Forced transition to virtual learning in higher education during the first year of the pandemic: a qualitative review of the implications for comprehensive support
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8578-7919
This qualitative review examined literature published in 2020 regarding the transition from in-person to virtual higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the aim of identifying key findings and their implications for university educational guidance. Ten articles sourced from Web of Science and Scopus were analyzed, selected based on criteria of thematic relevance, empirical grounding, and transferability to the field of academic tutoring. A thematic content analysis allowed for the articulation of three interpretive themes. The first captures the emotional and motivational experiences of students—marked by anxiety, stress, and emotional disconnection—although logistical flexibility was found to increase attendance in various contexts. The second addresses the transformation of the teaching role, characterized by workload overload, pedagogical dysfunction, and a reactive adaptation undertaken without prior training. The third examines institutional responses from the perspective of educational guidance; in this regard, synchronous tutoring demonstrated greater effectiveness than asynchronous tutoring in sustaining student motivation, although its successful implementation often depended on pre-existing institutional structures that were frequently absent. It is concluded that emergency remote teaching constituted a phenomenon distinct from planned online learning, and that educational guidance must be integrated as a structural component of crisis planning.
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