DISTANCE LEARNING AS PUBLIC POLICY TO DISSEMINATE HIGH LEVEL EDUCATION IN BRAZIL

DISTANCE LEARNING AS PUBLIC POLICY TO DISSEMINATE HIGH LEVEL EDUCATION IN BRAZIL Marcelo Amaral Program of Graduate Courses in Management, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil (www.ppga.uff.br)., Clemente Gonzaga Leite Department of Accounting, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil (www.ichs.uff.br)., Ilton Curty Leal Junior 1, Júlio Cândido de Meirelles Junior 2, Júlio Cesar Andrade de Abreu 1, Márcio Moutinho Abdalla 1, Ricardo Thielmann Department of Business and Public Management, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil (www.ichs.uff.br). Abstract: The key issue of this paper is a reflection about the use of distance learning courses (DLC) as a way to improve civil servants competencies in the municipalities of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and, consequently, improve services quality level, promote intra-entrepreneurship in the public service and boost regional economic development. Many authors and reports around qualify DLC as a positive experience to giving access to the high-level education and disseminate knowledge to more people. Some of them, as Christensen, spokes about a revolution in the classroom. In 2005, the Brazilian government created the Open University of Brazil (UAB) to promote education in the countryside. Brazil has low amount of people accessing high education and DLC can be a useful way to do it. In complement of UAB, the Brazilian government created the National Training Program of Public Management (PNAP) as a policy to improve civil servant qualification. The paper reports an experience at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (ICHS), pole of UAB in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The ICHS is a unit of Fluminense Federal University (UFF), created in 2006 and based in Volta Redonda, one of the key cities of Brazilian industrialization in XX century, situated between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. ICHS/UFF has 90 members in its academic staff and close to 1,500 students in undergraduate (Management, Public Management, Accountability, Law and Psychology) and graduate courses (Master in Management and MBAs). Since 2010, ICHS/UFF offer a 4,5-year undergraduate distance-learning course in Public Management and three graduate courses in the field with a year and half duration. In the period 2010-2013, ICHS/UFF received 2,070 students in the undergraduate course and 2,900 in 3 graduate courses calls. Currently, close to 300 students has already completed their graduate courses, most part of them civil servants. The experience allows several findings. First, it´s essential to have an academic staff mind-opened to use technology and interact with local level of public management. Second, the learning process is different in DLC and lecturers/tutors has to change the teaching methodology. Third, the online courses has to have different curricula from conventional ones. Fourth, it´s necessary adapt the administrative structure to attend online students. A current discussion is how to introduce a percentage of DLC in the conventional courses. The experience can be evaluated as positive to ICHS/UFF and allow the institution to offer more courses to managerial staff of universities, local government and companies to promote university-industry-government linkages and economic development. Keywords: Distance learning courses, regional economic development, public policy, innovation, university-industry-government linkages 1. Introduction The paper´s motivation is a reflection about the use of distance learning courses (DLC) as a way to improve competencies of civil servants in the municipalities of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and, consequently, improve services quality level, promote intra-entrepreneurship in the public service and boost regional economic development. Many authors and reports around the world qualify DLC as a positive experience to giving access to the high-level education and disseminate knowledge to more people. Some of them, as Christensen, spokes about a revolution in the classroom (CHRISTENSEN, JOHNSON, HORN, 2008). This work reports an experience at the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, an academic unit of Fluminense Federal University (ICHS/UFF), pole of Open University of Brazil (UAB), in the State of Rio de Janeiro. It has four sessions beyond this introduction: description of DLC evolution and policies in Brazil, description of ICHS/UFF´s experience, discussion and conclusion. 2. Description of DLC evolution and policies in Brazil The distance learning The original term in Portuguese is “ensino à distância (EAD)”. The term cover 100% distance learning courses and some with classrooms, called semipresential courses. The acronym MOOC for massive online open courses is not diffused in Brazil. Because of this, the authors will use DLC. has presence in Brazil since the beginning of century XX, where professionals offering mail courses, such as typing, designs, drawings, calligraphy, mathematics, among other. Companies were at this business offering a wide range of courses, many of them offered and disseminated in comic books. A large number of Brazilians benefited from these mail courses, such as the Brazilian Universal Institute (IUB), or television, via Telecurso 2000 IUB is a pioneer of distance education in Brazil. Since 1941, has played an important role in the application of this teaching method, collaborating decisively to prepare professionals capable and productive through professional and technical education. It has more than 2,000 courses from real state seller, photography, music, dressmaking, welding and automotive mechanics to high school (see more at http://www.institutouniversal.com.br/). The Telecurso is an educational technology, recognized by the Ministry of Education, which provides basic quality education to those in need. In Brazil, it´s used to the education of youth and adults and as an alternative to regular education in towns and remote communities. Since 1978, the Roberto Marinho Foundation, through partnerships with governments, public and private institutions have implemented all over Brazil 32,000 classrooms with Teleclassroom Methodology which teach subjects in modules, not series, as regular education. About 40,000 teachers were trained and more than 6 million students completed formal education. (see more at http://www.telecurso.org.br/) . Currently, it´s perceived that DLC is as a major step in supporting public education policies in the country. It allows a greater range of courses throughout the Brazilian territory, mainly in the countryside, with ease access and availability of time for students. It´s also does the empowerment of civil society and improves the competencies of civil servants of the country, who needs further training (ABREU, 2012). The country has legal and institutional framework for DLC, which should continue to be supported and worked on several levels. The consolidation DLC process got their start with the creation of the Department of Distance Education (SEED) in the Ministry of Education (MEC), by Decree no. 1,917 (May 27th, 1996). The SEED/MEC came as a transformation agent in teaching and learning processes, promoting the incorporation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the techniques of DLC to the teaching methods. The SEED/MEC was abolished in 2011 and its programs and actions are now linked to the Department of Continuing Education, Literacy, Diversity and Inclusion at the MEC. According official documents: “In Brazil, the DLC modality obtained legal support for its realization with the Law of Guidelines and Bases of Education (Law no. 9,394, December 20th, 1996) laying down in Article 80, the possibility of using the modality of distance education at all levels and types of education. Decree no. 2,494 and no. 2,561 subsequently regulated this article, in 1998. Both repealed by Decree no. 5,622, in force since its publication on December 20th, 2005” (MEC, 2007, p.5). From the Decree No. 5,622 (December 19th, 2005), is been constituted a legal framework for DLC, in its first paragraph defines: "Distance education is characterized as an educational modality in which the didactic and pedagogical intervention in the processes of teaching and learning occurs through the use of media and information and communication technologies, with students and teachers to develop educational activities in different places or times". The Decree no. 5,622 established also the policy of quality assurance with respect to various DLC aspects, especially for institutional accreditation, supervision, monitoring and evaluation, with harmonized quality standards set by the MEC. The implementation process, materialized with Decree no. 5,800 (June 8th, 2006), establishes the Open University System of Brazil, its objectives and socio-educational purposes evidenced in its Article 1o: "It established the Open University System in Brazil (UAB), facing the development of the distance education, in order to expand and internalize the provision of higher education courses in the country." Under the State Board of Education, the UAB system was created with a focus on Policies and Management of Higher Education in five key areas. First, expansion of public higher education, considering the democratization and access processes. Second, improvement of the management processes in the higher education institutions (HEIs), enabling its expansion aligned with the educational proposals from states and municipalities. Third, the evaluation of distance higher education based on the processes and regulation flexibility in implementation by the MEC. Fourth, the contributions to the country research in DLC. Fifth, the financing of the implementation, execution and training processes of human resources in DLC methodologies. (CAPES, 2010) The MEC/SEED was implemented the UAB project and, currently, it´s managed by the Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education (CAPES), a MEC Agency. Their creation is a milestone for education in a context where lifelong learning became part of people's lives, and presents itself as an essential tool in building inclusive public education policies in Brazil. The UAB has five main purposes. First, offer primarily undergraduate and initial/continuing training of basic education teachers and higher education courses for the training of leaders, managers and employees in basic education of states and municipalities. Second, expand access to public HEIs. Third, reducing inequalities in provision of higher education among different country´s regions. Fourth, establish comprehensive national system of DLC higher education. Five, promote institutional development for DLC as well as research into innovative methodologies of learning supported by ICTs. (BRASIL, 2006) The UAB has also prioritized the bachelor degrees and some undergraduate courses to meet underserved regions, including the undergraduate degree in Public Management. According MEC´s evaluation, after 8 years of UAB operation, the course offerings are consistent in the undergraduate and graduate areas, and are getting stronger every day, especially in courses related to Public Management, where the possibility of educational improvement is essential to all Brazilian municipalities (BRASIL, 2007). To operate UAB system a partnership was signed between CAPES/MEC and public consortiums in the federal, state and local levels, with the participation of public HEIs and other interested organizations. The system was in practice implemented through public calls and the starting point was the announcement of Call no. 1 (December 16th, 2005). At this call was the selected the local support poles and higher education courses from federal HEIs. The second public call was announced on October 18th, 2006 and the results of these calls were published on April 2nd, 2007 and May 20th, 2008, respectively. The UAB system has prioritized the educators training, by encouraging the articulation and integration of a HEIs system, comprising public HEIs in partnership with states and municipalities, using DLC for serving the various contents. The UAB system does a national offer DLC, in order to expand to the countryside the provision of higher education courses. Municipalities that join the program agreed to establish poles with Centers of Classroom Support (PAPs), with classrooms, teaching laboratories, tutors for students, library and other resources. The Minister of Education in the period 2005-2012, Fernando Haddad, foreshadowed that UAB would be "a watershed in the problem of teachers shortage in basic education as well as the democratization of young people access to the public, unpaid and quality higher education" (HADDAD, 2006, p.8). The UAB, through the formation of interdisciplinary teams of skilled professionals, is challenged to promote institutional development for DLC in order to providing positive impacts in meeting demands of training and capacity building for society. Digital inclusion and familiarize people with internet tools, as well as the courses improvement are contemporary DLC challenges. (ABBAD, 2007). 2.1. The evolution of educational politics in Brazil The educational policies in Brazil to the DLC won a new chapter in 2006. At the time, it was developed a training initiative in a network involving several HEIs, in the field of Management Sciences. According to Matias-Pereira et al (2007) the "Pilot Project" of Business Management Course involving 22 HEIs (ABREU, SANABIO, MENDONCA, 2013). This initiative proves successful while training policy in the Brazilian State and, in 2009, it was expanded and focuses to a sensitive area of state: public management and their workforce. According to Matias-Pereira et al (2007) the "Pilot Project" and a Bachelor of Administration, created in 2006, had: "Apart from a unique curriculum in the country, lasting four and a half years (nine semesters), we observe the political-pedagogical project of that a transformation of the binomial teaching/research in a triad teaching/research/professional practice. This innovation is aimed at the integration of the student social body, as an active member and participant in the creation of knowledge. Thus, the student ceases to be a mere knowledge receptacle and begins to assume a proactive stance towards the construction of their academic identity and, by extension, professional identity”. (MATIAS-PEREIRA et al, 2007, p.3) In this sense, it offered a public call UAB/CAPES (Call 01-2009, April 27th, 2009) creating the National Training Program in Public Management (PNAP) for membership of federal and state HEIs, aiming to offer the Public Management undergraduate course, and other three graduate courses in the field (Public Management - PM; Public Management in Health - PMH; Public Management in Municipalities - PMM). The program offers a basic educational project, which each HEI should analyze and adjust to its social reality. The course flow and teaching materials were developed through a national network, being used for all courses and HEIs approved in the call. The course in Public Management from the Institute of Social and Human Sciences from UFF, campus Volta Redonda-RJ, has origins at this call. According to the Federal Government, the PNAP has as a general objective form "professionals with extensive knowledge in public management, capable of working in federal, state and local level, managing responsible and ethical governmental and non-governmental organizations". The program has three aims. First, to empower civil servants in management positions to act in the macro (government) and micro (organizational units) level of public systems. Second, to contribute to the improvement of the activities performed by the Brazilian government. Third, to train public managers to develop strategic vision of public affairs from the systematic and thorough study of the reality of government and its administrative units (BRASIL, 2010, p.1). 2.2. The Public Management and PNAP: The Pedagogic Context The public management is experiencing great tension between opposites. This area is under pressure from various natures and varied intensities. At one extreme, more participationist, demand decentralization, social control, transparency and openness to popular debate. At the other extreme, demand refers to issues such as efficiency in public spending, results, quality, agility and less "red tape" in public processes. This tension presents contradictory traits, for example, requiring agility of public management in the decision-making process while discussing with participation of the population (ABREU, 2012). We live in a paradoxical time there is full technical and economic conditions to end all world illness such as hunger, children deaths and many diseases that still kill millions of people around the world and many other absurdities could already have been extinct. The discourse on modernity of the last century had it as a promise. However, it´s curious to note that this promise has never been technically feasible and as concretely far. (SANTOS, 2002). In this complex scenario that present many challenges for public management. There are many demands placed, and increasingly, the requirement for adequate training of staff is needed. Going to meet this requirement of complexity for public management, which is a public policy of continuing education for the staff of State, called PNAP structure. According to Silva et al (2008), in addition to the above objectives, the structure of PNAP courses aimed at the qualification of civil servants seeking the exercise of management activities and HEIs teaching. Specifically, training professionals with appropriate formation to intervene in the social, political and economic reality. (SILVA et al, 2008, p.10) 3. Description of ICHS/UFF´s experience This topic is organized in four parts. The first one introduces the project developer ICHS/UFF. It also bring some information about the region where ICHS/UFF is installed. The second part introduces the undergraduate course while the third part presents the graduate courses. The last part explain how the courses are managed in operational and financial terms. 3.1. About UFF and ICHS/UFF evolution The Federal Fluminense University (UFF) was created in 1961 as Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UFERJ), to disseminate education in whole state, with headquarter in the city of Niterói, in the Guanabara Bay, at 13 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro. Since 1968, renamed as UFF, the university activities in education, research and outreach grow up fast and consistently during these 53 years. Currently, the university offers 94 undergraduate courses (90 classroom; 4 DLC), 242 graduate courses (161 MBAs and specializations; 50 masters; 31 doctoral degrees). UFF also don’t renegade its original DNA of and it´s present in 13 municipalities in the whole State of Rio de Janeiro. The university today has close to 50,000 undergraduate students in its 40 academics units being the second biggest of federal HEI system. In 2003, UFF was invited to participate in a federal program of internalization of the public university in the countryside. MEC aims to support the regional development and decentralize the university´s presence in large urban centers. The UFF project aimed at expanding the public space of HEI in the region of Mid-Valley of River Paraíba (RMVP), south of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Since 1961 an Engineering School in the city of Volta Redonda, the regional hub. The RMVP is situated in a strategically important region, between the main economic centers of Brazil, which are Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Comprising thirteen municipalities it has some 1 million inhabitants and the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of the State of Rio de Janeiro and one of the highest GDPs in the country. Several Brazilian and foreign companies have industrial plants there, such as Volkswagen/MAN (trucks), Nissan (automotive), Peugeot-Citroën (automotive), Saint-Gobain (metallurgy), Votorantim (cement and steel), CSN (National Steel Company), Du Pont (chemical), AMBEV (beverages), MRS (logistics), GEFCO (logistics) and CSN-Galvasud (metallurgy), Hyundai Heavy Industries (machines), among others. Moreover, the region hosts a large business park with small and medium enterprises in the metallurgical-mechanical sectors. The principal city is Volta Redonda, a planned conurbation with strong connections to CSN, which is the largest steel company in Latin America (AMARAL, FERREIRA, TEODORO, 2011). In 2004, UFF and MEC was signed the agreement no. 37 with the goal of establishing a regional teaching model committed with four specific aspects. First, focus on regional issues to support the social, scientific and technological development. Second, development of pedagogic projects adequate to the regional demand, aiming to establish programs with flexible pathways, choice of shifts, among others. Third, close partnership with community representatives, as students, professionals, political and community representatives, among others, in course decisions. Fourth, definitions of responsibilities between public authorities in the implementation and maintenance of physical infrastructure and human resources. In 2005, it was started the undergraduate courses in Engineering Agribusiness, by Engineering School, and Business Administration, whose first entrance process was conducted in partnership with the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. The ICHS/UFF was formally established as School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Volta Redonda (ECHSVR/UFF) in December 2006, with only the Department of Business Management. The undergraduate course operates with 23 teachers and has 120 students. Physically, the old ECHSVR/UFF was hosted in the Engineering School buildings at Vila Campus. In 2008, UFF joined the Program to Support Plans of Federal Universities Restructuring and Expansion (REUNI) from MEC and new courses were added to the ICHS/UFF grid. At this year, ICHS/UFF started its first graduate course, a MBA in Marketing. In 2009, undergraduate courses in Accounting and Public Management (also under agreement 37/2004) were initiated. In 2011, undergraduate courses in Law and Psychology begun. In June 2010, ICHS/UFF moved to a new campus in Volta Redonda occupying their permanent premises with approximately 4,500 square meters and whole infrastructure of laboratories and library. In addition, at this year, it became pole of the UAB and went on to host the semipresential undergraduate degree in Public Management and graduate degrees, as mentioned, PM, PMH and PMM. In 2013, ICHS/UFF started the Master Program in Management and the MBAs in Controllership and Logistics. The unit participates also of the Master Program in Environmental Technology leaded by Engineering School. At this year, the undergraduate course of Business Management receives its third note five in the ENADE, the official evaluation of MEC, assuring the high quality level of education The National Examination of Students Performance (ENADE), which integrates the National Evaluation System of Higher Education (SINAES), aims to assess student performance in relation to the syllabus laid down in the curriculum guidelines of their undergraduate degree, and skills and competencies in their training (more information at http://portal.inep.gov.br/enade). Each course was examined every three year.. Currently, ICHS/UFF has 92 members in its faculty staff, 76 in the permanent staff with exclusive dedication (Assistant, Adjunct and Associated Professors). From this amount, 46 has Ph.D./D.Sc. degrees (60%). The unit receives 440/460 new students every year summing 1,500 students in the presential courses. In the DLC, ICHS/UFF has more than 2,500 in the undergraduate course of public management and 1,700 in the three graduate courses. The UFF has other experiences in DLC, not addressed at this paper. To deal with them the university created in 2011 (Ordinance No. 45,243, 21st July 2011) the Coordination of Distance Education (CEAD), under the Vice-Provost of Undergraduate Studies, assuming the duties of previous Nucleus for Assisted Education for Interactive Media (NEAMI). This coordination has as main objectives: 1) The development of semipresential courses in all levels; 2) The use of new ICTs for interaction in the classroom courses; and 3) To offer distance learning disciplines for UFF´s classroom courses. The CEAD/UFF acts supporting, advising, developing activities that enable DLC actions in various areas of knowledge, in the context of this University. Its organizational structure is composed of a Division of Course Development and Division of Operations. The coordination has a multidisciplinary team composed by professionals responsible in development (Reviewers and Designers), management and operation of the courses. In addition, it has its own physical infrastructure, providing to the professors all the necessary support, including the filming and editing their classes to develop digital content. 3.2. Undergraduate course in Public Management In 2009 (April 27th), CAPES/MEC launched a PNAP call which aimed to select offer proposals of courses in Public Management. The ICHS/UFF participates in the public call, have a project approved (and discusses adaptations in PPC) starting a BA in the second half of 2010. Initially, with four poles and Centers of Classroom Support (PAPs) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, expanding to eight poles in 2012. The course counts in the first half of 2014 with 2,532 active students. The courses are a bachelor in Public Administration, and three graduate courses in Public Management – PM, Public Management in Health – PMH and Public Management in Municipalities – PMM. The ICHS/UFF applied through the Department of Business Management and Public Management. The BA in Public Management show at its structure three specific lines of training: Government Management, Municipal Administration and Management of Health. Every line related to one graduate course. The goal is to perform a dynamic continuing education, where the egress baccalaureate can continue their studies in a specialization course, both inside PNAP logic. The course pedagogical project (PPC) has the following compositional elements: 1) Transversality - The contents whenever linked to other disciplines will be studied in an integrated manner, steeped in issues related to ethical, transparency, innovation and sustainability. This will enable the authors and students the holistic topic construction. 2) Academic activities articulated with teaching - Involving students in practical research and extension, with the goal of awakening attitudes for research, reflection, critical analysis and exploration of innovative solutions, as well as providing administrative experiences embedded in the productive and services sectors. Among these activities, there are thematic workshops, which enable research development, linking academic activities with the needs of the state and society, as well as the completion of the supervised internship by entering the student in real public administration activities, thus enhancing their vocational training. 3) Final coursework (TCC in Portuguese) - Consists in preparing a monograph developed by the academic over the Thematic Seminars distributed in four modules, focusing on the content of public management studied in the course and applied to the three lines. In TCC, the student must demonstrate significant knowledge about course content, methodological research procedures and technical standards aimed to draft a paper. The TCCs approved will integrate the course collection, enriching research sources for the development of academics management thought. The semipresential course on Public Management is offered by the ICHS/UFF, through the Consortium CEDERJ, since 2010 Created in 2000, with the goal of bringing high-level, unpaid and quality education throughout the State of Rio de Janeiro, CEDERJ Consortium consists of seven public HEIs: Celso Sukow da Fonseca Federal Center of Technology (CEFET), State University of Noth-Fluminense (UENF), State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Fluminense Federal University (UFF), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ) and Federal University of the City of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO). Currently, CEDERJ has about 26,000 students enrolled in its 12 undergraduate DLC. CEDERJ manages the entrance exam, the Centers of Classroom Support (PAPs) and the electronic platform for undergraduate courses.. It currently has deals in eight poles in the cities of Belford Roxo, Volta Redonda, Nova Iguaçú, Campo Grande, Paracambi, Três Rios, Bom Jesus do Itabapoana and Itaocara, all in the State of Rio de Janeiro. The first class will graduate in mid-2014 while the course is waiting for the first MEC evaluation. The course flowchart is presented in the annex I. 3.3. The graduate courses in Public Management The graduate courses (PM, PMH and PMM) are aimed at the staff qualification, aiming to exercise managerial activities. Specifically, intend to: 1) Train cadres of managers to act in the administration at macro (government) and micro (organizational units) public systems; 2) Train professionals with adequate competencies to intervene in social, political and economic reality; 3) Contribute to the improvement of the activities management performed by the Brazilian government at the federal, state and local levels; and 4) Contribute to the public manager to develop strategic vision of public affairs, from the systematic and thorough study of the administrative situation of the government. These courses consist of two modules, one primary and other specific. The first one consists in 7 disciplines, with 30 hours each, summing 210 hours. The specific module consists in 6 disciplines in a total of 210 hours, and the monograph preparation. Each course has a maximum term of 15 months and the student's registration may be extended for one, at the discretion of the Course Board. The student who doesn´t complete the course within the prescribed period will have their enrollment off the academic system and can only return through a new entrance exam. The table in the annex II presents the disciplines. The pedagogical proposals of these courses include: 1) A good education program, which includes the contents to be developed and the need for infrastructure and personnel involved in the process; 2) Infrastructure allowing good interaction between the teacher, tutors and students. This infrastructure must necessarily contain a virtual environment quality (at this case a Moodle platform) and an appropriate internet connection, adequate rooms (to make the face-to-face tutorials), video conference rooms, among other features; 3) The tripod formed between teacher/tutors/students should be strengthened by closer involvement of the discipline teacher, with the tutors training about the importance of their participation in the learning process and preparing students for this new relationship form (teacher/tutor/learner); 4) Educational material suitable for the teaching-learning process is carried out efficiently. This means that if the material produced should have a proper language for the public who will use it, remembering always that the student won´t have the presence of the teacher to ask questions; 5) The process of learning evaluation should lead the student to think and not just memorize the concepts and definitions. It must translate these concepts and definitions for your daily life. As detailed in references about the quality standards "in distance education, the learning evaluation model should help students develop more complex levels of cognitive skills, abilities and attitudes, enabling you to reach all proposed objectives ". (BRASIL, 2007) The graduate courses in Public Management offered by ICHS/UFF started their activities in Volta Redonda, in 2010, and the first inaugural lecture took place on September 30th. From 2010 to 2014, three calls were open to receive students, with the formation of three classes for each courses. 3.3.1. The first call The first selection call was released on August 30th, 2010, a date that also started the enrollment period and had the closing on September 5th, 2010. The call offered 780 vacancies distributed for the three courses and eleven poles. Figure 1 and Table 1 demonstrate the spatial distribution of poles along the State of Rio de Janeiro. This call received 1065 registrations and according the rules 717 students were approved. From this amount, 660 made the enrollment. In this call the registration/enrollment ratio were respectively 1.54, 1.42 and 1.18 for PM, PMH and PMM courses. These classes has been completed in 2012 and 283 students were graduated, respectively 104, 109 and 70 students in PMH, PM and PMM. This information is summarized in Table 2. The second call The second selection call was released on July 23th, 2012, a day that also started the enrollment period and had the closing on August 11th, 2012. It was offered 1,000 vacancies for the three courses in eleven poles. This call received 1595 registrations and 858 students were selected. From this amount, 797 made enrollment. In this call, the registrations/enrollment ratio were respectively 2.34, 2.07 and 0.68 in PMH, PM and PMM. It can be observed that PMH and PM had increased this relationship and PMM had decreased demand. This second group is in its final phase, scheduled for late monographs submission the end of May, 2014. Table 2 show all the information. 3.3.3. The third call The third selection call was released on July 1st, 2013, a day that also started the enrollment period and had the closing on August 31st, 2013. It was offered again 1,000 vacancies for the three courses in eleven poles. This call received 1,201 registrations and 953 students were selected. From this amount, 876 made enrollment. In this call, the registrations/enrollment ratio were respectively 1.32, 1.84 and 0.63 in PMH, PM and PMM. In this third call of six disciplines from basic module have been taught. In July 2014 the subjects of specific modules will start. Figure 1 – Poles in the State of Rio de Janeiro Font: Data from ICHS/LATES. Table produced by authors. Table SEQ Quadro \* ARABIC 1 – Poles and offered courses. POLES (municipalities in the State of Rio de Janeiro) COURSES OFFERED Angra dos Reis Public Management Bom Jesus de Itabapoana Public Management in Health Magé Public Management in Health; Public Management Nova Iguaçu Public Management in Municipalities Paracambi Public Management in Health; Public Management; Public Management in Municipalities Piraí Public Management; Public Management in Municipalities Rio Bonito Public Management in Municipalities Rio das Ostras Public Management; Public Management in Municipalities São Pedro da Aldeia Public Management in Health Três Rios Public Management in Health; Public Management in Municipalities; Public Management Volta Redonda Public Management in Municipalities Font: Data from ICHS/LATES. Table produced by authors. Table SEQ Quadro \* ARABIC 2 – Summary Information of Graduate Courses in Public Management  Public Management - PM Public Management in Health – PMH Public Management in Municipalities - PMM Call 1 Call 2 Call 3 Call 1 Call 2 Call 3 Call 1 Call 2 Call 3 Course Begin Date 23/10/2010 27/10/2012 28/10/2013 23/10/2010 27/10/2012 28/10/2013 23/10/2010 27/10/2012 28/10/2013 Course Finish Date 04/08/2012 24/05/2014 30/05/2015 04/08/2012 24/05/2014 30/05/2015 04/08/2012 24/05/2014 30/05/2015 Offer 240 300 300 240 300 300 300 400 400 Candidates Registrations 341 622 553 370 701 395 354 272 253 Candidates Approved 234 355 423 239 254 318 244 249 212 Enrollment 237 349 354 223 251 286 200 197 236 Cancelled 131 130 3 114 101 4 130 154 12 Graduated 104 N/A N/A 109 N/A N/A 70 N/A N/A Poles 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 7 8 Ratio Registration/Offer 1,42 2,07 1,84 1,54 2,34 1,32 1,18 0,68 0,63 Ratio Enrollment/Graduation 0,44 N/A N/A 0,49 N/A N/A 0,35 N/A N/A Resignations or shutdown due to insufficient 97 118 N/A 21 75 N/A 107 88 N/A Presented monographs 124 N/A N/A 126 N/A N/A 84 N/A N/A N/A – Not Available Font: Data from ICHS/LATES. Table produced by authors.  Internal Class A class to 50 UFF´s administrative civil servants started at April 2014, after a year of negotiation and preparation. The course has the same structure of PM, but the content is being adjusted to the university reality and needs. One proposition is to orient the monographs to the real problems of UFF. This call is a pilot promoted by the UFF´s Vice-Provost of People Management (PROGEPE) in partnership with ICHS/UFF and has as a primary object offer a graduate course to the staff in managerial positions. The investment, close to US$ 100,000, are covered by a specific qualification and capacitation budget inside the university´s budget. 3.4. The operation and management of DLC The course board is the highest instance in the educational course structure. It´s responsible for: 1) Approve the regular academic program; 2) Approve the advisors names proposed by the coordination; 3) Approve the appointments made ​​by the advisor, about co-advisors and the member who will integrate the examination boards; 4) Ratify the results of the selection for admission and examination boards; 4) Judge the course coordinator decisions, on appeal level, to be brought within the fixed period of 5 working days of the date of contested decision; and 5) Judge omissions situations. Each course has one course board composed by five professors from different knowledge areas, the course coordinator and a student representative. The three course board from PM, PMH and PMM made meetings together. The courses coordination are carried out by the professor from the UFF´s faculty staff and at least a Master Degree and experience in graduate teaching are required. They has a four years mandate and receive a scholarship from CAPES/UAB as compensation for activities performed. The course coordinator is an executive authority from the course board decisions. It´s up to the course coordinator: 1) Convene and preside at course board meetings; 2) Coordinate the course educational activities; 3) Manage the course secretary; 4) Develop a course schedule, submitting to the examination of the board; 5) Proposing plans of investing funds, submitting them for consideration by the board; 6) Submit the calls of admission to the board; 7) Delegate authority for specific tasks; and 8) Decide ad referendum urgent matters within the competence of the board. To the courses secretariats compete: 1) To instruct and inform the candidates requirements for enrollment; 2) To forward the documents of student enrollment to the competent authority duly endorsed by the coordinator; 3) To make and keep the register of faculty staff and students and manage the evaluation registration control system; 4) To save the monographs projects, as well as all documentation related to the course; and 5) To make general office activities, such as: preparing correspondence and communications, keep files organized and updated and other activities of interest to the course, in compliance with legislation and course standards. ICHS/UFF created an office to manage the four DLC with six people in the workforce. This office is apart from conventional courses. The processes from graduate courses are done together, not a person (or two) manages a course, but each person in the graduate staff are responsible for processes and do it for the 3 courses. This approach keep the process quality level, avoid misunderstandings between courses and students and allow a fast training of workforce. There are also the disciplines coordinators, which are professors responsible for the cognitive, pedagogical, metacognitive, motivational and social support of students, and the tutor coordinator for each course, which are responsible for mentoring tutors. They must be graduated and have experience with education. The tutors in the poles should be graduated in management and similar areas. Their task is monitoring, supporting and evaluating the students. Discipline coordinators can be themselves responsible for the provision of discipline content and form a team of tutors. The mentoring is one of the elements of the educational process that enables the redefinition of distance learning, by allowing the breakup of the time/space concept of traditional school. The dialogical process that takes place between student and tutor must be unique. The tutor, paradoxically the meaning given to the term "distance", should always be in contact with the student, through the maintenance of the dialogical process, in which the surroundings, route, expectations, achievements, doubts, difficulties are dynamic elements of this process . The Centers of Classroom Support (PAPs) are structures responsible for physical meetings. Each pole must have a computer lab, with web access (broadband), as well as multimedia projectors, TVs and DVD players, plus library. The didactic pedagogic materials used in the courses are useful to the disciplines development. Among others, the following didactic resources are available: printed handouts to study for discipline; virtual learning environment (VLE) for communication; face-to-face meetings; and monitoring system (tutoring). From financial resources standpoint the grants for tutor, professor and coordinators are paid directly by CAPES/MEC. The resources to pay operational expenses are transferred by CAPES/MEC to UFF though agreements and from the university to its support foundation or CEDERJ though a service contracts. In these four years of operation, UFF received almost US$ 800,000. From 2010 to 2012, the fund manager was the coordinator of CEAD. Since then the resources management was decentralized to the ICHS/UFF and became managed by a steering committee, formed by the ICHS´s Dean, who is formally responsible in the foundation, the undergraduate coordinator and one of the graduate coordinators. This committee meets monthly to review the expenses and decide on resource allocations. To develop research activities, in 2014, ICHS/UFF was created the Laboratory of Technologies for Semipresential Learning (LATES). This lab will be aimed at fostering research through the provision of physical infrastructure, together with the Laboratory of Multi-Application in Management (LAMAG), other ICHS lab. Since 2013, the steering committee is financing several activities as host events at university, technical visits to poles, attendance at meetings of UAB and partners, supporting faculty staff presence in technical and scientific events publishing papers on the topic. Yet to be launched in 2014, the first call of internal research funding, supporting projects of teachers. In the medium term, there is an interest to participate in a network to develop a master degree course with DLC philosophy. To support content development a TV studio was built at ICHS/UFF. Called TVR it was launched in 2013 as an outreach project to connect UFF to the society. The physical space was released in March, 2014. It´s a useful tool to film seminars and lectures from conventional courses and research or outreach projects with the objective to connect whole ICHS community and disseminate knowledge generated. 4. Discussion and Final Remarks The key issue of this paper is a reflection about the use of DLC as a way to improve competencies of civil servants in the municipalities of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and, consequently, improve services quality level, promote intra-entrepreneurship in the public service and boost regional economic development. Many authors and reports around the world qualify DLC as a positive experience to giving access to the high-level education and disseminate knowledge to more people. Interviews with courses coordinators, 23 disciplines coordinators and 38 tutors collect data that allow analyses about the DLC operation. The interviews was done in 2014 and has not a fixed roadmap, the respondents were argued to talk about their quotidian experience in the courses. The research brings several findings. First, it´s essential to have an academic staff mind-opened to use technology and interact with local level of public management. Many questions emerges from its relationship and only theoretical approach are not enough. It´s important to know the quotidian of public management organizations. Second, the learning process is different in DLC and professors/tutors has to change the teaching methodology. Only upload an Adobe Acrobat file (pdf) is not enough, specific content must be developed. Because of this, initiatives as TVR improves courses quality and effectiveness. Third, the DLC has to have different curricula from conventional ones, offering more routes to accomplish the disciplines and disburse the course. Fourth, it´s necessary to adapt the administrative structure to attend online students. The office courses secretariats must be organized in a specific office with all the ICTs available. The workers skills required are different also. The authors did not collected data with students to evaluate courses and impacts at their professional life or in economic development. These topics will be object for future specific research. Informally, professors and tutors reports about student´s experiences in public service. Several of them obtained better positions or lead well succeed projects. The experience of DLC can be also evaluated as positive to ICHS/UFF and allow the institution to offer more courses to managerial staff of universities, local government and companies to promote university-industry-government linkages. There are also considered well succeed due the amount of candidates in its calls. Some City Halls, as Volta Redonda, Pinheiral and Barra Mansa, signed agreements with ICHS/UFF to the development of projects at these cities. A current internal discussion is how to introduce a percentage of DLC classes in the conventional courses to improve the use of available technologies. References ABBAD, G. S. Educação à distância: o estado da arte e o futuro necessário. Revista do Serviço Público. Brasília Jul/Set 2007. PP. 351 – 374. ABREU, J. C. A. 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Disponível em http://www.uab.capes.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=32:gostaria-de-mais-informacoes-sobre-o-pnap-e-os-cursos-ofertados-pelo-programa&catid=7:faq&Itemid=8 Acesso em janeiro de 2014. BRASIL. Ministério da Educação. Referenciais de qualidade para educação superior a distância. Brasília, agosto de 2007. Disponível em: <http://portal.mec.gov.br/seed/arquivos/pdf/legislacao/refead1.pdf> acesso em 03/04/2014 BRASIL. Decreto nº 5.707, de 23 de fevereiro de 2006. Institui a política e as diretrizes para o desenvolvimento de pessoal da administração pública federal direta, autárquica e fundacional, e regulamenta dispositivos da Lei no 8.112, de 11 de dezembro de 1990. BRASIL. Decreto nº 5.800, de 8 de junho de 2006. Dispõe sobre o Sistema Universidade Aberta do Brasil - UAB. BRASIL. Decreto nº 5.622, de 19 de dezembro de 2005. Regulamenta o art. 80 da Lei no 9.394, de 20 de dezembro de 1996, que estabelece as diretrizes e bases da educação nacional. CAPES. 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Rio de Janeiro: Civilização Brasileira, 2002 (Coleção Reinventar a Emancipação Social: para novos manifestos).  ANNEX I – Public Management undergraduate course flowchart (in Portuguese) ANNEX II – Graduate courses disciplines (In general, 30h each) PMM PM PMH 1 State, government and market State, government and market State, government and market 2 Public and private in public management Public and private in public management Public and private in public management 3 Development and change in the Brazilian state Development and change in the Brazilian state Development and change in the Brazilian state 4 Public policies   Public policies   Public policies 5 Strategic planning for government   Strategic planning for government   Strategic planning for government 6 State and contemporary problems   State and contemporary problems   State and contemporary problems 7 Socio-economic indicators in public management   Socio-economic indicators in public management   Socio-economic indicators in public management 8 Research Methodology in Management   Research Methodology in Management   Research Methodology in Management 9 Master Plan and Urban Management   Organizational Behavior   Health Policy: fundamentals and guidelines of SUS 10 Administrative Proceedings   Culture and Organizational Change   Management of Health Surveillance 11 Management of Public Networks and Cooperation   Operational Management (45h)   Organization and Operation of SUS (60h) 12 Democratic and Participative Management   Management of Public Networks and Cooperation   Organization and Operation of SUS (60h) 13 Preparation and Evaluation of Projects   Multi-Year Plan and Public Budget (45h)   Management of Health Systems and Services (60h) 14 Tax Management   Multi-Year Plan and Public Budget (45h)   Management of Health Systems and Services (60h) 15 Logistics Management   Logistics Management   Logistics Management in Health 18 12