CAN DISTANCE LEARNING PRACTICES FOSTER GRADUATE STUDENTS' CREATIVITY?

This study aims to investigate the possibilities of developing creativity among undergraduate students through a distance Brazilian graduate learning program. A Consortium of public universities in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has developed the program. The courses present both distance and classroom activities (the latter including tutoring, laboratorial practices, and evaluations). The study was focused on a discipline offered at the first period of a Biology teacher's formation, and there were 1000 registered students. We describe pedagogic practices implemented and an evaluation of the student's creativity development from the student's point of view, as measured by an Inventory of Educational Practices that considers four main factors: incentive to new ideas, friendly environment to express ideas, evaluation and methodology of teaching, and interest for the students' learning. One hundred and forty one students answered the inventory anonymously. The answers pointed out insights about the course methodology. The four factors analyzed indicate that it is possible to contribute to the students' creativity development with the employed methodology.