Saberes docentes na educação a distância no ensino superior

Abstract

This study intends to examine how knowledge is mobilized by teachers to develop teaching practices mediated by the Information and Communication Technology ICT in order to identify the demands on the training process for teachers who work in distance education Distance Education in an University communitarian / private state of Rio Grande do Sul. Therefore, we used a qualitative research approach, and as a technical procedure, the case study, whose instruments were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The interviewees were teachers who work in semipresential and / or distance disciplines in undergraduate courses. The data collected were subjected to Bardin´s (2010) technique of content analysis. Categories were not a priori established, so at first, we proceeded to an analysis of the data taking into account each individual respondent, so that we gathered them in an effort to identify recurring features, present in the interviews, which were to achieve the goals set for this research, as well as to answer to the problem and guiding questions. The following knowledge categories were listed, both deployed on the pedagogical practices and knowledge that deserve attention in the training process: 1) knowledge mobilized through practices in distance education mediated by technology, unfolding in the following subcategories: knowledge of content, relationship between theory and practice, besides experience, relational knowledge, epistemological and pedagogical didactic knowledge; technological knowledge; 2) formation process in distance education: trajectories, mobilized and required knowledge for the qualification of teaching activities, and following subcategories were generated: trajectories and challenges in teaching in distance education, teacher and technological training. The data analysis allowed us to observe that teachers´ knowledge in distance education are varied and retain knowledge of classroom education, but incorporating specific aspects, which allows to infer the existence of a paradox: knowledge is present in both types of education at the same time, but presents peculiarities in regard to its mobilization. It also reveals that knowledge mobilized by teachers are approached in its essence and distant according to the way it permeates the teaching practices. Finally, it was found that the process of teacher formation should include in both initial and continuous training the epistemological and didactic teaching knowledge, the relational knowledge, the experience knowledge, the technological knowledge, addressing, however, different themes.