Contribuições da educometria para a avaliação do sucesso acadêmico no curso de graduação em Engenharia Elétrica da UFC

Abstract

Educational Evaluation is essential for monitoring the academic performance of undergraduate students and assessing the effectiveness of Brazilian higher education institutions. It also facilitates the diagnosis of issues related to student retention and dropout rates, allowing for the development of targeted solutions. While qualitative research in education provides insights into various educational phenomena, integrating statistical and mathematical models from Educometrics can enhance the analysis of the numerous factors contributing to student failure and dropout. This research focused on examining the curricular structure of the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program at the UFC Technology Center, aiming to identify the root causes of student retention and dropout from 2015 to 2022. It employed an applied research methodology with a quantitative and descriptive approach, utilizing Educometrics techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA) in conjunction with graph and coupled matrix factorization (CMF). The findings revealed that failure in core disciplines is a significant predictor of retention and dropout among students in the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program. Moreover, the evidence indicated that difficulties in fundamental disciplines adversely affect students' abilities to apply technical and scientific knowledge in practical contexts. This highlights the necessity of integrating theoretical and practical contents within the curriculum to foster integral education. In conclusion, the curricular structure of the undergraduate Electrical Engineering program at the UFC Technology Center in Fortaleza in force during the period studied needed to be reformulated, possibly taking into account the analysis made in this thesis, to articulate the theoretical and practical disciplines and favor the progression of students from the initial semesters to subsequent ones.