Introduction: The requirement for virtual education during the COVID-19 epidemic and the rapid shift from face-to-face to fully virtual instruction has confronted professors and students with numerous challenges. Accordingly, the present review study examines the challenges and barriers faced by professors in virtual education during the COVID-19 era in Iran.
Methods: For this purpose, international databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Persian databases including SID, Magiran, and the Iran Medical Research Articles database, as well as the Google Scholar search engine, were searched using keywords related to Covid-19, virtual education, challenges, barriers, and Iran until January 1, 2022. Inclusion criteria were original articles that examined the challenges of professors in virtual education during the COVID-19 era in Iran from the perspective of professors and educators.
Results: A total of 14 articles were included in the study. The results showed that the most important challenges or obstacles in virtual education during the COVID-19 epidemic are infrastructural and technical obstacles, lack of interaction and participation between students and professors in the class, lack of appropriate lesson plans and effective evaluation systems, lack of skills in using virtual and computer education tools, high costs of purchasing equipment, and the occurrence of physical, mental, and psychological problems among learners.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it is necessary for relevant organizations and institutions to consider training professors and students to use and apply virtual education tools, as well as upgrading and strengthening appropriate virtual education infrastructure.
Extended abstract
Introduction: In December 2019, reports emerged from the Chinese city of Wuhan about the emergence of a new virus similar to the SARS virus. It spread to countries worldwide and infected all nations in a short period. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this disease a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Following this epidemic, governments implemented preventive measures, including social distancing and preventing unnecessary interactions with others, among others. Iran was also one of the countries that, after confirming the presence of the disease, substituted various methods of virtual education for face-to-face education. Virtual education refers to education in a learning environment where communication between participants is virtual, and course content is provided to learners through multimedia resources, the internet, video conferences, etc. Virtual education offers advantages such as content sharing, access to education anytime and anywhere, efficient interaction, compatibility, adaptability, etc. Although this type of education has many advantages, transitioning from traditional learning to online education faces challenges and disadvantages. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual education has become increasingly important. However, educational centers have not been adequately prepared to provide a suitable educational platform, and teachers are unfamiliar with virtual education methods. Moreover, teachers and professors are the most important factors in education and training, as students play the most significant role in improving the quality of education. Therefore, the present study reviewed the challenges and obstacles faced by professors in virtual education during the COVID-19 era in Iran.
Method: The present study is a narrative review conducted with the aim of investigating the challenges faced by teachers in virtual education during the Covid-19 era in Iran. To retrieve Persian and English articles, international databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, as well as Persian databases including SID, Magiran, Bank of Iranian Medical Research Articles, and Google Scholar, were searched. The search strategy used keywords presented in Table 1 in both Farsi and English. Searches were conducted from the onset of Covid-19 until January 1, 2022. The inclusion criteria for this study comprised original research articles that examined the challenges encountered by teachers and professors in virtual education during the Covid-19 era in Iran. Short articles, letters to the editor, conference abstracts, review articles, and articles for which the full version could not be obtained for any reason were excluded from the study process.
Results and Discussion: For this review, a total of 14 articles have been selected and analyzed. The language of the retrieved studies was Persian. The statistical population of the articles examined in the present review study comprised school teachers of different grades, university professors, and school and university managers. A review of the studies showed that the biggest challenge (78%) was related to the lack of infrastructure and basic facilities, such as infrastructure problems and weak internet speed, as well as the lack and difficulty in accessing a computer or laptop. 71.42% of the studies indicated a lack of effective interaction and feedback between professors and students, 57.14% highlighted the lack of an appropriate lesson plan and effective evaluation system, 42.85% pointed to a lack of skills in using virtual and computer education tools, and 35.71% mentioned equipment purchase costs among the most important challenges of virtual education. Additionally, the occurrence of physical and psychological problems and the promotion of immoral values among learners have been among the challenges and problems mentioned in various articles. Mousavi et al. have also mentioned infrastructural defects, a low internet penetration rate, and a lack of technical support as among the problems and challenges of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is consistent with the results of the present study.
Infrastructural and communication problems are associated with various geographical locations and people's residences. In some areas, especially rural ones, there may be inadequate internet speed, along with economic issues and family income affecting learners' access to virtual education tools and equipment. This unequal access to virtual space and electronic equipment, particularly in deprived areas, leads to educational opportunity disparities, neglecting many students in this form of education. In the current study, the lack of educational justice was identified as one of the challenges faced by individuals, which aligns with the findings of Salimi and Abbasi's studies. The lack of interaction and participation among students is another challenge expressed by teachers in virtual education during the Covid-19 pandemic. Keller et al. demonstrated that communication with students and their active participation are crucial motivating factors in virtual education, according to professors. Additionally, issues such as a lack of creativity and new ideas, students' technological weaknesses, insufficient motivational factors, and organizational culture deficiencies have hindered professors' educational experiences in virtual universities. During the Covid-19 era, critical thinking and problem-solving learning approaches have diminished, hindering innovation and the development of creative ideas, leading to superficial learning and low-quality education. Consequently, the results have highlighted the inadequacy of virtual education in fostering the growth and development of students' personalities. The results of the present study indicated that the lack of skills and knowledge related to virtual education is another significant challenge expressed by teachers. Jahanbakhsh et al. demonstrated that among the effective factors of e-learning, experience and process skills play crucial roles in e-learning. Other studies have also emphasized that for learners to fully benefit from virtual education facilities, an acceptable level of computer proficiency is necessary. Consequently, experience working with virtual education systems and sufficient computer literacy contribute to the advancement of virtual education in alignment with its objectives.The lack of a suitable lesson plan and an appropriate evaluation system in the teaching-learning process is another challenge that Iranian teachers have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Azimi et al. attribute this issue to the inadequate assessment of student conditions and needs in the design process. Additionally, Mazloumi et al. emphasize that proper evaluation is a crucial aspect of the virtual education process. To enhance student interaction in virtual education, providing them with tools for two-way communication through synchronous and asynchronous communication technologies, as well as integrating virtual and non-virtual education, can be practical solutions.
Conclusion: The widespread outbreak of the Covid-19 disease led to the closure of in-person schools and universities in Iran, but education continued using virtual and electronic education tools. Despite all the advantages that virtual education offers, the rapid transition from face-to-face education to completely virtual education has presented challenges for professors and teachers. Based on the results of the present review, efforts to address these challenges and obstacles will improve the quality of virtual education.