Abstract:

The Covid-19 pandemic represented a challenge for education worldwide. Diverse strategies were developed around the world aimed at guaranteeing the continuity of educational services. However, one of the main characteristics of the pandemic period has been the existence of a marked uncertainty that affected the emotional well-being of the population of all ages. Thus, affectations to the mental health of students and teachers are reported (Orrego, 2022). And it is that, to the confinement, the economic situation, and the fear for one's own health and that of significative ones, added the pressure entailed by the adaptation of work and study to online formats.

Emotions are recognized as an important part of student learning, relating to their well-being, productivity, quality of learning and interactions. The effect of emotions has also been studied in virtual learning environments, being associated with socialization and engagement (Henritius, 2019). Similarly, Espinoza-Polo et al (2020) report that affective pedagogy contributes to the construction of meaningful learning in the context of online teaching due to a pandemic.

In this context, the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Technology (FCITEC) considered affective communication as part of the strategies that supported the Academic Continuity Plan (ACP) developed by the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC) to face the health contingency. The PCA consisted of the migration of academic activities to virtual environments, including remote teaching with 100% of the classes online.

This paper reports on the experience of promoting affective communication at FCITEC. We developed communications towards teachers and students using emails and posters with images of encouragement and motivation. Similarly, recommendations were made to teachers to consider this style of communication in the interaction with their students. Finally, to contribute to the transition to face-to-face that occurred at the end of the confinement, the experiences of teachers and students related to their work during online classes were collected. These were part of a video and photograph virtual Exhibition that sought to recognize their efforts and motivate them.

With the promotion of affective communication, good practices in interactions mediated by technology are encouraged at FCITEC, placing the individual once again at the center of online education rather than technology.

Keywords:

Affective communication, emotions, online education.