Home Based Learning (HBL) in higher education post COVID: an analysis from staff and student perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on teaching methods, focusing on the Home Based Learning approaches (HBL) utilised at short notice to support students at the Robert Gordon University in Scotland. Building on the themes developed by Tay et al. (2021), this paper focuses on: Student engagement; Software applications and Communications Staff CPD; and Self-directed skills, to better understand the teaching decisions taken by staff at the onset of the pandemic, and the impact this had on students’ learning. The aim is to then use this data to support how best to go forward in our teaching practices in a post COVID world. To achieve this, qualitative research is undertaken using an exploratory approach looking at the key areas and antecedents drawn from the literature, it utilises the views of staff and students to better understand how the post pandemic use of technology in education can be designed to be fit for purpose. The paper outlines that when addressing the issues outlined above, that the views of staff and students need to be analysed to better plan for the post pandemic use of technology in higher education.