Curriculum and practices in higher education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The contagion by the Sars-CoV-2 virus brought consequences to all spheres of social life, and Higher Education also needed to respond to the health emergency. The response speed of Higher Education Institutions to maintain academic activities in this scenario was related to the technical and technological capabilities and the mastery of the distance and/or online education model already installed. The discussion about digital accessibility and connectivity also permeated the construction of these responses.  This study aims to analyze university pedagogical practices and the need for curricular reinvention imposed by the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a qualitative and quantitative research. A literature survey was conducted and an online semi-structured questionnaire was applied. The sample is composed of 106 professors who work in Brazilian public and private Higher Education Institutions. The research findings show that the pandemic context demanded an emerging pedagogical model, called emergency remote teaching. It was found that there was an effort by professors to qualify for the use of digital technologies in the mediation of the teaching and learning process, curriculum, and pedagogical practices readjustment, enabling students to have new learning experiences.