INSTITUTIONAL SELF-ASSESSMENT AND STUDENT SUPPORT POLICIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRASÍLIA (2017 TO 2025): FROM DISCOURSE TO PRACTICE
Sinaes; Institutional Self-assessment; Student Support; Retention; Undergraduate
The proposed study aims to analyze how the outcomes of the institutional self-assessment process at the University of Brasília (UnB), particularly regarding student support policies defined by the National Higher Education Assessment System (Sinaes), contribute to the planning of initiatives related to undergraduate student integration and retention during the 2017-2025 evaluation cycles. Characterized as an exploratory-descriptive study with a qualitative approach, the research combines documentary and empirical perspectives and is structured as a case study, with UnB as its research locus. To examine the dynamics of institutional self-assessment within the context of higher education – specifically concerning student support policies in alignment with Sinaes – the investigation aims to adopt historical-dialectical materialism as its epistemological framework. Accordingly, the methodological categories of totality, contradiction, and mediation will be applied a priori, with the possibility of identifying additional categories a posteriori, based on empirical findings. The study intends to contribute to the refinement of Sinaes and the improvement of student support policies, with emphasis on the effectiveness of actions aimed at ensuring student retention and engagement within the academic environment. Furthermore, it seeks to provide analytical input to external evaluators and Institutional SelfAssessment Committees regarding the evaluation of these policies.