Distance education in Venezuelan universities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe the experience of implementing Distance Education adopted in the face of the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The experience of the Territorial Polytechnic University of Zulia (UPTZ) is analyzed in order to reflect on the challenges and opportunities faced by universities in the face of virtualization of teaching; questioning whether teachers and students have technological tools, as well as adequate training in virtual environments for the development of academic and research activities. It was based on the proposals of Juca (2016); Lozano and Giralt (2014); Flores and Garrido (2019); Ramírez (2016); among others. The methodology is descriptive, taking into account that it follows both the qualitative and the quantitative approach; Various techniques and instruments were used such as observational records, documentary review; and a diagnostic evaluation instrument was applied to 27 teachers and 15 students. The ideas generated are born as a result of a process of reflection that has been taking place in the current context of the Home University Plan in the face of virtual connectivity limitations; recognizing the effort and co-responsibility of the academic community to carry out activities under the distance modality.