Educação a distância e a evasão: desafios para uma instituição privada de educação superior

Abstract

This paper had as object of study the dropout in Distance Education - DE and its main objective to investigate the reasons that lead students enrolled in courses in this modality to drop out. In the development of the research, a quantitative and qualitative approach was adopted and the data were collected through literature review and fieldwork carried out by applying a structured questionnaire to students who had evaded distance learning from a private higher education institution located in the Federal District. . As a theoretical reference we resorted to authors who have been devoted to the study of distance education, particularly those who have investigated dropout, among which are: Moore and Kearsley (2007), Mattar (2011), Pretti (2000), Palloff and Pratt (2002), Mill (2013), among others. The research reveals that students cite as reasons for dropping out financial issues, lack of adaptation to distance learning, lack of time to perform tasks and have the feeling of being alone on the study platform. Thus, it is possible to conclude that one of the major challenges for the researched institution is to think of forms of support and welcome that help to cope with the feeling of loneliness of students, creating strategies for the student to feel completely supported by the university, causing develop autonomy, progressing in their role as the main actor in the learning process.