The development of a virtual learning environment in genetic syndromes

Abstracts

OBJETIVO: desenvolver um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA) para alunos do ensino fundamental sobre síndromes genéticas. MÉTODO:o AVA, conhecido como Cybertutor, possibilita o aprendizado do aluno pela internet de forma interativa. A metodologia deste estudo foi composta de duas etapas, a de desenvolvimento e a de disponibilização do AVA. O desenvolvimento do conteúdo educacional, gráfico e audiovisual do Cybertutor contou com o auxílio de um geneticista do HRAC/USP e de informações científicas disponibilizadas em livros, artigos, teses e dissertações nacionais e internacionais. O Cybertutor foi disponibilizado na plataforma do Projeto Jovem Doutor (http://www.jovemdoutor.org.br/jdr/) pela equipe técnica da DTM/FMUSP. RESULTADOS: o Cybertutor elaborado possibilitou estruturar o conteúdo educacional, gráfico e audiovisual em tópicos, inserir questões de reforço, lista de discussão e verificar o desempenho dos alunos. CONCLUSÃO: o AVA desenvolvido pode ser uma importante ferramenta de educação em saúde em Síndromes Genéticas, abrangendo as mais diversas regiões do país.

Genética; Educação em Saúde; Educação a Distância

^IMSc, Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist; Graduated by the Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo – FOB/USP. Bauru, São Paulo – Brazil

^IIMSc, PhD, Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist; Professor Assistant of the Speech-Language and Hearing Department of the Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo – FOB/USP. Bauru, São Paulo – Brazil

^IIIMD, PhD, Geneticist at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies of the University of São Paulo – HRAC/USP, Bauru, SP, Brazil; Full Professor in Genetics at the School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto – USP

^IVMSc, PhD, Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist; Professor Assistant of the Speech Language and Hearing Department of the Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo – FOB/USP. Bauru, São Paulo – Brazil; Doctor in Biological Sciences in Medical and Human Genetics Area at the Bioscience Institute of the State University of São Paulo

Mailing Address

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: to develop a virtual learning environment (VLE) for elementary school students about genetic syndromes.

METHOD: VLE, known as Cybertutor enables student learning through the Internet interactively. The methodology of this study consisted of two stages, the development and availability of the VLE. The development of educational content, graphic and audiovisual Cybertutor's counted on the help of a geneticist at the HRAC/USP and scientific information available in books, articles, thesis and national and international dissertations. The Cybertutor was available on the platform of the Young Doctor Project (http://www.jovemdoutor.org.br/jdr/) by the technical staff of DTM/FMUSP.

RESULTS: elaborated Cybertutor enabled the structure of educational content, graphics and audiovisual topics, to insert reinforcing issues, mailing list and check the performance of students.

CONCLUSION: the VLE developed can be an important tool for health education in Genetic Syndromes, covering various regions of the country.

Keywords: Genetics; Health Education; Education, Distance

INTRODUCTION

Telehealth is the offer of health services in situations with physical and/or temporal distance, by means of using technologies of information and communication (TICs). The practice of Telehealth in Speech-Language Pathology and Hearing was regulated by the Federal Counsel of Speech-Language Pathology and Hearing, according to the resolution n^o 366/2009, defining as "profession exercise by means of the technologies of information and communication using interactive methodologies and virtual environments of learning which may assist, promote education and realize researches in health"¹.

One of the aspects of large expansion of Telehealth in Speech-Language Pathology and Hearing sciences are the development and consolidation of projects that approaches Teleducation. The terms "Distance Education" and "Teleducation" are frequently used as synonyms. However, Teleducation must be seen as an optimization of process, in an environment that combines technologies to improve the educational efficacy, of both the traditional methods and the distance courses².

Several studies of health education associated to TICs are being developed in Speech-Language Pathology and Hearing area, embracing education activities to the professional^3-5, to the patient^6-7 and to population in general^8-10. Specifically related to genetics syndromes, still are deficient in national literature and international studies that regards this theme.

It is up to the Speech-Language Pathologist and Audiologist, as member of the multidisciplinary team, and to the professional of public health, develop programs and educational practices that involve the promoting, prevention and rehabilitation of health¹¹. Concerning the genetic syndromes these practices also applied, since the DataSUS data show that in the period of 2005 to 2008, there were a total of 11,806.180 live-born and 75,814 of these patients had a genetic abnormality¹².

Based on the above, the objective of this study was to develop a virtual learning environment (VLE) approaching the genetic syndromes theme for elementary students.

METHOD

This project consists of a dissertation, resulting in the development of a VLE known as Cybertutor.

The Cybertutor on web, or electronic tutor, enables student learning by internet interactively, allowing verification of the performance by both the student and the tutors (leaders). Also presents interactivity resources, as the forum and the discussion list which ensure a better proximity between tutor and students.

The methodology of this study was composed by two stages: the developing and availability of VLE, gathering a set of procedures; and information creation.

It is stressed that this study was developed through a partnership between the Department of Speech-Language and Hearing, Bauru School of Dentistry – University of São Paulo (FOB /USP) and the Discipline of Telemedicine, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (DTM-FMUSP).

The approval is filed in the Ethics Committee in Research at FOB / USP under protocol n^o 039/2009.

1^st Stage – Development of VLE

The development of a VLE named "Genetic Syndromes" leads us to infinite possibilities in science Genetics, especially in syndromology. To definition of the approached topics, was made a survey supported by a geneticist of the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo (HRAC/USP). Therefore, was opted to choose few genetic syndromes with different etiologic classifications (chromosomal disorders, gene mutations, multifactorial and craniosynostosis).

The primary sources of information was constituted on books, articles of national and international periodic and information available on web, since originated of sites of educational institutions and dissertations and theses available online.

From the detailed analysis of selected information, a script was developed in Microsoft^® Office Word 2007 with the educational content of the Cybertutor.

Also were selected the contents of graphic (illustrative images) and audiovisual related to theme. It is important to emphasize that the language used in content, was appropriated to comprehension of elementary students.

As shown in Figure 1, the Cybertutor named "Genetic Syndromes" was didactically divided in topics.

2^nd Stage – Availability of VLE

The technic team of the DTM/FMUSP, constituted by designers, web designers, journalists and communicators, was responsible for the insertion on web of the educational, graphic and audiovisual content.

The Cybertutor was available on platform of the Young Doctor Project (Figure 2), been accessed by the following address: http://www.jovemdoutor.org.br/jdr/.

RESULTS

To accomplish the access to educational content of Cybertutor, first it was need the student fulfilled an individual login in the platform of Young Doctor Project. The tutor should authorized the login and allow the access. Thus, the educational content would be available through identification (e-mail address) and password (Figure 3).

The chosen media, the Cybertutor, enabled structured the theoretical content in topics, as the Figure 4 shows. With the division of the content, the students could direct its own learning, facilitating the control of text access.

The contents educational, graphic (illustrative images) and audiovisual were available in Cybertutor. The Figure 5 shows an intern page of Cybertutor.

Aiming to ensure and monitor the students learning was created 16 questions of reinforcement along the educational content of Cybertutor. The reinforcement questions enabled the tutor to monitor the learning. The student only went to the next topic answering correctly of the question (Figure 6), otherwise, went back to the topic to remake the content reading (Figure 7).

The discussion list is an interactive tool asynchronous created to allow the exchange of information, doubts and questions, as demonstrated in figures 8. The discussion list was a strategy used to maintain the interaction between tutor and student.

The Cybertutor also allowed the tutor verify the performance and access of students. The figures 9 demonstrated this tool.

DISCUSSION

The development of a VLE adds TICs to process of teaching/learning. The VLE, known as Cybertutor was initially developed by DTM/FMUSP. Nowadays, several thematic are being developed by researches of the Teleducation area. Develop an educational material is a challenger task and create a material that provides learning, in a pleasant and interactive manner, is even more complex⁷. In this study specifically, were several challenges, since the adequacy of the technical language, to images polishment, to the choice of the themes more motivating and appropriated to thematic of tutor.

Because it is a VLE available on Internet, the access hours are flexible, due to the time and interest availability. Another study13, which also used the VLE, verified that this pattern of education promotes the learning in educational content thematics, in digital inclusion and in self-discipline.

The Cybertutor enables the fragmentation of educational content in topics (figure1, figure 4 and figure 5), making easier the direction of learning.

As shown in figures 6 and 7, the reinforcement questions allowed tutor a better monitoring of learning. A different study14, also inserted reinforcement questions in a VLE, aiming to improve the memorization and learning of content.

The discussion list of guarantees the interactivity and exchange of information (figure 8). This tool allows comprehending the thought of other people, construct and express ideas and stimulate arguing¹⁵. Several studies^8,9,13,14,16, also used the discussion list to maintain the interaction and motivation of students in VLE.

The Cybertutor, as VLE interactive, also was used in other projects, verifying that it demonstrate to be an excellent option to knowledge acquisition, therefore, corroborating to this study^{3,8,9,13,14,16,17}.

CONCLUSION

The VLE developed provides the union of information to technology and resources of interactivity, available on web. So, it is assumed that this Cybertutor can be an important tool of health education in Genetic Syndromes, enclosing the most different regions of country.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To Telemedicine Team of FMUSP and to São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP – process n^o 2009/03362-5), that enables the execution of this study.

REFERENCES

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The development of a virtual learning environment in genetic syndromes

Mirela Machado Picolini^I; Wanderléia Quinhoeiro Blasca^II; Antonio Richieri-Costa^III; Luciana Paula Maximino^IV

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  08 Jan 2013
• Date of issue
  Apr 2013

History

• Received
  25 Nov 2011
• Accepted
  07 Feb 2012