From Routine Mode to Emergency Mode and Back: Reflections on Israeli Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education After the COVID-19 Period

Introduction

The COVID-19 breakdown and the quarantines and social distancing restrictions followed, was a shaky and challenging period for higher education institutions (HEIs), which have always been considered a stronghold of conservatism. However, they proved their ability to adapt to the new situation quickly and effectively. Academic institutions in Israel are part of the few public institutions that were not paralyzed during the pandemic. Teaching continued almost uninterrupted, with a rapid and impressive transition from face-to-face to online learning (Donitsa-Schmidt & Ramot, 2020; Cohen & Sabag, 2020). The higher education system has proven that it can address the changing needs of students and be flexible and adaptive to a changing situation. However, the “day after”, we will have to address complex dilemmas: how to manage the change in academic teaching and what to preserve and what to improve.