Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Virtual Teaching

Abstract

Abstract Following the first Covid-19 cases in Greece, the Ministry of Education decided to close all educational institutions on 10 March 2020. On 12 March, the Chancellor of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, where the author currently teaches, urged the academic community to create virtual classrooms and begin distance learning. The purpose of this contribution is to investigate undergraduate students’ perceptions of virtual classrooms and distance learning. To this end, a qualitative research was conducted, including 50, third year undergraduate students of the Department of French Language and Literature. Students’ perceptions, were investigated through a mini-interview. Responses were recorded, transcribed and categorised according to specific criteria. Students compared in-person and distance lessons, referred to the pros and cons of both types of teaching to support their arguments focusing on the content of the lecture or seminar, the type of activities as well as the lecturers’ ability to use technology. Finally, in this paper a section of lessons learned from the teacher’s point of view are included.