Itinerant caravan of science & technology of Alagoas: trajectory of scientific diffusion and professional training

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research conducted in order to identify the potential of the performance model of the Itinerant Caravan of Science and Technology of Alagoas, as a strategy for professional training, developed under a university extension project. A qualitative approach research was carried out, characterized as a case study, through the experience report. The reports of the 15 editions of the project (2005 to 2019), field diary entries, responses to the evaluation questionnaires applied to the participants, as well as personal historical files of the coordination. All reports were approved by the project's partner institutions and funders. For the organization and analysis of the data, the document analysis technique was used. The selected documents were systematized from the perspective of content analysis, in the thematic modality aiming to identify the importance of itinerancy for university extension and the scope of the action for professional training. The results show the trajectory of the S&T Caravan and the importance of itinerancy for university extension and professional training. The performance model favors the inseparability of teaching, research and extension by promoting scientific dissemination activities taking the knowledge produced at the university to communities with less access to education and more distant from urban centers. The action-reflection-action movement carried out by the members of the group "caravaneiros" benefits the professional formation, by developing skills and competences necessary to disseminate the knowledge produced. The extension experiences provide an opportunity to capture talents for science, favoring professional training, and the conversion of their participation into academic credits is salutary. The movement also stimulates scientific dissemination, contributing for the population to know and reflect about the relevance of science, technology, their applications and social, environmental and ethical implications, empowering participants to build their own knowledge.