Advantages and Disadvantages, Concerns, and Solutions for Emergency Remote Teaching During COVID-19: Portuguese Lecturers’ Perspectives

• Published in: SAGE open 2023-10, Vol.13 (4)
• Main Authors: dos Santos, José Paulo Marques, Serrão, Carla, Amorim-Lopes, Teresa Sofia, Rodrigues, Ana Rita, Marina, Silvia, Teixeira, Andreia, Castro, Luísa, Duarte, Ivone
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Higher education; Learning
• ISSN: 2158-2440; 2158-2440
• DOI: 10.1177/21582440231221318

COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world dramatically and how communities and societies behaved. The purpose of this study was to explore lecturers’ perspectives on emergency remote teaching, not only from technology-prone lecturers but encompassing contributions from disparate academic fields, which brought assorted experiences into the data. The qualitative study analyses the perspectives of 344 lecturers from 35 higher education institutions in Portugal instigated by the COVID-19 outbreak. The thematic analysis revealed three themes related to the advantages and disadvantages: the lecturing process, learning process, and life and society. Regarding the concerns, four themes emerged: learning process, self-regulation and compromising the future, resources, the assessment process, and well-being. Finally, solutions encompass three themes: pedagogy and innovation, normative framework, and digital literacy. With a special focus on the solutions, all these themes contribute to designing the structure of a training program for the 21st-century higher education lecturer, emphasizing the digital domain. The themes cluster in digital-based innovative pedagogies (mastering digital education software, active pedagogies for digital environments, lecturer posture in digital environments, “for-digital” studying material production, e-proctoring, and transferable competences besides the digital), and digital competences (transgenerational digital-base communication, webcam behavior, well-being in digital settings, and general digital competences). Plain Language Summary Adapting Higher Education from Pandemic Lessons: Lecturers’ Insights on Remote Teaching during COVID-19 in Portugal and Concomitant Solutions for 21st-Century Learning The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered societal behaviours and academic practices. This study delved into the perspectives of 344 lecturers across 35 higher education institutions in Portugal concerning the sudden shift to emergency remote teaching prompted by the pandemic. It aimed to understand their varied experiences and viewpoints, encompassing diverse academic disciplines. Through qualitative analysis, several key themes emerged. Lecturers highlighted both advantages and disadvantages in three main areas: the teaching process itself, the learning experience for students, and the broader impact on life and society. Concerns were expressed regarding the learning process, potential compromises to future education