Best Practices in High-Enrollment Courses in the Context of the Pandemic at the State Distance Learning University of Costa Rica

Abstract

Goals. 1. To evaluate the relevance of creating unique virtual environments in the academic and administrative management models for high-enrollment courses offered in the Finance Program at the State Distance Learning University of Costa Rica (UNED). 2. To provide an example of best practices for managing high-enrollment courses that promote academic and administrative management. Methodology. This qualitative study utilized data collected through an online survey with an incidental sample of 23 teachers from the Department of Finance. The survey assessed the proposed improvement experience of using virtual environments for high-enrollment courses through a research method oriented under phenomenology. Results. The research provided valuable inputs regarding the configuration of the virtual classroom with unique environments and subgroups for high-enrollment courses. This modality provided substantial time savings in administrative aspects related to the monitoring of teaching tasks, as well as promoting accompaniment spaces for consultations and attention to appeal processes for learning evaluations. Additionally, the use of didactic resources, such as video, was also valued for providing flexible options under a distance model mediated by virtuality.