Learning objects in distance education

Abstract

Learning Objects are resources that promote more interaction, agility in the recovery of information, and communication between individuals in many different contexts. Considering this, this article aims to carry out an integrative review about the types of learning objects and how they are being used in distance teaching in the field of health. This is an integrative literature review. Databases used for the search were PubMed, SciELO, Scopus, and Science Direct. To locate relevant studies, that could answer to the research question, the descriptors indexed in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were used. The descriptors used were: "health" AND "learning object" AND "distance education" OR "e-learning". The final sample of this review included 13 articles selected according with inclusion criteria previously established. It was found that 77% of the articles selected were published by European (39.5%) and Asian (38.5%) countries. 46.2% of the publications were published in 2016, 2017, and 2018, while 2019 and 2020 alone had 53.8%. The main learning objects used in distance teaching in health, listed in the articles included, were video classes, podcasts, e-books, and interactive games. Medicine was the professional category with the greatest number of LOs for professional training and education, followed by nursing and dentistry. The use of LOs in distance education show that, in 76.9% of studies, their use improved the performance in the teaching-learning process. Therefore, we expect this virtual educational benefit to become consolidated, so new strategies and tools become available in teaching strategies.