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Education in times of pandemic: Reflections of students and teachers on virtual university education in Spain, Italy and Ecuador

Abstract:

Introduction. This research carried out a comparative study between three countries severely impacted by the coronavirus based on the analysis of the reflections of teachers and students on university virtual teaching during the confinement stage. Methodology. This descriptive, exploratory and explanatory study applied surveys, between March and April 2020, to students and teachers of Journalism, Communication and Education at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain), University of Torino (Italy) and Technical University from Machala (Ecuador). The survey had responses from 300 students (100 per country) and 196 teachers. Results. The majority of students negatively value the move to virtuality, since it is associated, on a recurring basis, with an increase in the teaching load. E-learning has contributed to negatively impacting the view of students on their trainers, while the latter demand basic digital skills in young university students. Discussion. According to the research results, teachers, in the scenario of remote training, must show knowledge not only about the content of the subject, but also technological and digital-pedagogical knowledge. Conclusions. The teacher must be able to innovate, reflect and transform their didactic proposals to respond to the social demands that the world is experiencing in the midst of a health crisis, while achieving the curricular objectives proposed at the beginning of the course. On the other hand, the surveyed teachers recognize that it is necessary to promote critical and reflective thinking linked to the strategic management of ICT.