Abstract:

The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in the shutdown of schools and universities for face-to-face learning activities. In Portugal, as in other countries, several higher education institutions closed their campuses. Face-to-face lessons and other student tutorial support were suspended, and teaching-learning activities were provided via online/distance learning. Consequently, the use of technological solutions to enable the continuity of learning from home, intensified. Both students and teachers had to adapt rapidly to online/distance learning, which raised challenges related to effective teaching-learning processes, especially for first-year bachelor’s degree students who had a disrupted entrance in the university. The present study aimed to gather knowledge of the experienced challenges and perceived opportunities derived from this process in higher education. More precisely, we explored students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the challenges and advantages which have risen with online classes and distance learning in the first-year undergraduate Psychology course, fully provided through face-to-face teaching before the pandemic. Our main research questions were, from the students’ and their teachers’ perspectives: What facilitated students’ learning?; What hindered students’ learning?; What challenges emerged from this process?; What advantages emerged from this process?. This study adopted a methodology of a qualitative nature. Discussion groups were used to collect data from 60 students of Psychology using a pre-defined set of open questions related to challenges, changes, and opportunities for learning and teaching. Teachers’ perceptions were collected using the same questions provided to students. An e-mail was sent to all six first-degree teachers (from the second semester), and four teachers replied to the questions anonymously. Students’ and teachers’ data were analysed separately, both using the questions as pre-categories, and resourcing to Nvivo12Pro. Codes were created as close to the participants’ text as possible, and then organised and re-organised into themes within the previously established categories. The same main categories were considered for both teachers’ and students’ analysis. Participants identified students’ actions that facilitated online learning (e.g., self-regulation, motivation, persistence and autonomy, specific strategies) and teachers’ actions that also enabled the learning process (e.g., classes organisation, resources material used, students interaction promotion). Some other aspects were identified as barriers or difficulties related to online learning (e.g., duration of some classes; excessive content exposition; absence of physical contact/presence). Nevertheless, the online teaching model was seen as an opportunity to improve technological skills, self-regulated learning, and teaching strategies. This study provides a more in-depth comprehension of students’ and teachers’ perceptions of online/distance learning, contributing to optimise teaching and learning processes in the next academic year.

Keywords:

Covid-19, distance learning, challenges, opportunities, teachers and students, bachelor degree.