Processos de interação mediados pelas TDIC em curso a distância via web

Abstract

This research, entitled Interaction processes mediated by digital ICTs in distance education via the web, is linked to the Education, School and Technologies line of research in the Interdisciplinary Post-Graduate Program in Education, Language and Technology at the State University of Goiás. Its main purpose is to analyze the interaction processes mediated by digital ICTs used in the Course under research, to check the extent to which these tools contribute or otherwise to its development. More specifically, it sets out to characterize the Course and to research the digital ICTs it uses, and analyze their forms of use and purposes; identify and analyze the instructional design applied to the course and its contribution to the processes of interaction between the actors; and, analyze the interaction processes mediated by digital ICTs between the actors involved in the processes of interaction during the course. The research is a case study, where the locus of research is a Master post-graduate course in the field of health. It is qualitative in nature and considers the three phases of the research cycle: investigation, field research, and processing and analysis of data (MINAYO, 1994). To carry out the field research, it was decided to use three data collection procedures: documentary research (Course Pedagogical Program), application of half-open questionnaires to the research actors (members of the management team, tutors and course participants) and, finally, analysis of the interactions carried out in the interactive environments of the Course under research by means of the Moodle Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), e-mails, website and the Facebook social network. Triangulation was used to analyze the data, with Minayo (1994) as a basis. There were three categories of analysis, namely: a) digital information and communication technologies in distance education; b) interaction in distance education; and, c) instructional design. Analysis of these categories showed that digital ICTs are crucial to the development of distance education via the web. It was concluded that digital ICTs could support the development of distance education via the web, and when used for such purposes they constitute a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), in the broadest sense: cyberspace spaces with interfaces and different potential for mediating interaction processes between the actors. But digital ICTs also allow for varying levels of interactivity, thereby effectively promoting teaching and learning processes in distance education, especially via the web. The results of this research showed that digital ICTs not included in those technologies defined by the Course under research were used to mediate interaction processes. They were used as a complementary measure by the groups of actors in this research as they are more flexible and allow for new forms of interactivity and interaction mediation. Furthermore, when considering the large variety of ICTs which could constitute a VLE, the importance of using instructional design (ID) in distance education can be inferred, so that the digital technology used is more appropriate to the pedagogical approach and the ID model, and thus the teaching and learning processes of the distance education course can achieve their goals.