Online computer science workshops for educators in higher education during Covid-19: challenges and opportunities of a forced distance learning

Abstract

This study focuses on a course belonging to the University of Bologna’s bachelor’s degrees ‘Expert in Social and Cultural Education’ and ‘Educator in Childhood Social Services’ called ‘Computer Science Lab–based course’, which aims to develop digital competences necessary for the educational profession. Before COVID-19, this face-to-face compulsory workshop-based course consisted of nine parallel teachings with different programmes and teachers. Due to the impossibility of providing regular lessons, teachers have been forced to revise their working methods by using different distance learning strategies. This paper aims to offer an understanding of the situation by analysing teachers’ and students’ perceptions collected through questionnaires in relation to the following aspects: most used and effective teaching strategies; technical, communicative and relational difficulties encountered by teachers and students; aspects related to distance learning methods and perception of the usefulness of the course for the educational profession.