What Unesp students say about their experience with emergency remote teaching: a Benjaminian perspective

Abstract

This study aims to discuss the narratives of students from two disciplines, from two undergraduate courses, from one of the units of the São Paulo State University (Unesp), the School of Engineering of Ilha Solteira, about their experiences with Emergency Remote Learning (ERL). The ERL was proposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was characterized by interactions with educational purposes through synchronous and asynchronous classes on digital platforms. 59 students regularly enrolled in the Licentiate Degree in Mathematics and Bachelor of Animal Science courses participated in this study. Data were compiled through an online form, in which students were invited to write about their experiences with ERL in the 2020 academic year, and analyzed from the perspective of Walter Benjamin's Monads. From the answers to the form, it was possible to characterize descriptions of experiences, diagnoses and expectations of students about ERL, as well as reflections on performance in the proposed teaching activities, about their own learning and social isolation. Most of the 59 students consulted recognize that the ERL fulfills the purpose of reducing losses in relation to the content of the subjects, provided for in the curriculum of the courses, but social inequalities, evidenced by the lack of physical and technological infrastructure, were present in the experiences with teaching activities carried out remotely.