LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGIES IN MEXICAN HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Abstract

The article examines the technological dimension of Mexican Higher Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a subsector within the Mexican educational system with greater digital capital than other educational levels and which, before the pandemic, had already ventured, to a greater or lesser extent, into ICT-mediated teaching and learning. Despite the support of the institutions, either through platforms or professional development, the continuity and quality of teaching and learning depended heavily on connectivity and digital devices in the homes of teachers and students. Under this consideration, What information and communication technologies (ICT) were present in higher education during
the health crisis? And in the post-pandemic stage, What are the main challenges and lessons learned for Mexican Higher Education?

The study was carried out through a voluntary self-administered online questionnaire, which considered public and private institutions all over the country and that measured teachers’ (n=8,090) and students’ (n=39,417) perceptions regarding the pandemic technological dimension. The findings point to the use of digital resources and tools in a limited way and with insufficient access to the Internet. Teachers and students felt much of the time like survivors of a situation beyond their control. Although we are dealing with learning organizations that continuously correct their processes, as Educators we must insist on the promotion of students’ autonomy and responsibility in their own learning.