Comodal Education in a COVID-19 Pandemic Context: Perceptions and Outcomes

I. Introduction

The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for change in the field of digital learning, prompting several organizations that were hesitant to take the plunge to do so (Bandura, 2003). Indeed, Moroccan universities have risen to the occasion by establishing digital devices. This digital transformation, which authors are witnessing during this period of health crisis, affects all aspects of training, including design, scripting, teacher and student roles and practices, student support methods, and the relationship between teachers and students. Moroccan universities, for example, have risen to the occasion by implementing digital devices. This digital transformation, which authors are witnessing in this period of health crisis, affects all aspects of training, including design, scripting, roles and practices of teachers and students, methods of accompanying students, and relationships between teachers and students. The constraints imposed by this pandemic can be used to illustrate the spatiotemporal distance that exists between the teacher and the learner, as well as to reflect on the modalities that could be used to bridge this gap. As a result of this new situation, teachers must implement new forms of training (Belarbi, et all, 2017). Numerous systems articulating to varying degrees face-to-face and distance learning phases have emerged in the field of university higher education in recent years. These systems are aided by various technological environments, such as a training platform. Indeed, universities in Morocco are putting digital technology at the heart of their development projects (Benabid,2010) thanks to a wide range of hybrid training devices, SPOCs and MOOCs, and so on. The Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C) has made the following information available to all stakeholders: Access to numerous tools has been simplified, including institutional messaging, MAHARA, MATLAB, electronic books and journals, LOGHATE@UH2C, COURSERA, TELETRAVAIL, G-Suite, and others. The UH2C's digital resources enable students to follow their courses on the Moodle platform on a regular basis, either in direct broadcast mode or with deferred access (Bourazzouq,2018). The use of these digital tools is becoming more widespread in Moroccan universities. The introduction of new technologies has resulted in the transformation of traditional training systems into new forms (co-modal, hybrid...) to meet the increasingly diverse needs of Generation Z students (born after 1995, self-sufficient and responsible, entrepreneurial, prefer practical approaches and applications to learning, use social networks, communicate with images, are multitaskers, and are highly connected) (Piccoli, 2001) to meet the needs of students, teaching through digital technology in emergency situations necessitates a variety of training modes (distance/hybrid/BIMODAL/COMODAL).

As a result, Benabid et all (2010) believe that authors must continue to mature our thinking about the introduction of these new devices. The introduction of these new devices has had a positive effect in Moroccan higher education institutions. In Morocco, however, there is currently little evidence of this effect. Some teaching methods (for example, entirely distance learning) are more appropriate for motivated and autonomous learners who are proficient with computer tools. However, the majority of students enrolled for the first time in their Bachelor's degree are not yet fully autonomous, nor are they sufficiently motivated to take online courses. Given these students' profiles, it was necessary to pragmatically question learners' preferences for teaching modalities (face-to-face, distance, hybrid, COMODAL...) and their perception of their chances of success in the course.