IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i4p2127-d503642.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Social Impact on Education: Were Engineering Teachers Ready to Teach Online?

Author

Listed:
  • Víctor Revilla-Cuesta

    (Department of Civil Engineering, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain)

  • Marta Skaf

    (Department of Construction, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain)

  • Juan Manuel Varona

    (Department of Organizational Engineering, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain)

  • Vanesa Ortega-López

    (Department of Civil Engineering, University of Burgos, 09001 Burgos, Spain)

Abstract

The major impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still affecting all social dimensions. Its specific impact on education is extensive and quite evident in the adaptation from Face-to-Face (F2F) teaching to online methodologies throughout the first wave of the pandemic and the strict rules on lockdown. As lesson formats changed radically, the relevance of evaluating student on-line learning processes in university degrees throughout this period became clear. For this purpose, the perceptions of engineering students towards five specific course units forming part of engineering degree courses at the University of Burgos, Spain, were evaluated to assess the quality of the online teaching they received. Comparisons were also drawn with their perceptions of the F2F teaching of the course units prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. According to the students’ perceptions, the teachers possessed the technical knowledge, the social skills, and the personal capabilities (empathy and understanding of the at times troubled situation of each student) for a very abrupt adaptation of their courses to an online methodology. The shortcomings of the online teaching were related to its particularities and each teacher’s personality traits. Overall, engineering teachers appeared well prepared for a situation of these characteristics and, if similar online teaching scenarios were ever repeated, the quality of engineering teaching appears to be guaranteed.

Suggested Citation

  • Víctor Revilla-Cuesta & Marta Skaf & Juan Manuel Varona & Vanesa Ortega-López, 2021. "The Outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Social Impact on Education: Were Engineering Teachers Ready to Teach Online?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-23, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:2127-:d:503642
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/2127/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/4/2127/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dominika Guzek & Dominika Skolmowska & Dominika Głąbska, 2020. "Analysis of Gender-Dependent Personal Protective Behaviors in a National Sample: Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Jan Wilke & Lisa Mohr & Adam S. Tenforde & Pascal Edouard & Chiara Fossati & Marcela González-Gross & Celso Sanchez Ramirez & Fernando Laiño & Benedict Tan & Julian David Pillay & Fabio Pigozzi & Davi, 2020. "Restrictercise! Preferences Regarding Digital Home Training Programs during Confinements Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-7, September.
    3. Andrea Amerio & Andrea Brambilla & Alessandro Morganti & Andrea Aguglia & Davide Bianchi & Francesca Santi & Luigi Costantini & Anna Odone & Alessandra Costanza & Carlo Signorelli & Gianluca Serafini , 2020. "COVID-19 Lockdown: Housing Built Environment’s Effects on Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-10, August.
    4. Nicholas A. Ashford & Ralph P. Hall & Johan Arango-Quiroga & Kyriakos A. Metaxas & Amy L. Showalter, 2020. "Addressing Inequality: The First Step Beyond COVID-19 and Towards Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-43, July.
    5. Mostafa Seifan & Oluwaseun Deborah Dada & Aydin Berenjian, 2020. "The Effect of Real and Virtual Construction Field Trips on Students’ Perception and Career Aspiration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, February.
    6. Corinna S. Martarelli & Wanja Wolff, 2020. "Too bored to bother? Boredom as a potential threat to the efficacy of pandemic containment measures," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 7(1), pages 1-5, December.
    7. Brizeida Raquel Hernández-Sánchez & Giuseppina Maria Cardella & José Carlos Sánchez-García, 2020. "Psychological Factors that Lessen the Impact of COVID-19 on the Self-Employment Intention of Business Administration and Economics’ Students from Latin America," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-22, July.
    8. Gaeta, Giuseppe, 2020. "Social distancing versus early detection and contacts tracing in epidemic management," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    9. Antonio Jesús Ramos-Morcillo & César Leal-Costa & José Enrique Moral-García & María Ruzafa-Martínez, 2020. "Experiences of Nursing Students during the Abrupt Change from Face-to-Face to e-Learning Education during the First Month of Confinement Due to COVID-19 in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-15, July.
    10. Víctor Revilla-Cuesta & Marta Skaf & Juan Manuel Manso & Vanesa Ortega-López, 2020. "Student Perceptions of Formative Assessment and Cooperative Work on a Technical Engineering Course," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eduard Edelhauser & Lucian Lupu-Dima, 2021. "One Year of Online Education in COVID-19 Age, a Challenge for the Romanian Education System," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(15), pages 1-32, July.
    2. Sónia Rolland Sobral & Natacha Jesus-Silva & Abílio Cardoso & Fernando Moreira, 2021. "EU27 Higher Education Institutions and COVID-19, Year 2020," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-15, June.
    3. Johanna Andrea Navarro-Espinosa & Manuel Vaquero-Abellán & Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno & Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez & Pilar Aparicio-Martínez & Maria Pilar Martínez-Jiménez, 2021. "The Influence of Technology on Mental Well-Being of STEM Teachers at University Level: COVID-19 as a Stressor," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-23, September.
    4. Víctor Revilla-Cuesta & Marta Skaf & Milagros Navarro-González & Vanesa Ortega-López, 2021. "Reflections throughout the COVID-19 Lockdown: What Do I Need for Successful Learning of Engineering?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-24, November.
    5. Diana Marín-Suelves & Jesús Ramón-Llin & Vicente Gabarda, 2023. "The Role of Technology in Physical Education Teaching in the Wake of the Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-13, May.
    6. Juan Carlos Bustamante & Manuel Segura-Berges & Manuel Lizalde-Gil & Carlos Peñarrubia-Lozano, 2022. "Qualitative Analyses of e-Learning Implementation and Hybrid Teaching during the COVID-19 Pandemic at Spanish Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-19, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Víctor Revilla-Cuesta & Marta Skaf & Milagros Navarro-González & Vanesa Ortega-López, 2021. "Reflections throughout the COVID-19 Lockdown: What Do I Need for Successful Learning of Engineering?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Jacqueline Ruth & Steffen Willwacher & Oliver Korn, 2022. "Acceptance of Digital Sports: A Study Showing the Rising Acceptance of Digital Health Activities Due to the SARS-CoV-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(1), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Wanja Wolff & Corinna S. Martarelli & Julia Schüler & Maik Bieleke, 2020. "High Boredom Proneness and Low Trait Self-Control Impair Adherence to Social Distancing Guidelines during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-10, July.
    4. Daniela D’Alessandro & Andrea Rebecchi & Letizia Appolloni & Andrea Brambilla & Silvio Brusaferro & Maddalena Buffoli & Maurizio Carta & Alessandra Casuccio & Liliana Coppola & Maria Vittoria Corazza , 2023. "Re-Thinking the Environment, Cities, and Living Spaces for Public Health Purposes, According with the COVID-19 Lesson: The LVII Erice Charter," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-17, September.
    5. Carmen Salas Quijada & Natalia López-Contreras & Tomás López-Jiménez & Laura Medina-Perucha & Brenda Biaani León-Gómez & Andrés Peralta & Karen M. Arteaga-Contreras & Anna Berenguera & Alessandra Quei, 2023. "Social Inequalities in Mental Health and Self-Perceived Health in the First Wave of COVID-19 Lockdown in Latin America and Spain: Results of an Online Observational Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-23, May.
    6. Cyril Atkinson-Clement & Eléonore Pigalle, 2021. "What can we learn from Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on human behaviour? The case of France’s lockdown," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Antonio Millán-Jiménez & Rafael Herrera-Limones & Álvaro López-Escamilla & Emma López-Rubio & Miguel Torres-García, 2021. "Confinement, Comfort and Health: Analysis of the Real Influence of Lockdown on University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-15, May.
    8. Justyna Rój & Maciej Jankowiak, 2021. "Socioeconomic Determinants of Health and Their Unequal Distribution in Poland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-20, October.
    9. Giulia Menculini & Francesco Bernardini & Luigi Attademo & Pierfrancesco Maria Balducci & Tiziana Sciarma & Patrizia Moretti & Alfonso Tortorella, 2021. "The Influence of the Urban Environment on Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focus on Air Pollution and Migration—A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-13, April.
    10. Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín & Ignacio Oteiza, 2021. "Behavior Patterns, Energy Consumption and Comfort during COVID-19 Lockdown Related to Home Features, Socioeconomic Factors and Energy Poverty in Madrid," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Distefano, Tiziano & D’Alessandro, Simone, 2023. "Introduction of the carbon tax in Italy: Is there room for a quadruple-dividend effect?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    12. Bin Xu, 2022. "How to Efficiently Reduce the Carbon Intensity of the Heavy Industry in China? Using Quantile Regression Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-24, October.
    13. Elodie Charbonnier & Sarah Le Vigouroux & Aurelie Goncalves, 2021. "Psychological Vulnerability of French University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Four-Wave Longitudinal Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-13, September.
    14. Carole Pelissier & Joelane Paredes & Martine Moulin & Thierry Bitot & Eric Fakra & Luc Fontana, 2021. "Telework and Psychological Health in Hospital Staff during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Epidemic in France," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-11, October.
    15. Fernando de Frutos & Teresa Cuerdo-Vilches & Carmen Alonso & Fernando Martín-Consuegra & Borja Frutos & Ignacio Oteiza & Miguel Ángel Navas-Martín, 2021. "Indoor Environmental Quality and Consumption Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in Twelve Social Dwellings in Madrid, Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-45, July.
    16. Mars, Lidón & Arroyo, Rosa & Ruiz, Tomás, 2022. "Mobility and wellbeing during the covid-19 lockdown. Evidence from Spain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 107-129.
    17. Yu-Kai Chang & Chiao-Ling Hung & Sinika Timme & Sanaz Nosrat & Chien-Heng Chu, 2020. "Exercise Behavior and Mood during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Taiwan: Lessons for the Future," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-17, September.
    18. Gill Hubbard & Chantal den Daas & Marie Johnston & Peter Murchie & Catharine Ward Thompson & Diane Dixon, 2021. "Are Rurality, Area Deprivation, Access to Outside Space, and Green Space Associated with Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Cross Sectional Study (CHARIS-E)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-17, April.
    19. Catherine Audrin & Marine Hascoët, 2021. "Bored to Be Wild: How Boredom Is Related to Pre-Service Teachers’ Intention to Persist in Their Studies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-11, April.
    20. Hongjik Kim & Chihiro Shimizu, 2022. "The Relationship between Geographic Accessibility to Neighborhood Facilities, Remote Work, and Changes in Neighborhood Satisfaction after the Emergence of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-20, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:4:p:2127-:d:503642. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.