Digital Virtualization and Teaching Practices in Youth and Adult Education

Abstract

Pedagogical research in Youth and Adult Education is ongoing, adapting to the demands of each era. Educational institutions analyze transformations resulting from the incorporation of technologies in current contexts. However, challenges persist, such as the lack of teacher preparedness for technology implementation. The article aims to characterize Youth and Adult Education teachers in their use of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in the teaching-learning process of the History of Cuba subject. The study was observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and retrospective, using stratified probabilistic sampling of teachers from the Nelson Mandela Worker-Peasant Faculty, distributed across four campuses, with a sample of 25 educators. Three dimensions were defined: pedagogical, didactic, and technological.60% of the surveyed teachers were teaching assistants, and 28% had between 6 and 10 years of work experience. The pedagogical and didactic dimensions were rated at a medium level, while the technological dimension was rated as low. The most used communication tool for building an educational environment was WhatsApp. The study revealed that the lack of technological resources is a common obstacle, not only in the national educational context but also internationally, particularly in Latin America. It was concluded that teachers resisted the virtualization of the subject due to the unavailability of technology and their low digital expertise, compounded by insufficient institutional policies in developing digital competencies. However, they acknowledged that the use of technologies in history learning enhances educational quality.