Is Action Research an Appropriate Methodology to Investigate Distance Education in Brazil?

Distance education, as with most research areas, is a very broad topic. There is a large body of literature relating to it, including books, journals, articles, websites, a wealth of online materials, and so forth. Most universities around the world, including those in developing countries, have at least a pilot project using some kind of technology to deliver education. Online distance education, or simply the application of technologies in university teaching, is an inevitable reality, where technology is now seen as part of teaching and learning strategies (Turoff et al., 2005). In the last few decades, academic concerns about online teaching have switched from learning how to use the technologies, to how to teach, motivate and facilitate learning at a distance (Jamieson, 2004). In addition, issues related to the quality of online teaching and learning, as well as how prepared lecturers are for enhancing learning within this new technological context in education, have also been raised. In Brazil for example, a developing country where distance education at a tertiary level has a short history, academic professional development activities for online teaching seem yet to be developed within their universities (Santos et al., 2005).