Perspectives on the use of virtual tools among university teachers in the context of an emerging economy

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this article is to examine challenges and motivations among university teachers regarding the use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools in virtual learning environments in the context of an emerging country that is undergoing post-pandemic educational adaptation. A descriptive study was developed with open-ended questions for 123 university education teachers from Colombia to identify their motivations and difficulties after experiencing the pandemic and how they have adapted to them in their educational context. Among the findings, motivations are identified, including those related to environments, savings and collaboration networks, and difficulties are identified, including those related to training, technical support, the availability of resources and platforms. Institutions are called to generate permanent and personalized training plans based on the digital skills and specific needs of teachers. It is concluded that, strategies are needed for the appropriation of web platforms and for the design of adequate content for teaching from nonface-to-face environments, enabling training scenarios not only for teachers but also for students who also need synchronous and non-synchronous continuous support when entering these scenarios.

Keywords

• Virtual environments
• education and technology
• teaching practice
• teaching strategies
• virtual tools
• Shuyan Wang, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States