Emergency remote teaching during the pandemic: A case study of İnönü University's experience

ABSTRACT Emergency Remote Teaching During The Pandemic: A Case Study Of İnönü University's Experience Purpose: This study examines how İnönü University delivered emergency remote teaching at the associate and undergraduate levels throughout the coronavirus pandemic, based on institutional documents and the perspectives of internal stakeholders. Method: The study employed a qualitative case study design examining the emergency remote teaching process across the spring 2019-2020 and fall and spring 2020-2021 semesters. Both data source and method triangulation were used to strengthen credibility. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with internal stakeholders (n=68) and from institutional documents (n=96), with participants recruited via purposive and convenience sampling. Quantitative data were collected through surveys administered to students and instructors. Interview transcripts, documents, and open-ended survey responses were subjected to content analysis using MAXQDA. A codebook was developed, and intercoder agreement was substantial (Kappa = .78). Quantitative data were summarized using descriptive statistics, and differences in perceptions across semesters were tested with the Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests. Findings: During the initial phase, the process was marked by uncertainty, anxiety, and a sense of unpreparedness; nonetheless, the university largely maintained instructional continuity through rapid decision-making, a learning management system based infrastructure, and support mechanisms. Theoretical courses proved viable online, whereas applied courses, internships, and assessment emerged as the most challenging areas. Although the infrastructure was found to be functional, stakeholders' digital competence proved the decisive factor, and a lack of self-regulated learning became apparent among students. The most distinctive finding was a divergence between students' and instructors' perceptions of the process: students' views grew increasingly negative across the three semesters, while instructors' views remained stable. Conclusion: Emergency remote teaching served a functional role in sustaining education during the crisis; however, it could not fully substitute for face-to-face instruction. The findings indicate that distance education should be structured through complementary, flexible, and discipline-sensitive blended models. Keywords: Distance Education, Emergency Remote Teaching, Web-Based Education, COVID-19 Pandemic.