Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic generated the largest disruption of educational systems in history in many countries around the world, leading to a decision to switch to E-Learning in all subjects. At universities, and in fact in all “traditional” study domains, many restrictions were applied, preventing the presence of students and faculty on campus. The transition to E-Learning in an emergency involved breaching barriers and posed challenges for faculty that required an immediate response. In the current study, we examined the opinion of lecturers regarding the strengths and weaknesses of E-Learning from different aspects from a systemic, multi-institutional perspective. The study consisted of 223 lecturers teaching at various academic institutions: universities, academic teaching colleges, academic engineering colleges, and private colleges. The research findings show that the preference for E-Learning is not high: Only one third of the lecturers expressed a preference for online learning. The lecturers noted the lack of social and emotional personal interaction with both students and lecturers as one of the main weaknesses of e-learning. Moreover, most of the lecturers do not perceive E-Learning as enhancing the quality of teaching and learning. The research findings indicate the roles of the lecturer in the digital era, in teaching, and particularly – the role of the professional elements in charge of teaching and learning at academic institutions, primarily with regard to the pedagogical aspects. The research further indicates the need for perceptual changes also among lecturers, who should reexamine teaching and learning processes and adapt their function and fields of responsibility to the new opportunities afforded by the technological tools and learning environment. The research findings also show that the success of E-Learning requires suitable pedagogical educational approaches rather than using the same teaching patterns as in the traditional frontal approach and transferring them to the digital platform. Although this study attempts to illuminate teaching during a health crisis that was forced on the faculty, it also focuses on the possible meanings of teaching and learning processes after the end of the current crisis. Specifically, the research findings show that it is necessary to hold a thorough discussion among policy makers in higher education and academic institutions regarding the new effective designation of the campus after the COVID-19 crisis, the distinction between the virtual and the actual in academic teaching, and challenges and ways of coping with the new reality.

Keywords:

Covid-19, e-learning, higher education, teaching, digital learning.