Educators’ and students’ perceptions of online distance education before and amid COVID-19: Key concerns and challenges

Abstract

This paper aims to present Russian educators’ and students’ perceptions of online education before and during the pandemic. The author analyses the primary research data collected by the team of USUE authors via quantitate research methods, and secondary research data. Based on the empirical sociological data the author identifies the key challenges facing educators’ community – negative attitudes to online teaching and learning, lack of digital pedagogy skills and ineffective interaction practices. It is concluded that in the emergency situation teachers overall managed to fit rapid curriculum transformations. Yet, university leadership and educators should come up with solutions how to address the identified challenges in online distance teaching. These solutions can involve conducting in-depth research into digital pedagogy, disseminating knowledge about the specifics of online interactions and running professional development programs for the university teachers to enhance their performance in courses delivered online.