University-Industry Interaction in business Administration teaching: the case of the Management Practices Laboratory Course

Abstract

University-industry interaction, in the context of active teaching methodologies, seeks to create a collaborative environment that maximizes learning potential by integrating academic and practical resources, allowing higher education institutions to promote more applied and innovative activities. This is true for several knowledge areas, mainly in the management field, considering the training of professionals for many sectors of the economy. Based on this, this study aims to analyze the contributions of university-industry interaction to the different actors involved in the discipline of Management Practices Laboratory, linked to the Business Administration undergraduate. Through a single case study accomplished at a community higher education institution in southern Brazil, interviews were conducted with all the actors participating in the mentioned discipline, such as professors, students, and entrepreneurs or managers, as well as research in secondary sources. The main results indicate that university-industry interaction promotes benefits for all the actors cited, such as academic training closely related to the business reality, the exchange of expertise between those involved, the use of innovative methodologies in the classroom, the generation of solutions or alternatives for the challenges presented by the participating firms, among others.