University teaching in Serbia during the Covid-19 pandemic

The paper comprehensively considers the issue of higher education teaching in the conditions of the Covid-19 pandemic, simultaneously dealing with its practical implementation , but also with the attitudes and feelings of university teachers who took on the role of online educators. The research is based on a descriptive method, survey and scaling techniques, and uses a questionnaire with an assessment scale as a research instrument. The research sample consisted of 102 university teachers from the Republic of Serbia. The experiences of teachers in the implementation of online teaching in the Covid-19 pandemic were observed in relation to three independent variables: academic rank, length of service and previous training in the field of ICT. Teachers faced challenges related to adapting to a new way of working, motivating students and maintaining their attention, with a lack of direct communication and interaction, feedback and technical barriers. They experienced online teaching as challenging, exhausting and stressful. Furthermore, it was identified that there is a need for additional teacher training for the implementation of online teaching. In addition, the results of the research raise questions about the foundation of a specific scientific field that would deal with the problems and opportunities of learning in times of disasters and emergency situations.