Instructors say they have grown more proficient in delivering online instruction recently and, moreover, view certain digital teaching methods as adding value to traditional education. Examples include online explanations and instruction, which often better align with students’ learning styles and needs. In addition, teachers say that providing personalized instruction is easier through online channels.

“According to instructors, it’s easier to provide additional individual guidance to certain students online,” the researchers explain. “In addition, communication via a chat program is more accessible, which helps build a relationship of trust between students and instructors.”

On the other hand, teachers are currently dealing with a heavier workload. “Preparing and delivering distance education takes more time than in-person education. Eighty percent of teachers report spending more time now on lesson preparation, teaching, or organizing tests and exams.”

Furthermore, teachers find delivering distance education more challenging. For example, they are generally dissatisfied with conducting interactive lessons and hands-on training via online platforms. “This may be due to the more complex interactions that must take place in such work and teaching environments. How do you replace the workshop or the training kitchen? And how do student hairdressers find models? That’s not so easy.”

The researchers note that they encountered “extremely creative solutions,” in which teachers “certainly did not choose the easy way out.” “For example, teachers from hospitality programs filmed themselves in a liquor store to teach product knowledge about beverages. Students in culinary programs cooked meals at home, had their roommates evaluate them, and filmed the entire process. Instructors in a motor vehicle program used a webcam to observe their students’ cars and provided immediate guidance.”

Furthermore, about 75% of faculty members have had negative experiences with schedules while teaching remotely in recent months. These include, for example, schedules that changed without any prior consultation, or scheduled appointments that were not feasible. Several teachers also reported that it was not always clear to them which scheduled classes and meetings would take place and which would not.