Online Teaching in Higher Education during COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The whole world population witnesses changes that are happening due to COVID-19 pandemic. One of the greatest changes is shown in the manner of conducting the educational process that has been transferred from traditional onsite to online. This paper analyses what are advantages and what are disadvantages of online teaching in higher education in Croatia, but it is applicable to all levels of education system. As approximately one year has passed since first lockdown and consequently closing all educational institutions, some experience is gained. This paper will try to systematize most of the findings that practice of online education has shown. In a few words, some advantages of quality online teaching are: low expenses, timesaving, learning at one’s own pace, motivation, communication, attention etc. Disadvantages of online teaching are: lack of social face-to-face contact, extreme exposure to screens, all sorts of distractions due to inappropriate work environment, inadequate technical equipment, lack of digital skills etc. Although the key role is on the teachers as creators of the educational process, students, as participants of the process, should also make an effort to adjust and embrace new ways of teaching and learning. Both teachers and students should express their opinions and all sorts of needs, to take the best out of online education during a pandemic.