University teaching in the days of Covid-19

We write this paper at a time of worldwide crisis due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. University teaching has also been dramatically impacted, and for perhaps the first time, we have had to radically modify our on-campus courses so that they may be followed using exclusively e-learning methods. In relation to our General Didactics module, previously offered in both on-campus and blended learning formats, we have risen to the challenge by completely redesigning the course content and activities, while striving to maintain constant interaction both with and among our students. The entire academic staff of the Degree course in Primary Education at the University of Milan Bicocca received initial training in the use of the university’s e-learning platform and its resources. This has been followed by a phase of individual experimentation and discussion with colleagues, and finally an evaluation phase. A key criterion from the outset was that the online classes should be relatively short and not exclusively verbal, but rather should take the form of discrete "instalments" of learning content, focused on clearly defined topics. Learning contents were also to be presented in such a way as to elicit the students’ active engagement, both individually and in groups. In this paper, we outline how we proceeded to redesign both module formats in terms of their content and the use of online tools including forums, chats, and repositories. Our analysis of how the new modules have evolved (and are still evolving) includes the feedback of the students themselves in relation to the new distance modes of delivery and the changes underway in education more generally.