Perceptions of architecture students and faculty regarding the integration of ICT into education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The study examined the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the teaching-learning process during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is considered an integral part of contemporary education and was further emphasized in this context. However, its implementation posed significant challenges for teachers and students due to the lack of established protocols, leading to emergency remote instruction. The main objective was to describe the perceptions of teachers and students regarding the appropriate implementation of ICT as pedagogical tools in the Architecture program at the University of Columbia in Paraguay (UCP), contextualizing challenges within a specific scenario, exploring perceptions across comparative periods between 2020 and 2021, and proposing actions to maximize their use in virtual environments. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, with a non-experimental design and a correlational scope to analyze relationships between variables such as initial perceptions and changes over time. Structured surveys and semi-structured interviews were used, with descriptive and correlational analyses. The results indicate that students demonstrated a high level of proficiency in using digital platforms, although the abrupt shift to the virtual modality proved unsatisfactory, negatively impacting interaction and academic performance. Among faculty, significant progress in digital proficiency was observed in 2021 compared to 2020; the integration of ICTs helped mitigate student dropout rates, confirming the hypothesis of a close relationship between perceptions and the use of ICTs. This finding underscores the need to promote ongoing training to bridge digital divides and transform them into catalysts for higher education during health crises.