Do teaching staff have a joint enterprise or this is too much for it?

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to investigate teachers' perceptions of an undergraduate course at an university in Rio de Janeiro on the possible existence of a joint enterprise. This particular course was chosen because it was highly evaluated in terms of infrastructure, teaching staff and pedagogical organization by the educational authorities in Brazil, and had good results in learning standardized tests at ENADE (Exame Nacional de Desempenho). The first part of the paper presents the contribution of authors working with communities of practice and joint enterprises. The second session describes the methodology employed. The concluding session shows the analysis and the categories that contribute to affirm the existence of the joint enterprise, like knowledge dissemination and academic update. This study expects to contribute to future researchers to confirm existence of communities of practice among teachers.