Face-to-face, online or hybrid?: Perceptions and preferences by higher education teachers and students

Abstract

Online and hybrid education have expanded in recent years due, on the one hand, to technical advances and a growing demand from society, and, on the other hand, to the COVID-19 pandemic in which universities had to transform their face-to-face models out of necessity. The objective of our research is to evaluate the perceptions and preferences towards the various types of current education (face-to-face, online and hybrid). For this, a validated quantitative study is provided based on an online survey distributed among teachers and students at the University of Porto, obtaining a total of 684 responses. The instrument collects data on the preference for the various educational typologies and on the following dimensions: technological competence, enhancers and feelings. The results show their perceptions towards certain aspects within the formative process that originate tendencies of preference towards the different types of education. The topics of analysis are discussed with the most recent literature on the implementation in education of the various methodological typologies. The conclusions of the study show a good relative perception of the online education that both groups currently teach or receive, the preference for face-to-face education (teachers) and for face-to-face and hybrid education (students), some factors that significantly affect their inclinations towards the various types of education and three variables that generate significant differences in terms of groups within the student body: gender (women prefer online education), age (the youngest choose face-to-face training) and compatibility with a job (those who study and work choose online education). A close relationship is evidenced between the dimensions of the study and the preference for the different types of education.