Online Learning or Emergency Remote Teaching?

Following the recent measures implemented worldwide as result of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, educational institutions needed to implement online learning practices, demanding a rapid appropriation of digital skills by teachers and students. The Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre, in Portugal, was one of the higher education institutions (IES) that organized a transition process for this teaching model. The objectives of the study focused on the characterization of the online learning process, including the practice of online learning and the students' perspectives regarding the future of online learning. The results obtained, from 420 validated questionnaires, point to a positive evaluation of this pedagogical experience, with some particularities listed in certain areas of the teaching and learning process, suggesting an in-depth analysis on the level of digital skills on the part of teachers and students in order to consolidate distance learning as a true pedagogical innovation process and not just as an “emergency remote teaching” experience.