News about distance learning in face-to-face courses

In recent years, distance learning (EAD) has grown significantly. In a decade, the number of enrollments in distance learning courses increased by almost 45%. With that, the Michel Temer and Bolsonaro governments allowed this modality to participate in the workload of face-to-face courses.

However, the situation seems to take a different course, since the new president of the National Council of Education (CNE) does not approve the EAD in face-to-face courses.

Revocation of the measure that frees colleges to fill part of their workload with distance learning

Due to the intense growth of distance learning in the country, the modality started to gain more and more space in the academic world. In 2018, the then Minister of Education Rossieli Soares released the participation of EAD in the workload of face-to-face courses at 20%.

Consequently, the modality expanded even more, causing, in 2019, participation to have the limit of 40%, determined by Minister Abraham Weintraub.

However, some factors influenced the distance learning to not have all this space in face-to-face modalities. CNE president and sociologist Luiz Curi questioned the current measure and said he did not agree with this release.

• Why doesn't the president of the CNE approve EAD in face-to-face courses?

According to Luiz Curi, releasing distance education for face-to-face courses means home-based education. That is, for the president of the CNE, the methodology face-to-face teaching is hampered with distance learning in the middle of it, causing students to physically distance themselves further and further from educational institutions.

With this, the body is working on a new resolution that aims to regain the prestige of the face-to-face modality.

• What does the new CNE resolution say?

As the new measure promises to go against the current one, the proposal is to maintain the educational activities of hybrid courses (face-to-face and remote) in the physical spaces of the institutions. Therefore, both students and faculty will have to remain in colleges and carry out any and all activities 100% physically.

However, this does not mean not using technology, quite the contrary. The new resolution promises to reconcile technology with new pedagogical practices, increasing the quality of teaching.