Abstract:

During the Covid-19 pandemic, both universities and companies gained new experience with numerous technologies used for online teaching and communication, MS Teams or Zoom being the typical examples of such. Many of these technologies appear to retain their popularity even as part of standard teaching and communication now that the pandemic-related lockdowns are over. The paper deals with mapping the pandemic period experience with these technologies among academics and students and their potential for further use under standard teaching conditions.

A survey was carried out among current students at the College of Polytechnics Jihlava, Czech Republic, who spent the pandemic period studying at secondary schools, colleges or universities, or in companies as part of their student practical placement or on a job. Based on the respondents’ experience, the paper presents a resulting overview of computer technologies and tools that respondents used for study or work during the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by an analysis of the benefits and limitations of individual technologies. Next, the technologies used at the College of Polytechnics Jihlava at that time and academics’ experience with them are considered and included in the analysis. Further, the role of LMS Moodle and the experience of students and teachers with this platform during the pandemic is depicted, focusing on the content of e-learning modules recommended for smooth online work, including the link to the college information system.

The findings emphasize the need for a complex perspective of these tools and of a didactic proposal of education that integrates technologies supporting teaching and learning. The potential of the analysed tools is described and their usability for standard teaching and communication is evaluated. In conclusion, due recommendations are drawn up for incorporating experiences with these technologies from the time of the pandemic into regular teaching.

Keywords:

Online communication tools, Covid-19, survey, on-line teaching.