Interdisciplinary Extension Program in Teaching: Challenges, Possibilities, and Unexpected Situations

Abstract

Context: The implementation of curricular extension in Brazilian higher education, driven by the National Education Plan 2014-2024, led to curricular re-adjustment at ULBRA, emphasizing the integration of theory and practice in teacher training. Objectives: Promote extension activities that envision the formation of the researcher and the production of knowledge as an academic dimension necessary for future teachers. Design: Meetings between the coordinators of the teaching courses at the ULBRA/RS units, the coordinators of the Postgraduate Stricto Sensu programs with the assistance of the Academic Vice-Chancellor's Office and the Community Affairs Directorate. Environment and participants: Development of activities in a face-to-face class composed of 26 students who developed 05 projects based on the needs of the investigated communities. Data Collection and Analysis: The data was collected throughout the activities carried out in online classrooms and compiled in the final report of the extension project, registered in the virtual environment of the University, enabling the analysis of the projects carried out by the teams. Results: Two Interdisciplinary Extension Programs (IEPs) for undergraduate degrees have been defined, consisting of two courses in each IEP, totalling four courses from the curriculum. The described projects were carried out in the Educational Practices course, which is part of the 1st IEP - Educational Practices in Diversity. These guide the extension experiences of the students in the teaching degrees at the university, thus leading to the adjustment of the curriculum matrices of the courses according to the guidelines of the Institutional Development Plan (PDI). Conclusions: The strategies used by the project teams proved to be effective for involvement in all stages of the project, as well as commitment to extension actions and activities for responsible and ethical citizenship formation, providing the opportunity to combine theoretical education with practical activities in the training of the teaching students.