Assessment on the Needs of Lecturers in Distance Learning in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the COVID-19 pandemic

The assessment was carried out in order to learn more about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the process of higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a focus on the experiences of lecturers, the challenges they faced and their needs which should be met in order to improve the quality of teaching. This is the first large-scale systematic research in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dedicated to a more detailed analysis of the trainings and the identification of various essential aspects of teaching, some of which are neglected in practice (e.g. methodological and pedagogical aspects of teaching, consideration of the challenges faced by students, ethical and security issues) . The analysis is primarily based on survey data obtained from lecturers, but it is supplemented by a review of secondary sources, semi-structured interviews with relevant persons, including surveys conducted with representatives of HEIs as well as students. It was established that there are a number of strengths, but also weaknesses and opportunities for improving distance learning in HEI's in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which specific recommendations are offered.

The assessment was carried out within the United Nations (UN) socio-economic recovery plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), which includes the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UN Volunteers developed project ''Re-imagining Education for Marginalized Girls and Boys during and post COVID-19".