The Impact of Learning Mode on Student Satisfaction with Teaching Quality: Evaluation of Academic Staff Teaching before and during Covid-19

Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were forced to introduce remote education in a short period of time, regardless of the level of their technological competence. As a result, students and faculty changed their study mode from traditional to online within a few days. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the teaching mode on the teaching quality perceived by students. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey of University of Information Technology and Management students was conducted in the summer semester preceding the pandemic in which traditional teaching was performed (n = 8,462, with 315 academic staff members evaluated) and in the summer semester during the pandemic where the mode of delivery was online (n = 15,738, with 248 academic staff members evaluated). Findings: A statistical analysis of the results, broken down by academic staff gender, academic title, and field of teaching, shows no significant changes in the evaluation of the quality of academic staff teaching in general. Practical Implications: The results of the research make it possible to define further directions of academic staff development in order to improve students' satisfaction with the education process and allow for better preparation of universities for the digital transformation in the field of higher education. Originality/Value: The paper verifies the readiness of teaching staff for distance learning, both from the perspective of teaching skills as well as technical and digital skills.