Teaching at the Times of COVID-19: Inferences and Implications for Higher Education Pedagogy

Abstract

In our study, conducted during the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Greece, we trace the instant effects of the crisis conditions on the university education. We examine the case of a Department of Education at the University of Patras, in order to investigate the students' assumptions and emotions on the sudden shift to online teaching, in the frame of two academic courses during crisis. Having in mind that University of Patras was one of the first institutions in Greece that responded to the lockdown and moved promptly to the shift to distance learning, we designed a questionnaire with open-ended and closed-ended questions that was filled in by 103 students of the specific Department. The questions refer to students' emotions and their motives of participation in the educational programme, activated due to the current conditions, and whether they foster or prevent the learning process. Our aim was not to compare the two different ways of teaching (online and face to face) but to investigate the lessons learned by this experience and the implications to higher education pedagogy. The results indicate specific points of interest on teaching and learning in higher education, therefore, the necessity of evolving university pedagogy is emerging.

Distance learning and undergraduate Saudi students’ agency during the Covid-19 pandemic

“…Contrary to the results of a study by Karalis and Raikou (2020) in Greece which reported that participation in online classes was high, there were attendance and participation problems in the present study and a high rate of students who missed their online classes.…”

“…Findings of the present study are consistent with findings of other studies in the literature. As in prior studies by Ghounane (2020), Koçoglu and Tekdal (2020), Karalis and Raikou (2020), Adnan and Anwar (2020), Baber (2020), Al-Nofaie (2020), students in the present study preferred face-to-face instruction and interaction rather than virtual learning via Blackboard, Microsoft Teams or Zoom.…”

“…Lack of engagement, interaction and communication were common problems in DL during the Covid-19 pandemic in studies by Baber (2020) in India and South Korea, Adnan and Anwar (2020) in Pakistan, Karalis and Raikou (2020) in Greece, Al-Nofaie (2020) in Saudi Arabia and in the present study as well. In this respect, Wolverton, Guidry Hollier and Lanier (2020) indicated that students' perceptions of computer self-efficacy lead to student engagement and that student engagement influences group satisfaction in online business courses.…”

“…Unlike DL, face-to-face instruction develops the dynamics of teamwork. Social interaction and socialization on campus strengthen students' identity as members of a community (Karalis and Raikou 2020).…”

Examination of the perceptions of self-sufficiency and burnout levels of students of the sports science faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…For students who already have an increased psychological distress [5.6], the quarantine period and distant education also increased their anxiety and stress levels. Initial studies showed that, especially in the first weeks of quarantine, students had very high stress levels [7]. Students also developed reactions linked to stress due to unknown serious infectious diseases [8].…”