Alternative learning spaces: exploratory research about college awards and contests in Brazil

Abstract

Active learning methodologies have been privileged as a research object by scholars of the Business Administration area in Brazil. Based on unstructured conversations with professors in a specific HEI (Higher Education Institution), we realized that one of them was using college awards and contests as an innovative learning alternative for his students. This successful but unique experience of this professor inspired this exploratory research. Could college awards and contests be an alternative learning space for Business Administration students? Is there academic literature about this debate? Are there empirical examples in Brazil? And, finally, could the experience of this professor be disseminated among his colleagues at the institution? The research presents a qualitative and exploratory approach and is characterized as an applied research. In addition to the bibliographic survey and systematization of the references, the research methodology also involved participant observation, unstructured interviews with professors and students and semi-structured interviews with the HEI administrators. The results indicate that i) college awards and contests can be considered as learning activities; ii) there are academic literature about college awards, active methodologies – especially PBL (problem based learning) – and there are empirical cases in Brazil; and finally iii) the investigation shows that the successful and unique experience of the professor who inspired our inquiries can be disseminated, in part, among his colleagues at the HEI where the research was carried out.