MEC has announced new rules for ODL and determined that some distance learning courses, including IT, should contain at least 20% of mandatory face -to -face activities; Read Analysis on the theme
The decision announced Monday (05/20/25) by the Ministry of Education () to prohibit the 100% offering of the distance from medical, dentistry, psychology, law and nursing courses caused strong repercussion. At the same time, the MEC determined that the courses remaining (including IT) should contain at least 20% of mandatory face -to -face or synchronous activities.
This change, which has already come into force, is supported not only in pedagogical guidelines, but also in findings of modern cognitive neuroscience. The human brain is deeply social and plastic, being shaped by the quality of learning experiences – and this involves more than just access to content.
What does neuroscience say about learning?
Neuroscience points out that long -term learning is directly linked to attention, repetition with meaning, and socialization. Face -to -face environments favor:
- Immediate feedback, essential for error correction and learning reinforcement;
- Varied sensory stimuli that increase memory retention;
- Emotional and empathic engagement, factors that expand motivation;
- Regulation of attention, which tends to be dispersed in exclusively virtual environments.
Learning is a dynamic process that requires cognitive, emotional and often physical presence. When there is absence of social rituals, routine of study and real coexistence with peers and teachers, the brain of new generations can develop difficulties in bond formation, interpersonal communication and critical group thinking – something that hybrid education can help reverse.
Generational symptom: young people connected, but with real communication difficulties
Recent research in Neuropsychology and Childhood Psychiatry reveals that there is a progressive deterioration in listening, oratory, collaboration and empathy in new generations, attributed to excessive digital interactions.
Students who grow up in a universe of communication by short messages, emoticons and fast videos often come to higher education with difficulty arguing orally, presenting ideas clearly and listening to each other without distractions. The mandatory presence in synchronous and face -to -face activities, as determined by MEC, can help rebuild these socio -emotional skills, so necessary in the labor market – including IT.
Technical and pedagogical impact on IT courses
Although IT courses remain authorized in the EAD, the requirement of face -to -face or synchronous activities imposes a strategic repositioning by the institutions. This is not necessarily a disadvantage. See why:
Technical examples of advantages of hybrid/face -to -face education:
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Computational laboratories
Universities feature high -performance infrastructures such as network simulation servers, parallel processing clusters, virtualized environments, robots and hardware for IoT. These technologies are hardly accessible at home, which compromises performance in practical disciplines.
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Technical Support and Collaboration In Loco
Many students have difficulty setting up development environments locally. Immediate technical support in laboratories can avoid frustrations and increase the productive learning time.
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Simulated safety and testing environments
Disciplines such as information security, software tests and computer networks can use controlled environments for tests of attacks, exploits and firewalls, unfeasible in household nets for risk and cost.
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Integration with hardware and electronics
Courses with IoT subjects, embedded and robotics systems benefit from classes with physical plates (Arduino, Raspberry PI, sensors), which expands the understanding of the physical layer, essential for more sophisticated projects. It is worth a necessary provocation: not all technology drives cognition – some atrophies. Excessive use of GPS, for example, has been associated with the gradual loss of spatial orientation skills and path memory, functions previously performed by the brain itself.
Similarly, recent research indicates a drop in average IQ in young people in recent generations, as well as growing difficulties in communicative skills, empathy and sustained attention. One hypotheses is that the brain is being “outsourced” by devices, reducing its plasticity and adaptive capacity. The requirement of face -to -face and collaborative experiences in teaching, therefore, emerges as a pedagogical and neuroscientific response to this scenario of technological dependence and silent cognitive regression.
Disciplines that benefit from face -to -face or hybrid activities:
| Discipline | In -person/hybrid format benefits |
| Computer networks | Assembly of physical networks, laboratories simulations |
| Information Security | Isolated environments for vulnerabilities and firewalls tests |
| Internet of Things (IoT) | Handling of sensors, actuators and real protocols |
| Data structure and algorithms | Face -to -face support for understanding complex logic |
| Programming of embedded systems | Need for physical plates, multimeter, welding etc. |
| Software Engineering and Project Management | Collaborative development, scrum in real team dynamics |
| Advanced Database | Handling of large bases, SQL cluster and tuning with real tools |
CONCLUSION: A balanced measure that promotes integral development
By requiring a minimum percentage of face -to -face or synchronous activities in higher education courses, MEC does not extinguish the EAD – but stimulates a more balanced, neurocompatible and connected model to market reality. In IT, this measure can represent a quality leap in vocational training by combining the best of digital flexibility with the depth of practical and collaborative learning.
** Update! **
This reflection on the impacts of technology on human cognition, education and vocational training also connects directly to the discussions proposed in CNPPD 2025 – VI National Congress of Data Privacy Professionalswhich will take place on June 27 and 28, 2025, online and in person, in the auditorium of UNIP – Campus Norte, in São Paulo/SP. With the theme “Digital Sovereignty”, Congress will bring together experts from all over the country to discuss how technologies are shaping – and in some cases weakening – our intellectual, social and national autonomy. It will be the ideal space for deepening these discussions and reflecting on the ethical, educational and neurological limits of a society increasingly guided by algorithms and interfaces.
Get your ticket:
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In times of hyperconnectivity, rethinking the use of technology is an act of sovereignty. Educating the human brain remains our most powerful digital protection tool.
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*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the young Pan.
