Abstract:

COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a change in the teaching process to attend to the educational needs of students during the crisis. Although we are not in the previous state of alarm, the forecasts of the development of a vaccine place it at best in May of 2021, a full seven months ahead. In this vein, the main strategies available to prevent rapid spread of infections are related to social distancing. In this context, e-learning and online learning seems to be the alternative.

This study is intended to report the methodology and evaluation adaptation for teaching, during the COVID-19 pandemic mobility restrictions, in the subject ‘Introduction to firm information systems’ at the Universitat Jaume I to support the process of exchange of knowledge and best practices and resources to guide the development of context-specific education strategies. The establishment of a clear coordination figure was essential to develop and implement the educational cohesive response of all the lecturers of the subject to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The person who coordinates was also in charge of helping other lecturers in using new technologies for adapting methodological and evaluation aspects.

The development of a precise schedule and means of frequent and regular communication online, both among lecturers and between lecturers and students, was essential during the period when social distancing will be in effect. Lecturers also support student’s learning in the new situation through instructions where possible in tutorial classes or guidance for self-directed learning.

Moreover, lecturers enhanced the communication and collaboration among students by creating online team groups that foster mutual learning and well-being. The Universitat Jaume I efforts in providing all students with devices and connectivity was essential in this learning process adaptation.

Google Meet, Moodle applications - such as forum, links (to videos, news, etc.) and questionnaires -, Kahoot, and Autocrat accessory of Google Drive were among the most useful technologies introduced for guiding both the development of theoretical and practical classes and, what is even more complex, their evaluation.

The proposal raised in this document is supported by the students’ anonymous assessment conducted between April and May of 2020 and distributed by lecturers. The assessment surveyed respondents online about:
(1) the education difficulties and challenges in following and understanding online teaching classes;
(2) the education advantages of online classes;
(3) their perception about some possible improvements in the development of online classes;
(4) their attention given by lectures in facing up some problems or doubts;
(5) their preference for that online classes in front to face-to-face ones; and, finally,
(6) their perception about the effectiveness and effort done for adapting teaching methods to this new context created by the pandemic.

Keywords:

COVID-19, e-learning, e-evaluation, Higher Education, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).