The constitution of environmental educators by the oceanology bachelor's degree at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG)

Abstract

This study aims to identify, analyze, understand and describe the establishment of Environmental Educators among the 1,182 graduates of the Oceanology degree program at FURG (1974-2016), whose curriculum framework, until 2011, did not include professional training regarding Environmental Education (EE). Curriculum components were analyzed in order to identify the presence of EE in the completed degrees. Among the 689 Graduation Projects (GP) and the 389 reports of Curricular Internships (CI) until 2016, EE was found as a central topic in 15 and 17, respectively. Another 52 graduates had initial contact with the topic during the CI. Surveys carried out in 2001, 2007 and 2013 showed that 33 graduates worked in the field of EE. Academic Transcripts and Lattes Curricula revealed that 11 of these graduates had contact with EE in their CI, GP or extension courses, while 13 only had it after graduation. In nine cases, the initial contact was not determined. The results show students interested in the field of EE, even before its inclusion in the official curriculum framework. It is expected that the inclusion of Environmental Educators training in the scope of Marine Sciences degree programs will facilitate the materialization of such a vocation.