Utilização das tecnologias da informação e comunicação pelos docentes de ensino superior da área da saúde

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are increasingly disseminated throughout our living environments; nevertheless, it is yet to be known whether the role played by technologies in the academic world is as remarkable as its use for personal purposes. The core issue of this paper is to assess how medical school professors of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora make use of technologies inside and outside classrooms. The aim of this research was to propose a training program for medical school teachers to learn the means of applying technologies as an additional tool to classroom activities. The first section of this paper comprises the case description, that is, in what manner technology has been used throughout the aforementioned institution and the description of the context in which it is inserted. Subsequently, we proceeded to field research, that included semi-structured interviews, with selected persons within university staff, so that we could validate the hypothesis formulated based on the case description. The data gathered through the interviewees concurred with the impression developed from the case study. The information obtained through field research was compared to international literature and documents analysis and showed that the university community is open to discussion regarding the significance of the introduction of new technologies inside higher education field. In the last section, we propounded an educational program, which is presented as a pedagogical and technological training for professors within medical school to use the technologies during inclass activities. The program has been planned to work on a blended mode, with online and on-site activities and its design and implementation is detailed. In conclusion, we take into consideration the need for rethinking university teaching and search for a teacher that is able to use technologies as resources that provide students with the opportunity to build their own knowledge.