The Brazilian science system is a direct result of decades of consistent public policy connecting research and education in ways that are unprecedented in the world. As a unique outcome, most of the science conducted in Brazil takes place within a National System of Graduate Education (SNPG), mainly installed in the country's universities. The present study seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the system's conception, investigating conjunctures and policy decisions shaping its evolution. Furthermore, the paper will also provide a panorama of the SNPG today: how large is the system; how is it organised and distributed across the country; what are the characteristics of the faculty and student body, and more. The results of this study are essential for Brazilian academics and policymakers, but the unique approach to science and highlevel education in Brazil can serve as an inspiration for the international community, both from its successes and failures.
In this paper, we introduce the Societal Readiness (SR) Thinking Tool to aid researchers and innovators in developing research projects with greater responsiveness to societal values, needs, and expectations. The need for societally-focused approaches to research and innovation—complementary to Technology Readiness (TR) frameworks—is presented. Insights from responsible research and innovation (RRI) concepts and practice, organized across critical stages of project-life cycles are discussed with reference to the development of the SR Thinking Tool. The tool is designed to complement not only shortfalls in TR approaches, but also improve upon other efforts to integrate RRI, sustainability, and design thinking in research and innovation cycles. Operationalization and early-stage user tests of the Tool are reported, along with discussion of potential future iterations and applications.
Nearly all science and technology research in Brazil is conducted within a national system of graduate education. Since the 1970s, a graduate program assessment has been an integral part of such a system, and it is currently held on a quadrennial basis. The evaluation model is dynamic, evolving from the experiences of evaluators, policymakers, and the scientific community during each four-year cycle. This study analyses policy initiatives from the 2017-2021 evolving effort, focusing on strategies and recommendations to implement multidimensionality and self-evaluation as integral components of Brazilian evaluation. The paper traces how the idea for a multidimensional assessment was introduced in the country and how U-Multirank, an international ranking of higher education institutions (HEI), has come to inspire an evaluation that is not institutional but of graduate programs instead. The study identified some benefits and limitations of the chosen inspiration and analysed how the Brazilian proposal aligned with the U-Multirank principles. Furthermore, the investigation shows there is little concrete difference from the proposed new model to the one Brazil has already in place. Finally, the last section of this study looks into the once pivotal idea to pursue a self-evaluation component, now relegated to a minor role in the model, but that could be raised to a position supporting the design of an actual multidimensional assessment model.
A pós-graduação cresceu de forma exponencial nas últimas décadas no Brasil. Entre 1998 e 2018, o Sistema Nacional de Pós-Graduação (SNPG) cresceu 188% e o número de matrículas em mestrados e doutorados, 289%. No ano de 2017 foram titulados 21.393 doutores e 61.147 mestres, inclusive já superando uma das metas do Plano Nacional de Educação para 2024, que previa a titulação de 60 mil mestres por ano. Tal expansão ocorreu em todo o país, fato que torna relevantes os estudos para compreender as dinâmicas, as especificidades e as variações entre as regiões, estados da federação e segmentos das instituições que ofertam os programas (públicas e privadas). Com isso em mente, o presente artigo analisa a expansão da pós-graduação brasileira tomando como referência um estado da federação: Santa Catarina (SC). A escolha deve-se, entre outras razões, ao fato de o Estado ocupar a sétima posição nacional quanto ao número de programas de pós-graduação (PPG) e também quanto ao número de cursos de graduação presenciais. Além disso, SC expandiu a sua pós-graduação nos anos recentes, impulsionada pelas dinâmicas da interiorização da educação superior. Assim, o presente estudo foi desenvolvido por meio do uso de procedimentos e técnicas quantitativas e qualitativas, cabendo destaque para a sistematização e análise dos dados disponíveis na Plataforma Sucupira e no GeoCapes. O artigo demonstra, entre outros aspectos, que a pós-graduação catarinense cresceu mais do que a média nacional, totalizando 326% de 1998 a 2018, mas que tal PG existe em apenas 17 das 94 IES existentes no estado. Da mesma forma, inversamente ao que ocorre com a graduação, os mestrados e doutorados são majoritariamente ofertados pelo segmento público, que concentra cerca de 70% das matrículas (53% nas IES públicas federais e 16,6% pela única IES estadual). Enfim, a presente pesquisa mapeou a pós-graduação catarinense, incluindo suas conquistas e limitações, de forma que seja possível tanto obter uma compreensão abrangente dos resultados de políticas públicas de educação e pesquisa do passado, quanto também inspirar iniciativas futuras.
Brazil adopts a classification system of research and graduate education that is key to its high-stakes national evaluation. Originated in the 1970s, the system is organised around evaluation areas that have expanded and matured not only to support the evaluation dynamics in the country but also to address the immense growth of the National System of Research and Graduate Education (SNPG). This study investigates the origins, evolution and current profile of the Brazilian classification, identifying that five decades of expansion led the system to become somewhat peculiar, especially when compared with international classification systems such as the OECD Fields of Research and Development (FORD) and the Unesco International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). The investigation and the comparisons conducted reveal that the system needs to be revised. For that, the study advances to propose a scientometric approach to rethink not only the classification of evaluation areas but also the allocation of research and graduate programs within them. The methods explored in this paper show the potential of the approach, as the different analyses performed can provide evidence to expert committees in the challenging task of performing an evolutionary review of the adopted classification system.
This study presents a critical analysis of Brazil's journal classification system, Qualis, examining its evolution and effectiveness in assessing journal quality across diverse academic disciplines. The analysis highlights recent Qualis reforms, including unique classifications, and the adoption of "mother areas", plus the application of bibliometric indicators. Preliminary findings from the mid-term evaluation of graduate programs reveal discrepancies between how chosen indicators, including CiteScore and Journal Impact Factor, fail to align with expert committees’ assessment of the same journals. As expected, while these indicators correlate with peer review in a high percentage of STEM journals, they are far from effective in SSH. The study emphasizes the importance of further analysing Qualis' improvements and the role of evaluation committees as the final Qualis classification is released in 2023, thus determining if the system has evolved into a more representative evaluation framework or if its critics are justified in calling for its extinction.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.