Transposing Blended to Remote Learning: Experience Report in a Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences

Abstract

"Experimental Models of Cardiometabolic Diseases" is an optative blended
discipline that has been offered during the last three years by the
Graduate Program in Cardiovascular Science at the Universidade Federal
Fluminense. The purpose of this article is to describe and discuss the
planning, strategies, and tools chosen to adapt the discipline to online
learning in the period of social isolation imposed by the pandemic of the
new coronavirus. The tools chosen were Google Meet® for synchronous
activities and the learning management system (LMS) EDMODO® for
communicating with students and providing educational resources and
tasks. Forums, tasks, simulated jury, and seminar were held. Students
also had access to instructional videos about the LMS and an online folder
with papers for studying. All students were able to interact in the LMS.
Each forum lasted one week, and there was an intense conversation
during both the first and last two days. In the simulated jury, the students
reported that they had studied for the activity and liked the proposal.
Regarding the interactivity of the asynchronous seminar, it mainly occurred
near to the end of the established deadline. The course evaluation form
showed great acceptance of the proposed activities. Overall, the
adaptation of the discipline for online learning was effective, both in the
student's and teacher's view. There was the active participation of
students, who evaluated as positive the discipline format, recommending
its maintenance.

Keywords: Online education. Information and communication digital technology. Educational technology. Postgraduate studies. Health
teaching.