Mobilidade acadêmica e hospitalidade na Universidade Federal de Santa Maria.

Abstract

The internationalization of Higher Education Institutions, especially academic mobility programs, are increasingly in evidence in the globalized world in which we live, being one of the most immersive ways to acquire professional and personal experiences. Considering this scenario, this study aims to understand how academic mobility programs occur at UFSM and how students are welcomed during their exchange. The objective was to identify existing agreements and the profile of the participants in a five-year exchange period (2015-2019) in order to understand, for example, to what extent UFSM became hospitable and what strategies have been adopted by the institution to promote internationalization. The study was carried out through quantitative and qualitative analysis, divided into three phases of data collection: documentary research, questionnaires sent to exchange students and interviews with the International Affairs Office (SAI) staff. The results of the analysis showed that most of the motilities were through multilateral agreements such as AUGM (Asociación de Universidades Grupo Montevideo) and that almost 75% of the international students were from South America. The exchanges were carried out in several areas, such as Rural and Social Sciences, either at undergraduate or graduate level. As for hospitality, almost 70% of participants reported having felt totally welcomed during their stay and having participated in various welcoming actions. By analysing the data, it is possible to conclude that SAI has a very important role in promoting internationalization, in addition to the fact that the academic mobility experience widely favors the personal and professional growth of the participants, although there is still a need for greater cultural exchanges among International and Brazilian students and the development of actions to help overcome the difficulties in communication of international students during the mobility period at UFSM.