A Reflection on the process of adaptation to the pandemic in higher education

Abstract

The pandemic has caused the most tremendous disruption of education systems in human history. It has affected nearly 1,6 billion students in more than 200 countries. The closing of schools, institutions, and other learning spaces has affected more than 94 % of the world's student population. This has brought profound changes in every aspect of our lives. Policies of social distancing and restrictive movement have significantly disrupted traditional educational practices. The current need is to innovate and implement alternative education systems and evaluation strategies. The pandemic has allowed us to pave the way for digital learning. This article reviews changes in digital pedagogy that have taken effect in response to the pandemic. It addresses the challenge of achieving the equivalent of a ten-year learning process in a few months. From the view that pedagogy in higher education is an arena of experimentation of human development, the characteristics of a digitally enabled pedagogy and its alignment with theories of human development, are evaluated. It believes that the opportunities generated by digital transformation and human development processes are appropriate to facilitate new approaches in the academic practice of higher education.