THE DISTANCE EDUCATION IN HEALTHCARE AREA: A STUDY ABOUT THE PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL COUNCILS IN BRAZIL

In the healthcare area, the use of e-learningand its effects on learning have already been well debated by the literature, but its analysis, especially in distance education (DE), depends on the institutional,political, cultural and social context in which it is applied.In Brazil, professional councils are part of this context.Based on this scenario, the article aims to present the perception of professional councils in relation to the use of distance education in undergraduate courses in the healthcare area. It was found that distance education is a way to democratize teaching in health, but the way it has been used in undergraduate courses concerns the majority of the Councils. It is suggested that health distance education should consider an integration of the learning environment and its context, the pedagogical development and the involvement of students and other actors, being a multilevel approach.