TIM Tec course explores MOOCs

TIM Tec course explores MOOCs

TIM Tec has launched a new course to increase the educators knowledge about what are MOOCs (massive open online courses). In MOOC and new ways of learning, teachers Paula Furtado, Ana Rute Mendes and Fábio Flatschart present what characterizes a MOOC and the relevance of this type of course in the current educational landscape. In addition, the course explores the many possibilities of TIM Tec platform both for use in the classroom and for anyone who wants to create a custom platform and provide their own courses.

One of the course target audiences are the pedagogical teams of the institutions that integrate Rede e-Tec Brasil. Through a partnership between Instituto TIM and the Department of Professional and Technological Education of the Ministry of Education (Setec/MEC), the institutions are being guided to create custom MOOC platforms using TIM Tec software.

According to Francismara Alves de Oliveira Lima, advisor to the Board of Integration of Professional and Technological Education Networks at Setec, one of the teams difficulties was to understand the differences between the platforms MOOC and Moodle, which is widespread in educational institutions. The course also approaches these differences and shows that a platform does not replace the other. “The purpose of the course is to show the platform flexibility, how it can be used as a complement to Moodle and as support for the pedagogical management of the institution itself”, she says.

Since its launch, in July, about 120 people enrolled in the course. Francismara expects this number to increase even further in the following months, with the dissemination of the course among institutions coordinators and teachers. Along with the TIM Tec team, the advisor has promoted a videoconference on July 28th with institutions representatives to answer questions about the course and the platform.

Micro-entrepreneurs

Another initiative that shall increase the adoption of TIM Tec software in Rede e-Tec Brasil are the new courses focused on micro-entrepreneurs, which are in the recording process and will be released in 2017. The courses Undertaking with purpose, Undertaking my business and Developing and growing my business, with teachers Alan Edelstein, Teco Medina, Reginaldo Silva and Flávia Beckerman, will provide guidance for workers who want to formalize as individual micro-entrepreneurs (MEIs) or for those who want to start a micro or small business.

“Every institution that wants to make use of this content will have to get the MOOC platform installation through TIM Tec. It is a combined action for the platform dissemination, which is an excellent platform for the knowledge dissemination, and the propagation of EaD (distance education) use as part of the institution”, explains Francismara.

According to the advisor, the courses will be an integrant part of the National Program for Access to Technical Education and Employment (Pronatec), but the purpose is that they make part of the curriculum grade of the partner institutions. “Setec’s pretension is that the institutions enable anyone who wants to take this training, that we call initial and continued education for professional qualification in entrepreneurship, to get it, not only by Pronatec, but by the institutional grade”, she says.