Benefits and challenges of online teaching: Lessons and perspectives gained during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Though universities have offered online education options since the 1990s, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to increased online course development and implementation worldwide. Transitioning to online learning during the pandemic created challenges and opportunities for instructors and students alike, especially in the soil and environmental sciences, where laboratory and field work is essential for training students. Our review of the available literature and the authors' personal experiences suggests that many students struggled with the transition, with a lack of adequate internet access representing a significant barrier for many university students. Similarly, some instructors struggled with transitioning away from in-person learning, while others took the opportunity to create novel resources, institute new learning frameworks, and develop unique online course content. Here we seek to describe some of the major challenges and benefits related to the transition to online learning during COVID-19 as well as the efficacy of different online course types, including the perspectives of both university students and instructors based on both the authors' experience at three universities in two countries and on the published literature. Based on these findings, we also make recommendations regarding future online course development in soil and environmental science fields.