O número de cursos na modalidade a distância tem aumentado consideravelmente no mundo, porém existe um grande receio por parte de muitos que o ensino nessa modalidade tenha qualidade inferior ao apresentado na modalidade presencial. Contudo a qualidade do ensino não decorre da presença de todos os envolvidos num mesmo local, e sim da implementação de ações que facilitem o processo de aprendizagem. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo produzir um módulo didático, em hipermídia, para a disciplina de Fundamentos de Astronomia e Astrofísica, a ser ministrada na modalidade a distância aos alunos do curso de licenciatura em Física e a outros alunos interessados, vinculados à UFRGS, por meio de um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem, que tornasse possível um ensino de qualidade nessa modalidade. Com esse intuito, foi elaborada uma adaptação do hipertexto Astronomia e Astrofísica dos Professores Kepler de Souza Oliveira Filho e Maria de Fátima Oliveira Saraiva, procurando colocá-lo num formato mais adequado para a aprendizagem sem a presença do professor. Para atingir a meta de favorecer uma aprendizagem significativa ausubeliana, os conteúdos das aulas foram organizados de forma a propiciar a diferenciação progressiva e a reconciliação integradora, e no desenvolvimento das atividades propostas, a interação social vygostkyana entre os alunos, no ambiente virtual. O módulo de ensino está dividido em três áreas e contém 28 aulas no total, todas tendo a mesma estrutura básica: objetivos, introdução, desenvolvimento, resumo e atividades de fixação. Também são utilizados aplicativos (applets) de uso livre na rede e outros recursos próprios do ambiente virtual de aprendizagem tais como fóruns e questionários. O material foi aplicado no segundo semestre de 2011, 2011/2, tendo sido trabalhado com uma turma de 25 alunos matriculados. No final de cada uma das três áreas, os alunos foram submetidos a uma avaliação presencial, sendo a nota de cada área estabelecida a partir de uma composição entre as participações nas atividades propostas no ambiente virtual e na prova presencial. A média final foi calculada pela média aritmética das notas de cada área. Os resultados foram bastante satisfatórios do ponto de vista de desempenho e aproveitamento dos alunos participantes, mas não corresponderam à expectativa de diminuição da taxa de abandono da disciplina. O mesmo material, com algumas melhorias, foi reaplicado no primeiro semestre de 2012, com resultados semelhantes aos de 2011/2. Novamente, os alunos que se dedicaram ao estudo conseguiram ter na modalidade a distância um aproveitamento tão bom quanto os alunos dedicados das turmas presenciais; no entanto, o taxa de abandono, principalmente por parte dos alunos de Licenciatura Noturna, permaneceu alta. / The number of online distance learning courses has greatly increased worldwide, but there is a great concern shared by many that this type of teaching modality offers lower quality than that offered by onsite courses. However, we understand that the quality of education does not follow from the onsite presence of all participants, but from the implementation of actions that facilitate the learning process. This study aims at producing a high quality hypermedia didactic module to the online teaching of the Fundamentals of Astronomy and Astrophysics to the undergraduate students and students alike who are linked to UFRGS through a virtual environment. In addition, to achieve such goal, an adaptation of the Astronomy and Astrophysics hypertext by Dr. Kepler Oliveira de Souza Filho and Dr. Maria de Fatima Oliveira Saraiva was accomplished. Also, to carry out the Ausubelian meaningful teaching method class contents were organized in a way to encourage the progressive differentiation and integrative reconciliation of Ausubel. Furthermore, the Vygostkyan social interaction method was applied to the development of activities among the distance learning students. The teaching module is divided into three areas and contains 28 lessons in total, all having the same basic structure: objectives, introduction, development, summary and fixation activities. Freeware applets and other virtual learning environment resources such as forums and questionnaires were used. The teaching resources were applied in the second semester of 2011, 2011/2, to a class of 25 enrolled students. At the end of each of the three areas the students were submitted to an on-site assessment: the score of each area was established from a composition between the participation in the online proposed activities and the test applied. The final average was calculated as the arithmetic average of the ratings for each area. The results were quite satisfactory from the point of view of performance and progress of the participating students, but did not correspond to the expected decrease in the class drop-out rate. The same class material, with some improvements, was reapplied in the first semester of 2012, with results similar to those of 2011/2. Again, dedicated students benefited from the distance learning course as much as the best students of the onsite course. Nonetheless, the drop-out rate, mainly by evening class undergraduate students, remained high.

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The purpose of the study is to find answers to the following questions. 1. Is there a significant difference in any of the three simple pair-wise comparisons of the attitudes of the three groups of mathematics instructors of college preparatory courses toward teaching those courses? 2. Is there a significant difference in any of the three simple pair-wise comparisons of the attitudes of the three groups of mathematics instructors of college preparatory courses toward the MAA-NCTM recommendations? 3. Is there a significant correlation between the attitudes toward the MAA-NCTM recommendations and the attitudes toward teaching the college preparatory mathematics courses held by the mathematics instructors in each of the three groups? The data led to the conclusion that all three groups held the same favorable attitude toward teaching college preparatory mathematics courses. Also, there were no significant differences among the three groups' attitudes toward the MAA-NCTM recommendations. However, while no significant correlation was found for the high school instructors, there did exist a significant positive correlation between the two attitudes for each of the other two groups studied.

Bemol 51 será una plataforma digital de educación musical dirigido a personas con interés en aprender temas relacionados a la música desde cero. Los usuarios podrán acceder a los cursos a través del aula virtual, la cual albergará todo el material relacionado como videos grabados interactivos, ejercicios interactivos y material. De esta manera, el alumno, de acuerdo con su disponibilidad de tiempo, podrá llevar las clases a su propio ritmo. Los cursos serán grabados por profesionales con amplia experiencia en la materia a dictar. En el presente proyecto de negocio, se hace un análisis para tener conocimiento de los intereses y las preferencias de los clientes con relación a los cursos que tienen mayor demanda en el mercado. Además, acorde a los resultados de los análisis, se proponen estrategias de marketing digital, las cuales serán elaboradas de la mano con uno de los aliados, en este caso, una agencia de marketing, para dar a conocer los servicios de la empresa, atraer al público objetivo y, por ende, logren adquirir el curso. Por otro lado, se muestran los procesos y funcionamientos como el plan de operaciones, diseño de procesos, diseño arquitectónico y desarrollo del contenido de la plataforma. Asimismo, se muestran las proyecciones económicas, tanto de la inversión necesaria y las posibles ganancias y/o pérdidas. / Bemol51 will be a digital music education platform aimed at people with an interest in learning music-related topics from scratch. Users will be able to access the courses through the virtual classroom, where users will find all the related material such as interactive recorded videos, interactive activities and materials. In this way, the student, according to the availability of his time, will be able to take the classes at his own pace. The courses will be recorded by professionals with extensive experience in the subject to be taught. In this business project, an analysis is made to gain knowledge of the interests and preferences of clients in relation to the courses that are most in demand in the market. In addition, according to the results of the analysis, digital marketing strategies are proposed, which will be developed hand in hand with one of the allies, a marketing agency, to publicize the company's services, attract to the target audience and, therefore, potential clients could acquire the course. On the other hand, the processes and functions such as the operations plan, process design, architectural design and development of the content of the platform are shown. Likewise, the economic projections are shown, both of the necessary investment and the possible gains and / or losses. / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

The research investigated the perspectives of the management team on strategies in managing a British college with a mainly South African market, namely Blake Hall College (BHC). The study aimed to identify teaching methods used at the college to be competitive in the distance education and higher education market. The approach was qualitative. Eight participants were purposefully selected and interviewed by means of an interview schedule that focused on management and teaching methods in particular. Information was also collected on quality assurance and cooperation between BHC and other higher education institutions. The results illustrated the influences of institutional growth and progress, maintenance, management structure and leadership, quality control, collaboration and communication. Regarding teaching methods, the advantages and disadvantages of distance education and face-to-face methods were illuminated. Participants also described a number of innovative teaching methods used. From the aforementioned, recommendations were made for surviving the competitive higher education market. / Educational Studies / M.Ed (Educational Management)

Reprinted 1994.

Coincidental increases in online instruction at institutions of higher education and in online social networking generally in the U.S. have created opportunities for research into how digital interpersonal connectivity affects online learning. This study examined interactive webcasts, or webcasts plus chat, that were part of an online undergraduate course covering Internet knowledge and skills at a large public university. Symbolic interactionism served as the theoretical framework for explicating interactive webcasts as useful online learning environments by exploring the complex processes that instructional staff employed to manage their actions and interactions as moderators in the webcasts and chats. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the collection and analysis of empirical data in the form of webcast media and transcripts, chat logs, students‘ reflective writing, and semi-structured, intensive interviews with instructional staff. From the study emerged theoretical categories in three tiers related to a generalized moderator process called minding the verge: moderators minded the verge in three conditions of interaction– converging, attending, and diverging; in three loci of interaction – webcasts, chats, and webcasts+chat; and through six actions of moderating – bonding, orientating, guiding, tending, validating, and branching. The results of this study provide moderators for the course with insights into their actions in the interactive webcasts and with concepts moderators can use to explore how to manage interactive webcasts more effectively. Beyond effecting substantive changes to interactive webcasts for the course, the study may guide others who wish to pursue further studies of webcasts+chat as they occur in the course or elsewhere, or of other mixed-media environments, or who wish to adopt mixed-media environments for instruction. Other potential areas for research that emerged from this study include the affective states of participants in the webcasts+chat and the use of affective devices, such as emoticons and abbreviations, for showing affective states; the effect that format has on the efficacy of webcasts+chat used for computer-mediated instruction; and the processes students employ to manage actions and interactions in the webcasts and chats. / text

The effect of an interdisciplinary algebra/science course on students' critical thinking skills was examined. A traditional college algebra course was used as a comparison group. The students in the sample enrolled in college algebra and then half were randomly placed into the interdisciplinary course. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison group design was used. The Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal was used to measure the students' critical thinking skills. This instrument consists of an overall critical thinking score as well as five subscores in the areas of Inference, Recognition of Assumptions, Deduction, Interpretation and Evaluation of Arguments. It was found that the students in the interdisciplinary course made greater gains in the overall critical thinking score as well as in four of the five subscores. However, the differences in the gains made in the two courses were not statistically significant. Disregarding course, other factors that were found to be closely related to critical thinking were Composite ACT, grade received in the course, Math ACT and grade point average. It was also found that students whose majors were in the Schools of Arts and Letters or Science and Technology scored higher on critical thinking than students whose majors were in the Schools of Business or Education. Factors found to have no relationship to critical thinking were ethnicity, gender and classification.

This study provides a rationale for advising students on whether to enroll in individualized/self-paced computer courses. It identifies seven factors that have a significant correlation with success in an individualized computer course. The sample comprises all the students enrolled in individualized computer courses at Lee College, Baytown, Texas in the spring semester of 1988. Students completed a survey to determine whether they had previous computer experiences, whether they operated with a level of introvert personality characteristics, and whether the individualized computer course was their first choice. Students completed a learning style inventory and a score was determined using the items relating to individualized computer studies. Data collected in the Lee College records office included high school percentile rank, standardized reading score, standardized mathematics score, college hours completed, course withdrawals, and age. The following seven factors were shown by the data to have a significant correlation with a final grade (in order of decreasing significance): (a) learning style inventory, (b) high school percentile, (c) standardized mathematics score, (d) standardized reading score, (e) previous computer experience, (f) number of college hours, and (g) age. The following three factors were shown by the data to have no significant correlation with a final grade: (a) course withdrawals, (b) degree of personality introversion, and (c) the individualized computer course as first choice. The findings substantiate the hypothesis that success in an individualized computer course might be attributed to certain factors, and once identified, these factors can be used in advising students. Advisors should use as many of the seven factors (identified as significant), as possible in helping students choose between individualized and traditional computer courses.

The purpose of this study is to set forth certain principals or rules, Which, if adhered to, will be a beginning in the training of the young musician who would make the playing of dance music his profession. Be it understood that this is only an embryonic work and as such it should not be considered a final and irrevocable treatise on this topic. Actual work and development in this field will probably see many of the practices recommended herein relegated to a less important stage while items not mentioned, or perhaps mentioned and treated without undue stress, may come to the foreground of importance. It is hoped that this work will help in paving the way for a sincere and unprejudiced program of training for the young dance musician. However, before venturing into any discussion concerning dance music, it is necessary to have a clear understanding as to what fields of music are included in the term dance music.