A evolução das tecnologias e das redes de comunicação tem provocado mudanças acentuadas na sociedade, impulsionando o nascimento de novos paradigmas, modelos, processos de comunicação educacional e novos cenários de ensino e de aprendizagem. Mas ninguém, nem mesmo os professores que já adotavam ambientes online nas suas práticas, imaginava que seria necessária uma mudança tão rápida e emergencial, de forma quase obrigatória, devido à expansão do coronavírus. Na realidade, com a chegada abrupta do vírus, as instituições educativas e os professores foram forçados a adotar práticas de ensino a distância, práticas de ensino remoto de emergência, muito diferentes das práticas de uma educação digital em rede de qualidade. Tendo, pois, em consideração esse cenário, o objetivo deste texto é apresentar, resumidamente, os princípios básicos para o design de um ambiente online, relacionado à organização, seleção de recursos, preparação e avaliação de e-atividades de aprendizagem.

The purpose of this study was to report evidence obtained in a survey based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework (Garrison, Anderson & Archer, 1991;2000) carried out in different groups. The study comprised 510 higher education students enrolled in blended online courses offered through Moodle platform during one semester. It considered students from different private and public Portuguese polytechnic schools and universities. Moreira & Almeida (2011) have suggested that CoI framework is a valid, reliable, and efficient measure of its dimensions within the Portuguese population. Although similarities in aspects of social presence were discovered among polytechnic and universities students, the two groups showed some differences. In particular, it was observed that the polytechnic students appear to be a more robust community when compared to university students.

Introduction: Syphilis is a problem for the Brazilian Public Health. Therefore, the Brazilian Ministry of Health has been promoting actions to fight this disease; among them, the “No Syphilis Project” stands out, and develops open educational resources (OER), among several activities. Objective: To analyze the open educational resources available in the SUS (the Brazilian Unified Health System) Virtual Learning Environment, focused on syphilis. Methods: This qualitative study, based on epistemology in the field of phenomenology, is a content analysis operated with the meanings constructed to parts of a set of texts and the objects of its analysis were the teaching plans of 19 educational resources available at AVASUS, which dealt with the theme “Syphilis”. The analysis was organized into two unitss: The main purpose of the educational resource and Thematic focus of the educational resource. Results: The overlapping of clinical aspects of the disease to the detriment of socio-environmental aspects and the prevalence of informational objectives can be observed, with the exception of one resource that presented an objective that sought a more active action by the course participant. In the analysis unit 1 it was possible to identify the prevalence of objectives such as 'presenting' or 'conveying' content/information related to the disease. In the analysis unit 2 it was possible to identify the “classic” biomedical cycle of approaching a disease, focusing on diagnosis. Conclusion: The study contributed to the identification of gaps from the thematic and methodological point of view that can guide the planning for the construction of new educational resources.

The potential of DTIC has brought new challenges to teachers, making it essential to acquire digital competences. The aim of this research is to assess Portuguese university teachers' digital competence level. The quantitative methodological approach emphasises the teachers' perception of their digital competences in three dimensions: teachers´ professional and pedagogic competences and learners' competences and involved 118 Portuguese University teachers. The main findings show that the digital competence level of teachers is moderate, and that subdimensions "Guidance", "Analysing Evidence" and "Responsible Use", are the weakest. On the other hand, the subdimension in which teachers perceive to have more competence is "Organisational Communication". The results show the need for teachers to increase their digital competence level through specific training, especially as regards the pedagogical use of technology, in particular more practical, experimental training.

The current pandemic crisis the world is living in has brought new and emerging challenges to teachers, making it essential to acquire digital skills, especially in virtual learning environments and online technologies. In this sense, from the DigCompEdu CheckIn self-assessment questionnaire, validated for the Portuguese population by Dias-Trindade, Moreira, and Nunes (2019), the research presented in this paper aims to identify the most fragile and robust areas of digital skills of primary and secondary education (ISCED) perceived by teachers in Portugal. The quantitative methodological approach emphasizes teachers' perception of their digital skills in three dimensions: teachers’ professional competences, teachers’ pedagogical competences and students' competences and involved 434 teachers from mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions. The results allow us to conclude that teachers have an overall moderate level of digital proficiency – level B1 - Integrators – and the dimensions pedagogical competences and students’ competences are those where teachers have more weaknesses than in other levels. From a panorama observed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible to understand their needs regarding work that involves digital technologies at different moments in the teaching activity. The results thus, show the need for teachers to increase their level of digital competence through specific training and the importance of developing public policies that prepare teachers for a more digital school.