Lessons from distance education

Abstract

Abstract The recent transfer to distance education caused by the pandemic forced higher education to reshape courses and adopt new educational tools. Many teachers became aware of and acquired valuable first-hand experience with alternative techniques of teaching. In this contribution we look at advantages and disadvantages of some popular approaches, assessing them not only from the point of view of distance education (which could still be useful), but also regarding their potential for improving on-site education. This is based on the authors’ personal observations and student surveys at our institution (a kind of case study in our department and university), influenced by discussions with colleagues in formal and informal networks across Europe and supplemented with published results when possible.