Resumo:
Considering the current reality of higher education institutions, recent research data has shown that the implementation of disciplines through distance learning is bringing benefits to both students and professors through greater flexibility in content delivery, increased standardization of teaching and the availability and accessibility of didactic learning material. In this sense, the present work seeks to identify and analyze the factors that influence the development of distance education disciplines in the opinion of the students, through a study of the application of this teaching modality cited in scientific publications and through a real verification in the place object of study. The choice of theme was justified, firstly, due to the restrictions on the movement of people and social isolation imposed by the world pandemic of COVID-19 that prevented the face-to-face functioning, not only of educational institutions, but all commercial establishments around the world. Second, due to the substantial increase in enrollments in higher education courses offered in the distance education modality, since before the emergence of the pandemic. Finally, due to personal issues of the author who experienced the experience of being a student during the pandemic period. An applied research was carried out, with an explanatory objective and a quantitative approach, which includes a Systematic Review of the Literature to identify the critical success factors in the implementation of distance learning disciplines, complemented by a data collection through an interview with the students of the institution. It was concluded that the research responds to the proposed problem, showing that the factors related to the Teacher's Technical Competencies and their Training to Work in Distance Learning, the Student's Personal Interest in the Discipline, the Didactic Material and the Teaching Platforms Used are the most important to be considered in the implementation of distance education disciplines according to the students' view, still showing which of these factors are the most important and which ones are not necessarily so important in the opinion of the students interviewed.