University Teachers’ Perceptions of Their Work and the Qualities of Excellent Teachers in the Context of Emergency Remote Learning

The massive adoption of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic brought an opportunity to investigate teachers’ conceptions of excellent teaching in the context of emergency remote education. From June to August 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional study using an online questionnaire to (1) analyze teachers’ perceptions of the quality of their teaching in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) identify teachers’ perceptions of the qualities of excellent online teachers, and (3) examine differences based on gender, age, previous online learning training, and work experiences. The sample consisted of 341 university teachers who worked in private and public institutions in Ecuador. Results indicate that most participants perceived online teaching was easy for them, as well as personally satisfying. However, less than half of the participants felt that the quality of their teaching and their relationships with their students had improved since the adoption of online learning. Regarding the qualities of excellent online teachers, participants indicated that being respectful, enthusiastic about their teaching and their topics, striving to become a better teacher, being humble, and being knowledgeable about their subject matter were the top five qualities excellent online teachers should have. Comparison analysis indicated gender differences in some of the items. Women tended to feel more strongly that their relationship with their students had improved since online teaching was adopted; also, they gave higher scores to qualities such as being humble, establishing rapport, being sensitive and persistent, and being understanding compared to men. There were not differences based on age. Regarding online teaching training and work experiences, we found statistical differences in the perceptions on the quality of their teaching and some of the traits of excellent online educators. We found that participants with previous training and work experiences rated more strongly qualities such as being an effective communicator, being prepared and technologically competent. We discuss the implications of these findings considering the challenges that online learning imposes on educators in many parts of the world.