THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY OUTREACH IN PROMOTING LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Higher Education Institutions (IES) and Professional, Scientific, and Technological Education Institutions (IEPCT) are in charge of producing and disseminating academic, scientific, and technological knowledge, and university outreach has a fundamental role for the communication practices between educational institutions and the local community. This study aimed to evaluate the role of university outreach in promoting local development, based on the experience of outreach project coordinators from the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Pernambuco (IFPE). For this, we conducted interviews were conducted using a structured electronic questionnaire with 27 objective (multiple choice) and discursive questions. Our results show that project coordinators recognize that the human being must be the main beneficiary of local development and that its direct or indirect transformation must integrate the outreach project goals to have an actual social impact. Additionally, involving communities is key to reach effective results. We conclude, from this research, that the transformations caused by outreach projects promote the local development focused on those involved, on the training processes, on the identification of real needs, and on an effective local participation.