Distance education in time of pandemic in Paraguay

Abstract

The objective of the research was to analyze the factors involved in distance education in times of pandemic in Paraguay. The methodology employed is quantitative and an instrumental study with a cross-sectional-descriptive design was used. For the collection of information, an ad hoc questionnaire was applied, distributed by means of Google Forms, with the participation of 1949 people, all of them from the educational field in Paraguay, from Initial Education to Higher Education. The most relevant results show that teachers have training in ICT, but it is insufficient; self-perception on digital competence was basic and requires complementary training with respect to educational applications. The most used tools and applications were the MEC educational platform, instant messaging (WhatsApp), word processors such as Microsoft Office Word, Adobe Acrobat Reader file viewer, and PowerPoint. And, the limitations with respect to the use of ICTs constitute, the lack of adequate Internet connectivity, training in the pedagogical use of ICTs and the lack of technological resources. It is concluded that there is a need to design a continuous training program that favors the acquisition of digital competence among teachers and the use of new strategies to solve the problems of the digital divide among students.