Teaching at Distance: Interactive Multimedia of the Cell Biology of Trypanosoma cruzi

CECIERJ is a state public foundation focused in education. It includes CEDERJ arm, which is specialized in teaching at distance as university. Our group has developed an intense work producing multimedia material to undergraduate students in Biology. The aim of this work was to develop educational materials in the graphical version using three-dimensional (3D) animations, to visualize the morphology, dynamic processes and basic knowledge of the Cell Biology as a whole and here, in special of Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. Parasitic protozoa are important agents of human and veterinary diseases not only in Brazil but also all over the world. The life cycle of this protozoan is presented in different levels of education, from fundamental school to graduation level. Videos and animations include: cell division, endocytosis and flagellar beating; the interaction of the parasite with a vertebrate host cell and the behaviour of this protozoan in the digestive tract of the invertebrate host. Thus, this material could: (1) facilitate the learning and teaching of cell biology of parasites, (2) provide good material that can be used by several people at different levels, such as lectures, classes, research, thesis, etc.