Abstract:

Central Purpose of this study:
Virtual learning environments allow the connection between the mediator (teacher / tutor), who provides and produces information in the platform, and the student. In order to promote knowledge building, information exchange must take place in a clear and effective way. When this process has breaks, one of the problems is the increase in dropout rates and reduced quality of learning. So it is necessary to explore the factors that interfere and hinder those relationships, making it necessary to understand what they think about the interference in the dropout process and mediation of information individuals who feed such environments (tutors and teachers).
This work aims to analyze the impact of information mediation in virtual learning environments on students dropout process by the perception of tutors and teachers.

Theoretical Framework:
Seeking to support the theoretical debate to favor the understanding of the issues involved in the central purpose of this research, we discuss in online education teaching distance mode the process of evasion of the student and information mediation.
Online Distance Education mode can be understood as a form of selfless teaching time and space to convey information and generate knowledge (BELLONI, 2009). Its structure goes through a universe considered nontraditional for learning, presenting itself as a way of sending information content in the media, called technological supports, connecting transmitters and receivers that are partially or totally separated (ALVES, 2011).
However, in Distance Education also occur problematics as evasion. Evasion can be understood as the definitive withdrawal of the student at any stage of the course (COOKSON, 1990). In virtual environment the information mediation process occurs differently from information science. Mediation acts as a collaboration tool in Distance Education, since the mid informational support are sources of socialization and construction of knowledge (LE COADIC 1996).

Search Method:
From a qualitative approach (MERRIAM, 1998), this research is characterized as applied research, and it used for data collection an electronic form composed of open and closed questions offered by e-mail to teachers and tutors working with Distance Learning in Brazil. For the analysis, we used the content analysis technique supported by the use of qualitative software such as ATLAS/ti (MOZZATO; GRZYBOVSKI, 2011).

Results, Conclusions and Implications for the Area:
The analysis reveals that, according to the perspective of teachers and tutors, mediation of information has direct bearing on the dropout process and student characteristics and behaviors also interfere with this same premise. The way the electronic environment is designed to communicate information and allow the bridge between sender and receiver also directly influences the perception of students and shows up as an enhancer for increasing evasion.

Keywords:

Information Mediation, Distance Education, Evasion, Distance Learning.