Educación a distancia virtual ¿una oportunidad? experiencias y desafíos desde la pandemia del COVID-19

Abstract

The emergence of COVID-19 at a global level meant that several areas were affected, the educational field is one of them. Face-to-face classes were made impossible by the new health regulations (physical distance, use of masks, compulsory quarantines, etc.), so virtual distance classes took hold from the start of the pandemic. In this sense, obtaining information from the protagonists, in this case, university students from the different Higher Education Institutions in the city of Talca, is fundamental to know their experience with virtual distance education in this con-text and to determine the challenges that exist for this type of post-pandemic education. For this reason, the use of a mixed methodology (qualitative-quantitative), with the application of semi-structured interviews and surveys through virtual means, allowed evidence to be found that the university experience has been affected in practical aspects, learning, and interaction with colleagues and teachers. Likewise, virtual distance education poses certain challenges in terms of technological access, preparation and management, and new pedagogical strategies for this modality.