E-learning as an educational strategy on islands with low population density: case study in the autonomous region of Azores

The Regional Department of Education and Culture of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in the 2003-2004 school year implemented an innovative project for adult learning. The school EB 3/S Vitorino Nemésio, a public school, on Terceira Island, became the first Portuguese school offering adult education mediated through the Internet, serving elementary level (5th grade) to the secondary level (12th grade) adult learners. This research strives to understand to what extend media-based adult education provides an effective answer to geographic and demographic adult education issues in the Azores. Results indicate that this system appears to meet the geographical and demographic needs of the Azores Islands. Nevertheless, there are still unsolved problems related mostly to teacher limitations, more specifically pedagogic and technical skills in the fields of Information and Communication Technologies and e-learning. Adult e-learning also offers the possibilities of teacher and staff continuous training as well as its wider and more effective implementation outside the region.