Online graduate activities during the pandemic at the University of São Paulo, Brazil

The pandemic caused by SARS-COV-2 virus required changes in the academic procedures and routines in general. In March 2020, the University of São Paulo (USP) decided to temporarily replace face-to-face classes by remote online learning using digital platforms. Due to its considerable number of faculties (approximately 6000) and graduate students (approximately 30,000) from the 267 Graduate Programs, USP had to face the challenge of dealing with new forms of learning, as well as new ways to make feasible thesis and dissertation defenses. In order to evaluate the changes required during the pandemic, the University Provost for graduate affairs conducted a survey, by using forms containing questions in order to allow the academic community the identification of the best and most efficient practices used by faculty members, as well as weaknesses that should be overcome. This article presents and discusses the results of this evaluation, considering 1454 answers about defenses and 2656 answers about online courses. The results showed that most of the faculty members and students approved the procedures adopted, but some improvements regarding remote defense sessions and learning strategies were necessary. The article also presents some immediate actions performed by USP in order to overcome the challenges presented during remote activities.