PERMANENCE, SUCCESS, AND DROPOUT OF ELDERLY STUDENTS AT NETI- UNAPI: THE UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE AT THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF SANTA CATARINA

School dropout is a complex phenomenon influenced by social, economic, pedagogical practices, and other factors. This article analyzes the permanence, success, and dropout of elderly students in socio-educational activities in the NETI, an University of the Third Age. We used records of digital class diaries implemented in 2019 and pedagogical checks of students with irregular frequency. The research was divided into five stages: (1) related works; (2) implementation of the digital class diary; (3) pedagogical monitoring of students and data collection; (4) data processing; and (5) analysis of the collected data. The results show that the implementation of the digital class diary allowed the pedagogical team to monitor student's frequency and act on cases of irregular frequency before the course ended. We observed a reduction in student evasion; while increasing success in course conclusion. The main reason for irregular attendance and dropout is personal and health issues. The study also identified the predominance of female students (82.5%), aged between 60-69 years (47.4%), mostly residing in Florianopolis (93.3%).