Challenges And Practices of Distance Learning in Higher Education

The closure of educational institutions due to the Covid 19 pandemic and transition from in person classroom to distance learning through various electronic platforms, confronted the educational community with new challenges and practices. In this context, the aim of this research is to identify challenges and practices that teachers and students faced during the distance teaching and learning process. More specifically, in identifying the challenges and practices in lesson planning, access to online lectures, developing student interaction, developing group work, addressing student critical thinking and student motivation. The research was carried in Higher Education Institutions in Kosovo, whereas the sample of this research were 155 students of University for Business and Technology (UBT), who fulfilled an online survey and 7 teachers of the Higher Education Institutions in Kosovo with whom a direct interview was carried. The results obtained from this research indicate two main perspectives: didactical and infrastructural aspects. Concerning the didactic aspect the difficulties faced are in implementing syllabuses during the online lessons and that there should be modifications in planning the online lessons. Student engagement, increase of the interactivity and motivation requires proper planning. Whereas, as far as the infrastructural aspect is concerned, the lack of an adequate Learning Management System (LMS) equipped with technological tools that enables interactivity and group work, is seen as a hindrance for realizing successfully the distance learning and teaching.