1- Department of Social Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran , yaser.rastegar62@gmail.com
2- Department of Social Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
3- Department of Social Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2- Department of Social Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
3- Department of Social Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Abstract: (625 Views)
Objective: Unpredictable events such as natural disasters and pandemics—including the unprecedented COVID‑19 outbreak—significantly disrupt human life. One major area affected during the pandemic was the educational system, which was compelled to rapidly adopt online instruction. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of faculty members at the University of Hormozgan regarding virtual education during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Methods: A qualitative research design using a descriptive phenomenological approach was applied. The study population consisted of faculty members at the University of Hormozgan who had taught in both traditional face‑to‑face settings before the pandemic and virtual environments during it. Semi‑structured interviews were conducted with 15 professors. The collected data were analyzed to identify themes reflecting their experiences.
Results: Through the analysis of the field data, six main themes and 21 sub-themes were extracted. The main themes were: challenges of a forced change, virtual education as an opportunity, unrealistic evaluation, ineffective teaching, lost authority, and digital anxiety.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that virtual education is generally perceived as a complementary instructional approach rather than a full substitute for in‑person teaching. Its overall effectiveness is closely tied to the availability and quality of technological infrastructure.
Methods: A qualitative research design using a descriptive phenomenological approach was applied. The study population consisted of faculty members at the University of Hormozgan who had taught in both traditional face‑to‑face settings before the pandemic and virtual environments during it. Semi‑structured interviews were conducted with 15 professors. The collected data were analyzed to identify themes reflecting their experiences.
Results: Through the analysis of the field data, six main themes and 21 sub-themes were extracted. The main themes were: challenges of a forced change, virtual education as an opportunity, unrealistic evaluation, ineffective teaching, lost authority, and digital anxiety.
Conclusions: The findings indicate that virtual education is generally perceived as a complementary instructional approach rather than a full substitute for in‑person teaching. Its overall effectiveness is closely tied to the availability and quality of technological infrastructure.
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