Methodology for the implementation of e-learning class during the COVID-19

Abstract

[EN] The serious situation caused by the coronavirus has forced Authorities to take drastic decisions that have affected the normal functioning of the entire society. One of the most impactful measures taken has been the self-discipline of the social distancing as the entire society has been obliged to stay at home. At the education level, restrictions ordered by the Authorities have limited the access to all professors and students at the academic centers. In Spain, the state of alarm decreed by the Government has affected the entire Academic course and therefore, in order to be able to preserve the public service, the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in just a week, has been asked to revise the entire programs and settle on-line courses for more than 35.000 students in multiples disciplines. Within this framework, a methodology has been developed for the implementation of on-line learning courses in a period of crisis within a short time. On-line learning has been demonstrated to be effective as face-to-face education, becoming one of the most popular higher education alternatives. However, students engaged in on-line classes result to be less engaged in collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, and discussions with their classmates if compared to the traditional system. In this context, the barriers of on-line teaching classes have been investigated and tools to overcome them have been proposed. Finally, a real application to the Polytechnic University of Valencia is presented.