The use of applications in Distance Learning Specialization Course as a support tool for students living in remote areas without internet

Resumo

The world is experiencing the popularization of mobile devices made possible by the increasing technological advances and the advent of Internet as a communication and information main tool. These facts show that the development of applications compatible with such devices is an effective mean to provide content to diverse audiences. In the educational field, these devices can be seen as technological supportive artifacts for distance education, serving as strategy for continuous and permanent education for health professionals. The Open University of Brazilian National Health System (UNA-SUS) offers distance learning courses, including specialization with free access. In order to increase public reach, UNA-SUS started developing mobile applications as supporting material for students. These applications can be accessed in offline mode, increasing the range and efficiency of the material. The 57 applications developed with responsive online books format reached the milestone about 7,000 downloads and they are now gathered at the Saite Store, an online library in the form of application. This number shows the positive acceptance of the format used, accentuated by the ease of having material downloaded from the device, not requiring the user to be connected to access content