Ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem na educação à distância: propostas de interface

Abstract

Virtual Learning Environments (VLE) present a transformative proposal in the history of online education. However, constant maintenance and update of the structures which compose such environments are necessary. With this proposal, this research presents possible understandings about dropout in online education, and how the lack of attention directed to improvements to meet the needs of students in their interaction with the VLE may lead to dropout. From a field research through focus groups with students from online courses at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), who use the Moodle VLE, difficulties were identified in the usability and communication in the Moodle VLE. These difficulties involve not only students, but also instructors and teaching assistants, resulting in potential reasons for dropout. These difficulties that were identified led to the creation of interfaces and interactions for the Moodle VLE, aiming at solving some of the problems and thus improving experience of use, also contributing for a more effective learning process and the reduction of dropout indices in online learning.