Impact on the educational process in times of COVID-19: from the teacher’s perspective in the Software Engineering program at UTN

Abstract

Over time, it has been demonstrated that the educational process involves a series of elements that are fundamental for learning to occur, and that are not always fully present within this process. In some educational institutions, the teaching–learning process has evolved very gradually, either due to fear of change and the unknown, or because it is more comfortable to continue repeating previously learned patterns. As a consequence of COVID-19, changes have had to be implemented in terms of methodology, resources, educational strategies, assessment practices, among others. Within this framework, this article presents, from the teachers’ perspective, the impact experienced by the educational process in the Software Engineering program at the Universidad Técnica Nacional, which is offered exclusively at the Central Campus and the San Carlos Campus. Likewise, teachers’ perceptions were collected through two instruments: a survey randomly administered to 17 faculty members and an interview conducted with 6 instructors who were teaching Programming courses during the second and third academic terms of 2020. In addition, the article addresses key issues that should be considered when seeking to foster active learning. Altogether, this work aims to encourage reflection on the role teachers play in processes of change, highlighting the importance of providing them with the necessary tools to promote active learning in both face-to-face and virtual modalities.