concerns with the unfolding of the theme in practice, considering the territory of the students.

As an example, one of the teachers brought up issues related to local economic development, based on the experience of farmers from Vale do Ribeira, who organized themselves to sell food to the municipalities of São Paulo metro area:

Another teacher shared his experience with technical assistance to farmers, affirming that for the change of reality to be effective and lasting it is necessary that the construction be done in a joint manner:

The concern with the identification of local responsibilities and the search for solutions to fight child malnutrition in the students’ territory was also registered:

Discussion

The identification of the category “Subjectivation” allowed us to perceive in the Course the need, in its next editions, to have an asynchronous environment (due to the technical and social particularities presented), able to provide even more autonomous approaches to the theme to be worked on by teachers in each of the modules. The idea is to provide more space to record the students’ world view, aiming at enhancing the recognition of the student as an equally significant subject for the production of learning. This environment could be animated with the support of the course tutors.

Emerging from this, comes the effort to establish a better relationship between content and reality. To this end, the ignorance of the African reality by Brazilian teachers must be overcome. This can be tackled by giving greater value to dialogue, and, therefore, by deepening the idea that teaching requires the construction and reconstruction of knowledge. Moreover, it is necessary to think about continuing education, capable of overcoming this lack of knowledge about African countries²⁵25. Sodré M. Pensar nagô. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2017. , ²⁶26. Binja EJ. Tradição oral em África: valores, movimento e resistência [Internet]. In: Anais do 3o Seminário Nacional de Sociologia - Distopias dos Extremos: Sociologias Necessárias; 2020; São Cristóvão (SE). São Cristóvão: Universidade Federal de Sergipe; 2020 [citado 10 Nov 2021]. p. 1-20. Disponível em: https://ri.ufs.br/bitstream/riufs/13866/2/TradicaoOralAfrica.pdf
https://ri.ufs.br/bitstream/riufs/13866/... .

Certain topics can be considered in this continuing education: cultural aspects (ethnicities, languages, and religions), forms of social organization, food production and commercialization, the population’s food and nutritional situation, and existing actions, programs, and public policies.

Still on the need to know the African reality, we should think about the participation of African teachers in the organization and presentation of the courses. We recognize, therefore, the importance of local involvement in the construction of meaningful content that involves the daily life, cultural, educational, and social context³¹31. Brasil. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Relatório técnico DAV - avaliação multidimensional de programas de pós-graduação. Brasília: CAPES; 2019. of the PALOP countries. In this way, the experiences and knowledge of the territories¹⁵15. Santos BS. Para além do pensamento abissal: das linhas globais a uma ecologia de saberes. Novos Estud Cebrap. 2007; 79:71-94. are added to the scientific contents.

During the course there was little participation by African teachers. This was due to the regulation of the Lato Sensu Post-graduation, specialization modality in the university that certifies the course in Brazil²⁷27. São Paulo (Estado). Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”. Resolução Unesp nº 90, de 27 de Novembro de 2019. Dispõe sobre o Regulamento da Pós-graduação Lato Sensu, modalidade Especialização, prevista no Regimento Geral da Pós-graduação da UNESP. Diário Oficial do Estado de São Paulo. 5 Dez 2019. . It states that the teaching staff must have “a minimum of a doctoral degree with a profile appropriate to the course and proven academic and scientific productivity” and be made up of at least 50% of the university’s teaching staff. It also states that professionals with academic or technical-scientific recognition may be approved on an exceptional basis.

At this point, the certifying university should propose a different configuration of academic knowledge, including other forms of knowledge¹⁵15. Santos BS. Para além do pensamento abissal: das linhas globais a uma ecologia de saberes. Novos Estud Cebrap. 2007; 79:71-94. . The current concept hinders the participation of professors from partner universities, such as those from PALOP countries, given the small number of professors with degrees. This explains, for instance, why seventeen professors from universities in Mozambique enrolled as students in the course.

Based on these findings and considering the limits of what was possible, it was verified that the management promoted the participation of guests from the PALOP in the courses or at additional times, in the format of live-streaming. The participation of members of social movements and organizations or of public authorities led to the discussion of issues concerning aspects of the reality of the countries involved.

We also noticed the lack of conditions for the “Autonomy” to be experienced, according to our second category. To this end, we suggest a discussion about the insertion of records of student activities through speech and cell phones. These records can become course content and, based on this, allow the expansion of discussions and reflections based on similar or different realities between students-students and between students-teachers.

The incentive for the establishment of the relation between content and reality can be amplified in the course through the experience of a smaller number of tasks and their greater relation with the students’ social and environmental universe. In this way, the creation of learning situations in activities that allow research and the practical exploration of themes can provide the protagonism of the students in the process of elaboration of knowledge of the subjects.

The cell phone was an important tool for the students. It was used to watch video classes, perform tasks requested in the courses, and communicate with tutors and professors, with emphasis on the use of WhatsApp. The recording of audios aimed to solve doubts about deadlines and activities, besides the UT orientation.

The use of cell phones favors oral communication and the sharing of ideas and knowledge, so valued by traditional African societies, in which history, knowledge, and culture are transmitted and preserved by oral tradition. The rituals involved with speech, gestures, and interaction with the listeners have more vivacity; moreover, orality is engraved in the collective thought and present in daily life, constituting its own way of existing²⁵25. Sodré M. Pensar nagô. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2017. , ²⁶26. Binja EJ. Tradição oral em África: valores, movimento e resistência [Internet]. In: Anais do 3o Seminário Nacional de Sociologia - Distopias dos Extremos: Sociologias Necessárias; 2020; São Cristóvão (SE). São Cristóvão: Universidade Federal de Sergipe; 2020 [citado 10 Nov 2021]. p. 1-20. Disponível em: https://ri.ufs.br/bitstream/riufs/13866/2/TradicaoOralAfrica.pdf
https://ri.ufs.br/bitstream/riufs/13866/... .

The records that the students will produce with the cell phones can also feed back into the course involving the reality of PALOP for teachers. It must be considered that bringing the practical content for reflection integrates translational research and, in this process, learning is linked to everyday life and, because of this, it gains meaning for the people involved²⁸28. Colombo IM, Comitre F. Pesquisa translacional e a pedagogia freireana. Rev Iluminart. 2019; 17:107-26. .

The Course had several activities. The assessment modality for each subject was suggested by the management, based on the idea that the nature of some themes enables gains and experience with directed discussions or activities developed in the field, while others can be worked on through dissertations or multiple-choice questions. The need to manage the time needed to complete the course was a factor in the decisions.

From our reflection in this work, we realized that local practical activities can replace multiple-choice questionnaires, in order to expand the possibilities of establishing the relationship between content and reality, however, this requires planning by the management team, which becomes responsible for sharing and discussing the records.

The insertion of activities that generate reflections on the reality of the students would also require greater care on the part of teachers. Therefore, we suggest the design of a second continuing education module for teachers, basically composed of the following concern: how to perform tasks required in the graduate course using cell phones and based on voice and image recording applications. It will be a matter, therefore, of dealing with the teachers’ lack of experience with ICT¹⁷17. Coll C, Monereo C. Psicologia da educação virtual: aprender e ensinar com as Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação. Porto Alegre: Artmed; 2010. , therefore, with cyberculture⁶6. Lévy P. Cibercultura. São Paulo: Editora 34; 1999. , and the recognition that students are increasingly readers, viewers and internet users¹⁶16. Canclini NG. Leitores, espectadores e internautas. São Paulo: Iluminuras; 2008. .

The proposals we present here are related to “Transformative Education”, the third category identified by the proposition of changing aspects of reality on the part of the students.

It is worth mentioning here that it is a requirement of the course studied that the UT to be developed from research inserted in the students’ local reality, preferably with the involvement of the local community, so that the researches are linked to the processes of changing reality.

Because of this, we recognize the importance of the UT, but we also identify the need to integrate it with other activities, especially the assignments requested by teachers during the disciplines that make up the modules of the course. In this case, it is up to the management to recommend that these activities be designed and articulated in a process that also enables students to learn in a significant way and transform their reality.

This way of understanding the UT leads us to think about a third component of the continuing education of teachers. It would be aimed at tackling the theoretical emptying of pedagogical education¹⁰10. Tardif M. Saberes docentes e formação profissional. 13a ed. Petrópolis: Vozes; 2012. . In the case of the course in question, the absence of pedagogical education, properly speaking, is added, since many teachers have basic education in undergraduate courses in the bachelor degree modality, such as Nutrition, Agronomic Engineering, Food Engineering and Veterinary Medicine.

However, certain factors hinder the experience of “Transformative Education”²⁹29. Schlesener AH, Lima MF. Reflexões sobre a precarização do trabalho docente no Ensino Superior brasileiro. Praxis Educ. 2020; 16:1-17. , ³⁰30. Sanchez HM, Sanchez EGM, Barbosa MA, Guimarães EC, Porto CC. Impacto da saúde na qualidade de vida e trabalho de docentes universitários de diferentes áreas de conhecimento. Cienc Saude Colet. 2019; 24(11):4111-22. . The participation of the professors in this course was done in a solidary way, without remuneration. These professors have a large number of activities in the higher education institutions where they work. Added to this is the contemporary precariousness of work, the evaluation of academic performance based on a productivist logic, and the emotional and mental fatigue caused by the pandemic.

The reflections about the studied course are related to the self-assessment proposed by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) for post-graduation programs in Brazil, since 2018. Its importance is due to its formative characteristic, which takes into account the participation of those involved in the evaluation itself to overcome the problems and, consequently, to improve the programs³¹31. Brasil. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Relatório técnico DAV - avaliação multidimensional de programas de pós-graduação. Brasília: CAPES; 2019. , ³²32. Brasil. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Auto-avaliação de programas de pós-graduação. Brasília: CAPES; 2019. .

Self-evaluation provides the four-yearly evaluation of CAPES on Postgraduate programs, for example, with a new perspective, less quantitative and more qualitative, so that the priority is no longer the results and becomes the processes: “Self-evaluation is the process of evaluating oneself, sometimes also called internal evaluation or institutional evaluation, when referred to organizations. Its main objective is formative, of learning”³¹31. Brasil. Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior. Relatório técnico DAV - avaliação multidimensional de programas de pós-graduação. Brasília: CAPES; 2019. (p. 7).

Although the course discussed here involves the Lato Sensu Post-graduation, it is understood that the concerns about self-evaluation presented by Capes are valid for the search for qualification.

Final considerations

Promoting formative processes according to the constitution of a broadening education is challenging, when DL is taken as a basis and, more specifically, the asynchronous classes. One resents, in this case, the absence of a presential link and the distance between educator and student. On the other hand, these gaps can be overcome when pedagogical practice is based on promoting the interaction of man with his world, which requires starting from historical-social-cultural knowledge, creating collective situations of knowledge production, and assigning to education the unequivocal role of transforming reality.

From the Postgraduate Course video lessons, we were able to identify three categories that supported our analysis: “Subjectivation”, "Experience of Autonomy," and “Transformative Education”. Reflecting on each one of them made it possible to elaborate a proposal to improve the formative process, from the perspective of the teacher’s performance and, precisely, in the sense of overcoming the existing gaps in distance education and asynchronous classes. It is the recognition and the problematization of the presence of these categories in the pedagogical practices of the teachers, in fact, that leads to the recognition of the possibility of formative processes of this nature being marked, more and more, by the concerns of liberating education.

The proposal based on the reflection on the educational practice involves the teachers’ education and the planning of the management team. For the teachers, we suggest a course that addresses the PALOP reality, the creation of learning situations in local activities that allow research and the practical exploration of course themes, using voice recording and cell phone images, and the strengthening of pedagogical education. For the management team, the proposal demands the creation of an environment that provides a logical approach to the themes worked on, and the planning of activities inserted in the reality of the students, in order to integrate them in the elaboration of the UT.

The proposal presented in this paper does not exhaust the possibilities to overcome the limitations encountered, but faces them in order to broaden the presence of the concerns associated with liberating education. In this sense, it seeks to overcome some barriers to the construction of educational practices in the course studied, since a third edition is being implemented and others are being glimpsed. Moreover, the proposal also aims to contribute to formative processes carried out in contexts that present similar characteristics, such as the experience of sociocultural diversities, significant time zone differences, difficulties with internet connection and the stability of electric power supply.

In order to expand the possibilities of DL and asynchronous classes, we emphasize the importance of taking a few steps. The first is the need to recognize the importance of self-assessment. The second is to conduct research to understand the reality of students and teachers, as well as the possibilities and resources available. Finally, the third is to assume the fundamental role of management in the search for totality, starting with the involvement of the team (teachers, tutors, collaborators, and management itself), and the integration of activities.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to all those involved in the execution of the second edition of the Lato Sensu Postgraduate Course in Food and Nutrition Security, such as the students, teachers, researchers, scholarship holders and partner institutions of the MU-CONSAN-CPLP.

References

Publication Dates

History