Qualitative Analyses of e-Learning Implementation and Hybrid Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic at Spanish Universities

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic over the academic year 2020–2021, many universities and faculties had to deal with hybrid teaching by combining face-to-face and virtual teaching approaches. The main objective herein considered was to analyze the perceptions of students and teachers from Spanish universities regarding how e-learning has actually been adopted before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown. We also wished to know their opinions about the usefulness and applicability of the e-learning and hybrid teaching methodologies regarding their impacts on the teaching–learning process in the university context. A thematic analysis was performed using three discussion groups (two made up of four teachers each, and another comprising five teachers with university management posts). Seventy-nine open questionnaires completed by students were also analyzed. The participants were from eight different Spanish universities: six public and two private. The obtained results revealed a preference for face-to-face teaching over virtual teaching, and the advantages offered by closer interpersonal relationships were stressed. However, the participants also indicated the potential of the e-learning and hybrid teaching methodologies, which they believed complemented one another and reinforced learning personalization. Thus, a specific need for training in the e-learning methodology and hybrid teaching format was apparent.