Presentation

THE CONTINUOUS CHALLENGE OF INCREASING QUALITY IN DISTANCE EDUCATION

No one can ignore the qualitative and quantitative growth achieved by EAD in Brazil in recent years. The excellent results of students' performance in ENADE (National Examination of Students Performance) by those who attended distance studies, the significant preference by EAD beyond class presence, and the expansion of investments in EAD by many sectors interested in formal and non-formal learning are revealing that our community has been acting positively and proactively.

Nevertheless, that is not enough. We reached the point that we need to adjust the quality of our work as accurate as possible when ministering EAD programs. No institution can "rest upon their achievements". In these dynamic times, the only permanent feature is change — in our case, the interests, habits and academic readiness of apprentices change; the nature and availability of materials for learning and technology also modify.

Consequently, recognizing these novelties, we face the challenge of keeping the thinking vigilant about the effectiveness of our work. Quality in education is identifiable by attesting that students actually learned what the course set out to teach. How to prove it? There are various techniques, old and new, and we have an obligation to always create increasingly secure and smart ways to do so. The literature about evaluation methods quests the reliability of tests results to assure the success of learning. Objective examinations on content may be testing more memorization than understanding and the potential application of the content. They can encourage last-minute effort to understand the information, not respecting the differences of circadian cycle that favors the study at times compatible with the biological yield of each individual: there are those who produce better in the morning, afternoon or evening hours.

Fredric M. Litto
President of ABED