Social Mobility of Graduates in a Distance Learning University : a Longitudinal Study of the Tendencies in the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia

Yarly Cecilia Reid García, ; Martha Natalia Poveda Najar, ; Lina María Mahecha Vásquez, ; Johan Enrique Caballero Olivares,

Synopsis

In addition to responding to the requirements of the Ministry of National Education (MEN, for its Spanish acronym) regarding graduate monitoring, distance learning universities are particularly interested in evaluating the quality of the academic services provided to the community. This is to determine whether there are significant differences between graduates' social, labor, and educational trajectories and the factors that have influenced their social mobility and their impact during the first five years after graduation.

Therefore, a study of graduate mobility was carried out during the years 2020 and 2021. It had a quantitative approach, a non-experimental design, and longitudinal tendencies to characterize the social trajectories and employment situation of graduates. It also aimed to identify the factors that influence social mobility, strengthening the existing strategies for monitoring graduates. Such elements would lead to find improvement actions and thus ensure its impact in this context.

This book has five chapters, which describe the route and findings of the research mentioned above. It starts with the particularities of the distance learning modality, enriched with the theoretical elements regarding social mobility. After that, it establishes the relation between social trajectories and the employment situation, among other factors affecting mobility. Finally, it maps the educational trajectories of graduates from the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (UNAD for its Spanish Acronym) between 2014 and 2018.

Keywords: social mobility, graduates, distance education, labor trajectories, higher education, longitudinal study, technological mediation

ISBN-13 (15)

9789586518994

Fecha de publicación (01):

2022-11-04
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How to Cite

Reid García, Y. C., Poveda Najar, M. N., Mahecha Vásquez, L. M., & Caballero Olivares, J. E. (2022). Social Mobility of Graduates in a Distance Learning University: a Longitudinal Study of the Tendencies in the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia. Sello Editorial UNAD. https://doi.org/10.22490/9789586518994

Categories Research Book

Published

November 4, 2022