Abstract
This chapter describes how a public university has met the challenge of changing inside the educational culture and preparing its teachers to manage online teaching-learning processes using learning analytics to contribute to the design, evaluation, and improvement of SMOOC. From the results obtained with a survey answered by the teachers, a twenty-hour class SMOOC was developed that focuses on instrumental aspects of digital technological resources in the teaching and learning contexts, as well as in the pedagogical issues, which concern the appropriate use of digital technologies. The findings of this research demonstrate that the SMOOC has been able to meet the teacher training needs, which are changing the way they work since remote education has been the viable alternative to guarantee the functioning of the university in the coronavirus pandemic period. However, it is believed that the knowledge that teachers are acquiring will contribute to changes in professional practice even post-pandemic.
TopBackground
In order to understand the course design presented in this chapter, the authors consider it important to clarify aspects that involve the challenges of teacher training in Brazil and what massive open online courses are, as well as the context of this initiative.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Dropout Rates: Number of students who do not complete a training activity, such as a course.
Open Educational Resources (OER): The term refers to free teaching, learning or research resources offered to users, whether in the public domain or with an open copyright license, which allows the use, reuse, modification, sharing, remixing, always referring to the authors who produce the resources.
Common Online Board: It is a feature, similar to a discussion forum, which in Google Classroom is called Class Stream, through which people can interact asynchronously, posting, commenting, or responding to comments and questions.
Lifelong Learning: Involves all the learning activities that people experience during their lives and that do not occur only in the formal teaching-learning spaces, aimed at improving knowledge, skills, and competencies, whether from a personal, civic, social, or professional point of view.
Small Open Online Course (SMOOC): Massive, open, online courses (MOOCs) offered to a small number of participants, usually around 100-150.
Remote Classes: Classes offered online.
Virtual Learning Environments: Teaching and learning system that generally uses the Internet and special software for students and teachers to participate in classes and courses.
Digital inclusion: It refers to the activities necessary to ensure that people have access to and use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).
Self-Directed Study: A form of learning in which students identify their needs and learning objectives, as well as define the strategies and resources they will use for learning, and evaluate their performance on their own.