BROCHADO, Marina1, EPSZTEJN, Ruth, FERREIRA JORGE, Jorge, SOUZA, Cristina & COSENZA, Orlando2
1 Av. Maracana, 229 - CEP: 20271-110, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - CEFET/RJ,
marinar@openlink.com.br
2 Rua Uberaba, 3/905 - CEP: 20561-240, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - COPPE/UFRJ,
nunes@domain.com.br
Abstract: the intense scientific and technological development is performing a great deal of changes at work processes and consequently in social relations and production techniques. This setting demands a new professional profile with boarder and multidisciplinary approach, not more fragmentary and specialized view of work station rank. Nowadays, it has been discussed Polytechnical, Polyvalent and Competences, giving way to rethink Technological Education.
The Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (Center Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca) - CEFET/RJ is a Brazilian institution that has all its courses in technological area and aims at the vertical integration of technical education, from upper secondary to graduate courses and Master's Degree.
At the moment, one of several challengers of CEFET/RJ is to tighten and stress its tradition technological courses and the recently opened Production Engineering - with technological base mechatronic -, as well as the Master's Degree in Technology. The two aforementioned courses have own features that make them pioneers in the country.
The goal of this paper is to detect the existing obstacles to the settle of the relationship of the mentioned courses as well as to show the chosen strategies to overcome the resistances. After that, CEFET/RJ will be more flexible, able to adapt to steady changes forced by the society and at the same time, make a more favorable environment to learning and to technical innovation.
This work will be developed in three parts: the making of a diagnosis of the courses, how they are structured and depicting how they are interrelation; evaluation of the existing problems for a better integration among the considered courses; to formulate strategies that are being adopted.
Keywords: technological, education, integration, engineering, strategy
The intense scientific and technological development is performing a great deal of changes at work processes and consequently in social relations and production techniques. This setting demands a new professional profile with boarder and multidisciplinary approach, not more fragmentary and specialized view of work station rank. Nowadays, it has been discussed Polytechnical, Polyvalent and Competences, giving way to rethink Technological Education.
Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (Center Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca) - CEFET/RJ is a Brazilian institution that has all its courses in technological area and aims at the vertical integration of technical education, from upper secondary to graduate courses and Master's Degree.
The Institution has technical courses ranging from upper secondary degree - at the areas of Electronics, Electrotechnics, Meteorology, Mechanics and Civil Construction (Building and Highway), providing graduation on Industrial Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Electrical Engineering - emphasis on Telecommunication, Electronics and Electrotechnics - and more recently, Production Engineering and Industrial Management; and Master's Degree in Technology in two branches of research and teaching - Technological Processes and Management/Technological Education.
At the moment, one of several challengers of CEFET/RJ is to tighten and stress its tradition technological courses and the recently opened Production Engineering - with technological base mechatronic -, as well as the Master's Degree in Technology. The two aforementioned courses have own features that make them pioneers in the country.
The goal of this paper is to detect the existing obstacles to the settle of the relationship of the mentioned courses as well as to show the chosen strategies to overcome the resistances. After that, CEFET/RJ will be more flexible, able to adapt to steady changes forced by the society and at the same time, make a more favorable environment to learning and to technical innovation.
This work will be developed in three parts: the making of a diagnosis of the courses, how they are structured and depicting how they are interrelation; evaluation of the existing problems for a better integration among the considered courses; to formulate strategies that are being adopted.
Since its beginning until nowadays, CEFET/RJ is being used as an educational experience laboratory for the country.
The institution was founded in 1917 but only in 1978, with tradition and acknowledgement in excellent quality of its technical courses, turned into a Federal Center of Technological Education and began to offer graduate courses.
CEFET/RJ, as well as the other Federal Centers of Technological Education in Brazil, aims at supplying Technological Education, according to the following criteria:
Doing so, CEFET/RJ embodied the goal of achieving the vertical integration among the several degree of graduation (upper secondary in technical education, graduate courses for Technologist, Industrial Engineering, Production Engineering, Industrial Management and Master's Degree Courses) with the goal to get better results from the existent material and human resources and being responsible for preparing professors for technological education in various degrees in the country.
During these years, CEFET/RJ is enlarging its role and goals focused on a pro-active perform in multiple levels in technological area demands, especially in teaching and applied research.
In 1989, CEFET/RJ, recognizing the need of discussing research policies to the institution and considering mainly that there was a faculty who has been already developed research projects sought to manage these projects in order to:
CEFET/RJ also tried to encourage the research qualification, well known as an indissoluble activity from teaching and extension, stimulating the faculty to grant Master and Doctor Degree and also giving out the scientific production as showing its results in Congress and Seminars.
By this way, there were settled the basis for Master's Degree in Technology in two branches of research and teaching - Technological Processes and Management/Technological Education. This course aims at comprehension, analysis, application and a critical view towards:
The Master's Degree in Technology has been developed several researches in technological area since it began in 1992. Recently it was evaluated and approved by CAPES (Education and Culture Ministry's organ) responsible for courses approval. This fact will bring a new light to the course which will have more opportunities of getting financial and research scholar ships.
In Brazil, the claim for Production Engineering has been increasing, making this branch of Engineering together with Telecommunication and Mechatronics (Control and Automation), one of the most searched by the students, due to the best perspectives of working at this end of century. For instance, in the last five years, the number of institutions that offer courses of Production Engineering has been increased more than twice (more 35 courses in graduation and 15 in post-graduation).
Similar to the definition by International Institute of Industrial Engineering - IEE and Brazilian Production Engineering Association - ABEPRO, the Production Engineer projects, designs, makes the implantation operation, improvement and maintenance of integrated productive systems of goods and services, envolving men, materials, technology, information and energy. Still belongs to him to specify, foresee and evaluate the results of systems for the society and environment, recurring on specialized knowledge on mathematics, physics, human and social sciences, along with principles and methods of Engineering analysis and project.
In order to obtain conditions to project and to design products, to make products viable, to design productive systems, the Production Engineering demands knowledge from Product Engineering, Plant Project, Productive Systems, Methods and Processes Engineering, Product Planning Control, Production Costs, Quality, Organization and Maintenance Planning, Confiability Engineering, Ergonomy, Hygiene and Security of Work, Logistics and Distribution and Operational Research.
Adding to the common background of all Production Engineers, CEFET/RJ intends to put on the market professionals with technological base in mechatronic with involves knowledge on mechanical, electronical and computer. These professionals, besides being able to work in services sector, will have better conditions to work in industries. This feature makes on state of the art program to Production Engineering to CEFET/RJ.
Although it was recently opened - it began in 1998 - the demand for the course is being plentiful, having perspective of growing as the course will be more given out and acclaimed by society.
Originally, CEFET/RJ only offered professional technical courses, equivalent to the old Secondary Degree, with a course quality considered a national reference, reflecting the economical development requirements, in particular, from secondary sector.
When the new Law Education (Law no 9394/96) was sanctioned, occurred a restructuring in all educational sector in the country, including the Secondary Degree teaching, that switched its name to "Medium Teaching" and "Professional Education with Technical Degree". So far, it was a single integrated course and its professional certificate was equivalent to "Secondary Degree", this is no longer true.
Nowadays, for the pupils who are enrolled since 1998, there is an option to be either in "internal concomitance" according to the rank achieved in the test period.
The "internal concomitance" means that the student will take one of the "Professional Education with Technical Degree" at CEFET/RJ and besides that will take the Medium Teaching at the same place.
The "external concomitance" means that the student will take one of the course of "Professional Education with Technical Degree" at CEFET/RJ and will study at Medium Teaching at on different teaching Institution.
In both cases, the pupils are submitted to an approval in a Technological Initiation Program with one term.
As Professional Education in Technical Degree courses under the old structure that linked the Secondary Degree to professional graduation, CEFET/RJ continues to offer: Civil Construction (Building and Highway), Electronics, Electrotechnics, Mechanics and Meteorology. Apart from these aforementioned courses, CEFET/RJ is offering three evening courses of Professional Education in Technical Degree for students who have already graduated at Secondary Degree: Sanitation, Security in Work, Telecommunication.
CEFET/RJ is a rather small institute compared to other universities as Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Federal University Fluminense, State University of Rio de Janeiro and others. All its courses have technological profile, having a strong likelihood of turning into a Specialized University.
CEFET/RJ's structure facilitates the integration between the different levels of teaching allowing more synergy among the several existent resources. The interweave observed from the following factors:
The graduation courses and the Master's Degree Course are linked to the Superior Teaching Department - DEPES, however Production Engineering Department - DEPROD is responsible for Production Engineering Course and Co-ordination of Post-Graduation Courses - CCPG is the responsible for Master's Degree in Technology Course.
The Medium Teaching is bound to Medium and Technological Teaching Department - DEPEM.
DEPES and DEPEM are at the same level at CEFET's organogram, independent from each other, although both are subordinated to Teaching Directory - DIREN and to Dean Council - CONDI.
At the organogram, other unities, like Teaching, Research and Extension Council - CONEP, Distance Education Nucleus - NUEDI, Extension and Community Affairs - DEAC are linked to DIREN, which means that they can attend the Medium and Superior Teaching (graduation and post-graduation).
The search for application in the pupil's demand to CEFET/RJ is plentiful because it is a federal institution which offers free courses with consolidated quality.
The professionals graduated in CEFET/RJ, usually get their certificate already employed, once the Institution is well known at the market for offering besides theoretical contents, a good practical feature for its students.
To access CEFET/RJ's courses, in any of the three levels of teaching, it is necessary to be submitted to a public test, in what there is not any advantage between CEFET/RJ old pupils over pupils from other teaching institution. In spite of this fact it is noted that there is a great number of students in graduation and post-graduation courses come from CEFET/RJ, reflecting the well qualification and the pupils' satisfaction with the services offered.
The main "campus"of CEFET/RJ is located at Av. Maracana 229 and it is where almost all teaching and research activities take place. The location has easy access by all means of transport: train, subway, bus and car, what allows to have all activities at all shifts.
The physical area ranging from those destinated to teaching activities, like classrooms, laboratories, workshops, libraries, to those destinated to general use, like restaurant, snack bar, yard, are shared for all, which permit's more approach and integration among various teaching levels.
The faculty hiring for Medium and Superior Degree is by a public test which depends on Education and Culture Ministry's authorization.
Despite the professors are related to different departments, there is collaboration among them. Some professors give lessons at Medium and Superior Degrees.
Another thing that has to be mentioned about interrelationship among courses. Is the search of CEFET's professors for Master's Degree in Technology which is offered at the same Teaching Institute.
Since the 70's, intense scientific and technological development is performing changes at work processes and consequently in social relations and production techniques. This setting demands a new professional profile at the same time that becomes others obsolete.
As CEFET/RJ is an institution that aims to offer the best teaching for its students, at the three degrees, for this it is necessary to embody the changes that are happening, to adapt and to always improve its student's graduation. Thus demanding to found new courses and to update the existent ones, in their program content and adopted teaching methodologies. For reaching its goal, CEFET/RJ needs an increased faculty qualification through developing researches and extension activities.
At the moment, Brazil is undergoing a difficult economical time which is reflecting at the federal resources given to CEFET/RJ. For example, the Institution depends on these resources and Education and Culture Ministry's authorization for living professors, so there is a lack of them.
At the same time, there are two important discussions at governamental level that will deep influence CEFET/RJ's future:
Another changes and challenges have been happening at the last years, as example:
Affecting directly to Master's Degree:
Affecting Engineering Graduate Courses
Affecting Medium Teaching:
At the moment, CEFET/RJ is restructuring due to Education Reform and it is sure that it will offer the three evening courses mentioned.
In relation to "Professional Education with Technical Degree" and "Medium Degree" the restruction is being done including the new branches definition.
CEFET/RJ is trying to maintain a strategical perform in technological education according to a prospective approach to the technological development dynamism.
According to this approach CEFET/RJ is making efforts to consolidate more integration among its courses and to be the best on teaching, research and extension activities. These efforts are:
Due the lack of resources:
In order to get teaching improvement:
Due the technological changes:
Due to college autonomy project and the end CEFET/RJ model:
Changes, especially of technological kind, that are happening at recent years, make the society's demands very dynamic and consequently affect the market.
These factors force all teaching institutions to rethink their courses, to incorporate knowledge that enables the professionals to skill in a successfully way for them and the society.
CEFET/RJ model has an interesting characteristic that is the opportunity to make an integration among all its courses - Medium Technical, Graduation, and Post-Graduation Degrees - without lacking its quality. Despite all the difficulties and switches that are happen in Brazilian Educational System, CEFET/RJ is trying to perform in a pro-active way becoming more flexible and adapted to the real needs.
EPSZTEJN, R. Engenharia de Producao e Propriedade Industrial no Setor de Bens de Capital: Caso Brasileiro Recente . Rio de Janeiro: COPPE/UFRJ, 1988. 145 p.(in Portuguese).
EPSZTEJN, R., BROCHADO, M.R., FERREIRA JORGE, J.C. Course on Production Engineering with Technological Base Mechatronic. In ICEE98 Proceedings. Rio de Janeiro: PUC-RJ, 1998, 7p. (in English).