Moodle como Ambiente Virtual de Ensino e Aprendizagem nos Institutos Federais

Abstract

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are present in all dimensions of human life, altering the way people interact in society. Educational processes, in this context, are influenced by these new forms of interaction, enabling different ways of teaching and learning. Developed for educational purposes, Virtual Teaching and Learning Environments (VLE) materialize online and networked spaces through ICT, suitable for conducting educational practices. Moodle, the main free and open-source VLE, provides means for interaction, communication, assessment, and monitoring of learning, becoming an important tool for technological mediation between the participants in the educational process. This research, therefore, focuses on investigating Moodle as a VLE and its contribution to didactic-pedagogical work mediated by ICT within the Federal Network of Professional, Scientific and Technological Education (RFEPCT). In order to suggest ways in which Moodle can contribute to enhancing the didactic-pedagogical work mediated by ICT in RFEPCT courses, a qualitative-quantitative research was conducted to investigate Moodle as a VLE in RFEPCT. The objective was to understand organizational aspects and map part of the formative didactic materials on this VLE, developed by the Federal Institutes and publicly available on the internet. Parallel to the investigation in RFEPCT, an effort was made to understand the role of Moodle at the Federal Institute of Goiás through the analysis of quantitative data from the Moodle database and qualitative data collected through a survey of 22 teachers who worked with Moodle between 2018 and 2021. The study is based on the theoretical foundations of Anjos (2013), Araújo and Peixoto (2013), Bertoldo and Mill (2018), Bertoldo, Salto, and Mill (2018), Braga (2013), Feenberg (2003), Feuerstein (2014), Kenski (2012, 2015), Maciel (2018), Silva, Alonso, and Maciel (2014, 2018), and Vieira Pinto (2005). For the development of the Educational Product, a Knowledge Base called GuiaEaD was created, taking into account the main weaknesses and strengths of Moodle identified during the research. Among the research results, the following aspects stand out: all institutions in RFEPCT use Moodle as a VLE; the management of these VLEs is primarily carried out by the Distance Education departments; despite the number of RFEPCT institutions using Moodle, there are few formative didactic materials on this theme available publicly; a weakness was identified in teacher training for didactic-pedagogical work mediated by ICT; the results indicate underutilization of Moodle despite its pedagogical potential, suggesting a preference for using Moodle as a content repository and for receiving assignments; the research results also indicate a certain lack of awareness among teachers regarding the functionalities, resources, and activities available on Moodle, which may result in the underutilization of this VLE. In light of the identified weaknesses, possibilities emerge that can lead to advancements in the formative process through Moodle. These possibilities necessarily involve investing in teacher training, with an emphasis on pedagogical and theoretical-methodological aspects, as well as sharing formative materials and experiences among the entities of RFEPCT.