Analysis of the Digital Educational Scenario in Italian High Schools during the Pandemic: Challenges and Emerging Tools

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions around the world were forced to move from face-to-face lessons to distance learning. The application of distance learning fostered the use of new tools and applications that impacted the school system and produced several challenges to be addressed. This paper provides an analysis of distance learning tools that have been used during COVID-19 in Italian schools and the related emerging needs and challenges. A quantitative survey was carried out by using a standardized online questionnaire that involved 420 Italian teachers of different ages, gender, and teaching areas. This survey collected information about experiences, opportunities, and challenges of distance learning, used tools, and students’ inclusion and involvement. In addition, this work analyses emerging technologies and how they can be integrated into distance learning tools to overcome the identified challenges.

1. Introduction

Emergencies, such as armed conflicts, natural disasters, and health epidemics have a direct impact on access to education. The vital role of education as a response to emergencies has been recognized with the establishment of the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE).

According to UNHCR, “education in emergencies provides immediate physical and psychosocial protection, as well as life-saving knowledge and skills (for example, concerning disease prevention, self-protection, and awareness of rights). If children and youth receive safe education of good quality during and after an emergency, they will be exposed less frequently to activities that put them at risk. They will also acquire knowledge and mental resources that increase their resilience and help them to protect themselves” [1].

The importance of education during emergencies has become still more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, when educational institutions around the world were forced to move from face-to-face lessons to distance learning. Over 150 countries have implemented remote learning and over 1.6 billion students have been involved in this process [2]. The concept of distance learning refers to remote education with the use of the Web, multimedia, and virtual and augmented reality. Distance learning helps the student in acquiring information, developing knowledge, checking progress in learning, and supporting the process of education when face-to-face learning is not possible.

During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has created the necessity to implement remote learning modalities as a response to the emergency.

It accelerated the use of online educational procedures and it fostered the application of distance learning by introducing new tools and applications. This transition to online mode, although it allowed students to continue lessons, produced several challenges that impacted the school system and need to be addressed [3].

This pandemic can be an opportunity to reflect on the different challenges and lessons learned during this emergency and to explore new solutions to ensure high quality education for all. It aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” [4], according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda of United Nations Member States.

In this context, this paper provides an analysis of the different challenges and lessons learned during this emergency and it tries to understand how technology and learning can be integrated effectively to provide a quality education for all.

The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 provides an analysis of distance learning tools that have been used during COVID-19 and the related emerging needs. In Section 3, the analysis and the methodology used in the study are described. In Section 4, the survey results are analyzed. Section 5 discusses how multimodal, virtual reality and gaming tools can address the identified challenges. Finally, Section 6 concludes the paper.

2. Related Works

A new way of teaching and learning has been adopted during the pandemic period. To continue educating students, several online tools have been adopted providing online spaces for learning and communication with and among students. Among the used tools, Google Meet [5] and Microsoft Teams [6] are easy to use and provide collaborative and social functionalities, as well as video conferencing to support the learning process. On the other hand, Zoom [7], a cloud tool for video and audio conferencing, collaboration, chat, and webinars, provides high-quality videos and chat features for social interaction. Moodle [8] is a free, open-source, and community-driven learning tool that provides intuitive tabbed navigation that allows educators and trainers to easily create and edit courses. Similar to Moodle, Blackboard [9] is a popular learning management system that allows for managing both blended and online classes and it provides collaborative and interactive functionalities, paying attention to accessibility. Skype supports video and audio calls with talk, chat, and collaboration features, while Google Meet integrates video calls with other Google G-Suite tools. Additionally, canvas [10] provides a combination of digital media and classroom learning and it supports classroom management features test building, collaboration, and grade book. Both canvas and Brightspace [11] are cloud-based learning management tools. Brightspace supports both synchronous and asynchronous forms of e-learning and the management of blended learning, and it allows the creation of engaging learning courses and contents through collaborative and interactive functionalities. A further collaborative and interactive tool is TalentLMS [12], which provides cloud-based learning management services and supports synchronous, asynchronous, and blended learning. Google Classroom [13] is characterized by creative and accessible learning functionalities that allow the creation of lessons plans, and the tracking of students’ performance.

However, the use of these learning tools led to the need to address several issues.

Different studies in the literature found that one of the main issues is the need for schools to increase students’ engagement and motivation during distance learning. Students’ engagement is related to some factors such as interaction, participation, collaboration, motivation, emotional support, and positive attitudes toward the online learning environment [14,15,16,17,18,19]. Therefore, it is fundamental to use strategies and tools to increase these factors. For this purpose, some studies suggested using more adequate and interactive tools and multimedia materials and resources such as animations, images, educational games, etc. [20,21,22,23]. These animation and interactive video materials produced higher learners’ motivation when using distance learning [24]. In recent years, gamification has also emerged as an efficient pedagogical strategy to increase students’ motivation and involvement [25,26]. It was used also during COVID-19, and it allowed students to interact while having fun experiences, especially in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines that need laboratories [27]. The use of video games such as Minecraft, for example, allows learning with interest and enthusiasm and increases cooperative learning [28,29].

Ferri et al. suggested some proposals for action for policymakers to face the challenges of distance learning. Among these, authors indicated the necessity to improve technologies that use virtual and augmented reality, the development of more inclusive tools, platforms and devices and the use of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence to personalize and make learning more effective [30]. The sudden transition from traditional learning to distance learning imposed by the pandemic emergency has found many schools unprepared. Although teachers tried their best to face the challenges and limitations of distance learning, they have often worked without adequate tools and methods [31]. Starting from these open challenges, this paper provides a study to explore emerging ICT technologies that can be integrated into distance learning tools to overcome open challenges.

3. Analysis and Research Methodology

During the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has created the necessity to implement remote learning modalities as an emergency response.

Electronic textbooks, lecture videos, audio files and homework have been collected and shared between teachers and students in online spaces; this approach enabled the boosting of the distance learning operability and strategy.

3.1. The Analysis

The sudden introduction of distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the way that the users used tools and applications for distance learning led to the following questions:

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Question 1: Which are the most used distance learning tools during COVID-19?

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Question 2: What are the strengths and challenges of distance learning in Italian high schools during COVID-19?

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Question 3: Which ICT technologies can be integrated into distance learning tools to overcome the identified challenges?

To address these research questions, this works aims to analyze the challenges and limits of distance learning during COVID-19, and examine the future tools and applications that can be applied for new learning or teaching purposes.

3.2. Research Methodology

A quantitative survey was carried out by using a standardized online questionnaire that involved a sample of Italian teachers from different ages, gender, and teaching areas to analyze the most-used distance learning tools during COVID-19 and the challenges of distance learning that arose during COVID-19. An invitation was sent by email from the authors to the education superintendency of each province and the heads of single schools asking them to invite teachers to fill in the online questionnaire.

The study is based on the following hypotheses:

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different technological, social, and pedagogical challenges need to be addressed to move towards a more modern and digitized school.

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Platforms and tools used for distance learning during COVID-19 were not suitable to answer the needs of teachers and students in terms of engagement and inclusiveness.

Informed consent was provided to the survey participants explaining the aim of the study, the time to answer, the contact persons for asking for any clarifications, their voluntary participation, the potential for harm, anonymity, and confidentiality. The questionnaire was administrated using the tool EUSurvey (a secure platform recommended by the European Commission). Privacy and anonymity were guaranteed as respondents were not traceable. It was not possible to intercept the IP number and memorize the respondents’ cookies. All laws at the national and European levels and the general regulation for the protection of personal data n. 2016/679 (GDPR) were followed.

The questionnaire collected information about socio-demographic and professional data, experiences, opportunities, and challenges of distance learning, used tools, and students’ inclusion and involvement. The questionnaire consisted of closed dichotomous questions, multiple-choice questions and open questions.

A convenience sampling method was used. It is a non-probability sampling method; not all members of the population have an equal chance of participating in the study, but only people matching characteristics determined by authors are considered.

To qualify for participation, respondents were required to be Italian high school teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic and to have used distance learning. The questionnaire validity was tested with a pilot test on a small group of teachers to ensure that it was understandable and that all questions were correctly interpreted. A pilot test verified the validity and comprehensibility of the questionnaire. The validated questionnaires were collected from July to November 2021 and were filled in by 420 teachers. Data analysis was carried out using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences—SPSS.

4. Survey Results

The online questionnaire has been filled in by 420 high school teachers; the most were females, 70% versus 30% males. In Italy, most teachers are, in fact, female. The age of the respondents was high; in fact, 45% of them were aged from 50 to 59 and 22% had over 30 years of teaching experience (see

Table 1. Characteristics of participants.

Variable	Options	Frequencies	Percentage
Gender	Males	123	30%
	Females	297	70%
Age	Less than 28	8	2%
	29–39	54	13%
	40–49	102	24%
	50–59	190	45%
	More than 60	66	16%
Years of teaching	5 or less	62	15%
	Between 6 and 10	58	14%
	Between 11 and 15	42	10%
	Between 16 and 20	49	11%
	Between 21 and 25	65	15%
	Between 26 and 30	53	13%
	Over 30	91	22%
Teaching areas	Humanities disciplines	180	43%
	Technical disciplines	49	12%
	Scientific disciplines	115	27%
	Exercise sciences	14	3%
	Other	62	15%

). These data are in line with the Italian average in which 82.9% of teachers are females [32] and 53% of teachers in Italian schools are over 50 (against an EU average of around 36%) [33].

One of the main problems of distance learning during the pandemic was the scarce preparation of teachers in using distance learning tools and platforms. Most of the teachers (65%) stated they felt little or not at all prepared before the pandemic. These data also depend on the lack of teachers’ training; 54% of respondents had not received specific training in the use of distance learning methodologies and 23% had received insufficient training. Additionally, the preparation related to the use of apps, tools, and platforms for distance learning was poor; most of the teachers (60%) declared they did not receive any specific training on these technologies and their knowledge was insufficient for 30% of teachers. Although most of the teachers (62%) already had experience, before the pandemic, in using some online meeting tools for personal aims, in particular WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, etc., this experience was at first insufficient to deal with teaching by using online tools.

Nevertheless, Italian teachers were resilient and proactive; in fact, after the experience with distance learning during COVID-19, their preparation has increased considerably. Only 10% of respondents feel currently unprepared, while 40% feel quite prepared and 41% feel very prepared. Although the situation in terms of teachers’ skills was improved, many challenges remain open. In the next sections, the strengths and weaknesses of distance learning in Italy are analyzed.

4.1. Strengths of Distance Learning

Despite the numerous obstacles that both teachers and students had to face with distance learning, this experience was nevertheless positive and forced the teachers to understand how to use digital tools. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2). Figure 1 shows that 41% of teachers positively evaluated their experience with distance learning and 34% evaluated in a neutral way (sufficient). Figure 2 shows how teachers evaluated the experience with distance learning of their high school students based on their activities. According to the teachers, and also for students, the experience was positive for 30% of them and neutral (sufficient) for 45% of them.

Strengths of distance learning during the pandemic were mainly related to the characteristic of flexibility in providing education and accessing contents and resources, the absence of spatial and time barriers and the possibility to record and access lessons in an asynchronous way (also more than one time). Furthermore, other strengths are represented by the possibility of customizing and adapting courses to the students’ needs, to exchange ideas and points of view, and to teach/learn considering the student’s own pace. These characteristics enable collaboration among students and the centrality of the student (See Figure 3).

Although distance learning has different strengths, in Italy there is still a lot of resistance from teachers towards this type of learning. Some teachers indicated blended learning as a good solution to mitigate problems of distance (and isolation). Most of the teachers (58%) stated that in a non-emergency condition, they would prefer face-to-face only teaching, 37% would prefer blended learning and only 2% would prefer distance learning (the others did not express their preferences). In emergency conditions, 56% of teachers would prefer a blended type of teaching, 26% would prefer distance learning and 14% face-to-face.

In Italy, during the 2021–2022 school year, integrated digital teaching (DDI) was adopted. DDI is an innovative teaching–learning methodology aimed at all students of secondary school age that integrates the traditional experience in person with distance learning moments (carried out on digital platforms). This blended learning modality was implemented in cases in which there was the necessity to again suspend didactic activities in person due to contingent epidemiological conditions. In the future, digital education will be increasingly present in schools in non-emergency conditions as well, and educational platforms and tools will need to be further developed to meet the needs of students and teachers.

4.2. Challenges of Distance Learning

COVID-19 has highlighted numerous weaknesses in using distance learning in the Italian school system. In fact, Italian schools faced different technological, social and pedagogical challenges that need to be addressed to move towards a more modern and digitized school.

The biggest technological challenge was related to infrastructure access, such as the lack or scarce availability of technological devices and/or Internet connection. Not all students had, in fact, access to the necessary technologies such as a fast Internet connection and a powerful computer. This problem produced delays or connection failures during lessons and increased inequalities through uneven access to technology, in particular among foreign students and economically and culturally disadvantaged families. Additionally, the availability of devices due to the need to share with other family members, for example, other siblings or parents engaged in smart working, was a problem not only for disadvantaged families but also for the middle class. Some students had to use a smartphone to participate in online lessons, and this caused several problems due to the limitations of mobiles compared to desktop computers [34]. Furthermore, teachers and students had difficulties using platforms and tools.

The most used tools by the schools that participated in the survey were Google Suite for Education (app Classroom and Hangouts Meet), Electronic register, Zoom, ClasseVivaSpaggiari, Office 365 Education (Teams), etc. (see Figure 4). These tools were inadequate in some cases with respect to the learning aims, and technical assistance was missing.

Table 2. Technical challenges.

Technical Challenges	High School Students	High School Teachers
Internet connection problems	96%	38%
Lack of adequate devices	70%	7%
Limited availability of hardware devices	78%	8%
Difficulty in using the tools for distance learning	31%	13%
Lack or limited technical assistance	28%	22%
Inadequate tools used	13%	9%

shows the main technical challenges and a comparison of percentages between students and teachers.

Therefore, internet connection represents one of the main problems to overcome, considering on the one hand the spread of broadband and 5G technologies coverage that would allow a more efficient connection and on the other hand the potential reduction of device costs, also thanks to incentives from the Government to allow families to purchase them. Furthermore, there is the necessity to reduce the “digital divide” and use easy-to-use and intuitive applications, developing more adequately usable, scalable, and flexible tools focusing on the design of computer technology and, in particular, on the interaction between humans and computers. Furthermore, it is very important to develop more inclusive tools, platforms and devices, considering international guidelines on accessibility, to make these technologies accessible even to students with disabilities or special needs.

To overcome inclusion problems due to the lack of devices and an inefficient Internet connection, asynchronous methods such as recorded videos/audio lessons were implemented in some schools. This modality gave the possibility to students to access content at any time and even multiple times. Then, tools that support these modalities, together with tools that allow personalizing tasks and contents according to the appropriate times and learning rhythms of students, are very useful. Additionally, smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence, that encourage personalized, inclusive and participatory online learning paths should be further developed.

Pedagogical challenges were frequently related to students’ engagement problems, students’ social interactions, difficulties for teachers to assess students’ preparation and lack or difficulty in finding structured material and contents for e-learning (see

Table 3. Pedagogical challenges.

Pedagogical Challenges	High School Students	High School Teachers
Low attention level	67%	25%
Inadequate teacher–student interaction	35%	36%
Students’ assessment	19%	50%
Lack of or difficulty in finding structured material and content for e-learning	8%	18%

).

Students’ engagement is one of the most critical challenges of distance learning. From the experience with distance learning during COVID-19, it has, in fact, emerged that it is essential to keep the highest level of students’ attention because their concentration tends to decrease easily when they are in front of a computer. Therefore, it is fundamental to find strategies and tools to increase students’ involvement and motivation.

Another challenge was the inadequate teacher–student interaction, although in some cases teachers were able to create a good interaction with their students, also using alternative channels such as phone calls, WhatsApp, etc. This was a good strategy to manage the emergency, but for a long period there is the need to use official tools and platforms. These difficulties could be overcome by using the most suitable and adequate interactive tools that contribute to enhancing social interaction and online collaboration. It is essential to involve students by stimulating their motivation and interaction, personalizing teaching as much as possible, and respecting students’ timing and learning styles. Innovative tools to engage students, maintain their attention and stimulate their proactive behavior and participation on a screen for a long time are therefore needed. Interactive activities using multimedia resources can be fundamental, also, to keeping students active and maintaining their attention.

Finally, during the pandemic, in some cases, a problem was the lack for teachers of suitable evaluation tools to assess students. Then, more effective and efficient tools need to be used.

Finally, social challenges (see

Table 4. Social challenges.

Social Challenges	High School Students	High School Teachers
Lack of interaction/collaboration with peers	58%	7%
Lack of support from parents or a family member	19%	3%
Environment at home not suitable for learning	61%	12%

) were mainly related to students’ isolation problems such as the lack of human interaction and collaboration with other students. Cooperative learning is one of the most successful methods of active learning. More tools are necessary, such as the breakout rooms available on some platforms (such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.) that allow students to meet each other in small groups to share knowledge and cooperate on the same learning activity. The use of different games, quizzes, and competitions, together with technologies that use virtual and augmented reality, could be improved and implemented in the schools; this can stimulate the students’ interactive and proactive behavior.

Emotional support is also an important factor for distance learning; students need to feel part of a community and create a sense of belonging with the class. Tools that encourage social relationships with classmates are very important to maintain socialization and interactions as well for the psychological well-being of the students.

Another problem during the pandemic for parents and teachers was the lack of available physical spaces or the environment at home not being suitable for learning. People usually live in houses that do not have a number of rooms allowing each single family member to carry out learning or working activities without being disturbed by the noises of other members. Furthermore, some parents do not have adequate literacy to support learning at home, so then sometimes the lack of support from family during the distance learning experience was underlined.

These technical, pedagogical and social challenges allowed the rethinking of teaching and learning and to develop of new methodologies and pedagogical approaches, infrastructure and tools specifically designed for online teaching.

5. Discussion: How Advanced Tools Can Address Identified Challenges

This section aims at discussing how the technical, pedagogical and social challenges cited in the previous section can be addressed by the advanced tools for e-learning.

Four of the six technological challenges identified (Internet connection problems, lack of adequate devices, limited availability of hardware devices, and lack of limited technical assistance) do not depend on the used tools, but are due to connectivity, hardware and assistance issues.

Similarly, two of the three social challenges (i.e., lack of support from parents or a family member, and environment at home not suitable for learning) are due to familial or environmental background and they are not directly affected by the used tools for the e-learning process.

On the other hand, the difficulty in using the tools for distance learning can be referred to as a usability issue. To address the usability issue, a multimodal interaction process can be usefully applied. In fact, multimodal learning tools provide users with several interaction modes, such as visual (e.g., flowchart, digital presentation, subtitles, captions, videos), auditory (e.g., talking, discussions, seminars, podcasts), and kinaesthetic elements (e.g., manipulating objects, lab experiments, 3D world) to support interactive and connected learning environments [35].

The multimodal tools allow users to share and interact with digital artefacts on a shared surface and manipulate audio and videos on portable devices, as well as to share information collaboratively in online social groups [36,37]. The use of multimodal learning tools supports engagement in team-based learning and motivation and it expands the modes available remotely for content fruition [38].

Among the multimodal learning tools, AmbiLearn [39] provides collaborative learning tasks. This multimodal learning tool supports speech and touch interaction modalities, but it does not provide an authoring environment for editing multimedia content. Further examples of multimodal learning tools are iLearn [40] and FrogPlay [41], which allow teachers to design learning processes by using multimodal interactions. A further example is VoiceThread, which is a collaborative multimodal interactive tool that allows the use of voice, text and videos [42].

On the other hand, considering the benefits of the learning process, the use of different modes allows students to interact with learning material flexibly. This flexibility encourages active learning and boosts the students’ engagement [43], as well as allowing information to be repeated in a different format and improving the accessibility to structured material and contents for e-learning.

The use of different interaction modes allows for meeting a variety of students’ needs and, therefore, tailoring the learning process according to the students’ needs. This fact allows teachers to reach more students and increase inclusion by providing more engaged and personalized interactions with content [44].

Studies demonstrated that the use of multimodal tools makes the learning process easier and more comfortable because the students prefer to interact using a combination of modes (text, video, audio and images) [45]. In addition, the use of multiple interaction modalities reduces the cognitive load of the student during the learning process [46]. Therefore, multimodal learning tools support effective learning.

The pandemic period has boosted towards long-term remote and hybrid learning, and these multimodal tools are demonstrated to have benefits to the higher education classroom [47].

In overcoming the lack of face-to-face interaction, complementarily to the multimodal learning tools, Virtual Reality (VR) represents an alternative form when practical skill-based education is needed [48].

We will shortly cite some collaborative online tools that allow the use of avatars and their customizations, such as FrameVR [49], Mozilla Hubs [50], MootUP [51], Spatial [52], MeetinVR [53], Glue [54], Engage [55], and Virtual Campus [56]. While Shapespark [57] provides a limited use and customization of both avatars and environments, only three of these platforms (FrameVR, Mozilla Hubs and Glue) allow the customizing of environments, such as classrooms and laboratories. These tools allow the customizing of the virtual environments by uploading models that are created by 3D programs, and their functionalities easily and effortlessly support online events [58]. The customization of virtual environments provides users with realistic-looking multimedia scenarios that boost the feeling of immersion and the intensity of information [59]. Thanks to these functionalities, VR-based learning tools allow the creation of spaces that support students’ assessment [60].

Table 5. Main functionalities of the VR platforms.

	File Sharing	Screen Sharing	Whiteboard	File Streaming	Material Configurator	Chat	Handwriting
MootUP	x	x
Engage				x		x
Shapespark	x			x	x
FrameVR	x	x	x			x
Mozilla Hubs	x	x	x			x
Spatial	x	x	x				x
Glue	x					x
MeetinVR	x		x			x
MootUP	x	x

shows an overview of the main functionalities of the cited platforms.

The study provided in [61] underlines that VR technology has an important role in improving engagement and facilitating e-learning by providing a sense of immersion and physical interaction with other users. Indeed, VR provides an immersive experience that induces in users a sense of realism, which improves the users’ work efficiency and creativity [62]. Studies demonstrated that students are more engaged when using virtual reality collaborative tools than collaborative learning tools [63]. This is also due to the use of avatars that can help users to provide a sense of connectedness by promoting interaction with other avatars and presenting their opinion in virtual spaces [61,64]. In addition, the use of VR reduces the feeling of social isolation and supports participation and collaboration among students [65,66].

To foster engagement and motivation, the gamification of the learning experiences has been proposed in several works [67]. Gamification has been used in learning environments to boost competitiveness and encourage successful actions [68]. Badges, points, levels and leader boards are game mechanisms that are applied to encourage students, to improve their involvement, and give them feedback [69]. Among the game-based learning tools, Kahoot [70] has been effectively used for students’ assessment and other traditional classroom activities where the teacher is the game host and the students are the contenders [71]. This tool allows teachers to create content, play quizzes and assess the students, who can play anonymously and, therefore, without embarrassment. This functionality makes the learning process more competitive and more fun [70]. Similarly, Gimkit [72] boosts competition among students, while Quizizz [73] encourages the creation of knowledge and content by providing questions to be answered. Several studies [74,75] underline that game-based learning tools encourage discussion among students, and, therefore, support the interaction and communication processes.

In summary, considering the technical, pedagogical and social challenges analyzed in the previous section, the following table provides an overview of how they can be addressed by multimodal, VR and gaming tools in learning environments.

Table 6. How technical, pedagogical and social challenges can be addressed by multimodal, VR and gaming tools in learning environments.

		Multimodal Tools	Virtual Reality Tools	Gaming Tools
Technical challenges	Internet connection problems	-	-	-
	Lack of adequate devices	-	-	-
	Limited availability of hardware devices	-	-	-
	Difficulty in using the tools for distance learning	x	x	-
	Lack or limited technical assistance	-	-	-
	Inadequate tools used	x	x	x
Pedagogical challenges	Low attention level	x	x	x
	Inadequate teacher–student interaction	x	x	x
	Students’ assessment	-	x	x
	Lack of difficulty in finding structured material and contents for e-learning	x	-	x
Social challenges	Lack of interaction/collaboration with peers	x	x	x
	Lack of support from parents or a family member	-	-	-
	Environment at home not suitable for learning	-	-	-

underlines that both multimodal and VR tools allow the addressing of the technical, pedagogical and social challenges connected to the interaction process (i.e., difficulty in using the tools for distance learning, inadequate tools used, low attention level, inadequate teacher–student interaction, lack of interaction/collaboration with peers). Meanwhile, the multimodal tools are more suitable to challenges connected to information and knowledge access (i.e., lack or difficulty in finding structured material and contents for e-learning) and the VR tools can be adequately applied when a sense of realism is needed (i.e., students’ assessment).

Game-based learning tools can be successfully applied to address all the challenges faced by VR technology and, in addition, the gaming tools can also support the creation of learning materials.

6. Conclusions

This research allows us to identify some lessons learned by high school teachers from distance learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Different technological, social, and pedagogical challenges emerged, together with the unsuitableness of the used platforms and tools that were not able to answer the needs of teachers and students. These results confirmed the hypotheses at the basis of the study. The technological challenges were mainly related to Internet connection problems, the lack of adequate devices for many students, limited availability of hardware devices and the difficulty in using the platforms and tools for distance learning that often resulted in inadequacy. The main pedagogical challenges were related to the low attention level of students, inadequate interactions between teachers and students, students’ assessment, and the lack of or difficulty in finding structured material and content for e-learning. Social challenges were instead mainly related to the lack of interaction/collaboration with peers, lack of support from parents or family members, and an unsuitable home environment for distance learning.

To address the identified challenges, this work analyzed emerging technologies and how they can be usefully applied to better support distance learning. Among these emerging technologies, multimodal technologies can support easy access to learning content since they can be accessed by several interaction modalities, as well as encouraging active learning by allowing students to express themselves through different interaction modalities, increasing engagement and inclusion. Moreover, students can find it more comfortable and easier to learn by using a combination of interaction modalities, and this makes the learning process more effective and flexible.

Similarly, VR technology can effectively allow for the achievement of a high level of engagement, comprehension, and social interaction during the learning process. When considering gaming tools, the analysis shows that they can be effectively used to foster interaction, attention, and collaboration among students, as well as to foster the creation of learning content.

However, differently from game-based learning tools, the use of multimodal and VR technology implies some issues to be addressed before adopting them in schools. The cost of hardware, the lack of infrastructure availability, the development of specific content and the lack of technically skilled teachers can be issues to face.

On the other hand, immersive VR technology will continue to grow in popularity and educational use thanks to the wide use of the mobile device which can encourage the adoption of virtual reality, since the combination of virtual reality headsets and mobile devices allows the creation of an immersive environment [76].

This study is of interest to governments, educational institutions, teachers, and students, and also for preparedness for future emergencies that could occur. During the COVID-19 pandemic period, these stakeholders learned that fundamental purposes are building the capacity for teachers and learners to gain new digital skills, as well as fostering the adoption of the necessary legislation that is required to include distance learning as a means of university education and the recognition of achieved certificates [77]. In addition, other important lessons learned concern the need to use technologies and methods to adapt the content according to the learner’s learning style, to improve the involvement during the learning process and maintain the attention of students, and also to detect exam fraud attempts. The major challenge for governments is to promote the digitization of society by giving everyone the same opportunities in terms of networking, internet connection and the necessary devices. In fact, during the months of the lockdown, the disparities between those who had the tools to communicate, work, study, being able to react even during the crisis, and those who did not, have emerged stronger than ever. For this reason, the digitization of public bodies, businesses and households are key elements of the Italian National Plan of Resistance and Resilience (PNRR). In this perspective, with the PNRR school, the Ministry of Education launched a series of reforms and funding aimed at promoting the full recovery of all school activities, with medium and long-term objectives concentrated on the creation of a new education system, which not only guarantees the right to study but is based on technological innovation and the interactivity of students and the school system. In particular, with the PNRR, the Ministry of Education is investing EUR 2.1 billion in the Plan “School 4.0”, aiming to transform traditional classrooms into innovative learning environments and to create laboratories for the digital professions of the future. At the same time, this funding aims to promote an extensive digital transition training program for all school staff. Resources were allocated to each school to implement the change: to wire classrooms, train teachers, bring ultra-broadband to schools, and innovate teaching spaces, with a reserve of 40% for Southern Italy.

Therefore, the Italian PNRR also demonstrates the need to have a flexible learning space that encourages inclusion and is in line with the growth needs of children and young people. Distance learning, in fact, can represent a valid tool for students who, for the most diverse reasons, cannot physically access the school; developing teaching and methodologies suitable for these situations would allow everyone to not interrupt their learning process even if they do not physically attend school. Many activities to support and integrate the training offer could be attended remotely (conferences, events, etc.). If correctly implemented, distance learning can be an excellent tool for the inclusion of those students who have difficulty in being in school and following the lessons in person, such as students with health problems, or who live in distant areas and who have to travel by public transport for long distances, including fragile students. Furthermore, it allows the diversifying and customizing of the routes without being conditioned by the spaces and facilitates access to materials prepared by the teacher for personalized didactic paths.

The use of distance learning may also have a useful impact in other contexts. In the context of the energy crisis and/or economic recession that is expected for 2023–2024 in Europe, the use of distance learning by high schools and universities could be usefully applied to reduce the costs connected to mobility. However, an important issue is to investigate in what proportion distance learning could be included in the curriculum for one semester, without affecting the quality of education.

This study gives a framework of the Italian high school situation (context) during COVID-19, but although it involved a large number of teachers, it does not presume to be exhaustive. In fact, although the sample included different teachers per age, gender, and teaching areas, the participants were engaged by principals who have decided to join the study. Thus, the sample is diversified but not representative. Future studies should involve more teachers and use representative samples. Moreover, in a future study, we intend to extend this survey to high school students to analyze students’ perspectives, experiences, attitudes, and feelings and compare them with results obtained by teachers, to provide a more comprehensive view of the phenomenon. Furthermore, we will investigate how to foster digitalization in the learning process to improve the technological capabilities of students and teachers, as well as how to train professionals to better answer the distance learning demands. This study will also analyze the acceptance of innovative technologies (such as VR technologies and multimodality) available, using smartphones for the learning process, and how the wide use of smartphones can encourage the application of VR technologies and multimodality.