Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

All administrative and academic units at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) and the Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago University Hospital (HU) shall resume full in-person activities starting from 4 April 2022. The determination is included in the Normative Ordinance no. 430/2022/GR, of 15 March 2022. With this, all technical and administrative staff, as well as faculty members holding administrative positions, shall return to on-campus work. In-person classes, however, will start on the dates set out in the 2022 academic calendar: 18 April for undergraduate programs.

For the return to in-person activities, proof of vaccination against Covid-19 is required, as well as the use of face masks in all indoor settings at the university.

The required proof of vaccination extends to all “faculty and staff; temporary staff; substitute, visiting and volunteer faculty; amnestied civil servants; researchers and/or research fellows; outsourced workers; interns; as well as students of all levels of education”.

Expectation and seriousness

“The division of the university life into three phases was a measure implemented in 2020, when there was a lack of information about how to face the Pandemic. It was a collective construction, and a decision of the University Council (CUn). Over time, we kept updating it with information from the Permanent Commission for Epidemiological Monitoring, as we decided to move forward in the phases. This last stage, Phase 3, for which we have been preparing since 2020, begins with great expectation, but also with the seriousness of those who know that the Pandemic is not over yet, and does not end by decree. So, yes, we are returning, but with a conscience for a safe living together”, emphasizes the Rector Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar.

The return planning observes the recommendations of the Permanent Commission for Epidemiological Monitoring, constituted by the Normative Ordinance no. 882/2021/GR, and considers the content of the Normative Resolutions no. 140/2020/CUn and 149/CUn/2021, as well as of the Resolution no. 06 /2021/CUn, of 30 March 2021.

As for the teaching activities, Phase 3 has already begun in the Colégio de Aplicação [Laboratory School] (CA) and the Child Development Center (NDI) on 10 and 14 February, respectively. Graduate academic activities are being resumed in the university since 7 March.

“The ongoing experiences in the university sectors [that have entered Phase 3] taught us about the importance of being careful with the use of masks in the workplace, as well as the importance of actions indicated by the researchers, such as the measurement of CO2, which made it possible to create occupancy parameters regarding air quality in the classrooms, and the testing policy, which has been in place for several months. In Phase 3, we will maintain these policies, expand them wherever is possible and continue evaluating our decisions,” explains the Prorector for Undergraduate Studies, Daniel Vasconcelos.

Risk Groups

According to the Normative Ordinance no. 430/2022/GR, the activities at UFSC in all its spheres become essential activities, within the scope of the Normative Instruction no. 90/2021, issued by the Ministry of Economy. Therefore, the Risk Groups for in-person work are suspended, and the remote work modality at the University is also suspended from the publication of the Normative Ordinance.

An important UFSC tool to monitor the university community’s adherence to immunization was the registration of the proof of vaccination, made through an online environment developed by the Superintendency of Electronic Governance and Information and Communication Technology (SeTIC).

Based on this registration, we were informed that more than 16 thousand faculty members, staff members and students had vaccinated until 15 March. In percentages, 86% of faculty members and 78% of technical and administrative staff members have already reported their vaccination status. Another system developed by the SeTIC technicians is a QR-Code, which will make it possible to check, in the UFSC settings, if the user is up-to-date with vaccinations.

Parameters

In accordance with the initial definition, from 2020, progress to Phase 3 would occur in a scenario characterized by the end of the state of health emergency, availability of the vaccine, number of new cases decreasing for 60 days, and number of deaths equal to or less to one per week for 30 days. These parameters were continuously evaluated through the Active Dashboard of Epidemiological Data, and following guidelines from the commission of researchers.

According to the Central Administration of UFSC, what was decided in June 2020, through the Normative Resolution no. 140/2020/CUn, remains current. However, when the Scientific Subcommittee pointed out the indicators to be observed for the progress of phases in the management of the pandemic at UFSC, there were uncertainties regarding many aspects of Covid-19. The indicators did not include, for example, vaccination, which was only consolidated in Brazil at the end of the first semester of 2021.

Rector Ubaldo recalls that, after the approval of the Normative Resolution no. 140, issued by the CUn, permanent commissions for pedagogical, psychological and epidemiological monitoring were created at UFSC. The latter, thus, became responsible for monitoring and evolving the Pandemic framework and recommending decision support parameters.

The Commission has evaluated other parameters, in addition to those established in 2020: status of immunization of faculty, staff and, particularly, students; testing and isolation of positive cases; room ventilation; and continuous and universal use of efficient face masks N95 or PFF2 type). These new parameters were considered in the transition process between the phases for combating the pandemic.

The Normative Ordinance that announces the resumption of in-person activities for the entire university community was published in the UFSC Official Bulletin. Access it here.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here. 

With a decree issued by the mayor of São Francisco do Sul, on the North Coast of Santa Catarina, the Nascentes do Saí Wildlife Refuge (WR) – the newest full protection Conservation Unit (CU) in the State and the first municipal CU in São Francisco do Sul – has been officially created. With an area of ​​67.07 km² and a perimeter of 64.9 km, the Nascentes do Saí WR involved the work of a team of professors, professionals and students from the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) together with the local community. In September 2021, the UFSC Communication Agency (AGECOM) made a series of reports gathering the main data collected in the process and presenting the scientific arguments that indicated the importance of preserving the site.

“The baseline study carried out by UFSC to diagnose the conditions of the environment was fundamental to support the creation of the conservation unit, helping to determine the perimeter, the objectives of the UC and the restrictions on the use of the territory. However, it is from the publication of a law or decree that a Conservation Unit really starts to exist as a legally protected space”, explains Professor Rodrigo de Almeida Mohedano (from the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at UFSC), coordinator of the project that suggested the creation of the CU.

Professor Orlando Ferretti, from the Department of Geosciences, recalls that, for UFSC and the entire team involved in the work, the creation of the Nascentes do Saí WR is the final achievement, but also a new gateway to the continuity of research in the region. “We hope that the outreach and research work will serve as an example to other proposals in the State, and inspire communities and municipalities to develop new studies aimed at creating protected areas, with the support of UFSC”, he observes. “This is a fundamental step towards the defense of nature on the north coast of Santa Catarina”, he summarizes.

Proposal of the geographical limits for the WR, Distrito do Saí, São Francisco do Sul (SC).

In addition to being a region of high biodiversity, the Distrito do Saí is also endowed with rich water resources. Mohedano explains that, in this sense, the creation of the CU also brings security to the population. “Despite being blessed with abundant rainfall, the municipalities located in the coastal regions of the Atlantic Forest generally have low water storage capacity. Thus, maintaining the flow of springs, through the preservation of vegetation, is essential”, he argues.

Ferretti also recalls that the now protected region is a priority for the preservation of the Atlantic Forest, through the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve (MABR) and an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), present in the limits of the Distrito do Saí. “The studies were delivered in 2021 to the city hall and the community of the Distrito do Saí, with emphasis on the high biodiversity of the Saí region, the good preservation of the area, and the involvement of the community in contributing to the creation of a protected area, a dream cherished for a few years by most residents”, he points out.

Now, the next step will be the mandatory creation of a Management Plan, an official document for the planning of Conservation Units, which must cover the area, its buffer zone and the ecological corridors, and ways of reconciling preservation with the economic and cultural activities of the neighboring communities. “The management plan must be prepared in a democratic and participatory manner, with the identification of the interested social actors”, highlights Mohedano. “The UFSC team that worked on the Nascentes do Saí Project and the local community are very happy with the creation of the Wildlife Refuge and we know that this is the beginning of a new stage of continuous work for the preservation of natural wealth, so important in the current context”, he concludes.

Read more:

UFSC and the community of São Francisco do Sul suggest the creation of a Wildlife Refuge in the Distrito do Saí

Abundant water and regenerated forest will be preserved with the creation of a Wildlife Refuge in São Chico

A never-seen-before bird and a lot of richness: get to know the fauna of the Distrito do Saí, which should be protected by Wildlife Refuge

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here.

11 February is annually marked by the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which has been institutionally celebrated at UFSC since 2021. The University has been taking actions that aim at seeking gender equality in science and, consequently, at the institution. In the last year, UFSC established a committee to implement equity policies; launched a course for undergraduate students on the subject; and awarded women scientists. In 2022, new goals are set with the creation of a permanent and representative committee and the planning of new advances that can be institutionalized on a permanent basis.

“For a year now, UFSC has turned its gaze to its women scientists with increased attention. But this is just the beginning. There is still a lot to be done”, emphasizes the Vice-Rector of UFSC, Cátia Carvalho Pinto. “We understand that this is a path of no return and that it is the result of the movement of our entire university community. The women and girls at UFSC want to be seen, heard, and they want their research to be supported”, highlights the manager and researcher.

Rector Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar believes that every step that has been taken is an important step forward. “It was a milestone in 2021 to have so many actions aimed at equity at UFSC. It is now vital that these efforts continue, and that is what we have been striving for,” he points out.

The actions that stood out in 2021 will have a new investment in 2022: UFSC has just formalized the Permanent Equity Committee; the courses on Gender, Diversity and Equity taught by the Institutional Program for Educational Support to Students (PIAPE) will have resources available to be offered in 2022; and the new edition of the Women in Science Award, which will be launched on 8 March (International Women’s Day), will reward black women researchers at UFSC.

Learn more about each of the actions and how they shall be developed throughout 2022:

Women and Girls in Science: Equity Committee becomes permanent

Women and Girls in Science: Gender, Science, Diversity and Equity become subjects debated in courses for more than 900 people

Women and Girls in Science: unprecedented award recognizes nine UFSC women researchers in 2021

See also:

‘Elas na Ciência’ series honors the work of UFSC women researchers

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

Read the original article here. 

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) will require from all faculty, staff and other professionals working at UFSC a certification of complete vaccination cycle from the beginning of phase 2, which starts on 14 February. The measure was published in the University’s Official Bulletin last Monday, 7 February.

>> Phase 2 begins 14 February, access the Ordinance

The rules of the Normative Ordinance no. 422/2022/GR are valid not only for permanent faculty and staff, but also for substitute, visiting and volunteer faculty, temporary staff, researchers and/or research fellows, outsourced workers and interns. Proof of full vaccination will be required, which consists of two vaccine doses against Covid-19 and one booster dose; or one dose of the Janssen vaccine, plus the booster, according to the instructions of the Prorectorate for Personnel Management and Development (PRODEGESP).

Workers from the Colégio de Aplicação [Laboratory School – CA] and from the Child Development Center (NDI) will follow specific rules once they are entering phase 3, with in-person classes for all students starting in February. The Laboratory School enters Phase 3 on 10 February, and the NDI on 14 February.

>> Check the rules for Colégio de Aplicação and NDI workers         

Anyone without the complete vaccination cycle must present, with a frequency of five working days, a negative RT-PCR test result, or result from another test approved by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa), performed within the last 72 hours, according to the instructions.

In addition to the vaccination, the Central Administration reinforces the necessity of keeping protective measures, such as wearing PFF-2 masks and practicing social distancing. All of the biosafety measures are detailed in the Biosafety Guide.

Phase 2

Phase 2 for combating the COVID-19 pandemic at UFSC, which starts 14 February, is regulated by the Normative Ordinance no. 416/2021/GR, which was suspended last January due to the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases. The Ordinance was now declared valid again, based on the justification presented by the Epidemiological Monitoring Committee that indicated the pandemic would enter a phase of stability. It is a stage of resuming in-person activities with organization tasks and staff scheduling. When the Phases for Combating COVID-19 were defined at UFSC, there was no expectation for immunization, which currently has a wide reach.

For details on how to present the vaccination certification and other information, you can read the full news report here.

Learn more:

University life in three Phases
Biosafety Guide for Phase 2
How to use PFF2 masks
Legislation – Coronavirus.ufsc.br
Visual Signaling – Coronavirus.ufsc.br

Adapted and translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here. 

Prorector Cristiane Derani signs a membership agreement with the Normandy Chair for Peace, in France, alongside the president of the University of Caen, Lamri Adoui. (Photo: Promotion)

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), through the Office for International Relations (SINTER) and the Prorectorate for Graduate Studies (PROPG), recently formalized its membership with the Normandy Chair for Peace, an initiative supported by the United Nations (UN). UFSC is the only participating Brazilian university.

The Chair was created by initiative of the Normandy region in France, with the support of the United Nations, aiming to build lasting world peace. It participates in the World Forum and in international initiatives, respecting the freedom of professorship and the values of peace. Under the motto “We will have Peace on Earth when we have Peace with the Earth”, its work is very engaged with environmental issues, with a focus on success stories in protecting the environment.

The agreement signed by UFSC is valid for three years, with the possibility of renewal. It is expected that UFSC will create, based on this agreement, research groups and interact with researchers in carrying out the Chair’s activities.

Present during the signing of the agreement, on 11 January, in Caen, France, were Professor Michel Prieur, Leader of the research project on legal indicators of the Chair and President of the International Center for Comparative Environmental Law (CIDCE), Professor Lamri Adoui, President of the University of Caen, Professor Cristiane Derani, Prorector for Graduate Studies at UFSC, and Professor Emilie Gailllard, Coordinator-General of the Chair.

The Prorector for Graduate Studies, Cristiane Derani, was personally in France in January to represent UFSC and formalize the institutional membership. She explained that the Chair houses multidisciplinary activities developed around themes proposed by any of the members.

“The signing of this agreement by UFSC opens doors for our researchers to develop projects that are supported by the Chair. It therefore facilitates partnerships and dissemination of our scientific activities. With this, UFSC projects itself internationally as a recognized research institution able to develop thematic projects with international partners. We know that, in the university rankings, publications and their impacts, as well as network activities, are valuable indicators of university quality”, emphasizes Derani.

“Among our strategic partnerships, French universities have always been the ones that send students and receive Brazilian students the most. We have a consolidated relationship with France, mainly in the areas of engineering and earth sciences. It is worth mentioning here the Brafitec and Brafagri Programs, which have been standing out in a relevant and significant way in our internationalization process. Strengthening these partnerships, with the inclusion of new areas of knowledge, will help us to maintain and strengthen ties with our French-speaking partners,” points out Lincoln Fernandes, Secretary for International Relations at UFSC.

Invitation

UFSC was invited to participate in the Chair after a collaboration of researchers from the School of Law (CCJ) in a project on environmental legal indicators. As the Prorector for Graduate Studies explains, the international project had, at the Estação de Carijós, in Florianópolis, a first field study environment.

“It was during this activity that UFSC was invited to join the Chair. This was a first project, in which UFSC was invited. Now, from this agreement, our researchers will also be able to propose projects and integrate existing ones”, she points out.

Prorector Cristiane Derani is part of the Chair’s list of collaborators, as are other CCJ researchers, such as Professor Norma Sueli Padilha, Professor José Rubens Morato Leite, and researchers Fernanda de Salles Cavedon-Capdeville, Ligia Ribeiro Vieira and Camila Segovia Rodriguez.

Learn more:
Normandy Chair for Peace
Agreement with UFSC (in French)

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

Read the original article here. 

Due to the acceleration of cases of Covid-19 contamination, the Central Administration of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) decided to suspend indefinitely the progress to Phase 2 of the return to in-person activities. Normative Ordinance no. 419/2022/GR was signed this Friday, 7 January 2022, and published in the UFSC Official Bulletin on this same date.

The beginning of Phase 2 in all administrative and academic units at UFSC was scheduled for 10 January. With the suspension, each university office will continue to execute their current activity plans.

According to the Normative Ordinance no. 416/2021/GR, which had its effects suspended, as of 10 January all employees who do not belong to any risk group should return to in-person activities. The return would be carried out according to the activities plan prepared by the office, taking into account the sanitary conditions of the work environment.

In view of the news of increased cases of Covid-19 and overcrowding in public and private health units, the Rectorate held a meeting on Wednesday, 5 January , with representatives of the Permanent Commission for Epidemiological Monitoring, the Prorectorate for Personnel Management and Development (PRODEGESP), and other managers. After the meeting, the Acting Rector, Cátia Regina de Carvalho Pinto, sent a letter to the Commission requesting a statement “regarding the expected beginning of Phase 2 for the resumption of in-person activities in all administrative and academic units”.

The document prepared by the commission highlights the “acute expansion” of the Covid-19 pandemic in the world and the “scenario of explosive increase of cases” in Brazil and Santa Catarina. According to the commission, the effective reproduction number (Rt) – an indicator of the disease’s transmission rate – which had been on a downward trajectory, reversed this trend by the end of 2021. “And this has already been captured by the expansion of the number of people with the disease, whose level went from less than 2,000 cases in the pre-christmas period to more than 8,000 cases in the first days of 2022.”

The Permanent Commission for Epidemiological Monitoring also highlights the confirmation of community transmission of the Ômicron variant in Santa Catarina and the large increase in the percentage of positive cases in Covid tests performed in recent days. “This scenario has already put pressure on the health system, at this moment crowding health units with people in search of diagnostic tests and patients with symptoms of influenza syndrome.” Therefore, the committee expressed opposition to the start of Phase 2 with the resumption of in-person activities on 10 January.

As soon as the statement was received, the Rector issued the new resolution suspending the effects of the ordinances 416/2021/GR and 418/2021/GR, which established the Biosafety Guide for the return of in-person activities in Phase 2. “The University continues its efforts to protect the University Community. We will always act respecting science and preserving lives, and that is what we are doing at this moment,” said the acting Rector.

The UFSC’s actions to face the pandemic have taken into account the principles of safety and precaution, in order to preserve the health and lives of the community members. The Normative Ordinance 416 had the exception that “the deadlines and measures expressed in this normative ordinance can be changed depending on new facts that justify them”. This caution was adopted in other normative instruments published to guide the return to in-person activities at UFSC.

Read more in coronavirus.ufsc.br

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here. 

The Central Administration of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) published, on 29 December, the Normative Ordinance no. 416/2021/GR, announcing new measures for the gradual resumption of on-site activities in the administrative and academic units of the institution. The date scheduled for the start of Phase 2 is 10 January 2022. In the Phase 2 for combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the following in-person activities are allowed: activities with an impact on COVID-19 or other essential activities approved by the Central Administration, essential in-person organization, and execution of general (administrative and pedagogical) blended activities.

According to the Ordinance, the University’s in-person activities will be resumed following the activity plans presented in the documents reported by each university unit. As in Pre-Phase 2, the units need to make public their activity plan and organize the in-person work shifts. The document also emphasizes that the resumption of in-person activities will be gradual and full-time, and that the work environment for the activities must meet the appropriate sanitary conditions.

The Head of the Rector’s Office, Prof. Áureo Mafra de Moraes, explains that, in Phase 2, all UFSC staff will work in-person at some point, except for those people included in the risk groups, which shall continue working from home. All units shall be open during regular office hours, but staff members can work on rotation. The number of staff members working simultaneously must take into account the environmental conditions, such as air circulation, so as to avoid crowds.

For the undergraduate and graduate programs, Phase 2 maintains the online activities, except for authorized practical and theoretical-practical classes. According to the 2022 academic calendar, approved by the University Council (CUn), the resumption of in-person classes will take place when the next academic semester (2022/1) starts. For undergraduate programs, this will be 18 April. For graduate programs, classes are scheduled to begin on 7 March.

The Phase 2 activity resumption will cover all administrative and academic units at UFSC and at the Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago University Hospital (HU/UFSC), except for the Child Development Center (NDI) and the Colégio de Aplicação [Laboratory School] (CA), which follow a separate calendar. The NDI and the CA shall resume their in-person activities completely during Phase 3, starting from 10 February, according to the Normative Ordinance no. 417/2021/GR.

Both ordinances stress that all deadlines and measures may be altered depending on new events. The guidelines on the procedures and conducts to be adopted for the development of activities at the University are established in the Biosafety Guide for the resumption of in-person activities at UFSC during Phase 2.

Risk Groups

Only servants included in the risk groups, which have undergone recent changes (for more information, refer to the PRODEGESP website), may continue working from home, complying with the Normative Instruction SGP/SEDGG/ME no. 90, of 28 September 2021. On 15 October, the Central Administration issued two ordinances on the subject: Normative Ordinance no. 413/2021/GR, which includes people with disabilities in the risk group, and Normative Ordinance no. 414/2021/GR (with its annex), which sets guidelines for the work of servants included in the risk group.

The current Risk Groups are:

• people aged sixty or over;
• smokers;
• obese people;
• people with comorbidities: cardiomyopathies of different etiologies (heart failure, ischemic cardiomyopathy, etc.); arterial hypertension; cerebrovascular disease; severe or decompensated lung diseases (moderate/severe asthma, COPD); immunodeppression and immunosuppression; advanced-stage chronic kidney disease (grades 3, 4, and 5); diabetes mellitus, according to clinical judgment; chromosomal diseases with a state of immunological weakness; malignant neoplasm (except non-melanotic skin cancer); hepatic cirrhosis; and hematologic diseases (including sickle cell anemia and thalassemia);
• pregnant women;
• parents, stepparents or guardians of children who are of school age or younger, in places where the suspension of in-person classes or daycare services is still maintained, and who need the assistance from a parent or guardian, without a spouse, partner or other adult family member in the household able to provide assistance; and
• people living with persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Servants in these conditions who wish to perform in-person work will need to sign a self declaration form and forward it to the Prorectorate for Personnel Management and Development (PRODEGESP) as instructed here.

Activity Plan

The process for approval and publicity of the units’ Activity Plans also changed. The plans must be sent to the Rectorate’s Office (GR) via the Administrative Processes System (SPA) and published on the units’ websites. They shall contain details about the work schedule, rotation and shifts.

Read more: coronavirus.ufsc.br.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

Read the original article here.

Last November, the International Database on Fortifications – Fortalezas.org surpassed 11 thousand images of fortifications around the world. The access to the research platform is completely free and the responsibility of feeding the database belongs to the Fortresses of the Santa Catarina Island Coordination (CFISC) team at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC), together with external collaborators.

The video below shows how the database works and how to participate as a volunteer:

> Learn more about how to use the platform here.

The database is constantly updated and now has more than 300 videos and 4,000 bibliographies, in addition to over 1,000 biographies of historical characters. In the last 12 months, between November 2020 and November 2021, 3,188 new images were added to the platform – which includes not only photos, but also paintings, iconographies, maps, etc.

1848 painting of the Fort of Santa Cruz da Horta, Azores, available at Fortalezas.org

In addition, information on 884 fortifications was also registered or updated in the database, totaling 2,593 records of this type of building.

The International Database on Fortifications – Fortalezas.org is a multimedia and collaborative virtual tool. Its development started in 1999, and the platform was finally launched on the internet in 2008. The project is maintained by CFISC, linked to the Office of Culture and Arts (SeCArte) at UFSC.

Overview

In the last 12 months (between November 2020 and November 2021), the database received information on:

• 884 fortifications around the world, out of a total of 2,593 records on the platform;
• 777 new bibliographies, out of a total of 4,093 available (most of them with full content in PDF);
• 46 biographies of historical characters, out of a total of 1,003 entries in the database;
• 56 new links referring to sites with content about fortifications, totaling 1,189 websites;
• 148 new thematic videos on fortifications, out of a total of 310 available;
• 3,188 new images of fortifications, including photographs and old iconographies, from a total of more than 11,000 on the platform.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here. 

 Developed to be a first experience for international visitors before arriving in Brazil, and an important tool in the University’s internationalization process, the Brazilian Portuguese Survival Course arose from a clear need: a large number of international students at UFSC enter and leave the institution without learning to speak Portuguese. With this in mind, the staff from the Office of International Relations (Sinter) united their ideas and experiences with the technical expertise of the Office of Distance Education (Sead) to develop a 100% asynchronous Portuguese language course, fully adapted to situations that take place at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC).

The objective of SINTER and SEAD is to train international students, faculty and staff, who will carry out mobility and academic cooperation activities at UFSC, by offering an online, self-instructional course that will enable them to communicate in basic Portuguese. The course seeks to help in the welcoming process of the participants when they arrive at UFSC and to awaken their interest in learning the Brazilian language and culture.

The initiative, it is believed, is unprecedented and had to be created from scratch, since there were no similar courses at other universities, according to both Offices. It was developed by content experts, Portuguese/English Language teachers, and professionals from SEAD and SINTER.

For the pedagogue Joyce Regina Borges, who helped develop the course content, the main concern was to select the contents that would in fact be essential for the first contact with the Brazilian Portuguese language. She also lists some of the challenges in creating the course: being able to include some cultural aspects for a better understanding of the language; providing audio for as much of the content as possible to facilitate familiarity with the pronunciation; and being able to do all of this in a 20-hour course.

The structure of the course consists of five content modules, each comprising three lessons. At the end of each lesson, a “Practice Time” session proposes automated feedback activities to ensure students’ learning and autonomy and to check their achievements.

Division of the course into modules (Image: course screenshot).

The modules also feature the “Cultureme” session, which introduces some aspects of Brazilian culture, and the “Tip Time” session, which brings useful information to help students handle the new language.

In this journey, students will not be alone. They will receive help from Diogo, Natália and Lincoln, characters inspired by real UFSC staff members. They will also have the company of Angela, Frederick and Paloma, fictional characters who, throughout the course, share their experiences as foreign students at UFSC. All the audios of the characters in the course were recorded by SINTER staff members (Bruno Wanderley Farias, Caroline Finatti, Diogo Robl, Guilherme Carlos Costa, Luciana Miashiro Lima and Paula Eduarda Michels).

For the Secretary for Distance Learning, Luciano Patrício Souza de Castro, every distance training initiative must be seen today as a great and proven opportunity to efficiently and effectively achieve real learning results. In this sense, the Brazilian Portuguese Survival Course, as a self-instructional course, is engaging in centering the learning on the participants through the use of technologies that facilitate course completion. The course contents, educational proposal, visual aids and navigability are impact factors that guarantee learning success for those willing to survive in Brazilian Portuguese.

“The course is visionary, totally innovative, and may attract students from all over the world who wish to learn Portuguese at UFSC”, says Professor Lincoln Fernandes, Secretary for International Relations. He presents data on the increase in the number of international students at the University as a result of remote learning. Before the pandemic, UFSC had approximately 250 international students on its campuses per semester. Now, with the virtual activities, the sum exceeds twice that number of students.

Characters interact with students for a better experience in the course (Image: Course screenshot).

The course is now in its testing phase. An initial version has already been released internationally and, according to SINTER, many foreign partners are looking forward for their students to register in the course. Professor Gisele Orgado, a graduate of UFSC, is responsible for conducting the pilot course with Portuguese students at the University of Birmingham, in the United Kingdom.

After this first test, the course will be reviewed and will undergo adjustments for improvements. Once everything is in place, it will become available on the Moodle platform to students around the world. “It is important to point out that this course is aimed at English-speaking people, but the idea is to soon adapt it to speakers of other languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Russian, among others” Lincoln says.

More information about the course can be found on SINTER’s website.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

Read the original article here. 

On 30 November, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) promoted the official launch of the UFSC Observatory, a platform for transparency and management support that integrates, in a single environment, data and information from various domains of the University.

Representatives of the Ministry of Education, the state government, the National Association of Directors of Federal Higher Education Institutions (Andifes) and the Santa Catarina State Foundation for the Support of Research and Innovation (Fapesc) participated in the online ceremony.

The Rector Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar, the Vice-Rector Cátia Regina de Carvalho Pinto, prorectors, secretaries, school deans, heads of departments, undergraduate and graduate program coordinators, students, faculty, and administrative staff from UFSC also participated. The web conference was streamed on YouTube.

The online ceremony was opened by the Rector, Ubaldo Cesar Balthazar, who greeted those present and shared an overview of the Observatory. “The purpose of this platform is to provide an overview of the most varied topics, relevant not only to university management but also to the academic community, control bodies and society as a whole.” The Observatory debuts this Tuesday with more than 300 indicators on 21 areas of activity at UFSC, and will be gradually expanded.

Dream and courage

UFSC’s Secretary for Innovation, Alexandre Moraes Ramos, said that the Observatory is a project linked to a dream and a courage. The dream of former Rector Luiz Carlos Cancellier de Olivo, who, upon taking office, expressed his desire to create a tool to modernize management and provide transparency to UFSC’s actions, and the courage of Rector Ubaldo Balthazar to move the project forward, bring the team together and implement the proposal.

Alexandre Ramos also stated that the Observatory will support medium and long-term strategic decisions to make management more efficient and prepare UFSC to be competitive at a global level. The Secretary for Innovation recalled the fact that UFSC was recently placed among the three most innovative universities in Brazil and stated that the moment is one of digital transformation.

Fernando Richartz, Secretary for Planning and Budget, presented some panels and data from the Observatory, which launched with 106 decision support dashboards and more than 300 indicators on 21 areas of UFSC, including teaching, research, outreach, administrative management, types of admission, among others. He mentioned UFSC’s initiatives to give back to society, informing that the outreach actions involved more than 3 million people from 2017 to 2021. He also highlighted the availability of UFSC’s budget data on the platform, meeting a demand from society and from governmental and non-governmental control bodies for transparency in the use of public resources allocated to the University.

Next steps

The Secretary also presented what the Observatory’s next steps should be, including automating the platform’s feeding processes as much as possible; incorporate new panels and themes according to user interaction; increase partnerships with other institutions and provide cross-referencing of information with other databases; and foster the internationalization of the Observatory, presenting the platform in other languages and incorporating Artificial Intelligence mechanisms. Fernando Richartz also informed that the Observatory will have a physical structure, located at the Rectorate Building Hall, for displaying the panels.

Then, the floor was passed to the representatives of the entities present. The president of FAPESP, Fábio Zabot Holthausen, told the Rector that having a tool like the Observatory is every manager’s dream. FAPESP provided the “seed capital” for the project, funded through resources from a Call for Proposals in support of the State’s Technological Innovation Centers (NITs). “We are very happy when we see the use of resources bringing innovation, bringing effectiveness and efficiency,” said Zabot.

Professor Gustavo Balduíno, Executive Secretary of Andifes, highlighted that UFSC managed, in this period of difficulties, after several months of pandemic, to present a quality project. “The resources allocated at the university bring concrete results to society,” said Balduíno. He informed that Andifes intends to launch the Ecograd system shortly, a panel that will gather information about all federal universities in the country.

Social Accountability

The State Controller General, Cristiano Socas da Silva, representing the state government, congratulated UFSC for carrying out the project. A graduate of the institution, he called the Observatory “a magnificent platform”. “UFSC is already a source of pride for being a reference in research, teaching and outreach, now it presents this model of good management practices and public transparency”, he said. The Controller also mentioned initiatives by the state government to make management transparent. “Social accountability is the best and least expensive of controls,” he said.

Eduardo Gomes Salgado, Secretary for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, pointed out that, in addition to transparency, the Observatory brings an immense opportunity for research on UFSC’s own data. “UFSC’s governance and transparency are growing and the governmental and non-governmental control bodies have noticed this”, he said.

Vice-Rector Cátia Regina de Carvalho Pinto said that, as a manager, she was very pleased to participate in the launch of the Observatory. She highlighted that UFSC has been innovative over the years, especially during the pandemic period. “We continue dedicating ourselves to science, knowledge and the defense of life”, said the Vice-Rector.

At the end of the virtual ceremony, the Rector Ubaldo Balthazar made an analogy with the world of theater: “Open the curtains and let the show begin”, said the Rector. He mentioned the former Rector Cancellier again. “It was during his administration that everything started and, with a lot of work and competence of the teams involved, in our administration we implemented this project”.

According to the Rector, the Observatory represents a new era in university management, “which increasingly strengthens our mission, which is to produce, systematize and socialize philosophical, scientific, artistic, and technological knowledge, broadening and deepening students’ education for the professional practice, critical thinking, and national and international solidarity with a view to building a just and democratic society and also guaranteeing quality of life”.

Watch the launch ceremony.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

Read the original article here.