For the second consecutive year, the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) will provide the training of the Periodical Portal (link is external) via web, by the platform of the Web Conference of RNP, the Mconf. This was possible thanks to the good results of 2016, a year in which online training totaled 5,600 students.

With the change to the virtual environment, it was possible to offer more classes and training schedules, thereby empowering more people and reducing expenses. For the general coordinator of the Periodical Portal of Capes, Elenara Chaves Edler de Almeida, our Web Conference service allowed to reach in an equal way all the regions of the country.

1) How was the use experience of system in 2016?

The online trainings were implemented to expand the use of the Periodical Portal, increasing the number of users, disseminating the types of search, contents available and possibilities of navigation in the page. The use of the tool was very positive, pointing out small improvements on the part of the portal editors and instructors. With Mconf, we offer more effective training, focused on each area of knowledge, and flexible schedules, in intercalated shifts so that several users could participate. The main benefit was reaching all regions of the country.

2) Was there an increase of students in 2016 regarding previous years?

More than 5,600 people participated in online training in 2016, more than the previous years. There was an increase in the number of classes, a positive point for the growth in the number of trainees. This was only possible with the use of Mconf, which allows the access of both instructors and users from anywhere that are connected to the internet, without the need for travel and without other costs related to face-to-face training.

3) Were the materials changed in the training when passing from on-site course to online course?

The materials were kept, but were updated. Most of the teaching material consists of PowerPoint presentations and explanatory leaflets, which are used for post-training or pre-training consultation. These are files that are available full-time in the Periodical Portal as supporting material, and can be accessed at any time.

4) What are the expectations for the training of 2017?

This year, we have further expanded the number of classes offered daily, as well as the number of instructors. The virtual environment allows these actions. Thus, it will be possible to disseminate the search tools, the contents and the services available in the Periodical Portal. We expect to increase considerably the number of people trained and, consequently, the number of accesses to Capes virtual library.