FROM EMERGENCY REMOTE TEACHING AND LEARNING TO POST-COVID HIGHER EDUCATION: A REFLECTION ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCES

Abstract

The current study aims to record and explore students' transformative university experience during the Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL) process in Greece, both during and after the pandemic. To understand the impact of transitioning to the Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning (ERTL) process and back (in the post-COVID era), a tailored research design was developed in three phases. The initial phase of the study (at the beginning of the experience of the ERTL) involved examining the student population's perceptions of the educational situation at the onset of the pandemic crisis. The survey sample conducted during the pandemic refers to 332 students from six (6) departments of the University of Patras in four (4) disciplines. In the second phase of the research design (during the experience), the objective was to explore the experience of transitioning to Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning/ERTL) during the pandemic crisis. The survey sample conducted during the pandemic refers to 742 students from six (6) departments of the University of Patras in four (4) disciplines (January 31, 2021, to February 15, 2021). As the analysis of the data from the second phase indicated a significant variation in the experience of ERTL among students who studied education in comparison to those who pursued other faculties (e.g., engineering, medicine, marketing), the third phase (after the experience) was focused on investigating the experience of future teachers, as they were regarded as pivotal multipliers of experience. Thus, in the third phase of the research design, the objective was to explore the impact of transitioning to forced remote teaching and learning (ERTL) during the post-pandemic period, following the conclusion of the pandemic crisis response. The survey sample was conducted after the COVID-19 period and included 101 students from two departments of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Patras (January 2024 to May 2024). The findings reveal that students perceived the institution as being effectively prepared for ERTL (80.4%), with faculty adapting effectively to online teaching (66.7%) and online examinations of courses (60.7%). Satisfaction with face-to-face services increased significantly post-pandemic (e.g., 90.8% for library access), though qualitative critiques highlighted persistent infrastructural underfunding. A generational shift towards flexible learning has emerged, with 34.3% of students preferring to choose blended learning environments, while only 28.4% advocating exclusively for face-to-face education. While ERTL offered pragmatic benefits, such as reduced commute time (valued by 74.3%) and lower expenses (cited by 63.5%), relational and pedagogical challenges persisted, with less than 20% reporting enhanced peer collaboration or teaching staff communication. Data analysis revealed lasting societal changes, including digital modernization, erosion of social bonds, a renewed appreciation for in-person education, and persistent health-related anxieties. The study concludes that ERTL catalysed both innovation and inequity, highlighting, in our case, the need for balanced, resilient educational frameworks that integrate technological flexibility with human-centred pedagogy. According to our data, the individual experiences and institutional memory of the crisis continue to influence contemporary Greek higher education, advocating for equity-driven policies and hybrid learning environments.

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