Abstract:

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, better known as Coronavirus, forced 61 countries to adopt restrictive measures aimed at reducing social contact.

The Education and Training System represented one of the main sectors to undergo these provisions with the suspension of face-to-face teaching and learning activities and the transition to distance learning.

The e-learning platforms became the new didactic mediation environments through which to implement the teaching-learning process, in order to guarantee pedagogical continuity.

In this scenario, Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) represents a new research area that focuses attention on the change in teaching methods during the emergency period. In this regard, the reference literature returns a vast scientific production based on the introduction of distance learning in different educational contexts, highlighting advantages and disadvantages.

This paper aims, on the one hand, to return a synthetic framework on the theoretical constructs relating to distance learning in higher education, on the other hand to show the preliminary results of a survey conducted on a convenience sample of 305 students attending humanistic degree courses at the University of Salerno.

From a methodological point of view, the exploratory survey combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches (mixed methods) in a structured way. The tool used is a questionnaire consisting of closed and open questions, designed to detect students' perceptions of their educational experience. The questionnaire contains 72 items, organized into 6 sections. In this work, ample space is given to the section on the methodological-didactic strategies adopted during distance learning.

The results show the prevalence of transmissive teaching practices, first and foremost the frontal lesson, which is followed by the intervention after explanation, discussion and interaction.

Students, as stakeholders, declare that they are satisfied with the methodological choices made by teachers. In fact, the open questions contain positive elements to be considered in order to qualify the teaching methods.

The transition to distance learning requires remodeling of teaching practices, as confirmed by Evidence based research. Digital technologies act as added value when they support teaching methodologies. An in-depth analysis of these results leads to reflection on the factors that characterize an effective digital teaching.

Keywords:

COVID-19, emergency remote teaching, distance learning, higher education, teaching practices.