Dedication, Humbleness, and Audacity: Advice from Pathfinder Faculty to Colleagues New to Online Distance Education

This article examines distance education (DE) in the context to which is most frequently applied, i.e., higher education, and from the perspective of some of its most important actors, i.e., teachers. This study, of a qualitative nature, was conducted at a public university in Brazil. Data were coll...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inEuropean journal of open, distance and E-Learning no. 1
Main Authors Ribeiro, Luis Roberto de Camargo, de Oliveira, Marcia Rozenfeld Gomes, Mill, Daniel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published European Distance and E-Learning Network 2011
Subjects
Brazil
College Faculty
Colleges
Conventional Instruction
Distance Education
Educational Technology
Electronic Learning
Foreign Countries
Higher Education
Information Technology
Interviews
Knowledge Base for Teaching
Partnerships in Education
Public Colleges
Questionnaires
Teacher Education
Teacher Education Programs
Teaching Methods
Tutors
Virtual Classrooms
Brazil
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This article examines distance education (DE) in the context to which is most frequently applied, i.e., higher education, and from the perspective of some of its most important actors, i.e., teachers. This study, of a qualitative nature, was conducted at a public university in Brazil. Data were collected by means of unstructured interviews, observations, and a questionnaire with close- and open-ended questions. Since DE is a relatively novel educational modality in Brazilian public higher education, this study asked pathfinder faculty to give advice to upcoming colleagues, most of them experienced in face-to-face higher education, but new to DE. Cooperation, commitment, organization, and above all courage and humility to learn and openness to new experiences, are, according to this research, attitudes essential to novice DE teachers. (Contains 1 figure.)
ISSN:1027-5207
1027-5207