The role of educational social networks in teaching information technology during a pandemic: A case study

The implementation of distance learning requires considerable technical support and reorganization of the entire education model, therefore in the Republic of Serbia, primarily in higher education institutions, a hybrid model of education is used, while a smaller number of higher education institutes are accredited for distance learning. However, the declaration of a state of emergency by the Government of the Republic of Serbia on March 15, 2020, along with the decision to temporarily close all educational institutions due to the epidemiological situation caused by the COVID-19 virus, represented a major challenge for the education system in the country itself.The preparation of most higher education institutions for the transition to online teaching ran parallel to the implementation itself, while the problems that inevitably arose were solved "on the fly", so that the teaching process would not be interrupted, but also in order to maintain the quality of teaching in took place under the given conditions. That is why the goal of this research was to determine the role of educational social networks in teaching in the field of information technology, at the Department of Management, Design and Textile Engineering - Academy of Technical - Art Professional Studies in Belgrade. The research results point to the conclusion that the effects of online teaching are mostly positive, but that it is necessary to work on further improvement, as well as more up-to-date elimination of shortcomings