Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course during the COVID-19 Pandemic

*Beatriz De Castro Magalhães, Adriana Vieira Nobre, Rachel Cardoso De Almeida, Laís Barreto De Brito Gonçalves, Liz Marjorie Batista De Freitas Leite, Maria Do Socorro Vieira Lopes, Jucier Gonçalves Júnior, Evanira Rodrigues Maia and Grayce Alencar Albuquerque*

### **Abstract**

The developing and delivering of distance education (DE) courses in the *stricto sensu* reality in nursing arises in order to strengthen training processes in this area to sensitize critical and reflective professional performance. Thus, this book chapter seeks to report the experience of master's students of the Academic Master's Course in Nursing at the Regional University of Cariri, Ceará, Brazil, in the construction and tutoring of a course in the DE modality. Descriptive study, of the experiencereport type, resulting from the elaboration and development of a short course on COVID-19, offered in the modality of distance learning, by *stricto sensu* postgraduate students, destined to graduate nursing students. The experience of developing the short course was positive in the sense of teaching practices, and occurred collectively, through discussions and exchange of knowledge between professors and students, in a planned and organized way. Even before operational limitations, the total process of planning, designing, developing and delivering the short course was considered a successful experience. The recognition of the potentialities and difficulties of the process helped formulating and applying the short course, always based on objectives centered on the perspectives of the students and tutors.

**Keywords:** COVID – 19, Education, Distance, Andragogy, Critical reasoning, Learning, Nursing, Brazil

### **1. Introduction**

Education is considered an indispensable tool for the possibility of social ascension and better living and working conditions [1]. With the advent of the industrial revolution in England, during the 18th century, new professional profiles began to be required, no longer contemplated only with basic education, under the limits of the banking model of education [2].

In the Brazilian context, the teaching-work linking began to be thought of with the institutionalization of the public school in the 20th century, whose goal was training workers, still configured as an exclusion, not solving, for example, the problem of illiteracy, which is still one of the challenges in the 21st century added to so many others, such as the teaching-technology relationship [3].

In addition, teaching in the 21st century was, and continues to be, marked by challenges related to the insertion of communication and information technologies in teaching and learning environments, as well as by the reinforcement of the professor's role in promoting inclusive learning that regards diversity and the linking of new technologies to the educational process [4].

The new profiles required led to the stimulation of the teaching career aimed at strengthening the student capacity anchored in the tripod intellectual capacity; reading of the reality and its transformation by experience; factors highlighted in Higher Education [2] and with important impacts on professional qualification. In addition to the qualification of profiles and training of professionals, the need for scientific instrumentalization is urgently required, important for developing an evidence-based professional practice, especially when considering some professions, such as Nursing, recognized as a science through research based on high scientific rigor; mostly performed by *stricto sensu*<sup>1</sup> postgraduate courses [5].

Graduate courses in the *stricto sensu* modality should anchor their educational processes in the autonomy and critical reflection of students, aiming not only at the training of future professors, but also of professionals capable of replicating the ethical and scientific precepts that contribute to valuing research and science [5]. However, the current epidemiological context of the COVID-19 pandemic imposed a surprising and challenging reality on the educational scenario due to the need for social distancing [6].

However, those courses were affected by the current epidemiological context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which imposed a surprising and challenging reality on the educational scenario, due to the need for social distancing [7].

Thus, the follow-up of face-to-face courses in the online format began to be boosted, which, despite being considered an alternative, implies challenges, not only for those with limitations of access to technical and digital resources, but also for the teaching community, which identified the need to rewind and adapt to new methodologies of remote teaching (synchronous and asynchronous) and/or Distance Learning (DL) [6].

In this scenario, there came the need for online courses, which, despite considered an alternative, entails challenges not only to those who do not have access to technical and digital resources satisfactorily, but also to the teaching community, who faced the need to re-develop and adapt new methodologies to remote Education or Distance Learning (DL) [8], and among those institutions, the Academic Master's Program in Nursing (AMPN) of the Regional University of Cariri (URCA) stands out, inserted in the countryside of Ceará, in northeastern Brazil.

It is noteworthy that, in this region, where the course is located, only 51% of households have access to the Internet [9], which entails more challenges to the continuity of teaching activities [10]. In this sense, specifically in the AMPN, the challenges imposed motivated professors and students to rethink their subjects,

<sup>1</sup> Courses offered by universities, usually state and federal, from which students are dedicated to conducting research and teaching training.

*Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99923*

such as the discipline of Higher Education Methodology (HEM), aiming to resolve barriers in the teaching and learning process amid the need to refine classes to the remote modality, as well as contribute, in some way, to coping with the current pandemic.

Thus, based on the principles of andragogy and meaningful learning, focusing on the student figure in the scenario of his/her learning [11], the professors of the discipline of Higher Education Methodology of the aforementioned course, aiming to stimulate innovation, inciting teaching practice and immersing the master's students in the reality faced by teaching in pandemic times, established as one of the activities of the discipline the development of distance courses for the academic community.

Through the need to integrate the COVID-19 theme into the scenarios of health education, specifically in the nursing area, and aiming to raise awareness and contribute to professional performance, as well as to stimulate individual, community prevention and intensification of strategies to cope with the pandemic, it became relevant that the course developed addressed this theme.

Although important, there is a challenge to put into practice the proposal, since, in times of COVID-19, the tensions arising from the uncertain future, together with difficulties in accessing the Internet and home environment often innocuous to concentration for the studies, instill concerns about the best possibilities of offering a short course that may provide satisfactory performance of students.

Nevertheless, such challenges are necessary to support a problem-solving sense in master's students, allowing cultivating their criticality and preparing for the future "being a professor", which can still be permeated by the repercussions of the pandemic.

Thus, the objective was to report the experience of master's students from the Academic Master's Course in Nursing of the Regional University of Cariri (URCA), in the construction and tutoring of a course in the DL modality entitled "Epidemiological, clinical, preventive and social aspects of COVID-19".

### **2. Study context**

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 is a larger public health problem that presents aggressively, taking the lives not only of the elderly, initially considered as the main risk group, but also of children, young people and adults, who have also been affected by the disease.

In view of the problem, the measures of isolation and social distance adopted by all countries, through legislative instruments, have an impact on the economy of these countries, reflecting on the stoppage of different services and activities, including educational and teaching activities [12].

In this sense, as the need for social distancing increases, the need for information about the new coronavirus and its impacts on society also intensify. It is noteworthy that most information is obtained through digital means and can contribute to prevent the spread of the virus and reduce the exposure of the population and health professionals to the pathology.

Thus, the dissemination of information on the pandemic occurs through digital technologies and virtual teaching platforms, which is in use in basic and higher education, as pointed out in the study by Ferreira, Branchi and Sugahara [13], who highlight that teaching with the use of remote resources must be organized, considering the characteristics, the content of the subjects, as well as the use of instructional resources; which predisposes the professor to diversify his/her teaching methodological strategies [13].

It is noteworthy that the teaching process offered on virtual platforms is interspersed both by synchronous (real-time) classes and by asynchronous classes (recorded classes), allowing the display and sending of material through technological platforms. It is worth mentioning the modality of personalized distance learning, with individual attention to students through a type of tutoring [14].

However, although in pandemic times the provision of distance learning is stimulated, it is important to consider social vulnerabilities, which impact difficulties in access to social services, such as education, through limitations of internet access, technologies and environment unfavorable to the teaching-learning process [15]. It is also worth mentioning the overload of teaching work, resulting from the increased online workload that follows challenges still faced to adapt to the new model of teaching, learning and evaluation [16].

In addition to the aforementioned challenges, it is also important to consider the potential of remote education, such as the possibility of innovating in educational strategies based on digital technologies [17]. As long as it is implemented fairly and valuing the organization of the appropriate content and platforms, it is possible to present itself as a timely strategy for the current scenario.

The teaching and learning process in the remote environment must involve stimulation, development of critical skills and reflective competences, which can integrate elements and level the pedagogical proposal to the needs and contributions regarding the teaching role and the dissemination of knowledge on issues of a social, collective and educational nature [13].

In view of this, this short course was guided by the need to convey information about the new coronavirus and its impacts to nursing students, as well as to contribute as a master's program in coping with the pandemic, which was added to the stimulation of teaching roles in students.

### **3. Methodology**

#### **3.1 Design**

This is a descriptive study, of the experience-report type, resulting from the elaboration and development of a short course on COVID-19, offered in the Distance Learning (DL) modality by *stricto sensu* postgraduate students, destined to undergraduate nursing students.

### **3.2 Methods**

The construction of the short course occurred as part of the evaluation activities of the Higher Education Methodology (HEM) course of the Academic Master's Program in Nursing of the Regional University of Cariri (URCA), from April to June 2020.

The discipline aimed to contribute to the development of teaching skills in students, encouraging the active participation of students in the production of knowledge, understanding of methodological theoretical bases on teaching practice and intensifying the capacities of content production, virtual environment organization and tutoring. The proposal was to divide into teams with five master's students for the development of three short courses, with the offer of 20 places each.

For the preparation of the short course, initially, the teaching plan was constructed, guided by the professors of the discipline through the sequence of contents worked in remote classes, based on the literature pertinent to the theme and specific orientation of the groups. In the plenary presentation,

professors and students were able to suggest changes, corrections and referrals to be observed by the three teams.

### **3.3 Ethical issues**

As an experience report, this study does not require approval by the Research Ethics Committee. However, it is worth mentioning that, referring to the preparation and implementation of the short course, conducts were followed, which did not imply constraints or harm to the students. Moreover, the experience was carefully described, following the precepts of anonymity and confidentiality of the participants' identities and personal information.

## **4. Results**

In a meeting scheduled to discuss and define the theme of the short course, taking into account the pandemic scenario and the need for training of nursing students (future health professionals) for professional practice, contributing not only to the care quality, but also to biosafety, the theme chosen focused on epidemiological, preventive and social clinical aspects of COVID-19.

Thus, considering that the pandemic exposed several aspects for health care, not only the biologicist aspect was conceptualized, but also the perspective of health social determinants was integrated in the theme, which led to a process of previous reading to stimulate reflections, being essential for personal and professional deconstruction of the master's students, providing self-learning and inciting, during classes, the criticality of the students.

To guide the construction of the short course, a teaching plan was elaborated that allowed both the self-learning of the students, as well as the organization of competencies, contents, use of resources, materials and complementary training strategies. It is emphasized the initial difficulty experienced by the team in the elaboration of the teaching plan and by the inexperience with the process; condition duly provided by the follow-up and teaching guidelines and by the in-depth studies on the subject.

The elaborated teaching plan led the entire development of the short course, focusing on the elaboration of learning objectives and competencies, conducting the entire process of content construction and preparation of evaluative activities.

Thus, the short course was entitled "Epidemiological, clinical, preventive and social aspects of COVID-19" and divided into four modules, namely: I) Epidemiological Aspects of COVID-19; II) Clinical Aspects of COVID-19; III) Guidelines and Prevention Measures of COVID-19 and IV) Social Aspects of the COVID-19 Pandemic; with a course load of five hours each module, totaling 20 hours and at the time, limiting to 20 applications for the students of the nursing undergraduate course, published on social networks.

The general objective of the short course was to address the epidemiological, clinical, preventive and social aspects of COVID-19 based on the principles of learning, educational skills and cognitive, procedural and attitude domains according to Bloom taxonomy. The desired competence was the ability to understand the theoretical and conceptual principles related to COVID-19, information on epidemiological aspects, clinical approach, guidance on preventive and coping measures, as well as reflections on social aspe0cts of the health context.

The process of construction of its content took place through the research and in-depth reading of articles, handbooks and protocols of the World Health Organization, the Ministry of Health and the Health Department of the State of Ceará, seeking to extract contents necessary for the students' training process and their adaptation to educational strategies, compiling them in an easy-to-understand didactic language, which required reading and rereading the matrices of content and adequacy of the material produced for the short course.

The material produced concerns the slides that contained abstracts of the main points addressed in the handbooks, protocols and articles, as well as images, gifs and videos to illustrate the various contents. The students understand the adoption of slides as reading guides, requiring subsequent access to the complete documents for students to study. The integration of visual resources was seen as fundamental to boost the short course, due to the impossibility of practical activities in the DL model, such as the exposure of the correct technique for hand hygiene and wearing/ removal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Regarding the challenges of contemporary learning, in addition to the preparation of contents, it is necessary to adapt methodologies and value the integration of students to their own learning process. Thus, acting as students (in the master's degree) and at the same time as facilitators (in the short course), it was possible to experience the educational and evaluative processes that permeate learning.

The digital setting of the course occurred through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) of the Google Classroom platform, where 75% of this occurred through web conference and 25% through recorded classes, available at the virtual environment. A group was also created in the WhatsApp application to welcome and answer the doubts of the students, which facilitated the work of the tutors by allowing interaction with the students, currently hindered by social distancing.

The short course was mostly taught online through the Google Meet app. In both the online form and the recorded class, the texts were made available for prior reading in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platform and, after each module, the slides of the contents taught were made available, aiming to provide the guiding points for future theoretical deepening in the cited references.

Moreover, aiming to ensure the reading of the materials in a timely manner, the short course occurred in two weeks, providing the interval of one to two days between one module and another, envisioning to offer timely time to solve the activities of each content.

The strategies for addressing the subjects ranged from dialogued exposure to the discussion of articles in plenary sessions, participation in group dynamics with brain storm and elaboration of word cloud, which were perceived by the master's students as essential strategies to stimulate the participation of synchronous activities.

These strategies aimed at facilitating learning, given the current scenario of extreme mechanization of content due to the pandemic, which considered to stimulate the greater participation of students through reflective educational approaches, aimed at a perspective of content integrated to the sanitary and social context, resulting from the conjuncture generated by the COVID-19.

To assess competencies, the activities chosen were multiple choice questions, dissertation evaluation, form with questions of subjective answers elaborated in Google Forms and evaluation of the participation of the students in the discussions.

The students were evaluated for attendance, frequency and delivery of evaluation activities, in which the approval criterion included participation in at least three modules and a minimum score of seven total points. Moreover, for each activity, evaluation criteria were established according to active participation in the classes offered and the discussions of the themes taught.

Module I obtained the highest percentage of participants and predominance of grades above average (7.0); in modules II and III, despite having 85% participation, varied scores were graded, some above and others below the established average;

#### *Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99923*

in module IV, the participation was 65% of the students and despite scoring equal to or higher than the average, the tutors worried about the possibility of failures.

Regarding this concern, there were difficulties in performing the course registered by the students in a spreadsheet elaborated by the tutors and that converge with the deficit of their attendance. On the first day, only 18 people participated, among which only 12 completed the last module. On the frequency, 10 students actively participated (100%), seven were present in three modules (75%) and three attended only 25% of the short course. Concerning the number of approved by grade, 12 students obtained a score higher than seven and eight did not reach the required grade for approval.

In the students' perspective about self-assessment, the short course was successful, in relation to the content, disposition and organization of the materials and preparation of the tutors. However, it is appropriate to highlight that, at the times established for the tutorial or online classes, students faced some obstacles, such as technical problems with communication devices and personal reasons, which hindered the completion of the short course.

In general, the goals established and defined in the teaching plan were achieved, however, some challenges were identified along the route, especially in relation to the interactivity impaired by distancing, which directly affected the reflection of being a student in times of COVID-19. The challenges are necessary to identify weaknesses, potentialities and value the successes and modify the educational proposal.

The performance in teaching goes beyond the production of content. The students were able to glimpse, early, the teaching role and acquired confidence and autonomy over the teaching process, conquering throughout this growth and professional development.

### **5. Discussion**

DL teaching has been growing considerably in Brazil and in the world, being fundamental in educational inclusion, although challenges are present in this type of teaching. According to a study by Santos and Santos [18], conducted with students of the social work course, these point to self-discipline to access classes and activities as the main difficulty, requiring conciliation with work, with difficulties in conducting their own teaching and lack of stimulus.

In the different teaching scenarios, digital information and communication technologies, until the present date of confirmation of the COVID-19 pandemic, were only used as complementary and alternative resources to pedagogical practice. However, during the pandemic, they were established as essential tools in the mediation of teaching and learning processes [12].

The current health situation throws additional challenges to access these tools concerning digital inclusion and reinforces the importance that its supply is not limited to contextual impositions, but rather to the contributions that DL can have in the educational context, contributing to the dissemination of knowledge. Furthermore, they help improving the quality of information and combating and/ or coping with false news, as intended in the aforementioned short course [19].

Thus, planning stands out as an essential step for the success in the offer and application of the short course, considering that it not only directs its organization, but also anchors the construction of the content, which is greatly enhanced when the work is stratified as a team, whose organizers share their differentiated skills in the construction of a common purpose [20].

It is worth mentioning that the planning considered that the outbreak of the pandemic surprised the whole society with increasingly alarming numbers of

contagion and death [21], which required/requires social support to flatten the curves of infections, such as the real need for professional qualification in health, in its broadest contexts, from academia to professional action on the subject.

In this perspective, the nursing student stands out, who, since graduation, is stimulated to the process of health promotion [22], which, during the pandemic, is indispensable, for both the co-responsibility of those students in adhering to the prevention of contagion as the active sensitization of family members and social circle. And possibly, future action at the frontline of combat and confrontation, since Ordinance no. 356 of March 20, 2020, authorizes students from the last year of health courses to work in areas compatible with the specific internships and practices of the course, in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic [23]. Thus, the short course instilled theoretical components essential to critical social action in the stabilization of the contagion curve and relevant orientations.

Even with the proper planning, the undergraduate nursing student aims to overcome the theoretical dimension through practical experience, which is not possible in the DL model, often discouraging the student's active participation.

Nevertheless, online teaching has proven to be an excellent strategy to consolidate pre-existing or acquired knowledge throughout semesters, taking into account health training processes based on an analogy of three mathematical operations: the division in the sense of sharing experiences and knowledge; the sum of consensual thoughts and efforts for health improvements; and the multiplication in the approach that knowledge should be extended to multiple individuals and their social roles [24].

Thus, in the experience of the master's students, they considered their role as people in the community who should use social responsibility and consider the triad of reverse protection, in which their self-protection against the new coronavirus means others' protection, which, in turn, means their self-protection [25]. Furthermore, aiming to overcome the limiting perspective of information transfer, the short course aimed to stimulate awareness in the student as a social being, who will soon become more integrated into the professional field of nursing, and perhaps will still face the COVID-19 pandemic or others that may arise.

Therefore, the virtual learning environment, which allows DL to occur, should consider such prerogatives that stimulate participation, exchange of experiences and self-learning, thus requiring the elaboration of strategies, such as virtual groups, that facilitate the approximation and formation of bonds between tutorsstudents, aiming at the elaboration of a harmonious environment that stimulates the student's participation, fleeing the methods imposed by the traditional education [17–26].

Thus, in addition to an environment organized in Google Classroom, there was the WhatsApp group, contributing to the resignification of the student who, as the protagonist agent of the own learning, must have spaces for dialog, discussion of doubts and even criticisms that allow readjusting teaching [27]. Moreover, it is noteworthy that social networks have stood out in the pandemic, whose effect of approaching and strengthening personal relationships potentiated even more [28], which converges to a dialogical relationship between the tutor-student dyad, essential in collective work [29].

It is also noteworthy that the DL model allows an important flexibilization for the organization of the student's time [18], which was considered as a strategy, since synchronous and asynchronous classes were compiled, which were systematized considering an adequate interval of time between one module and another, so that the student had the opportunity to reconcile the activities to his/her routine.

#### *Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99923*

The student's routine should be considered in the DL, since the learning is a continuous construction, which requires adequate time to achieve theoretical deepening, reflections about readings and proper execution of activities [26, 30].

The scope of such aspects becomes essential for the construction of criticality in the student [23]. Furthermore, critical sense was stimulated through the integration of the contents of the modules, breaking with the limitation of fragmented contents and considering the expanded concept of health [31].

In relation to this expanded concept of health, it is worth mentioning that the social aspects have great prominence. as well as the adoption of active methodology, through multiple strategies used, which promote dynamism, strengthen the relationship with the student [32] and allow their adequacy over time, because people learn in different ways and a single approach would not bring success [33].

Furthermore, the active methodologies aim at the students' incentive and autonomy, which was intended in the short course, considering knowledge, previous readings and encouraging active participation by multiple strategies. However, it is emphasized that the DL model brings with it challenges to student-professor interactivity, since the student's attention becomes increasingly difficult to be apprehended, with no possibility of body readings that corroborate for changes in behavior and methods, when these translate restlessness [34]. Such challenges sometimes compromise active participation, sometimes encourage the facilitator to recognize even more the importance of the protagonist action of the student, which should be encouraged through the adoption of active learning methodologies.

Some authors already bring that remote education can be significant since allied to active methods, centered on the participation of the student [35]. It is worth mentioning that in Brazil the active methodologies are based on the theoretical precepts of Paulo Freire and on the critical-social progressive pedagogical trend of contents, which aims at the formation of an autonomous professional, capable of solving problems based on previous knowledge of the reality where he/she lives [36].

Thus, for the construction of the short course, the pandemic context was considered, its mental impacts and access to digital media to understand the student's reality previously and adapt the content, as well as to design activities that would rescue their experience during this period and put them in problem situations related to COVID-19, in which, based on their previous knowledge and shared in the short course, they could reach a critical resolution.

The use of active methodologies in distance learning has repercussions on the way in which the student experiences learning, through the resignification of his/ her way of learning, fostering his/her autonomy and the development of critical, reflective and analytical thinking. And it is in this context that distance learning and active methodologies are interconnected, through the offer of strategies that establish greater flexibility of time and space for students, and that consequently also enable professors to develop classes on digital platforms, with the same quality as traditional face-to-face meetings [37].

The content produced must follow criteria that lead to the acquisition of materials that significantly meet the students' needs and the course load, stimulating them to the participation [38]. Such precepts are expressed in the short course when discussing the judgment about the need to compile the vast scientific content in a didactic language, which can be considered as a challenge, because there is a fine line between making didactic content and escaping its essence, which shows the need for the producer's neutrality [39–40].

Regarding the students' evaluation, the short course envisioned the transcendence to traditional evaluative methods, through an integration of objective, dissertation and participatory activities, which break with the focus on accumulated and decorative knowledge, working in a perspective of reconstruction of knowledge for the development of competencies [26].

Nevertheless, this transcendence is shown to be a challenge, mainly due to the culture of traditional education, which crystallized and still resonates in ready responses [41], which may partly justify the failure of eight students. This is due to the fact that, instead of "ready-made" answers, students were assessed for their criticality when analyzing multiple choice questions, when discussing argumentative responses to the dissertation assessment and when taking a reflective position during the discussions.

Moreover, some fears that plague professors in the in-person teaching are intensified in the DL model, especially concerning the possibility of copying the work of colleagues and from various sources [42]. Thus, the intention was to minimize such fear, not only by the integration of dissertation and participation activities, but mainly, by the use of assessment criteria; the learner is then encouraged to express his/her critical position before a given situation [42].

It is worth highlighting yet another concern evidenced in virtual learning environments, such as the interaction between professors and students decreased due to the resources needed to access remote education not being available to everyone due to social inequalities [43]. Many students in Brazil do not have access to quality computers, mobile phones or the Internet, which was evidenced by the Departments of Education of states and municipalities at the current time of pandemic [44].

In addition, physical and family environments unfavorable to the teaching and learning process are also a present reality that hinders the permanence and concentration of the student in classes [45]. Thus, the relationships established between those who teach and those who learn are being reproduced in a deficient way and fragmented due to physical limitations [46].

Thus, the strategies of content approach and diversified evaluation are essential, especially in the current scenario, which emblematically presents the fluidity of phenomena. This is due to the pandemic having surprised the whole society, lacking innovative strategies to cope, not only in the health field, but also in the field of education.

Such difficulties are manifested by students and relate to sociodemographic aspects for access and permanence in a virtual environment, given the obstacles caused by the limitation of access to the internet network, often of low quality, in addition to overloading of teaching, work and domestic activities, which overlap [47].

Moreover, the low adaptation of students to technological resources and remote modality, due to the low interaction with other colleagues and professors, besides the fact that students have become responsible for their own learning, can contribute to dissatisfaction with this new teaching model [48, 49]. However, it is noteworthy that the short course in question was well evaluated by the students, which may be associated with the fact that it was taught in a short period of time.

Taking into account that the competencies required in tutoring are associated with the cognitive dimension, in which mastery of the contents addressed is expected; with the technical scope, from which one must have the ability to handle the tools of the course; pedagogical aspects, which provide for guidance and follow-up of the students; and the communicative domain, in which tutors must maintain a dialogical relationship with the student [47], a satisfactory experience was perceived for the mutual construction of knowledge between students and tutors responsible, as well as the development of skills of the master's students for a future teaching practice.

The prominent role of tutoring in DL is highlighted, through the humanization of a popularly mechanized teaching, and contributing to the student's constant

*Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99923*

encouragement, which weakens the barriers concerning the distancing of individuals and enables mutual learning [44], which, in this experience, was essential, by contributing to the critical sense necessary in the current health crisis, as well as in the training process at the *stricto sensu* level.

Thus, the prior preparation of the students for the elaboration of teaching and evaluation skills and strategies, as well as for the teaching of tutoring was quite valid, both to experience some challenges, as well as to acquire new skills for interactive moments and evaluation actions.

### **6. Conclusions**

The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it the emergence of a new teaching configuration, which should occur at distance, but maintaining the ideological assumptions of face-to-face teaching, especially concerning the active participation of the student in his/her teaching process. In this context, the experience of constructing the teaching plan and tutoring of the course was positive for the students' teaching learning, since the contact with formative and teaching-learning processes based on the role and the ways of learning significantly enable new experiences, especially with this new format of teaching.

The collective and articulated construction between students and professors of the course had been crucial to achieve the proposed objectives, because the constant monitoring and discussion of ideas provided organization, strategy and autonomy during the moment of construction of the short course, conditions that are essential for the student's good development.

Thus, qualification courses in the nursing area consist of strategies of great relevance concerning the training and qualification of professionals and students. In this context, the use of technologies related to methods such as active learning can be considered a good option, considering that the educational method permeates daily transformations and improvements.

Thus, it is noteworthy that the construction, tutoring, as well as the recognition of the potentialities and difficulties of the process, helped formulating and applying, always based on objectives centered on the perspective of the student and tutor, which corresponds to an innovative experience in the context of didactic and teaching practices.

### **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

### **Author details**

Beatriz De Castro Magalhães1 , Adriana Vieira Nobre1 , Rachel Cardoso De Almeida1 , Laís Barreto De Brito Gonçalves1 , Liz Marjorie Batista De Freitas Leite2 , Maria Do Socorro Vieira Lopes1 , Jucier Gonçalves Júnior3 \*, Evanira Rodrigues Maia1 and Grayce Alencar Albuquerque1

1 Departament of Nursing, Universidade Regional do Cariri (URCA), Crato, Brazil

2 Departament of Hepatology, Escola Paulista de Medicina-Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil

3 Departament of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumathology, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil

\*Address all correspondence to: juciergjunior@hotmail.com

© 2022 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

*Developing Professionals: Experience from a Distance Learning Short Course… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99923*

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Section 4
