Esta tese constitui uma pesquisa qualitativa que tem como foco um estudo de caso com adolescentes, doentes crônicos com Fibrose Cística (FC), internados em quarto restrito no Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), em situação de exclusão temporária e o acesso e uso da WEB 2.0 e de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs). Apresenta como objetivos verificar as produções e interações de adolescentes com FC hospitalizados em quartos restritos quando se oportuniza o uso de recursos da WEB 2.0 e de AVAs, acompanhar e avaliar o processo de interação entre os adolescentes e destes com amigos virtuais através das redes sociais e observar e analisar a criação e produção de e entre os sujeitos no processo de utilização e exploração dos recursos tecnológicos. Os sujeitos desta pesquisa são oito adolescentes com acesso ao computador no período de hospitalização que integram as redes sociais no processo de interação, de vinculação e de compartilhamento constituindo um novo cenário nas relações sociais em quartos restritos do hospital. Descreve as discussões e interações dos adolescentes nos chats do AVA Eduquito, as produções de mídias e a construção colaborativa e cooperativa do Blog Cor@gem. O Blog se constitui no cenário em que os personagens acessam, usam e produzem de forma compartilhada as produções no uso de imagem, som e texto criando vídeos, tendo como tema principal a hospitalização, a doença e os laços de afeto entre os adolescentes participantes do projeto. A construção colaborativa e cooperativa no Blog propiciou um espaço de trabalho e de criação conjunta entre os adolescentes resultando em um espaço de construção sociointeracionista reunindo pacientes com FC, hospitalizados em quartos restritos, através de comunidades virtuais com acesso e uso da WEB 2.0. / This thesis is a qualitative research about a case study with adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), a chronic disease, hospitalized in a restricted room in the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA). They are in a situation of temporary exclusion and they access and use WEB 2.0 and Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). This thesis intends to verify the productions and interactions of these adolescents with CF hospitalized in restricted rooms when we offer to them the use of the Web 2.0 features and VLEs. This work also want to monitor and to evaluate the process of interaction between these adolescents with online friends through social networks, and to observe and to analyze the creation and production of these people in the process of exploration and use of technological resources. The subjects of this research are eight teenagers with access to computers during the hospitalization, that integrate social networks in the interaction‟s process, linking and sharing, constituting a new stage in social relations in restricted rooms in the hospital. Besides, this research also describes the discussions and interactions among adolescents in the AVA Eduquito chats, the media productions and the collaborative and cooperative building of the Blog Cor@gem. Using this Blog, the characters visit, use and build productions that are shared in the use of image, sound and text, creating videos, with the main theme of hospitalization, illness and the bonds of affection among adolescents that participate in this project. The cooperative construction of this Blog provided a collaborative creation among these adolescents, resulting in a construction of a sociointeractionist space, gathering CF patients hospitalized in restricted rooms through virtual communities with access to Web 2.0.

Esta dissertação se dedica ao estudo dos processos comunicacionais mediados pelo tutor a distância junto a cursos oferecidos na modalidade de EAD, por meio de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, que fazem uso de várias ferramentas digitais de comunicação, tendo como principal objetivo verificar se esse agente educacional pode ser chamado de educomunicador. Partimos da revisão de duas teorias emergentes da EAD surgidas em países como Canadá, Estados Unidos e Reino Unido que fundamentam e consolidam as práticas voltadas ao estabelecimento da comunicação dialógica dentro desses espaços virtuais, práticas essas edificadas na adoção de processos ligados à gestão da comunicação e que são desenvolvidas por esse tutor a distância, para que pudéssemos mapear indicadores que fossem comuns também às práticas educomunicativas. Valemo-nos também da análise de estudos sobre programas de EAD já implementados na França e na Austrália, que têm esse tutor a distância como um dos pilares dessa modalidade de ensino. A possibilidade de aproximação da EAD com a Educomunicação nas práticas desse agente educacional foi verificada a partir da realização de um estudo de caso como pesquisa de campo junto ao programa FGV Online. Uma das conclusões foi que esse tutor a distância ou professor tutor, como denominado pela referida instituição, pode ser chamado de educomunicador, posto que houve a identificação de atividades voltadas à comunicação dialógica e ao estímulo do protagonismo dos alunos conjuntamente com esses educadores virtuais, enfatizando que se observou a ocorrência desse contexto por conta da opção de abordagem metodológica focada em tais práticas pelo programa de EAD da instituição e quando há uma formação prévia desse agente educacional sobre as práticas educomunicativas voltadas à gestão da comunicação e à formação de ecossistemas comunicativos. / This dissertation is dedicated to the study of communication processes mediated by the e-moderator at distance education courses, through virtual learning environments that use various digital communication tools, to verify if this agent might be called educommunicator (educomunicador). We developed a review of some key recent theories of Distance Education emerged in countries like Canada, USA and UK, along these last 20-30 years, which underpin and consolidate practices of dialogical communication in these virtual spaces, built in processes linked to communication management, which are developed by the e-mentoring, so we could map indicators which were also common to the new educommunication practices. We have also analysed studies on distance education programs already implemented in France and Australia, that have this e-mentoring as one of the pillars of this context. In order to verify the possibility of rapprochement between Distance Education and Educommunication based on the practices of that education agent, we adopted the method of case study in conducting our field research near FGV Online Program. One of the conclusions reached was that the e-moderator may be called educomunicador according to dialogic communication and leadership traits of the students along with this virtual environments, since the program of distance education institution adopts the use of such practices and this agent attends a previous course on specific communicative practices focused on communication management and training of communication ecosystems.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-03-04T13:11:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 alissondealmeidasantos.pdf: 596795 bytes, checksum: fd4ae45fb7c6d990e50845cc7c4e0bb7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-04-24T01:52:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 alissondealmeidasantos.pdf: 596795 bytes, checksum: fd4ae45fb7c6d990e50845cc7c4e0bb7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-24T01:52:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 alissondealmeidasantos.pdf: 596795 bytes, checksum: fd4ae45fb7c6d990e50845cc7c4e0bb7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-16 / O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar o uso de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVAs) pelos professores lotados na Faculdade de Direito da UFJF, compreender suas relações com aspectos institucionais do curso e apresentar um Plano de Ação Educacional que visa à ampliação das possibilidades pedagógicas dos AVAs dentro desse contexto. Na primeira parte da pesquisa, observou-se que, apesar da incorporação das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TICs) no ensino superior, seu uso efetivo entre os professores da Faculdade de Direito ainda é restrito. Esta pesquisa consiste em um estudo de caso e caracteriza-se como qualitativa, uma vez que foi realizada a partir de questionários e entrevistas semiestruturadas com o objetivo de verificar a utilização de AVAs no âmbito da Unidade Acadêmica e conhecer os possíveis fatores determinantes para o seu uso, na perspectiva dos docentes e de alguns atores da Instituição envolvidos com o tema em análise. O referencial teórico traz as lacunas na formação dos docentes do ensino superior, especialmente em relação à utilização de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem, uma vez que se observou, como resultado da pesquisa de campo, que apenas seis professores entrevistados utilizavam AVAs e, dentre os que não utilizavam, 24 manifestaram interesse na utilização desse recurso, de modo que o principal fator dificultador apontado foi a falta de formação específica em relação às suas possibilidades pedagógicas, apesar de a Instituição oferecer alguns cursos com essa finalidade. Portanto, o Plano de Ação Educacional converge para a capacitação desses docentes quanto à utilização da Plataforma Moodle, adotada pela Instituição. Tal proposta leva em conta as necessidades específicas dos professores da Faculdade de Direito, recorte utilizado nesta pesquisa. / The objective of this dissertation is to analyze the use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) by teachers located in UFJF Law School, comprehend its relation with institutional aspects of the course and submit an Educational Plan of Action which aims to increase the educational possibilities of VLEs within this context. In the first part of the survey, it was observed that, despite the incorporation of the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in higher education, its effective use among Law School’s teachers is still restricted. This research consists in a case study and characterizes as a qualitative research conducted through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in order to verify the use of VLEs within the Academic Unit and know the possible determining factors for its use, from the perspective of teachers and some actors of the Institution involved with the issue under consideration. The theoretical reference brings the gaps in the training of teachers in higher education, especially in relation to the use of Virtual Learning Environments, as it was observed as a result of field research that only 06 teachers interviewed use Virtual Learning Environments, and among those that don’t use it, 24 expressed interest in using this resource and the main complicating factor mentioned was the lack of specific training in relation to its pedagogical possibilities, despite the fact that the Institution offers some courses for that purpose. Therefore, the Educational Plan of Action converges to the qualification and training of these teachers regarding the use of Moodle Platform, adopted by the Institution. Such proposal takes into account the specific needs of Law School teachers, delimitation used in this study.

O desenvolvimento comercial da internet possibilitou o surgimento de sistemas de informação que se apoiam no uso da world wide web como plataforma. Esses sistemas baseados na web (web-based systems) têm aplicações em diversas áreas e setores econômicos. No ramo educacional, eles têm sido aplicados como base para os processos de ensino e aprendizagem via computador (e-learning) e são, comumente, denominados de Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA). Os AVAs podem ser utilizados tanto para o ensino exclusivamente a distância quanto como apoio ao ensino presencial. O presente trabalho tem como objeto de investigação justamente o emprego de ambientes virtuais como tecnologia de apoio ao ensino presencial tradicional dado em sala de aula em cursos de graduação do ensino superior. O crescente uso de AVAs para tal finalidade leva ao questionamento de quais são as dimensões e características de qualidade destes ambientes e como estas dimensões estão associadas com os seus efeitos, quais sejam, a satisfação, o uso e os benefícios percebidos pelos usuários de tais sistemas? Desta forma, o trabalho tem como objetivo identificar as dimensões de qualidade em AVAs, por meio do estabelecimento de um modelo teórico que evidencie quais são os atributos determinantes em relação à qualidade em ambientes virtuais de ensino e quais são os efeitos e os impactos individuais em torno dos usuários discentes. Para tanto, são realizadas duas pesquisas de campo. A primeira é descritiva-explicativa, de abordagem quantitativa, com o emprego de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais, como método de análise e delineamento da pesquisa. Esta pesquisa foi feita com discentes usuários de um ambiente virtual disponibilizado por uma IES e teve como objetivo a elaboração de um modelo de relações de qualidade em AVAs. A segunda pesquisa consiste em um estudo com abordagem essencialmente descritiva, que tem como objetivo classificar quais são as características de relevância nos AVAs, de acordo com o Modelo Kano de classificação de requisitos. Os principais resultados apontam que a qualidade da informação e a qualidade do sistema influenciam na satisfação e nos benefícios percebidos pelos usuários dos AVAs e que as características destas dimensões são consideradas mais significativas do que as funcionalidades disponíveis nos referidos sistemas. / The commercial development of the internet enabled the birth of information systems that rely on the use of the world wide web as a platform. These web-based systems have applications in various fields and economic sectors. In the education sector, they have been used as basis for computer teaching and learning processes (e-learning) and are commonly called Virtual Learning Environments (VLE). These VLEs can be used both for distance teaching exclusively and as support for students in traditional presential classes. This work investigates the virtual environments use as support technology for students in traditional classroom undergraduate courses in higher education. The growing use of VLEs for this purpose raises the following questions: what are the dimensions and quality characteristics of these environments and how are these dimensions associated with their effects, satisfaction, use, and net benefits perceived by users of such systems? Thus, the study aims to identify the VLEs quality dimensions, through the establishment of a theoretical model showing what the relevant VLE dimensions relating to education quality are and what the effects and individuals impacts are for user-learners. To this end, two researches were conducted. The first one was descriptive-explanatory, with a quantitative approach, using Structural Equation Modeling as analysis method and research design. This research was made with students that use a VLE and had the purpose to elaborate a VLE quality relationship model. The second study is essentially descriptive, and aims to classify which features are most relevant in VLEs, according to the Kano´s Model requirements classification. The main findings indicate that the information quality and system quality influence the satisfaction and net benefits perceived by VLEs users and characteristics of these dimensions are considered more important than the functionality features available in such systems.

The main objective of libraries in higher education institutions is to enable access to information that will meet the teaching, learning and research needs of the institutions’ communities (Department of Arts and Culture, 2015:18). Technology makes it easier to accomplish this by allowing librarians to embed products and services directly into the teaching, learning and research environments used by the communities. Course Management Systems such as Blackboard, are used by higher learning institutions to provide blended learning experiences. Many face-to-face lectures rely on an online module, and students appear to be more comfortable using the various online tools than ever before. For librarians, the online component of such a hybrid learning model is an opportunity to extend the traditional face-to-face library training and information literacy sessions into the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Virtually embedded librarians enable students’ access to library information online (Hoffman & Ramin, 2010:298) and libraries that have shifted towards embedding in online courses reach users at their point of need (Paganelli and Paganelli, 2017:55). If these statements are true, the question remains whether the end user is satisfied with the services rendered online or not. Many surveys have been conducted to assess users’ satisfaction with library resources and the quality of library services (Zhang, 2015:273). Some studies investigated library use patterns of different user groups but few studies focus on the needs of Engineering students (Zhang, 2015:273) and if these needs are being addressed by embedded library services and products. The objective of this research was to establish the role that Engineering students expect an Information Specialist to play in a VLE, to identify the products and services the Engineering students expect the Information Specialist to provide, and to what extent. This was done using a case study research design. As was expected, this research confirmed that the Engineering students recognise the importance of librarians embedding in their online modules. It is anticipated that librarians who embed online will be able to meet the needs of the students and build strong relationships with the students. If that does become the case, it is feasible to expect that the students’ use of library resources will increase. The next phase would be to build and launch a pilot project. Recommendations made for embedding in a VLE were (1) to consult with the faculty, library staff, and the instructional designer before the librarian attempts to launch embedded activities; (2) to identify the top in-demand products and services that can be embedded for each course as a matter of urgency; (3) to pilot the program with a few students and library staff and obtain feedback before the initiative is made publicly available to all students; and (4) to align the expectations or activities of the program with those of the course. / Mini Dissertation (MIT)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Information Science / MIT / Unrestricted

The individualized education program (IEP) is a critical component of providing special education services to children with disabilities, outlining the services and modifications that will be provided to help them make progress towards the general curriculum. While simulations have been shown to be an effective means of teaching special education policies and procedures, this can be challenging when working with distance students. The purpose of this study was to identify and examine how virtual simulations function to train preservice teachers learning to conduct IEP team meetings. Seven preservice special education teachers enrolled in a mild/moderate distance degree and licensure program participated in this research. Through multiple case study analysis, this study examined the specific behaviors emitted by each participant throughout these simulated meetings, as well as the antecedent stimuli and consequences controlling these behaviors. Additionally, participants were each asked to construct rules, based on their own simulated experiences, to govern their future behaviors for in vivo individualized education program team meetings. Results indicate that virtual simulations served a variety of functions for training teachers to work on a collaborative team, including increased practice opportunities and self-efficacy to collaborate with parents in the future. Although teacher trainees had difficulty generating complete verbal statements to govern future behaviors, each was able to identify discrete antecedents, behaviors, and consequences responsible for controlling their actions throughout the simulations.

In the technological world that characterizes the 21st century society, new specialized developments are applied immediately to the different social environments and, especially, in education. Language teaching is no stranger to this unstoppable progress, thanks to the widespread implementation of the internet and of the web 2.0 in particular. New technologies help and can sometimes replace the more traditional systems used in foreign language teaching by favoring autonomous learning at any time and in any place. In this doctoral thesis, I review the literature on foreign language learning motivation, styles, and strategies applied to autonomous online platforms. This is done to present and describe the theoretical underpinnings of the COMALAT virtual learning platform, which was designed and created at the University of Alicante as a European Project in cooperation with the University of Siegen in Germany and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Then, I report on a quantitative study that explores the attitudes, learning styles and strategies of 80 A2-B1 level EFL university students that make use of COMALAT. Besides determining the profile of the participants, the study aims to demonstrate the effects of previous training in online language learning strategies. As main conclusions, the following stand out: (a) the students’ use of this platform increases their level of foreign language learning as they can adapt it at their own pace and dedication; (b) the virtual learning environment provides a greater learning effectiveness by combining materials which consider the different learning styles; and (c) the application of the appropriate online learning strategies can help students to solve the different learning problems they may encounter while doing a self-directed online language course.

The study involved BTec National (level 3) engineering students studying at a large Further Education College in the South West region. The disciplines of Electrical/Electronic, Mechanical, Operations and Maintenance, Manufacturing, Telecommunications and Fabrication where all included in the study. Several students were sent by their employers on day release programmes and apprenticeships, and these formed the majority of the part time students. There were also other employed students who attended full time for terms 1 and 3 as part of a block release programme. The remaining students were full time, and mainly 16-18 years old. The study focused upon the core mathematics module everyone studied, and mathematical resources which were available through a virtual learning environment. The resources used layering, enabling earlier work to be built on and applied. Two separate cohorts were studied after substantial changes had been made to the qualification standards. The main findings were that the mathematics resources were very useful support, had a significant positive impact on student success, and enhanced the student experience. They helped part time students, especially, to improve their confidence and their achievements. The unlimited availability of these resources were a major consideration in their usefulness. The use of layering within the mathematics unit enabled better recall and comprehension.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:45:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARIA APARECIDA CANDINE DE BRITO.pdf: 1530470 bytes, checksum: 151403b5373cfcfcfa9d0b6b5e546191 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-10 / This study aimed to analyze the process of pedagogical mediation in semipresencial subject matters taken in virtual learning environments (VLE) in Pedagogy courses. It had two primary goals: characterizing the pedagogical mediation in semipresencial subject matters taken in VLE in Pedagogy courses; identifying the didactic mediation practices employed by the teachers teachers in VLE, and relating them to the basis of Cultural Historical Theory. As for the concept of mediation, this study was based on Vygotsky and other scholars Cultural Historical Theory. For pedagogical mediation through the use of digital technologies in education our references were: Toschi, Freitas, Durán and Peixoto. We aimed to clarify the following issues: How does the pedagogical-didactic mediation take place in semipresencial subject matters taken in VLE? What teaching practices characterize pedagogical mediation practices in semipresencial subject matters taken via VLE offered by the Pedagogy course? What relationships can be identified between the mediation concept based on the Cultural Historical Theory and the mediation practices employed by the teachers in the VLE pedagogical process? This qualitative study was carried out in two higher education institutions in Goiânia assessing five teachers conducting semipresencial subject matters in the Pedagogy courses. Data was gathered through questionnaires, interviews, VLE peerwatching, as well as the analysis of both pedagogical process and lesson plans. We compared both field research data and review of literature on pedagogical mediation in distance education and in VLE in light of the Cultural Historical theory. Data analysis pointed towards three types of mediation practices which we labeled as: practices related to the course dynamics and the use of VLE tools; communication and pedagogical-didactic practices. These were not isolated practices. Rather, they related back to specific aspects of each mediation process developed. We concluded that the teacher must be aware of how and when to make the pedagogical interventions with the aid of technology. This depends on how such mediation is planned, organized and carried out in the students knowledge acquisition process so as to meet the pedagogical agenda. It is crucial that the teachers practices are grounded in an educational theory that allows for the mediation of the students knowledge acquisition process. To do so, it is necessary to implement technology-based teacher training projects so that they can reassess their practice, and improve it in light of learning theories which guide the pedagogical mediation of semipresencial VLE- taught subject matters. / A pesquisa teve como objetivo principal analisar o processo de mediação pedagógica em disciplinas semipresenciais nos ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem (AVA) dos cursos de Pedagogia. Apresentou os seguintes objetivos: Caracterizar mediação pedagógica nos AVA em disciplinas semipresenciais dos cursos de Pedagogia; identificar as ações de mediação didática dos professores dos professores nos AVA e relacioná-las com os fundamentos da Teoria Histórico-Cultural. Quanto ao conceito de mediação a pesquisa fundamentou-se na Teoria Histórico-Cultural, de Vygotsky e alguns teóricos. Quanto à mediação pedagógica com uso das tecnologias digitais na educação as referencias foram: Toschi, Freitas, Durán, Peixoto Buscou-se esclarecer as seguintes questões: Como ocorre a mediação didático-pedagógica nos AVA das disciplinas semipresenciais? Que ações docentes caracterizam as práticas de mediação pedagógica nos AVA das disciplinas semipresenciais oferecidas pelo curso de Pedagogia? Que relações podem ser identificadas entre o conceito de mediação fundamentado na Teoria Histórico-Cultural e as ações de mediação dos professores no processo pedagógico nos AVA? A pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, foi realizada em duas instituições de educação superior de Goiânia, tendo como sujeitos cinco docentes que atuam em disciplinas semipresenciais nos cursos de Pedagogia. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionários, entrevistas, observação das aulas nos AVA, análise de projeto pedagógico do curso e dos planos de ensino. Foi realizado o cotejamento entre os dados da pesquisa de campo e a revisão de literatura sobre mediação pedagógica na EaD e nos AVA, com base no referencial da Teoria Histórico-Cultural. A análise dos dados apontou para três tipos de ações de mediação que denominamos: ações quanto ao funcionamento do curso e uso-operação das ferramentas do AVA; ações de comunicação e ações pedagógico-didáticas. Essas ações não ocorreram isoladas, mas relacionadas aos aspectos específicos de cada processo de mediação desenvolvido. Concluímos que o docente precisa saber como e quando fazer as intervenções pedagógicas com uso das tecnologias, o que depende da maneira como ele planeja, organiza e conduz a mediação do processo de conhecimento pelo aluno para que cumpra com a sua finalidade pedagógica. É necessário que o professor seja orientado por uma teoria de ensino que o instrumentalize em sua prática pedagógica de modo a que ele possa mediar o processo de construção do conhecimento do aluno. Para tanto, é necessário implementar projetos de formação de professores com tecnologia para que eles possam rever a prática, entendê-la e aprimorá-la à luz de teorias de aprendizagem que venham nortear a mediação pedagógica nos AVA das disciplinas semipresenciais.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:52:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ELIVANIA MARIA DA SILVA QUEIROZ.pdf: 1280686 bytes, checksum: 837aa8b96464c5fe5f27558665f23fa8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-02 / Linked to online research: Theories of Education and Pedagogical Process, the aim of this thesis was to identify the needs and demands on the teacher caused from the use of Virtual Learning Environments from the point of view of the teacher. In the initial chapters are presented basic features of Distance Education (EAD) as a teaching method that is expanding. For this, we marked out by authors such as Kenski (2007), Moore (2002) and Peters (2003). Regarding the characterization of the virtual learning environment we present about the potential of educational practices that are becoming increasingly important tools for information exchange, communication, interaction and availability of study materials, such as support in education face, which is the main focus this research. We rely on this step by authors such as Almeida (2003); Battetini (1996), Levy (1994), Gonzales (2005), Moraes (2002), Prado, Valente (2002), Salmon (2002) among others. The literature review is part of research studies and reference books on the teaching practice and the relationship between technology and education, especially with the use of AVA. The empirical research, a qualitative, part of the analysis and interpretation of data obtained from an individual analysis of each interview and later, a thematic analysis allowed identification of some categories that are the basis for some conclusions. / Vinculada a linha de pesquisa Teorias da Educação e Processos Pedagógicos, o objetivo desta dissertação foi identificar as demandas provocadas no trabalho docente a partir da utilização dos Ambientes Virtuais de Aprendizagem (AVA) sob o ponto de vista do professor. Nos capítulos iniciais são apresentadas características básicas da Educação a Distância (EAD) como uma modalidade de ensino que se encontra em expansão. Para isso, nos balizamos em autores como Kenski (2007), Moore (2002) e Peters (2003). Quanto à caracterização do ambiente virtual de aprendizagem buscamos apresentar o seu potencial acerca das práticas educacionais que vêm se configurando como importantes ferramentas para trocas de informações, comunicação, interação e disponibilização de material de estudo, como apoio na educação presencial, que é o foco principal desta pesquisa. Baseamo-nos nesta etapa em autores como Almeida (2003); Battetini (1996); Lévy (1994); Gonzales (2005); Moraes (2002); Prado, Valente (2002); Salmon (2002) entre outros. A revisão de literatura parte de estudos e pesquisas de obras de referência sobre a prática docente e as relações entre a tecnologia e a educação, especialmente com o uso dos AVA. A pesquisa empírica, numa abordagem qualitativa, parte da análise e interpretação dos dados obtidos a partir da análise individual de cada entrevista e, posteriormente, uma análise temática que permitiu a identificação de algumas categorias que servem de base para algumas conclusões.