The new version of Digital Middle School FGV Portal is on air - an initiative that offers free content for students and candidates of Brazil's National High School Exams (ENEM), in a partnership between FGV Press and FGV Online.
 

Launched in September 2012, the portal currently brings together more than 7 thousand questions and 700 hours of lessons in four major areas of knowledge required by the ENEM, divided into 10 courses: Natural Sciences, Human Sciences, Mathematics, Languages and Technologies, bringing a new concept of interaction among students, who can exchange experiences, information and knowledge in an environment designed especially for them.  The purpose is to reach 2014 with 10,000 questions in our database, says Professor Mary Kimiko, director of educational solutions of FGV Online. 
 

The inclusion of a test area is also considered one of the major advantages of the new portal. In this new version, the student can test the questions database (including real-time simulations of ENEM's exams) without having to register beforehand, explains FGV Press' director, professor Marieta de Moraes Ferreira.  However, she highlights that there is exclusive content for the students who register, such as the Virtual Wall ? that allows interaction among the participants ?, the bank of writing themes suggestions, individual performance report and score ranking. These are new incentives to ensure that students will remain on the site and continue their studies with the aid of the platform, says Mary. Up until now, the portal has had over 700,000 hits.
 

The reformulation is ongoing and it is expected that new sections will be released, such as an exclusive area for professors, introductory videos on the courses and suggestions for studies. There is also expected be a mobile version of the website, already under development.
 

Access to higher education
 

In the light of school dropouts, the difficulties of a good performance in the ENEM and the poor preparation of professors before the guidelines of this examination, high schools face major problems. The development of a project of this nature and size has the exact purpose of facing these challenges and assist in the structuring of a new High School, popularizing knowledge and the access to higher education, says Marieta.
 

The researcher Rachel Emerique reinforces the purpose of promoting equal opportunities through the creation of the portal. Enem became an important selection mechanism for universities and we know that Brazilian students have unequal access to quality education, she recalls.
 

Mary Kimiko further points out that FGV's expertise is essential for the success of this action. This is one of the most successful projects by professor Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal (FGV's president). We have consolidated experience in the area, both in terms of didactic material and distance learning, which greatly motivated us, the professor celebrates.
 

Please click here to learn more about the Digital Middle School FGV Portal. (Available only in Portuguese)