The purpose of this study was to describe the transition to online teaching at the university level during the spring of 2020 amidst shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study among university teachers in the Russian Federation used the survey instrument from the cross-cultural CRTS-Study (Coronavirus Related Teaching Situation). The survey was translated into Russian and administered to 255 (195 female, 50 male) university teachers in the Russian Federation using Qualtrics. The theoretical framework is Emergency Remote Teaching (Hodges et al.,2020), which describes situations such as during COVID-19 when teachers were forced to teach online unexpectedly. This is contrasted with online learning, a deliberate teaching practice done by design and with preparation (Zhu & Liu, 2020). In this presentation we will offer descriptive information on this sample with the potential to compare it with other presenters’ accounts of university teachers’ experience in other countries. Teachers in our sample specialized in a range of disciplines including education, natural sciences, mathematics, the behavioural sciences and the humanities. The largest group (46%) had taught for 18 years or longer at the time of the study. Prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, 44.5% had used digital tools and online platforms extensively. At the time of the survey in June 2020, 35% reported that they felt online teaching was a “complex experience, [and] requires investment beyond what is expected”, 15% agreed with the statement that it was “an overwhelming experience, [and] hope this ends soon”, and 9% felt it was “a frustrating experience, [and] requires investment beyond what is expected”. At the same time 11% felt it was a mostly positive and reassuring experience and others (6%) felt it was the same as conventional teaching. In reflecting on this experience, the majority (78%) felt that the experience made them moderately or a lot more confident in their teaching. Data on correlates of these different appraisals of the experience will be presented. The significance of the contribution of this study is to provide a description of online learning in this unprecedented emergency situation, to consider its unique features and implications for effective online teaching under regular and emergency conditions that may arise in the future.

Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, 27. Zhu, X., & Liu, J. (2020). Education in and After Covid-19: Immediate Responses and Long-Term Visions, Postdigital Science and Education, 2, 695–699.