Distance Learning in Emergencies: Social and Pedagogical Relations in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The current study aims to investigate social and pedagogical relations during the experience of distance learning in emergencies, in the context of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study identifies the impact of the transition towards this new system in rebuilding social and pedagogical links between professors and students through a case study at Ajman University, as one of the institutions of higher education in the United Arab Emirates. The study relied on the quantitative approach and the sample of the study consisted of (730) students selected in a simple random manner. The study found that most of the sample members had advanced infrastructure that would enable them to keep up with the transition to the distance learning system, and that the level of access to electronic tools and distance learning platforms and the ability to deal with them were high. The study also found that the distance learning system increases the level of interaction, discussion and communication between students and between students and teachers, which extends beyond the lesson period, as an attempt to replace direct interaction.