Abstract:

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools for teaching are a key factor for the promotion and development of university qualifications in the modality of on-site teaching, blended learning or virtual teaching. Specifically, the use of virtual environments in university teaching is a reality in the University of La Laguna (ULL), either as a reference material space or as part of a methodological proposal that increases the educational possibilities of virtual learning environments.

An initiative developed at the ULL about calls for teaching support through ICT tools is presented in this work. Several modalities are considered to participate in the teaching support program: use of virtual classroom tools to support face-to-face teaching (modality A), virtualization of a part of the office tutorials (modality B), use of the resources and tools of the virtual classroom for blended learning and online distance education (modality C) and development of practices through virtual resources and tools (modality D). The aim of this work is to analyse the modalities object of the calls and the number of requests submitted by the teachers by areas of knowledge; as well as the evolution and/or changes observed in the call for “Teaching support program through ICT tools” from the 2017/2018 academic year to the current one.

All the data used in this work were extracted from the information provided on the website of the ULL. The calls from the 2017/2018 academic year to the current one were evaluated. The number of proposals submitted in each modality were analysed and compared by areas of knowledge.
In the 2017/2018 call, only two modalities of participation were offered: A and B. In the following calls, two new modalities were added: C and D. The use of virtual classroom tools to support face-to-face teaching (modality A) is widely extended among ULL teachers, as a high number of proposals were observed in all the calls (around 400). In addition, the number of proposals for the development of virtual tutorials (modality B) remains practically constant during the three calls (around 150). Little participation was observed in modalities C and D (less than 20 proposals in each call).

On the other hand, the number of proposals was analysed in the five areas of knowledge that comprise the degree programmes: Experimental Sciences, Health Sciences, Judicial and Social Sciences, Technical Teaching and Arts and Humanities. For modality A, the greatest number of proposals come from the area of Judicial and Social Sciences. For modality C and D, the number of proposals presented was low, in all calls and all areas of knowledge. This may be due to the ULL is mainly based on classroom teaching and the majority of teachers prefer to carry out the face-to-face practices, since many degrees require material and resources that are not accessible by the students.

Keywords:

ICT, virtual learning environments, university teaching.