Pandemic and the Critical Role of Knowledge Management
The Impact of Covid-19 on Teaching and Learning Modes: Case of Higher Education Institutions in Constantine, Algeria
Souad Sassı Boudemagh, Ouafa SaıghıLike all countries in the world, Algeria has been hit by the COVID pandemic, which has plunged all sectors into emergency, paralyzing the majority of them by lockout measures, including Higher Education. The latter, mainly affected in terms of academic calendar and pedagogical content, has adopted new teaching methods in response to the contingency. This chapter explores the different modes of teaching and learning adopted by Algerian universities, in order to face the constraints of the pandemic. The research reviews the different scenarios implemented by the higher education authorities in response to the difficulties encountered by the different actors involved in the teaching and learning process. The survey was conducted on two axes. The first, an analysis of official websites and e-learning platforms of Algerian universities in order to extract information related to the subject. The second, an exploration of the organizational and regulatory framework developed by the Ministry of Higher Education in order to cope with the pandemic. The results of this research show that the Algerian universities were not ready to manage such a crisis. The transition to distance learning was a late experience for the vast majority of universities. However, it appears that the pandemic has created a challenge for some universities; the adopted approaches have stimulated their capitalization efforts and triggered a “certain digital evolution (revolution)”. Unfortunately, the pandemic has brought to the surface old (and deep) problems such as the lack of ICT readiness of universities, the lack of Internet access for students and the lack of resources on the student side.
