New quota law, error in algorithm and lack of time to test system: dean of UFSCar explains cancellation of the 2nd call

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Ana Beatriz de Oliveira says that the MEC’s ​​decision resulted in errors in the classification of candidates for highly competitive vacancies, which were destined for quota holders, and in the unprecedented cancellation of those selected. Dean of UFSCar talks about error and cancellation of the second call list This week, the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) canceled the second call list for those interested in joining its undergraduate courses, following complaints from candidates who had better grades than those summoned and felt harmed. A new list for enrollment should be published on Monday (11). 📲 Join the g1 São Carlos e Araraquara channel on WhatsApp It was the first time in the history of the UFSCar entrance exam that a list of those called for enrollment was cancelled. According to the dean of UFSCar, Ana Beatriz Oliveira, a chain of events triggered errors in the classification of highly competitive vacancies, which were destined for quota holders, causing inconvenience to hundreds of candidates who had already submitted their documents for enrollment and considered themselves university students. In an interview with g1, Ana Beatriz explained how the failures happened and also spoke about the affected students. In this report you will see: New quota law Short time to implement changes and error in the algorithm Lack of system tests Five days to identify error Forms of reparation for aggrieved candidates “We first have a decision from the Ministry of Education (MEC ) to apply the quota law. This created a very short time for all universities to adapt to the process. We made necessary adaptations here and after publishing the second call list, we received complaints from candidates who were left out of the enrollment requirement An error was identified in the generation of these lists, which led us to the decision to suspend both the second call for registration and the list of expressions of interest because there was also an original defect in it that invalidated the process.” Rectory of UFSCar in São Carlos Gabrielle Chagas/g1/Arquivo Of the 66 courses offered at UFSCar, 61 were wrongly listed. Ana Beatriz says that the same problem occurred at other universities. “It was a chain of events that led to this error at UFSCar and other universities that are going through the same situation. The entire system, at this moment, monitors the lists, knowing that there is a great risk of error due to this new way of filling vacancies “, he said. g1 contacted the MEC to find out about the problems occurring at UFSCar and other universities that had their vacancy interest lists and call for second calls cancelled. The Ministry said that the problem occurred at UFSCar, but denied that it existed in other units (read more below). READ MORE: COMPLAINTS: Candidates lose their place in the 2nd call and question the result CANCELLATION OF LIST: UFSCar admits error and cancels the 2nd call of approved candidates MORAL DAMAGE: Recalled candidates can sue the institution; understand 1 – New quota law According to the dean, the new quota law introduces a series of new procedures to generate the lists, since before the broad competition and quotas were worked on in separate blocks and candidates competed within their categories of description. “The candidates for the broad competition competed for 50% of the vacancies, the quota holders for the other 50% divided into up to eight groups. Now, the groups move and what we have to do is fill all the vacancies in the broad competition with all the candidates with higher scores, regardless of whether they have broad competition or quotas”, explained Ana Beatriz. READ MORE: Understand the new quota law Ana Beatriz Oliveira, dean of UFSCar Rectory of UFSCar/Disclosure 2 – Short time to implement changes and error in the algorithm The new quota policy was approved at the end of October and sanctioned by President Lula in November. But, according to the dean, the university was informed that the MEC would implement the new law in the Sisu of 2024, just one day before the publication of the UFSCar notice to join the Sisu, which did not give the university time to fully understanding of the law, while also committing to comply with it. “The MEC’s ​​decision that the quota law would be applied arrived 24 hours before we published our notice. Furthermore, the problems that occurred in the first call delayed the data from arriving here for us to work on”, stated Ana Beatriz. The university claims it had less than two months to make the necessary adaptations to the system that generates lists of candidates for expressions of interest and calls for enrollment. “The operationalization of the quota law was a decision taken by the MEC, without the participation of universities with a short period of time for the necessary change in the algorithm to be carried out safely. So, we saw in the first list that was released by the MEC a series of consecutive revocations. This is what is happening here, we who generated the second list and faced the same difficulties, there was at no time any guidance from the MEC on how to make this operational.” REMINDER PROBLEMS IN SISU: After a failure on the Sisu website, those approved ‘lose’ their place the next day: ‘I had already celebrated on the networks’, says student After candidates lose their place in Sisu, MEC admits ‘undue disclosure of provisional results’ for 25 minutes Sisu: MEC published the wrong list of those approved because it had not finished analyzing all the quota categories UFSCar students participate in university hazing Ana Marin/g1 3 – Lack of system tests According to the dean, the short time did not give the university a chance to test how the system that had been adapted to the new rules should be. “It was tested, but when you design a computer program, you need to include all possible situations and this was not possible to do, which caused this error when we processed the second call. It is worth remembering that it is a large process, the number of candidates competing and vying for vacancies is high and it was different from what we were able to simulate in the tests carried out. In the tests we were unable to simulate the real situation. Tests are efficient when they are carried out exhaustively and the short time did not make it possible”, admitted. 4 – Five days to identify an error Between the start of reports of errors in the call list and the cancellation of the second call, five days passed. At first, UFSCar even validated the list, but went back and announced an audit. “We released the second call for the UFSCar entrance exam last week and after the release we began to receive complaints from candidates with good performance who had not been called. We carried out a more general audit and were unable to identify the problems as a result. We deepened the analysis that was completed on Monday morning and, in this process, we identified an error in the algorithm that generated the lists of both expressions of interest and calls for enrollment, which made us cancel the second call and redo this process “, informed Ana Beatriz. The delay in canceling the list, according to the dean, was so that the evaluation could be carried out carefully. “We were very cautious because there could not be a second mistake, so all decisions were taken with legal advice from our federal prosecutor’s office. We also spoke with the MEC itself and with the Federal Public Ministry, making them aware of everything that was done and carried out so that the process was carried out smoothly, cautiously and with the seriousness it deserves”. UFSCar Campus in São Carlos 2020 Gabrielle Chagas/G1 5 – Forms of reparation for harmed candidates The university says it is unable to measure how many people were harmed by the confusion in the lists. According to the dean, only after the expression of those interested in the fourth and final list, which ends on April 14th, will it be possible to know how many students called in the second call did not get a place at UFSCar. The dean explains that there is no way to guarantee a place for all those called in error in the second call. “From the beginning, we worked with the possibility of absorbing all these people into the process, which was not possible given the number of candidates mistakenly called. So, we are working on reformulating the process. We hope that the next calls – on Monday the fourth – can absorb all these people or as many as possible”, he stated. The university will give priority to disadvantaged students in offering remaining places, which should occur from May onwards, even if they are not in the candidate’s first choice course. “Consecutively, there have been vacancies at the university in several courses, I know that this may not suit people who are focused on a specific course, but there may be other people who are evaluating the possibility of taking a higher education course or entering university for that reason. ” . The dean also said that there is a study of a new call from ProUni, as there were people who gave up their scholarship at a private college through the program, because they thought they had passed at a public university. “Because the problem was not just at UFSCar. The problem happened in previous weeks at other universities. Candidates who perhaps gave up on their process at ProUni would have a new chance. Although this problem started at the MEC, I feel at the MEC, at the Secretariat of Higher Education a sensitivity to support us and also to minimize the consequences for the students who were harmed”. Problems at other universities g1 sought out the MEC to find out about the time given to universities to absorb the new parameters and the existence of the same problems as UFSCar in other universities. The ministry said that “Higher Education Institutions that offer places through Sisu do not use the system, which is managed exclusively by the MEC and receive reports from the MEC, with the list and ranking of candidates, complying with the criteria set out in the Quota Law. They then use this information to make calls, both for the Regular Call and the Waiting List.” He also said that “the reports sent to UFSCar did not contain errors. The institution had problems in its internal call system, after entering and processing the reports.” The MEC said that no similar occurrences were recorded in other Higher Education Institutions, however g1 found that there were postponements, cancellations and cancellations of waiting lists in at least five universities: UFPB – Federal University of Paraíba UFBA – Federal University of Bahia UFMA – Federal University of Maranhão UFSM – Federal University of Santa Maria UFMG – Federal University of Minas Gerais READ ALSO: UFMA postpones the result of the SISU 2024 waiting list Sisu: candidates complain that, even with a sufficient grade for the first course option, they are allocated on Monday See more news from the region on g1 São Carlos and Araraquara

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