Perceptions of higher education teachers regarding the change from a face-to-face to a remote modality due to covid-19: comparison between face-to-face and virtual teachers

Abstract

An instrument to investigate the perceptions of university professors in eight categories is validated: a) access and connectivity; b) knowledge of platforms and technologies; c) work routines and spaces; d) lessons preparation; e) student participation and motivation; f) class development; g) difficulty and willingness of teachers to change; and h) communication processes between teachers and managers. The study confirms a generalized idea that virtual teachers are better prepared than face-to-face teachers to face virtuality because they were already doing so before the pandemic. Likewise, the results reveal the problems shared by face-to-face and virtual teachers are related to situations, which were believed, would not occur in virtual teaching; for example, students’ difficulties to access the Internet and their lack of preparation for the use of technology. Student demotivation is an important element to review, especially in those results that refer to students in virtual programs, since it is assumed that virtual work is commom for them, which may be an indicator associated with the isolation experienced during confinement.