Fatores que caracterizam a educação à distância

Abstract

With the popularization of education in Brazil a new method has been gaining space in the educational ambit - The Open University, or as it is called EAD in Brazil (Education in Distance). The initial idea of EAD would be a complementary and alternative activity to the classroom education, but it has become an important object in the dispute of the educational market. The EAD is gaining more and space and follower, who seek this education for several reasons. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify factors that characterize the EAD. It is an integrative literature review of developmental literature with a sample of 16 articles published in Portuguese and within the period from 2000 to 2010, identified in the bases of the data SCIELO, LILACS PEPSIC and Google Academic. After analyzing these factors, we can observe that an EAD provides the individual qualified and flexible learning, bringing the student a convenience and fleetingness and thus covering a part of population that do not have time to qualify themselves overcoming the distance and coming close to people geographically in this virtual space. This new modality has transformed the conduct and the structure of education. The EAD doesnt want to replace traditional teaching, but improve and develop peoples life promoting a personal collective and technological evolution of the society as a whole.