Emergency remote teaching in Nepali higher education institutions during COVID-19

Abstract

This study explored Nepali university teachers’ and students’ perceptions and experiences of emergency remote teaching (ERT) vis-à-vis its opportunities and challenges during the COVID-19 crisis. Study data were collected via email by employing online questionnaires to higher education teachers and students from 10 colleges under seven universities in Nepal. The respondents’ responses to the closed questions were quantified and analyzed using a descriptive model, whereas responses to open-ended questions were critically examined by adopting thematic analysis method. Our findings indicate that while ERT, which brought many opportunities for self-motivated teachers and students, was useful during the prolonged health crisis, challenges experienced by the respondents suggested that higher education institutions were not fully successful in addressing key issues such as teacher training and support mechanism required for the effective implementation of ERT.