Covid-19 and University Distance Learning in Spain. The Practical Case of Journalism and Communication Degrees

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus crisis modified work routines in all professional fields, including university education with the temporary closure of academic buildings. Spanish universities continued to function despite the restriction of movement (State of Alarm Decree of 14 March 2020) as the teaching staff modified their routines by adjusting their theoretical and practical teaching procedures to the requirements of non-classroom teaching. This article is an approach to the perceptions and experience of university lecturers during the pandemic and the post-pandemic stage. Methodologically, it compares the case study previously carried out in the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication of Pontevedra (Gomez Lopez and Alende Castro, 2022) with the findings of the present publication provided by lecturers from the universities of Navarra, Pontificia de Salamanca, Complutense de Madrid, Salamanca, Pompeu Fabra, La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela and A Coruna. The study involves a mixed methodology, with data collected from a standard questionnaire and an interview. The results show that the efforts made by Spanish teachers and higher education centres made up for the limitations of the physical classroom during the pandemic but transferred to the virtual classroom the resources of the face-to-face methodology. However, no significant progress was made in new teaching methodologies that would allow progress to be made towards more flexible educational models.