OnlineHE_Toolkit

11 The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Project Number: 2020-1-RO01-KA226-HE-095434 students based on their university credentials (Pedrotti & Nistor, 2019), unless it is an openly accessible course that follows the principles. To ensure that all the participants have the skills required to teach or online, hands-on training opportunities need to be provided. Training should cover both technical and pedagogical aspects, so that teachers and learners can learn how to use technology to teach and learn accordingly. On the one hand, learners should be trained on how to use technology to solve problems, create, and share content responsibly. Since they operate in an academic environment, they need to learn how to use digital repositories, searching articles through electronic databases (e.g., University’s e-Library) and citing them accordingly. On the other hand, instructors’ training should focus on the development of their digital and pedagogical skills. This means that continuous professional development opportunities are provided by the University in various forms (e.g., webinars), to cover all levels of competence (beginner, intermediate, advanced), teaching new or refreshing old skills and concepts: from learning how to use the digital technologies and tools to learning how to adapt the curricula to online teaching, design learning content, assess and evaluate the progress and expected results for their and students’ activity. Other important skills that can be developed through training relate to instructors’ skills for management of large online audiences/classes as well as stressful situations (e.g., online testing). Teachers’ continuous professional development can include indirect training in the form of online communities of practice to drive changes in the field (Hadjisoteriou, Karousiou, & Angelides, 2018). Professional development enables teachers to develop their skills for innovative teaching. This is important since distance learning should be learner-centered and dialogic, based on continuous interaction and communication (Gravani, 2020; Koutselini, 2020; Papaneophytou, Stavride, & Nicolaou, 2020). Other than having opportunities for training and professional/personal development, technical and emotional support from the right team of experts, needs to be easily accessed by all participants any time. It is recommended that we cater to students’ emotions and well-being during online learning. Findings from a recent study show that university students who balance studies with a full-time job and those who were not fully adapted to a distance learning experience tend to present higher levels of anxiety (Demetriou, Hadjicharalambous, & Keramioti, 2021). Also, the more time they spend learning online, the more stressed they may feel. Even though the findings derive from research implemented in a time of crisis, specifically the emergency remote teaching period, which usually involved unplanned delivery of online learning, they raise specific concerns. Τhey reveal that distance education requires addressing students’ psychological state through guidance, reduction of