EXTENSION CENTER (NÚCLEO DE EXTENSÃO) REGULATIONS – NEX

TITLE I – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Extension comprises all activities aimed at interaction between the Institution itself and the community in which it is located, forming a permanent bridge between the IES (higher education institution) and society. These activities go beyond the specific scope of the academic environment and are also open to the non-university public. Among the most common extension activities are seminars, lectures, workshops, and training, capacity-building and qualification courses, as well as the design and management of social and environmental projects organized for the community.

CHAPTER I – CONCEPT AND PURPOSES

Art. 1 – Extension is the educational, cultural and scientific process that inseparably links teaching and research and enables a transformative relationship between the IES and society. Sole paragraph – Extension should be understood as practices in which the academic body carries out its teaching, research and advisory activities in order to reach a wider audience and give local communities easier access to knowledge and techniques that can improve their quality of life. Art. 2 – Academic extension means actions that enable society to access the knowledge held by the college, whether through its own production or through the systematization of available universal knowledge. First paragraph – Making it accessible to society means creating resources and conditions for presenting information that helps society take ownership of the available knowledge. Second paragraph – Making existing knowledge accessible includes producing knowledge about the very process of accessing knowledge, from characterizing society's needs and identifying relevant problems that drive knowledge production, to carrying out processes for disseminating the available knowledge. Art. 3 – Extension is considered part or a stage of the knowledge production processes, not something separate from them. Sole paragraph – All units, academic or administrative, that propose extension activities must seek to ensure that these activities are in fact an effort to make accessible the knowledge produced by the unit or within its domain. Art. 4 – Extension will be educational in nature, in the sense of enabling people to use knowledge in their own activities. Sole paragraph – Given the nature and objectives of the Institution, the following are essential for extension to be characterized as academic:

1. Optimize exchange relationships between the IES and society with regard to the Institution's objectives;
2. Increase the likelihood that people and Institutions will make the best possible use of all existing knowledge in carrying out their activities;
3. Assess the IES's contributions to the development of society.
4. Produce knowledge about the processes by which the population and Institutions take ownership of existing knowledge;
5. Facilitate and improve the alignment of teaching and research with the needs of society;
6. Preserve and protect the knowledge produced by society;
7. Seek to integrate and consolidate all teaching and research activities so that there is a meaningful connection with the productive sectors and the various segments of the community, in a relationship of exchange and mutual improvement in which the IES enriches itself in knowledge and wisdom while encouraging the development of community programs and projects;

Art. 5 – Whenever possible, all extension activities shall involve students and faculty and, exceptionally, technical-administrative staff.

CHAPTER II – TYPES OF EXTENSION

Art. 6 – Programs, projects, courses and events are considered types or activities of extension. Sole paragraph: These types may be classified as:

1. institutional activities, carried out by faculty members jointly or individually, at this or other institutions, bodies or public or private entities, within the scope of an Extension Program duly approved by the competent academic authorities.
2. occasional activities, carried out by faculty members jointly with other institutions, bodies or public or private entities, within the scope of projects or plans duly approved by the competent academic authorities, whether or not they draw on the workload due under their employment arrangement.

Art. 7 – An extension program is a set of institutionally coordinated projects, with objectives characterized by continuity and permanence over time, which make up one of the lines of extension. Art. 8 – An extension project is a set of educational, cultural, scientific or technological activities, developed in a planned manner, with defined objectives and an expected end; Art. 9 – Extension courses: a coordinated set of teaching activities, systematically planned and organized, theoretical and/or practical, on-campus and/or online, including a workload and a formal assessment process. First paragraph: extension courses are those which, offered to the academic community and/or to society, aim to share scientific knowledge, strengthening the interaction between the IES and society through their own calendar and syllabus. Second paragraph: Extension courses must connect the academic community with society's concrete needs, bringing theory and practice together as both a prerequisite and a consequence of the various extension programs. Third paragraph: Extension courses will take the form of Short Thematic Courses for cultural dissemination, without qualifying as undergraduate or postgraduate programs, and will be open to candidates who meet the requirements established in each case. Fourth paragraph: The workload of extension courses will be at the discretion of the IES. Fifth paragraph: Proposals for extension courses must comply with these regulations and be submitted using the appropriate templates. Art. 10 – The coordinator responsible for the Extension Course shall:

1. Submit to the coordination of the Center for Scientific Initiation, Research and Extension – NICPE the course proposal with the information needed for its promotion;
2. At the end of the Course, submit a report of the activities as provided for in these regulations;
3. Request the issuance of certificates for those enrolled in the respective courses who meet the minimum attendance required in the scheduled activities and achieve satisfactory performance according to the assessment set out in the Course Plan;
4. Request the issuance of certificates for faculty members for coordinating and teaching the extension course, specifying the course title and workload.
5. Promote the extension courses both within and outside the IES, and may request technical support from programs with this purpose.

Art. 11 – The following are considered university extension Events:

1. Publications: books, journals, articles, proceedings, reviews, etc. Written dissemination of the knowledge produced by the IES and by humanity in general, in outlets that make this output available and maximize its dissemination to the community.
2. Videos, films, programs, festivals and competitions about the knowledge generated or systematized by the IES in any of its ways of working with scientific, technical, philosophical or artistic knowledge.
3. Scientific and technical meetings, congresses, round tables, gatherings, symposia, seminars, lectures, conferences, debates, forums and academic days, including their organization: activities organized so that society can learn about intellectual output in the various fields of knowledge, through direct contact with the individuals who produce, systematize or critique this knowledge, following the very process of producing it or learning about its results.
4. Sporting events and other activities that bring the community into contact with humanity's cultural heritage, such as plays, choir performances, music shows, film or video screenings, and recreational sports games or events, giving these people the means to access this heritage.
5. Supervision: technical monitoring and guidance by faculty members regarding professional work, which may be ongoing or for a set period.
6. Institutional, technological, educational, cultural, artistic, sporting or scientific cooperation: any and all activities within these categories that aim to help other institutions or bodies representing civil and scientific society carry out such activities; courses in undergraduate or postgraduate programs, participation in research projects, examination boards and joint activities seeking to make projects of both institutions viable.
7. Workshops and trainings will be considered practical, simple, short extension courses. Advisory services, consulting and supervision will be distinguished from the provision of services, the latter being the direct performance of technical work by the professional. Advisory services, consulting and supervision are forms of indirect professional practice – the correct work, valued by another professional, with their assistance.

Art. 12 – Any and all types of extension events must be carried out in a way that does not harm or replace other social institutions that, by definition, are responsible for carrying out activities similar to those proposed. Art. 13 – Proposals for holding extension events must expressly provide for:

1. 1. the academic and social relevance of the activity;
   2. the breakdown of costs borne by external partners (if applicable);
   3. the designation of the coordinating faculty member and the staff involved;
   4. the timeframe for carrying out the activity.

CHAPTER III – DUTIES OF THE ACADEMIC BODIES INVOLVED IN EXTENSION

Art. 14 – Extension activities at the IES will be managed by the Coordination of the Extension Center – NEX. First paragraph – The Coordination of the Extension Center – NEX is responsible for:

1. managing Extension at the IES, as provided for in these Regulations;
2. approving extension proposals submitted by the various departments and undergraduate programs, after approval by the Program Coordination, and forwarding them to the Academic Board for a final opinion;
3. monitoring the proposed extension activities;
4. giving an opinion on the continuation of the extension activity;
5. defining, together with the administrative and academic boards, the workload of faculty and students allocated to the proposed activities;
6. proposing the extension policy at the IES, integrating it with the other policies on teaching and research, based on discussions with the academic community and on an assessment of society's needs;
7. proposing rules, resolutions and criteria to regulate extension activities;
8. aligning and integrating extension policy proposals with teaching and research proposals;
9. assisting the Academic Board in proposing the action plan, contributing analyses and data on the extension area;
10. assisting the Academic Board in implementing the restructuring the institution needs with regard to extension activities;
11. diagnosing the institution's problems within its area of activity;
12. proposing, amending and evaluating the rules that define the institution's extension activities;
13. overseeing the issuance of legal documents relating to extension activities, including keeping a record of certificates issued;
14. monitoring the processing of documents relating to extension activities so that it is fast, clear and consistent with institutional guidelines;
15. defining and evaluating the use of the Institution's resources allocated to funding extension activities;
16. nominating members for bodies related to the extension activities of the IES or external ones, submitted for its consideration;
17. setting deadlines for submitting proposals and reports on extension activities.
18. evaluating extension activities as a whole, based on the reports submitted, in order to identify possible problems and assess the effectiveness of the activities carried out, their costs and the population reached;
19. deciding on guidelines for submitting proposals, projects or programs of extension activities and reports on these activities, proposed by the Academic Board, to serve as guidance for those interested;
20. preparing the annual report on the extension activities of the IES;
21. preparing, every semester, the schedule of extension activities of the IES or its projects;
22. advising proponents in preparing and carrying out extension proposals, projects and programs, including helping to seek the resources needed for implementation;
23. producing publications that promote the extension activities of the IES and its projects;

Second paragraph – To carry out certain activities, the Extension Center – NEX will work in collaboration with the other centers of the IES. Art. 15 – The programs, as organized basic academic units, are responsible for:

1. proposing to the Coordination of the Extension Center – NEX extension activities that can be promoted within the program or through partnerships;
2. giving an opinion on any and all changes proposed to the activity in cases where it has already been approved by the competent bodies;
3. taking part in obtaining resources to carry out the activity;
4. promoting the events through the competent bodies;
5. monitoring the extension activities of faculty members with regard to meeting the proposed objectives, the results obtained, and the contribution to teaching, research and access to knowledge;
6. preparing an annual plan of extension activities at the program level;
7. supervising and evaluating the performance of those involved in the projects or programs;
8. every proposal for an extension project, program or activity must be sent to the Program Coordinator who, after giving an opinion, will forward it to the Coordination of the Extension Center.

TITLE II – FINAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Art. 16 – Leave to attend scientific congresses, symposia, conferences, etc. will be governed by specific regulations. Art. 17 – Cases not covered herein will be resolved by the Coordination of the Extension Center – NEX and the Academic Board. Art. 18 – These Regulations come into force on the date of their approval by the General Board.