Saite AVA
Experience Report on the Construction of a Virtual Learning Environment for
Learning Paths Methodology
Ana Emilia Figueiredo de Oliveira
1
, Carla Galvão Spinillo
2
, Ana Maria Lima Almeida
1
,
Dilson José Lins Rabêlo Júnior
1
, Katherine Marjorie Mendonça de Assis
1
,
Camila Santos de Castro e Lima
1
, Aldrea Malheiros Oliveira Rabelo
1
and Ana Estela Haddad
3
1
UNA-SUS/UFMA, Federal University of Maranhão, Viana Vaz Street, 41, São Luís, Brazil
2
Department of Design, Federal University of Paraná, General Carneiro Street, 460, Curitiba, Brazil
3
FOUSP, University of São Paulo School of Dentistry, Professor Lineu Prestes Avenue, 2227, São Paulo, Brazil
Keywords: Distance Learning, Learning Virtual Environment, Learning Paths.
Abstract: In the education modality known as Distance Learning (DL), the virtual learning environment (VLE) is the
main platform that students use to take courses. Therefore, it should be designed to meet users’ expectations
and needs and to be appropriate, following the innovations in the field of technology and education. This
paper aims to perform a detailing of the VLE of UNA-SUS/UFMA: the Saite VLE, which is based on the
methodology of Learning Trails. Saite VLE operation from user's perspective will be explored, highlighting
the most important and ground breaking aspects. In addition, it is intended to report the production process of
this VLE from the point of view of the teams involved: pedagogical, graphic design and technology. Finally,
it is highlighted the importance of applying updated teaching methodologies in DE courses, considering the
innovations that constantly emerge in education.
1 INTRODUCTION
The concept of Distance Learning (DL) is about
students and tutors in different places and time,
partially or all the time, teaching and learning by
means of some kind of technology (Moore; Kearsley,
2007).
Distance Learning (DL) has become a
fundamental method in the process of continuing
education and professionalization in Brazil,
especially in health area, since it is a flexible teaching
and learning modality that bets on the autonomy of its
members for the production and sharing of
knowledge. According to the Census EAD.BR 2016,
currently 561,667 students are enrolled in regular
distance learning courses. This information highlights
the potential that DL has to meet the demands for
education (CENSO EAD.BR, 2017).
The Distance Education is one of the strategies
used by the Brazilian Ministry of Health to perform
Permanent Education of professionals who work in
Brazilian National Health System (SUS), aiming to
transform the practices and consolidate the quality of
services provided in this system. In this context, the
Open University of Brazilian National Health System
(UNA-SUS) is composed of a network of educational
institutions that work in the formation of health
professionals linked to Brazilian health system, using
the distance education.
In the state of Maranhão, the Federal University
(UFMA) is the higher education institution that is part
of the UNA-SUS network. In a partnership with the
SAITE Research Group, the institution has already
developed more than 35 systems to support the
distance education activities and it has reached
hitherto more than 200,000 enrolments of health
professionals.
To the continuous training of professionals who
compose the ‘More Doctors’ Program, the Ministry
of Health has emphasized the need to use the
Learning Paths methodology, which comprehend
itineraries consisting of a set of resources that the
individuals can use according to their specific needs,
in order to achieve certain levels of competence.
440
Figueiredo de Oliveira, A., Galvão Spinillo, C., Almeida, A., Lins Rabêlo Júnior, D., Mendonça de Assis, K., Santos de Castro e Lima, C., Malheiros Oliveira Rabelo, A. and Haddad, A.
Saite AVA.
DOI: 10.5220/0006791804400446
In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU 2018), pages 440-446
ISBN: 978-989-758-291-2
Copyright
c
 2019 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Therefore, with the technological advance and
new educational approaches, it becomes necessary
the adaptation and development of tools, systems and
educational resources.
This paper aims to report and describe the
experience of developing a virtual learning
environment (VLE) interface applying the Learning
Paths methodology, covering the procedural matters
presented according to the competences of the teams
involved in this project.
2 UNA-SUS/UFMA, SAITE
RESEARCH GROUP AND
TECHNOLOGICAL
RESOURCES PRODUCTION
Brazilian Ministry of Health created the Open
University of Brazilian National Health System
(UNA-SUS) network to training, developing and
improving the professionals of the Brazilian National
Health System (SUS), using Distance Learning as a
teaching and learning modality, increasing the reach
of educational activities through Innovation and
Communication Technologies (Oliveira et al., 2014).
It currently has the support of 36 public higher
education institutions throughout the country.
UNA-SUS is included in the context of the
activities of the National Policy of Permanent Health
Education (PNEPS), whose objective is the
transformation of the practices developed in SUS and
the consolidation of quality in health services (Barth
et al, 2014).
The concept of Permanent Health Education
emerges from the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) in the 1980’s, based on the perception of the
reduced impact of professional training and
knowledge updating programs (Continuous
Education) in the resolution of problems concerning
the professional practices and the services provided in
the health area (Vicent, 2007).
In Brazil, the Permanent Health Education (PHE)
is a strategy of the Ministry of Health with the
Management of Health Education Department
(DEGES) and the Secretariat of Work and Health
Education Management (SGTES), focusing on
Brazilian National Health System (SUS) and
approved by Brazilian National Health Council
(CNS).
This articulation is aimed at promoting the
training and improvement of health professionals,
going beyond the basis of teaching-learning and
encompassing the health education policy, consisting
of a learning process in which the knowledge
production occurs from the everyday experiences in
health institutions, incorporating students’ context
and perception.
The Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA) is
the higher education institution of this state that
supports the Project. Currently, is the institution with
the largest offer of courses within the system,
regarding training, specializations and improvements.
To develop technological products and provide
support in strengthening research and innovations,
UNA-SUS/UFMA relies on the partnership of Saite
Group, a research group registered at the National
Council for Scientific and Technological
Development (CNPq) and certified by UFMA. The
group operates in the areas of Technology and
Innovation in Health Education, with
interinstitutional partnerships such as the School of
Dentistry of São Paulo (FOUSP) and Federal
University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre
(UFCSPA), among other Higher Education
Institutions. Its mission is the development of
research and educational resources favourable to the
construction of knowledge to offer innovative
experiences that add value to society. This
partnership for developing technological resources
with UNA-SUS/UFMA has already resulted in
several systems registered at the Brazilian National
Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) as well as
several serious games and mobile applications
produced for Android and iOS platforms.
3 LEARNING PATHS
Learning paths are defined as interactive web-based
tools that support the learning of specific concepts by
enhancing, amplifying, and/or guiding the cognitive
processes of learners (Smet et al, 2016).
In this context, "Learning Paths" can be
considered structures conducive to interdisciplinary
dialogue between the participants in the teaching and
learning process through a set of technological
resources and tools, which provide a breakthrough in
the construction of new knowledge (Alves; Almeida,
2013).
Learning Paths Methodology emerge as an
alternative to conventional programs of education and
training, as routes are developed by which individuals
can go according to their specific needs in order to
reach certain levels of competence (Brandão, 2011,
Jesus e Moreira, 2014).
Thus, going through their learning paths allows
students to identify themselves as individual and
Saite AVA
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professionals in the scope of their practices, due the
possibility of relating the contents to their own
individual aspirations (Brandão, 2011).
Based on this methodology, following the
Ministry of Health guidelines for the ‘More Doctors’
Program, UNA-SUS/UFMA initially developed 6
learning paths: Public Health Management;
Advanced Topics in Primary Care: Equity Policies;
Advanced Topics in Primary Care: Infectious
Diseases; Acute Complications in Home Care;
Attention to Women's Health; Attention to Children’s
Health. The construction of these paths was done
through groupings of modules according to the most
relevant thematic areas that complemented the
previous training of the professionals of the program
in the specialization.
4 EXPERIENCE REPORT ON
THE CONSTRUCTION OF
SAITE AVA
The use of the Learning Paths methodology in UNA-
SUS / UFMA courses resulted from the need to offer
courses that complement the training of professionals
of the More Doctors” Program.
These professionals, after joining the program,
complete the first phase of training with a duration of
1 year: the specialization in Primary Health Care (450
hours) that was planned in order to provide additional
training to professionals. It uses teaching
methodology that integrates the daily practices of the
professional assisting in the resolution of problems
encountered in patient care, thus strengthening the
performance of physicians.
After completing this stage the students are
enrolled in the 2nd cycle of training that consists of
the training that uses the methodology of learning
paths: a set of modules made available according to
thematic related areas. The students can choose the
modules they wish to attend, according to their needs
and interests, their reality in the workplace, thus
providing greater autonomy, flexibility and
"personalization" of learning. Certification may occur
individually for each course or the entire course.
A feature of this project is the reuse of modules in
the path, that is, the same module can be present in
more than one path according to the
interdisciplinarity of the content addressed.
In this way, arose the need to create a virtual
learning environment that could work with this new
methodology, providing a fast and practical
navigation, since many of the professionals in the
program come from other countries.
SAITE AVA was developed through a
partnership between UNA-SUS/UFMA and Saite
Group, aiming to unify in a single VLE the execution
of two modalities of courses: Extension Courses -
held individually; or the full paths - improvement
courses.
For its construction, a process was structured,
involving a multidisciplinary team composed of
professionals in the areas of pedagogy, graphic design
and information technology. This process was
divided into three stages described below according
to the competence of each area.
4.1 Pedagogical Team: Needs
Assessment
At this stage, the pedagogical team carried out a
survey of all the needs and peculiarities that the
environment should contemplate. Specific aspects of
the offer, student profile, student follow-up process,
among others, were discussed with the graphic design
and technology teams that were able to highlight
features and construct sketches of what the VLE
design would look like.
4.2 Graphic Design Team: Design
Proposal
Using these informations and conducting research in
other virtual learning environments, the graphic
design team elaborated the construction of the screen
drawings taking into account the most effective way
for the student to find the information and access what
he wanted.
In addition, the entire visual identity for the
environment was constructed, as well as the
standardization of the iconography system used to
indicate student performance.
Three presentation meetings, feedbacks and
adjustments were made to achieve the expected
result.
4.3 Technology Team: Programming
The virtual environment was built on the Moodle 2.9
platform, with a custom interface. Moodle is an open-
source, customizable LMS (Learning Management
System) platform. The tool is plugin-oriented and
provides a REST-style service oriented layer.
In this version of Moodle, there was no available
plugin with the functionality of reusing modules on
CSEDU 2018 - 10th International Conference on Computer Supported Education
442

more than one path, a necessary element of the course
offer.
Based on this definition a theme was created,
evading all the standards specified by the
architecture, where it was coupled to the environment
through APIs (Application Programming Interface)
REST. This type of approach allows the flexibility of
the room structure and with this it was possible to
offer the student a new experience when facing this
type of environment. All the architecture of the theme
was written in AngularJS. Its interface was developed
with the support of Angular Materialize.
5 SAITE AVA DETAILING
According to the explanations in previous chapters,
the need to develop a virtual learning environment
that was adequate to the innovations in educational
methodologies was realized. Technological
development transforms many areas, and can not be
different in the case of education (Lima, 2016).
The VLE has resources that help with students'
autonomy, such as: tutorials, updates alerts in the
environment, iconographic system, student
dashboard, among others.
5.1 Homepage
When accessing Saite AVA through the browser, the
user visualizes the available learning paths, the new
paths that are being launched, highlighted by a tag
with the word "NEW". In addition, icons have been
established to inform about the paths (number of
students enrolled, total workload, number of courses
that make up the path and indicative of certification
availability), with tooltips for icon labeling. The icon
might go beyond the barriers of language and
represent meanings in a synthesized and condensed
manner (Cardoso; Gonçalves; Oliveira, 2014). To
facilitate user search for specific paths of interest, the
"Search" field has been added.
In the upper right corner, there are three functions:
Call Center - communication system integrated to
Moodle, which allows the student to open calls to
clarify their doubts; How it works - which features a
tutorial with basic VLE information, courses, student
follow-up process and certification; Login - field for
login, which provides basic access instructions.
5.2 Student Dashboard
When logging in to the system, the user has access to
the Student Dashboard, where the Performance
Monitoring Area can be found on the left. This
provides information about the history of notes and
their performance in the course, represented by a
graph that indicates the current user status with color,
percentage, and a dialog box that indicates whether
student performance is satisfactory or not.
Figure 1: Saite AVA homepage.
Saite AVA
443

Figure 2: Student dashboard with satisfactory workload preview.
Other functionalities that can be found: My
courses - where the student visualizes the courses that
he is doing at the moment; My paths - view the paths
currently performing; and Other trails - provides
access to the other paths available for registration. In
addition, below the boxes of the courses and tracks,
there are icons that show the information: Course
workload; If the student has finished reading the
content; if one has already performed the activity; and
whether the certificate is available. All accompanied
by labeling tooltips.
5.3 Paths
By clicking on a trail on the left, the user finds
descriptive information about the content covered in
the courses that comprise it. To the right, the user
finds the courses that are part of this path. That way,
the user has access to all the information on a single
screen, requiring less cognitive effort to locate the
content they want to study.
5.4 Course
When selecting the desired course, the user will find,
just below the course title, the "Related paths" button,
that informs in which tracks that course is present. In
this way the user can easily locate other tracks of his
interest.
Just below, there is a menu with the following
features: The course - which brings a presentation of
the course, with information such as workload,
educational objectives, schedule, etc; Multimedia
resources - which brings the e-books of the course;
Activities - which presents the course questionnaire
and a forum for interaction among students; Warnings
- where the student is notified of any news, organized
chronologically; Files - which are supplementary
course materials; Finally, the button Evaluate the
course - this feedback is essential for the institution,
because at this moment the student answers questions
about his profile and his experience with the course
materials, knowing who will interact with the
information artifacts, how and why this interaction
occurs are important steps for the production of
artifacts that are suited to the needs of individuals
(Spinillo, 2013).
5.5 Permanent Components
In addition to the features shown previously, some
components are permanently fixed in the virtual
environment. The "Call Center" and "How It Works"
buttons were always kept so that the student can
consult this help information whenever a question
arises.
To improve usability, breadcrumbs are used as a
resource to facilitate student navigation and location
within the system, reducing the effort to reach a page.
There is also a sign at the top of the screen that
indicates if the student is enrolled in that course or
not. If it is not, this sign has the functionality to be
clickable, so that the student can enroll.
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Figure 3: Paths Screen.
Figure 4: Courses screen.
Saite AVA
445

5.6 Menus
In the upper right side, the student can access a
personal menu, indicated by his name and photo,
where he can access: Messages - a room where the
students can talk; Settings - to adjust information
about your account; and the Exit option.
Below, indicated by an icon, the user will find
information directly related to the course he is doing,
such as the number of participants, documents,
certificates, etc. and frequently asked questions where
it is directed to a document with the main
clarifications on the course offer and progress.
6 CONCLUSIONS
In the context of Permanent Health Education, there
is a need to present the content covered encompassing
situations and experiences similar to those that the
professionals face every day at work, thereby
promoting a contextualized teaching-learning process
and presenting actual challenges in the health area.
Furthermore, in the context of Distance Learning,
it is observed the necessity of providing more
flexibility and autonomy so that the students can
study in their own time and place.
Therefore, when developing tools for these
activities, it is also important to apply the proper
pedagogical methodologies in the content
presentation. Then, the learning paths contribute to
the interdisciplinary dialog, using educational
resources and technological tools that guide the
students through this process.
In this context, the virtual learning environments need
to cover the necessities that emerge from these
innovations, allowing the student to have a
satisfactory performance in the learning process.
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