Confined Education: Practices and Experiences in University Students

Abstract

The confined teaching and learning practices that were experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic period triggered different challenges and difficulties for students and teachers. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe the experiences and perceptions of a group of undergraduate students from the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, where the experiences they had to face are recognized, in order to continue their training process in a confined environment and added to the uncertainty generated by the pandemic. With this purpose, the interpretive research paradigm with a mixed approach was adopted, for which a research instrument with open and closed questions was applied, through which the challenges, difficulties and conflicts faced during confinement were revealed, as the pandemic motivated a synergy between technology, teachers and students that disrupted the teaching and learning processes, opening the need to rewind the traditional educational practices. This study concludes that virtual education, although it presented challenges and difficulties, also offered opportunities for adaptation and growth in the academic sphere. However, it is necessary to continue working on improving technological infrastructure and the training of teachers and students so that virtual education is an effective and efficient tool in the teaching and learning process. Furthermore, it is important to note that virtual education should not be viewed as a secondary option, but as an alternative, that complements traditional educational practice