| Biography | |
|---|---|
 Prof. Nitza Davidovitch Ariel University, Israel |
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| Title: Online teaching and learning in higher education during the COVID pandemic – A journey through new opportunities? | |
| Abstract: This study focuses on the COVID pandemic’ effects on learning and teaching in Israel’s higher education institutions. The academia in Israel, as around the world, adopted online teaching in one fell swoop. With little pre-planning, faculty and students were required to change their teaching and learning platforms, and learning spaces shifted from the campus to students’ homes. Designing the online teaching and learning experience became a challenge: how to transform “remote” to “near,” and how to transform this forced event to an opportunity that invites a significant learning experience. This study is a quantitative study based on a feedback survey conducted among 2,015 students and 223 faculty in academic universities and colleges in Israel. The aims of this study are to examine (a) What do faculty and students think about the advantages and shortcomings of online teaching and learning after one semester of experience, forced upon them by the COVID pandemic; (b) Do the views of students and faculty differ, and if so, how; (c) How and to what extent can the case of teaching and learning during the COVID pandemic predict future trends in teaching and learning in academic institutions. The findings of the study indicate that faculty and students hold similar views of online teaching and learning during the COVID pandemic. The most significant advantage of online teaching, according to both faculty and students, is the added flexibility for students in terms of their attendance, participation, attire, and other elements. The question, however, arises as to whether the issue is greater flexibility or reduced commitment? The most significant shortcoming that faculty and students reported is the absence of meetings with classmates. The learning experience typically encompasses social dimensions and interpersonal connections, which are absent in online distant learning. This dimension of the experience is highly anticipated by students and constitutes a motivating factor that drives their learning. The opportunity and task of transforming a physical on-campus “learning community” into a virtual learning community depend on faculty efforts. This study sheds light on the in-depth debate in which policymakers in the field of higher education must engage regarding the academic campus’ new, effective purpose in the post-COVID era, including the distinction between the virtual and non-virtual aspects of academic teaching. | |
| Biography: Research: Studies on higher education, promotion of academic instruction, and performance measures in higher education. Development of unique assessment studies. Research resource development. Editing of referees journals. Joint research programs with universities in Israel and overseas Academic administration: Leader of academic assessment process at the Ariel University on behalf of the CHE. Initiation and development of national and international academic collaboration. Curriculum development. Founder of the Ariel University Center Alumni. Association. Development of curricula for special-needs populations. Founding member of the Ariel University (formerly, the Academic College of Judea and Samaria). | |
