Variáveis que Influenciam a Escolha dos Estudantes por Cursos de Pós-Graduação Lato Sensu a Distância na Área de Negócios

Based on Scriven’s User-Focused Evaluation Theory, the general objective in this study was to identify and analyze the degree of importance Brazilian students attribute to the variables that influence them when choosing distance education lato sensu graduate business programs. The research is classified as descriptive and an electronic questionnaire was used to survey the data, involving 354 students from distance education lato sensu graduate business programs distributed across different Brazilian locations. The questionnaire included 16 variables, which the students were expected to score from 0 to 10. The results indicated that 04 variables obtained a mean score superior to 9, and that flexibility was the main factor the respondents considered in the choice of a distance education program. This evidences that the possibility to structure the program according to their available time is fundamental for the students. Nevertheless, having a trained teaching staff (second most influential variable) and a curriculum appropriate to their pedagogical needs (fourth) are also essential characteristics. Finally, the respondents indicated the cost as the third most important variable. Some authors even consider it decisive in the students’ choice as distance education programs are frequently cheaper than in-class programs. In addition, it was verified that women score the investigated internal variables higher than men. In addition, the location of the support hub appeared as a determinant variable in the choice of the program.

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