Abstract

HERNANDEZ HERRERA, Claudia Alejandra. University Students Appreciations Regarding the COVID-19 crisis, and emergency remote teaching in Mexico. Nova scientia [online]. 2022, vol.14, n.28, 00016.  Epub Aug 01, 2022. ISSN 2007-0705.  https://doi.org/10.21640/ns.v14i28.2979.

The COVID-19 crisis has led to the mandatory closure of schools. As a consequence, emergency remote teaching has been implemented. However, this accelerated change has made visible the digital gaps and the difficult economic situation of some families. For their part, universities work in uncertainty, innovating and seeking solutions that may promote quality digital education. The objective of this article was to analyze the perceptions of young university students about the negative emotions they have felt during the pandemic, their feelings about the benefits and obstacles of studying online, and their views on the performance of teachers during confinement. It is a qualitative study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews; the analysis was performed using the ATLAS.ti software. Twenty interviews were conducted with students from four Mexican higher education institutions located in Mexico City. Young people were found to have felt fear, depression, anger, anxiety, frustration, and homesickness; coupled with the fact that the most complicated moments have been the illness in their families caused by the virus, and unemployment. Additionally, students have faced power and internet failures, poor teamwork culture, difficulty focusing on homework, and increased workloads. The benefits that students have perceived are savings in travel times, and that, in some cases, they have managed to become self-employed students. Finally, it was found that some teachers show empathy; however, many of them have increased activities and require technology training. It is concluded that emergency remote teaching has promoted innovations in teaching-learning processes-however, accelerated change can lead students to drop out due to lack of technological resources, and decreased interest and motivation for learning. The possible return to classrooms has led to thinking about working on hybrid systems, without forgetting the development of evaluations that make it possible to identify the knowledge acquired during these times of pandemic. Finally, it is essential to study the impact on the labor market that it will have for young people who are graduating in the age of coronavirus.

Keywords : COVID-19; higher education students; emergency remote teaching; teachers; digital gap; emotions; academic performance; educational systems; crisis; higher education; perceptions; pandemic.