INNOVATION IN INFORMATION POLICIES

INTERDISCIPLINARITY AND ACTION RESEARCH IN INFORMATION SCIENCE EDUCATION IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Information Science in Brazil continuously seeks to enhance professional education in response to current sociotechnological transformations, with innovation in information policies serving as a key strategy to meet societal demands by articulating theory and practice. The Information Policy discipline of the PPGCI/UFPB promotes interdisciplinarity and participatory methodologies, culminating in the I Seminar on Innovation in Information Policies (2024), a partnership between PPGCI/UFPB and the PROJECIT/IFPB Group. This work investigates the innovative potential of this event in scientific education, integrating educational levels and knowledge areas through the action research method (reflection, resolution, and intervention). The research analyzed this unprecedented experience in the Northeast, which connected educational stakeholders and validated participatory methodologies to improve interdisciplinary educational practices in Information Science. The overall objective was to evaluate the seminar as an innovative action for education in Information Science, with specific objectives to characterize its interdisciplinarity, analyze the application of the action research method, and reflect on its impact on education in Brazil. The theoretical framework highlights the need for innovation in Information Policies within Information Science to educate professionals aware of contemporary challenges in information regimes. Information policies regulate the creation, flow, and use of information across communicational, cultural, and technological dimensions, being crucial for public planning in times of informational inequality and possessing a participatory nature. The role of the State and global information policy regimes as expressions of power and mechanisms of informational management is analyzed. Informational power and the informational State in the algorithmic society, where information is central to governance, are discussed. The effectiveness of policies depends on social participation, and innovation requires interdisciplinarity and the action research method. The qualitative methodology employed a case study on the I Seminar, complemented by documentary research and participant observation. The descriptive and interpretative analysis focused on reflecting on the event and its innovative elements, with data collection through documentary analysis, content analysis, and participant observation, triangulating the data to deepen the results. The preliminary analysis of the Seminar evidenced its innovation by integrating educational levels and promoting interdisciplinary dialogues through the UFPB-IFPB partnership. The lectures addressed topics such as organizational solicitude and the role of Information Science in cyberspace. The action research method articulated theory and practice, and student participation and the proposal for an interinstitutional research agenda reinforced the formative impact. In conclusion, the I Seminar on Innovation in Information Policies was a pioneering initiative in Information Science education in Brazil, integrating stakeholders and participatory methodologies, valuing interdisciplinarity, articulating technical and postgraduate education, and validating the action research method. The experience enriched the epistemological perspectives of the field. The limitations were the initial scale and the need for greater institutional diversity. It is expected that the seminar will inspire innovative practices, foster collaborations, and contribute to the advancement of Information Science in Brazil, serving as a replicable teaching and research model.