Ao longo da história brasileira, a área da Educação esteve presente em diversas discussões políticas. Sabe-se que, ainda hoje, são necessárias muitas mudanças a fim de se promover sua almejada melhoria. Dessa forma, a formação de professores bem qualificados tem sido uma das principais medidas adotadas para alcançar o aprimoramento da Educação no país, sendo que, nos últimos 20 anos, a Educação a Distância (EAD) tem sido uma das preferências dos programas de governo para proporcionar tal formação. Nesse novo e conturbado cenário, a reflexão sobre a qualidade dos cursos de formação docente torna-se essencial, além do fato de que tais cursos devem estar adequados às especificidades do grupo que se deseja formar. Sendo assim, acredita-se ser necessário conhecer quem são os professores envolvidos nesses processos de formação, assim como suas motivações ao ingressarem em tais cursos. A partir dessas questões, como objetivo geral, a presente pesquisa pretendeu contribuir para a ampliação dos conhecimentos sobre a motivação de professores de Biologia em cursos de formação docente continuada na modalidade à distância. Como objetivos específicos, pretendeu-se: 1. Identificar as principais motivações dos professores (cursistas) para participarem do Curso de Especialização para Docentes de Biologia (EspBio) do programa Rede São Paulo de Formação Docente (RedeFor) e; 2. Investigar as concepções dos tutores sobre a motivação de tais cursistas, assim como estabelecer quais critérios esses tutores utilizaram para identificar tal motivação. Foram elaborados dois questionários, sendo que um deles foi respondido por 53 cursistas e o outro foi respondido por um grupo de 9 tutores. Como principais resultados, encontrou-se que as principais motivações para ingresso dos professores no EspBio estavam relacionadas à ampliação de conhecimentos e atualização na área de Biologia, além da ampliação de metodologias de ensino. Os docentes também consideraram a aprendizagem na modalidade à distância mais motivadora que a presencial devido à flexibilidade de tempo que a primeira oferece. Os tutores, por sua vez, elencaram como critérios para identificação de docentes motivados ao aprendizado o comportamento ativo dos mesmos (quando participam intensamente do que é solicitado), a busca de informações complementares ao curso, a assiduidade no ambiente virtual de aprendizagem, a preocupação com a qualidade do que era produzido além da preocupação em prestarem esclarecimentos ao tutor quando eventuais contratempos ocorressem. A partir dessa pesquisa acredita-se ser necessário um olhar mais atento para cursos de formação docente, sejam presenciais ou à distância, para que os mesmos possam atender às expectativas dos professores envolvidos, tornando tais cursos mais adequados às especificidades do grupo em questão. Além disso, acredita-se na importância da permanente a capacitação do tutor, já que o mesmo tem grande contribuição para o sucesso da EAD. Por fim, acredita-se que, apesar de os resultados da presente investigação somarem-se aos diversos trabalhos realizados na área em questão, espera-se que maiores estudos sobre o tema sejam realizados, a fim de se contribuir, efetivamente, para a melhoria dos cursos de formação docente. / Throughout Brazilian History, Education was present in many political discussions. It is known that, even today, many changes are necessary in order to promote their desired improvement. Thus, the well-qualified teachers learning has been one of the main measures adopted to achieve the improvement of Education in Brazil, where in the last 20 years, Distance Learning (DL) has been one of the preferences of government programs to provide teachers learning. In this new and troubled scenario, the reflection about the quality of teachers learning courses becames essential, beyond the fact that such courses should be appropriate to the specific group it want to form. Thus, it was believed that is necessary to know who are the teachers involved in these formation processing and such as their motivations to enrolling these courses. From these questions, the general objective of the present research is contribute to the expansion of knowledge about the motivation of biology teachers in teacher training courses in distance mode. As specific objectives, we intend to: 1 Identify the motivation of teachers (also called \"cursistas\" in this work) to participate in a specialization course for teachers of biology (EspBio) e; 2. Try to identify the tutors\' conceptions about the motivations of his cursistas, as well as establishing the criteria they used to identify such motivation. Two questionnaires were developed: one was answered by 53 teachers from São Paulo and the other one was answered by a group of nine tutors. As a result it was found that the greatest motivation declared by teachers was related to their improvement and updating knowledge in Biology, beyond the possibility of expands their teaching methodologies in this area. Teachers also considered learning in distance mode more motivating than the classroom because of the flexibility of time that the first offer. The tutors, in their turn, listed as a criterias to identify motivated teachers to learn the active behavior the teachers had in the course (when they participate intensely than is required), the search for additional information, attendance in the virtual learning environment, concern about the quality of what they had produced , besides concern about the clarifications to the tutor when any misadventure happen. From this research, it is believed that a closer look at teacher education courses be necessary, either presencial or at a distance, so that they can meet the expectations of the teachers involved, making these courses more appropriate to the specific group concerned. Furthermore, we believe in the importance of permanent tutor training because they have a great contribution to the success of Distance Learning, even though their role sometimes were neglected. Finally, we believed that, despite the results of this research add up to the various works carried out in the area in question, it is expected that further studies be conducted on the subject, in order to contribute effectively to the improvement of teachers learning courses.

O presente trabalho, através da produção e verificação de um conjunto de materiais e métodos, é uma proposta de uso do computador, conectado à Internet, no ensino médio de Física da rede pública do estado de São Paulo, visando a orientar os professores da área, quanto ao uso dessa tecnologia de comunicação em aulas presenciais. Para tanto, foi levado em conta o cotidiano do aluno como foco principal do conteúdo abordado; o reconhecimento das concepções espontâneas dos alunos para a sua superação; o caráter de construção permanente da ciência, ao abordar aspectos históricos; e o reconhecimento da Física moderna e contemporânea. O desenvolvimento do mesmo, não só contou com o resultado de algumas pesquisas publicadas, seja no campo específico de ensino de Física, ou na área de educação à distância, como teve também por base análise de experiências feitas em sala de aula. O estudo mostra que para as escolas nas quais a infra estrutura existente é satisfatória, o computador e a Internet são recursos consideráveis para se obter um melhor desempenho do aluno no aprendizado de Física, desde que sejam aplicados com métodos e materiais mais interativos. Deste modo, a aula e a própria disciplina ficam mais atrativas. Por outro lado, para as escolas, cuja infra-estrutura é insuficiente e inadequada, a Internet ligada ao computador são recursos que por si só não contribuem para uma mudança significativa no ensino desta disciplina, havendo necessidade do professor mudar sua atitude frente ao uso destes recursos tecnológicos e da própria aula apresentar um caráter investigativo / The present work, related to the production and verification of a set of materiais and methods, is a proposal of the use of computers, connected to the Internet, in the medium levei of Physics courses of public schools of São Paulo State, looking to a guide for the teachers, with relationship to the use of that communication technology inside the classes. We taking finto account the quotidian of the student as main focus of the approached content; the recognition of the students\' spontaneous conceptions; the character of permanent construction of the science, approaching to historical aspects; and, the modern and contemporary Physics. The development of the work, not only related with the result of some published researches, in the specific field of teaching of Physics, or in the area of distance education, as also had for base experiences done in classroom. The study shown that for the schools, in which the existent infrastructure is satisfactory, the computer and the Internet are considerable resources to obtain a better acting of the student in Physics learning, since with the applications of interactive methods and material. In this way, the class and the own discipline are more attractive. On the other hand, for the schools, whose infrastructure is insufficient and inadequate, the Internet linked to the computer is a resource that by itself doesn\'t contribute for a significant change in the teaching of this discipline. It is necessary a change in the altitude of the teacher front to the use of that new technological resources

This dissertation discovered the factors influencing how students value asynchronous Web-based courses through the use of qualitative methods. Data was collected through surveys, observations, interviews, email correspondence, chat room and bulletin board transcripts. Instruments were tested in pilot studies of previous semesters. Factors were identified for two class formats. The asynchronous CD/Internet class format and the synchronous online Web based class format. Also, factors were uncovered for two of the instructional tools used in the course: the WebCT forum and WebCT testing. Factors were grouped accordingly as advantages or disadvantages under major categories. For the asynchronous CD/Internet class format the advantages were Convenience, Flexibility, Learning Enhancement, and Psychology. The disadvantages included Isolation, Learning Environment, and Technology. For the synchronous online Web based class format the advantages were Convenience, Flexibility, Human Interaction, Learning Enhancement and Psychology, whereas the disadvantages included Isolation, Learning Environment and Technology. Concurrently, the study revealed the following factors as advantages of the WebCT Forum: Help Each Other, Interaction, Socialization, Classroom News, and Time Independent. The disadvantages uncovered were Complaints, Technical Problems and Isolation. Finally, advantages specified for the WebCT testing tool were Convenience, Flexibility and Innovations, and its disadvantages were Surroundings Not Conducive to Learning, and Technical Problems. Results indicate that not only classroom preference, learning style and personality type influence how students value a Web based course, but, most importantly, a student's lifestyle (number of personal commitments, how far they live, and life's priorities). The WebCT forum or bulletin board, and the WebCT testing or computerized testing were seen mostly by students, as good tools for encouraging classroom communication and testing because of the convenience and flexibility offered. Still, further research is needed both quantitatively and qualitatively to ascertain the true weight of the factors discovered in this study.

Background. Under the current situation, distance education has rapidly become popular among students and teachers. This educational situation has changed the traditional way of teaching in the classroom. Under this kind of circumstance, students will be required to learn independently. But at the same time, it also brings some drawbacks, and teachers cannot obtain the feedback of students’ engagement in real-time. This thesis explores the feasibility of applying a lightweight model to recognize student engagement and the practicality of the model in a distance education environment. Objectives. This thesis aims to develop and apply a lightweight model based on Convolutional Neural Network(CNN) with acceptable performance to recognize the engagement of students in the environment of distance learning. Evaluate and compare the optimized model with selected original and other models in different performance metrics. Methods. This thesis uses experiments and literature review as research methods. The literature review is conducted to select effective CNN-based models for engagement recognition and feasible strategies for optimizing chosen models. These selected and optimized models are trained, tested, evaluated and compared as independent variables in the experiments. The performance of different models is used as the dependent variable. Results. Based on the literature review results, ShuffleNet v2 is selected as the most suitable CNN architecture for solving the task of engagement recognition. Inception v3 and ResNet are used as the classic CNN architecture for comparison. The attention mechanism and replace activation function are used as optimization methods for ShuffleNet v2. The pre-experiment results show that ShuffleNet v2 using the Leaky ReLU function has the highest accuracy compared with other activation functions. The experimental results show that the optimized model performs better in engagement recognition tasks than the baseline ShuffleNet v2 model, ResNet v2 and Inception v3 models. Conclusions. Through the analysis of the experiment results, the optimized ShuffleNet v2 has the best performance and is the most suitable model for real-world applications and deployments on mobile platforms.

The provision of school equivalency programme through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has gained momentum in the 21st century through the establishment of open schools. Open schools has now become a model of choice for many young people and adults who do not want to pursue their secondary education journey through the conventional delivery system. Additionally, shrinking financial resources have made it impossible for governments especially in the developing world to expand education through the conventional system. Pityana (2007) claims that ODL is key in advancing the development agenda of many nations through programmes that accommodate the less privileged members of the society such as women, the unemployed, repeaters, out-of-school youth, disadvantaged and the displaced. Although open schools have made progress in increasing access, low throughput rates and high dropout rates remain the key challenges. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the experiences and perceptions of learners when migrating from the conventional school system to the open and distance learning in general, and to Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL) in particular. This study was driven by the assumption that change in the learning environment might be the most influential factor on learners’ ability to integrate into the new distance learning environment. The study mainly focused on the senior secondary (Grade 12) learners who transferred from the formal schools to NAMCOL to upgrade their grades. Moore’s (1883) theory of transactional distance and Tinto’s (1997a) theory of academic and social integration were used as the reference theoretical framework. The applicability of the two theories was assessed and compared with the findings of the study. A multi method research design was applied in data collection. The results of the study identified a gap between the learners’ expectations and the high ODL expectations and its demands. The learners in the study displayed a marginal understanding of the ODL mode of delivery. The study established certain factors that impede or accelerate the integration process and also identified technology mediated services as well as capacity building for staff as measures to facilitate learner integration in the ODL mode of delivery. The study reaffirms that meeting learners’ academic, social and psychological needs are important for successful learner integration. The findings have implications for policy makers, ODL practitioners and learners on the development of the most effective measures of increasing learner integration into open schools. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

Thesis (PhD. Ed. (Curriculum Studies) --University of Limpopo, 2019 / The Natural Learning Approach (NLA), commonly referred to as ‘unschooling’, is deeply embedded in the belief that children have an innate desire to learn. Therefore, the notion of autonomy and freedom of the learner in the learning and living process is highly valued and the cornerstone of this approach. The home and the child’s broader environment become the authentic space for the unfolding and implementation of the NLA, where learning and living is a seamless experience. This study examined how the individual and the family go about creating their unique ‘curriculum’, how learning happens, and how families negotiate the challenges of this approach. Using a mixed methods research design, a questionnaire was used to collate quantitative data, and a sample of ten families (parents and children) and seven young adults contributed to the qualitative data; documents were also used as part of the qualitative strand. Content, thematic and critical analysis were used to analyse the data to gain and provide a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. The research evidence of this study evinced that diverse, vibrant, holistic and joyful learning is taking place in the NLA homes. Families shared how authentic learning took place when children directed their own learning process and where the diversity of each unique human individual is valued and empowered. Furthermore, the study attested the key role of the parents in the child’s development and wellbeing. Possibilities of how this approach can be extended to broader society under the notion of a learning society is also proposed. Recommendations and further research suggestions are outlined so that possibilities of the NLA becoming the key learning approach to birth a vibrant learning society in South Africa is realised.

Elementary and secondary schools saw a major shift in how instruction was delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools across the United States shut down or participated in online learning. This shift to online learning led many to question how special education services should be delivered to students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to gauge perceptions of special education services delivered in a remote learning environment during a public health crisis. Teachers, related service providers, and parents of students with disabilities (n = 108) from across the United States were surveyed. Results showed synchronous online learning to be the most prevalent form of providing special education services. However, participants largely viewed online instruction as ineffective at providing quality services for students with disabilities. Implications for improving online services for students with disabilities could include identifying specific reasons for participants' negative views which may lead to more actionable steps in improving online learning moving forward. In addition, examining actions taken by schools that have led to positive impressions of online learning among parents and educators could also be used to improve perceptions of online instruction for students with disabilities. Directions for future research are also discussed.

The aim of this study was to investigate dance teachers’ experience of distance learning regarding difficulties, benefits and in regard to assessment. The method used was semi-structured interviews and a phenomenological perspective was used to analyse the result of the interviews. The results showed several challenges and a few benefits. The challenges were mainly related to technical and spatial constraints and difficulties in giving formative feedback. On the other hand, filming as a didactic tool was highlighted as an advantage.

SUMMARY: Published guidelines for distance learning library services provide a framework for distance education librarians to use in planning services for off-campus students. Other literature in the arena of distance education librarianship provides concrete examples of how reference services have been offered in real settings. This paper attempts to synthesize these two types of literature in order to offer models of reference service for distance learners.

The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of students and instructors at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (STOU) toward a distance learning system for agricultural extension and development programs for participating in the ASEAN community. It was also to determine the difference in attitude between undergraduate students and graduate students toward 9 factors involving the STOU distance learning system and programs. The study used mixed methods. Descriptive survey and focus groups were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test. STOU students were employed adults who lived around Thailand who had average and above average levels of knowledge about the ASEAN Community and Open University. Graduate students had higher levels of knowledge than undergraduate students. Students and instructors learned about the ASEAN community via television programs and websites. Students and instructors had a positive attitude toward the program and distance learning system. Textbooks, workbooks and printed-based packages via post-mail, e-Learning and e-Tutorial sessions via the internet, and face-toace sessions via face-toace were very appropriate methods and delivery channels. Electricity, a personal computer, and internet access were important devices to have when participating in distance learning classes. Students and instructors had average and above average skill levels with all devices skills except for English skills and skills about satellite devices. There were 5 different attitudes among undergraduate students and graduate students about students’ qualification, program objectives, program structures, adequacy of learning system, and adequacy of educational services. Recommendations for program improvement and to improve distance learning systems are applied through the 4 perspectives of the Balance Scorecard: student perspective, financial perspective, internal process, and learning and growth perspective. The model of distance education of Open University for agricultural extension program when participating in the ASEAN community (AMEI model) includes 4 stages: analysis stage, management stage, evaluation stage, and improvement and extension stage should be used for distance learning program improvement in Thailand and ASEAN countries.