Abstract:

The COVID19 pandemic has suddenly and significantly changed the interaction between professors and students. During the lockdown period (mid March to mid May 2020) in France, the face-to-face teaching activities had to be postponed or transformed into distance learning, using specific technological tools to facilitate the online interaction between professors and students. This rapid transformation has created significant challenges for both professors and students, in using often unfamiliar technological tools, and adapting the teaching, learning and interaction process from a face-to-face situation to distant learning. Taking into account that much uncertainty still remains regarding the teaching/learning system that will be used in the next academic year, this study attempts to identify, categorize and discuss:
(i) the challenges encountered by professors and students during the lockdown period to integrate distant teaching tools/technologies into the traditional pedagogical process,
(ii) the implemented solutions to solve or alleviate the resulting problems,
(iii) the general perspective regarding the transformation of the pedagogical process in time of crisis, both from a technological and a pedagogical perspective,
(iv) the pedagogical innovations introduced during the lockdown, that became permanent elements of the pedagogical practice.

To achieve these research objectives, we are collecting and analyzing data from professors and students from Montpellier Business School, France, using online semi-structured surveys and interviews. We realized two waves of primary data collection: a first one using online interviews with professors and students, which took place immediately after the end of the first lockdown period (during the month of July 2020), and a second one, which included both secondary and primary data collection through a literature review and, respectively, online questionnaires sent to MBS professors and students, realized in May 2021. Our study significantly contributes to a better understand of the elements that can facilitate pedagogical agility and performance during sudden, unpredictable crisis situations, providing useful ideas and procedures for professors, students, as well as school directors or deans.

Keywords:

COVID-19 lockdown, pedagogy, on-line learning, integration, challenges, solutions.