Abstract:

Curricula in teacher training frameworks must meet high academic and pedagogical standards, as they exemplify meaningful and up-to-date learning processes for the future teachers, who will educate future citizens (Zinger et al., 2017). Promoting the expansion of digital learning components in teachers' colleges through hybrid online courses and advanced technology is a response to the same vocation, and a sincere effort to face global change processes related to academic studies, especially after the transition to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Bertling et al., 2020; Starkey et al., 2021). With the return of the in-person studies on campus, after the periods of isolation due to the pandemic, the college decided to preserve the pedagogical achievements of the lecturers in the field of digital tools and distance learning, to expand the traditional study options. Flexing the learning framework and integrating hybridity in time and place in addition to advanced digital pedagogies in teaching, are all elements constituting a major step toward advancing the institutes' pedagogical goals. The various digital means promote personalization processes and allow for a differential response to different preferences and needs of both students and lecturers, as well as direct access to studies for new physically and socio-culturally distant audiences.

While most higher education institutions have the required technology to promote teaching and learning, it has become evident that the technology is not sufficiently and employed by all academics (Liu et al., 2020). In this study, an attempt was made to comprehensively review a case study situation at the institution regarding the integration of hybrid instruction and the adoption of diverse ways to use the technology effectively.

The college set three-year plan goals addressing the integration of online, hybrid and advanced technology courses. In terms of actual implementation, in the first year and the second year (2020-2021), the scope of the actual online and hybrid courses went even beyond expectations. Additionally, at the end of the first year of the hybrid teaching application, a survey was conducted among the students to point out their perceptions of the integration of digital and distance education during hybrid teaching. The findings pointed out students' congruential satisfaction with the match between teaching methods and learning conditions, and they perceived that the use of digital tools was significant and positively contributed to their learning. The advantages of hybrid teaching refer to the aspects related to better and faster focusing and progress options, as well as providing the ability to watch the zoom lessons repeatedly to deepen the learning and perform the tasks. The disadvantages have been related to technical glitches and lack of control over the technological tools and pedagogy, especially in Hyflex lessons. Similar findings were reported by the Central Bureau of Statistics in a comprehensive survey of 125,000 students, held this year among higher education institutions in Israel (CBS, 2022).

While the college is undergoing a fundamental change in the field of integrating digital learning, focused work is required with the faculty staff in the pedagogical field. At the same time, systematic work with students is required to assimilate the rationale of the benefits of digital tools in learning, to cultivate positive attitudes toward this change.

Keywords:

Digital Pedagogies, Teacher Education, COVID-19, Distance Learning.