Multinational perspectives on Covid-19 challenges: Faculty responses to distance education in Italy and the USA

ABSTRACT

In this study focusing on distance teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic, 47 higher education faculty in Italy and the USA responded to a survey circulated internationally between July and November 2021. In both contexts, perceptions of the institutional support and professional training for distance education (DE) were found to be similar in many ways, although the experiences with DE's opportunities and challenges proved quite different. Respondents in the USA reported being more at ease with DE, while Italian faculty reported greater recognition of the barriers to DE. HE faculty in both contexts equally recognized the importance of professional development for DE. Possible reasons for these similarities and differences are discussed.