The university extension as an academic educational practice

a community experience beyond assistance

Abstract

This text aims to reflect upon my involvement in the construction and development of an extension program at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), based on my role within the Office of Extension and Culture (PROEXC). The central objective is to formulate, through the proposed reflection, the reasons behind the achievement of defined outcomes, and thus, identify a methodology that can contribute to the success of other initiatives. However, to develop the established proposal, I initially sought to consider extension in its essence and developmental trajectory, aiming to comprehend it as a dialogical and educational process, and thereby defining its principles beyond mere assistance. This, in turn, helps identify potential paths for extension work. Therefore, this isn't merely an account of a process and experience, as it was lived and undergone, but rather an analytical elaboration of the constructed experience. It examines how, in the act of construction, educational processes and subjects are formed, mutually educating and exchanging knowledge through dialogue, and subsequently recontextualizing them to a different level.