On the digitalisation of higher education in times of the pandemic crisis: techno-philic and techno-sceptic attitudes of social science students in Crete (Greece)

Drawing upon empirical evidence from a research carried out at the University of Crete, this paper investigates the social sciences students’ perception towards their experiences regarding the emergency online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The study reveals aspects of digital divides, as well as divergent perceptions of students, ranging from techno-philic attitudes that enthusiastically welcome the pivot to online learning, to ambivalent opinions expressing moderate satisfaction and techno-sceptic views, criticising pandemic pedagogies through digitalised forms of learning. The analysis sheds light on the contextual factors associated with the dystopic condition of the protracted economic crisis and the pandemic, that lie behind the claims of many students, revealing a main tension between contrasting perceptions of digital education. Students with positive attitudes towards online learning tend to highlight the advantages in regard to time and space flexible modalities of digital education, embracing it as an inclusive practice that responds to the social and educational needs of students, especially at times of crisis. Techno-sceptic attitudes criticise online learning models fοr lowering the academic standards, separating students from the real-life world on campus and repositioning them in digital settings where common physical experience, affective body language and classroom socialisation are missing. The article offers insight in the ongoing discussion of the emergency remote learning and underlines the political and pedagogical significance of the accelerating digitalisation of the universities in the post-COVID era.