Learning Science at University in Times of COVID-19 Crises from the Perspective of Lecturers—An Interview Study

The COVID-19 pandemic changed higher education radically and challenged faculties to adapt their teaching to the new circumstances. The aim of this study is to highlight changes, in particular, the advantages and disadvantages associated with them, and to find out what conclusions were drawn for the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Education sciences 2023-03, Vol.13 (3), p.319
Main Authors: Henne, Anna, Möhrke, Philipp, Huwer, Johannes, Thoms, Lars-Jochen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biology
College teachers
Colleges & universities
COVID-19
Digital broadcasting
Digital media
digital readiness
Digitization
Distance education
Distance learning
Epidemics
Experiments
Germany
higher education
Interviews
Learner Engagement
Online instruction
pandemic
Pandemics
Physics
Preservice Teachers
Science Curriculum
Science education
Science teachers
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Student Surveys
Students
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching Skills
technological pedagogical content knowledge
University faculty
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Summary:The COVID-19 pandemic changed higher education radically and challenged faculties to adapt their teaching to the new circumstances. The aim of this study is to highlight changes, in particular, the advantages and disadvantages associated with them, and to find out what conclusions were drawn for the future in the three experimental natural sciences of biology, chemistry, and physics at the University of Konstanz (Germany). In a guided interview, the majority of the university teachers in the bachelor’s programs were interviewed, and their statements were subsequently categorized. While lectures and tutorials in distance learning were held asynchronously or synchronously online, laboratory courses used a variety of formats. The number of disadvantages cited, as well as the number of university faculty citing the same disadvantage, is greater than for advantages. The most commonly cited drawbacks fall into the areas of workload, communication, feedback, and active student participation. Physical presence and a return to the original learning objectives in the lab courses is wanted by the majority. The results point to commonalities between the science subjects and should encourage science departments to work together on similar problems in similar formats in the future. Furthermore, there is an urgent and ongoing need for the training of natural science teachers in competence-oriented digital teaching.
ISSN:2227-7102
2227-7102
DOI:10.3390/educsci13030319