Teaching and Learning Techniques for the Online Environment. How to Maintain Students’ Attention and Achieve Learning Outcomes in a Virtual Environment Using New Technology

Abstract

Digital communication has become vital to all social and economic sectors. Today we are experiencing a transition from traditional learning to e-learning via digital means. Overnight, all of humanity is learning how to adapt to digital life and leaving traditional ways of doing things behind. Digitization has been around for several years, but has become a necessity due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns have forced us to work remotely and to use digital networks to communicate, make payments, and learn – all sectors have had to abruptly adapt to the digital age. This paper shows how teaching and learning approaches need to adapt to new communication requirements and students' needs to achieve learning outcomes in a virtual environment. This paper uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze professors’ and students’ perspectives on the techniques of online teaching and learning, both during the isolation period and after, and what the best methods are for online learning, taking into consideration how to maintain students’ attention and how to get them actively involved in the learning process. The aim of this study is to develop a holistic image of online teaching-learning-assessment activities, to ensure the efficiency and quality of the educational process in the university environment.