PLAN PILOTO DE IMPLEMENTACIÓN DE AMBIENTES VIRTUALES EN LA FACULTAD DE ODONTOLOGÍA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE CARABOBO. CASO: ASIGNATURA SALUD Y SOCIEDAD

Abstract

The incorporation of Information and Communicational Technology (ICT), in higher education online environments, should incorporate a prearranged managerial plan, to ensure the fulfilment of results. That is why the Advanced Technology Department set up a pilot project for the appropriate use of technology in actual educational settings, to evaluate advantages
and impacts of this modality in our academic reality; and based on a plan that included its formal managerial aspects, that pull the proposal out from the investigation and creativeness environments. The project was approached from the complex qualitative paradigm, focusing on the ethnographic observation techniques and their inclusion in the students’ and professors’
academic environments, at the School of Dentistry (SCD). Literature and library records were the key to implement an on going personal methodology. For the modality of long distance interactive studies, it was chosen the first year subject “Health and Society”, structured as followed: first, the University of Carabobo learning platform was implemented for 4 session face to face meetings, from June to December 2007; and blended meetings for the rest of the other 4 sessions, from January to May 2008. Due to the students’ positive opinions, it is concluded that success of the subject “Health and Society” can be generalized to other subjects at SCD, such as Statistics and Anatomy. Likewise, it can also be widespread to some other schools and faculties at the UC, as the subject of Histology, at the School of Medicine; and Roman Law, at the Faculty of Political Sciences.