Abstract:

The COVID pandemic has severely challenged what everyone considered effective teaching skills. As so many schools and universities switched to online classes, students and professors felt exposed now that classes had to take place in their homes, and anyone could have access to everything. This was especially obvious in Romania, where multiple scandals regarding unprofessional teaching behavior ignited in press. Online courses have now offered students the possibility to expose what they regarded as unempathetic or uninteresting teaching style. Official figures can also back that up: according to the 2020 EU Education and Training Monitor, less than half of the EU teaching staff has received digital technology training. In Romania, the situation is similar, with 49,8% of the school principals perceiving the shortage and insufficiency of digital technology for instruction a hindrance more visible than insufficient Internet access. How have students however perceived overall the pandemic teaching experience? Have online courses been just as effective as face-to-face instruction? And have they sometimes helped to deal with anxiety caused by daily live interaction at the university? These are a few of the questions this paper is aiming to answer.

Keywords:

Teaching, university, students, german, languages, foreign languages training.