Historical reflections and theoretical considerations around distance and adult education

This work deals with issues related to adult education, with special focus on students in distance education at Brazilian private and public universities. Such students have been involved in technological and social transformations in the last decades. In this context, the objective of the research was to identify the historical process, the theories and practices for adult learning in distance education and the social and economic benefit achieved by this public. In order to ground the research we used the bibliographic review of methodologies and theories relevant to these issues. In this sense, we understand that the theoretoical-methodological support discussed in the work has its ideal form in Andragogy, prioritizing authors such as Lindeman, Knowles and Paulo Freire. In conclusion, it was possible to realize that distance education was created with the specific purpose of meeting the professional demand of each era. However, its objectives have changed according to the social, economic and political transformations that occurred in each time and space. In Brazil, from the 1990s, concern arose not only with professional training, but also with a democratic education and a social bias. By inserting in distance education those excluded from traditional education, it was intended to promote social justice, at the same time as making it possible to meet the demands of the market.