Remote Teaching and Research Practices in the Food Science Field During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary closure of higher-education institutions. We accessed the impact on teaching and research practices in the food science field during 2020 through online data collection on pedagogical and research practices among 402 Brazilian instructors and/or researchers. Most faculty (60%) reported that their institution continued the academic year remotely and yet, 32.2% reported that teaching activities were suspended for up to 6 months. 52.7% of instructors reported that all courses were adjusted to an online format, while 41.2% informed that only theoretical classes were maintained. Despite the use of online platforms, most instructors used expository classes. These educators saw a need to improve the quality of virtual teaching. Those performing research during laboratory closures reported performing literature review, data analysis, and manuscript writing at home. More than 70% of researchers reported that they have stopped laboratory work for 5 months or more in 2020, a downtime that may have unprecedented consequences in research outputs. Food science educators and researchers overcame many challenges to continue their activities in 2020 and universities could benefit from the lessons learnt during remote work to improve productivity in their outcomes in the post-pandemic era.