Continuing education in times of COVID-19
A year of COVID-19: Was it all a situational adventure or has COVID-19 permanently changed the educational landscape?
This article addresses the challenges and opportunities of digital education and teaching. The article is freely available in the iimt University Press webshop.
The Swiss education system is diverse and unique in its form. A positive characteristic of the local education providers has always been their ability to quickly adapt to market conditions and changing customer needs. However, the last 12 months have presented all education providers with unprecedented challenges. Homeschooling, so-called teaching at home, digital classrooms and distance learning as well as hybrid teaching methods were suddenly needed for a smooth knowledge transfer. This was also the case for institutes offering continuing education. This is the base of this article.
The advantages and disadvantages of digital teaching are analyzed on the basis of surveys and interviews, and it is shown which hurdles must be considered in the future. The article is rounded off by discussions of the opportunities resulting from digitization and the wishes of students and teachers with regard to future teaching. Thus, using the concrete examples of the University level continuing education programs of the international institute of management in technology (iimt) of the University of Fribourg, this article provides valuable advice and suggestions.
