A expansão do ensino superior a distância (EaD) no Brasil no setor privado e a formação do pedagogo.

Abstract

This research analyzes public policies aimed at undergraduate degrees in Pedagogy in the Distance Education (DE) modality, focusing on the five largest private Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Brazil. The study seeks to understand how these policies have contributed to the expansion of DE and what their implications are for the training of educators. The theoretical framework is based on Stephen Ball's Policy Cycle (1992; 1994; 2009; 2016), articulated with Foucault's (1970) conceptions of discourse and power, which allows for the examination of the relationships between political texts, institutional practices, and the contexts of influence and practice. Methodologically, a critical qualitative approach is adopted (Gamboa, 2003; Lima, 2003; Carspecken, 2011). The investigative process encompasses documentary analysis (Cellard, 2012) of current legislation on distance education in Brazilian higher education, content analysis (Bardin, 2011), and a systematic review configured as a State of the Art of theses and dissertations (Morosini; Nascimento; Nez, 2021). The results, analyzed in light of the specialized literature, reveal a duality between advances and challenges. The advances point to inclusion and geographical democratization, the expansion of cultural and social capital, the existence of quality public experiences in distance education pedagogy, as well as the pedagogical use of technologies and innovation. In contrast, substantial challenges are evident: the commodification and financialization of education, the emptying of intellectual training, the precariousness and fragmentation of teaching work, high dropout rates, limitations in supervised internships, and contradictions between official discourse and practice. The central thesis, corroborated by the research findings, posits that the offering of distance learning Pedagogy courses by the largest private higher education institutions acts, primarily, as an instrument for the massification of education. A prevalence of superficial and ineffective training is observed—marked by gaps in subjects inherent to teaching—despite the existence of occasional examples of excellence. It is concluded that guidelines for distance education should be consolidated as state policies, transcending governmental changes. To guarantee quality, the creation of a Research Center for Educational Sciences, the strengthening of on-site inspections by INEP (National Institute of Educational Studies and Research), and the implementation of scholarship programs as a strategy to mitigate academic dropout are proposed.