Abstract:

During the pandemic of COVID-19, the universities switched to online learning, which proved to be a challenge for both teachers and students. There are both positives and negatives.

Bulgarian universities have long used learning platforms - Moodle, ILIAS, etc., mainly for distance learning as a form of learning. But there are no such deep traditions for regular training. That is why, due to the lack of centralized platforms, the higher education institutions in Bulgaria chose the most suitable one for their own needs. At the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies, university teachers were offered three options: to join the Moodle platform, to use Google Meet, or to send materials by e-mail to their students.

In Germany, higher education institutions have chosen the newly introduced free Zoom platform for regular face-to-face lectures and seminars, which are held at agreed by professors and students and are in the form of videoconferencing. Lectures must be with the camera so as not to disturb the dynamics of communication. Thus, although they are not physically in one place, all those present at the lecture show commitment and motivation for active participation. As an additional platform for preparation before and after classes, the University of Friedrich-Alexander Erlangen-Nuremberg uses StudOn (ILIAS).

This study presents the experience of a lecturer from a Bulgarian university (the University of Library Science and Information Technology) during the pandemic of COVID-19, working with Google Meet, virtual classroom, Google applications, practices, and difficulties. Surveys are analyzed among the students with whom online training and exams have been conducted. SWOT analysis also is done. The main models of online learning are described.
The article has presented the experience of a student from a German university also from the point of view of dealing with the situation with the online education imposed due to circumstances.

A comparison is made between the experience of a student from a German university and a lecturer from a Bulgarian university - the advantages and disadvantages of online learning are sought, based on personal experience, on the one hand, and the basis of surveys.

It is interesting to compare the forms of assessment of the two educational systems - the Bulgarian and German, the ways of assessment, as well as the problems that arise during online exams.

One of the necessary conclusions is that although young people are constantly online, they prefer their training to be conducted face-to-face. Because live contact cannot be compared to any technology, to any camera or training platform.

The situation in which scientists, teachers, students, but also people of all professions are placed is unusual and there are still no criteria for a proper response. It is important to share experience and reflection on it, because good practices or failures can create sustainable patterns of behavior. The analysis of the different platforms from the point of view of their users through specific shared problems will contribute to the improvement of the platforms by their developers, and could give ideas to the academic community to deal with different cases. As Goethe said, "I am part of that power which eternally wills evil and eternally works good.” (Faust, First Part) – we must extract the positive and the good in crises as well.

Keywords:

Experience, students, university teachers, online learning, feedback, times of crisis.