Attitudes to Teaching and Learning Online in Higher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Currently, almost a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the transfer to an online mode of learning does not seem to be a temporary measure anymore, but rather a viable way of studying. This study explores how people often involuntarily involved in this type of work evaluate the process and considers potential consequences. The pandemic of 2020 has brought rapid and dramatic changes in the lives of educators and students across the world. In Russia, both students and academics in higher education institutions had to adapt within a week to an online mode of working. Education process implies joint work where the course and success of the process heavily depends on the ability and readiness of all actors to contribute and respond timely. Despite reported stress both from academics and students, many universities have opted to continue online studying as a measure to prevent the spread of the disease. This study aims at analyzing the way academics and students working online conceptualize the process of online learning. Students and professors of four state universities of Saint Petersburg participated in a survey that asked to both directly evaluate the process of online learning and to give metaphorical associations. The study has revealed persistent negative psychological patterns both among students and among academics that may cause resistance to the development of a new learning space and undermine the success of the education process. The results can be used as the basis for designing adaptation trainings needed for a smoother transfer to online learning.