A COVID-19 E OS DESAFIOS DO ENSINO REMOTO: o caso da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane

Abstract

The year 2020 is being marked by the Coronavirus pandemic, a disease that is affecting the education system worldwide. As a measure to prevent massive contagion, several countries have decreed the interruption of face-to-face classes at educational institutions. Mozambique also took this decision and, subsequently, the Ministry that oversees higher education issued a series of measures, among which, instructed the creation of material and pedagogical conditions for the fulfillment of teaching programs using Information Technologies and Communication. The Eduardo Mondlane University, a Higher Education institution in Mozambique, instructed the university community to continue the teaching and learning process during the period of interruption of face-to-face classes, through remote teaching, using virtual learning environments. This article presents a study done at this university that aimed to identify the challenges of students in accessing remote teaching using virtual learning environments. The research is descriptive and adopted the case study strategy. Data collection was based on observation and questioning technique, using the questionnaire as an instrument. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and content analysis were chosen. The results showed that the operationalization of practical, laboratory and internship classes; the high costs and low quality of the internet, the lack of electronic devices and the poor digital literacy on the part of students stood out as the main challenges.