7 de enero de 2015

Challenges Faced By Science Teachers In Continuing & Distance Education

Challenges Faced by Science Teachers in Continuing & Distance Education

Paulo Sérgio García, Nelio Bizzo, Xavier Fazio


Abstract

This study examines the personal characteristics, the current concerns, and the challenges of academic study. In addition, it examines the investment (efforts) of science teachers who participated in distance continuing education courses (DCEC) within a public university. Data were collected from interviews and then analyzed qualitatively using codes and descriptors. Autonomy, motivation, discipline and responsibility were some of the key characteristics of the teachers evaluated in this study. Concerns regarding training needs, students’expectations with regard to their success in the course, the interaction process, the acquired skills, and the technologies used, were identified and later recorded on paper. The greatest challenges faced by professors in successfully managing the distance education process were related to personal study skills (organization), personal discipline, and autonomy. Finally, the results show that intellectual and emotional effort is required to participate in this type of online training. Furthermore, the findings from this study may facilitate course management trainers, thereby assisting DCEC professors during the entire learning process, and maximize the potential of science education.

Keywords

Continuing Education, Science Teacher Education, Distance Education

Full Text:

PDF (ESPAÑOL)


DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/ried.17.2.12677