Desafíos de la docencia universitaria con tecnologías digitales en Brasil y Colombia durante la covid-19

The pandemic generated by covid-19 not only paralyzed practically the entire world for several months, but also affected all social spheres of human beings, among which formal education stood out. This paper aims to describe some challenges faced by professors of public universities in Brazil and Colombia at the beginning of the pandemic resulting from covid-19. Framed in narrative research, the central focus was to analyze the impasses presented in relation to the use of digital technologies in the first months of the crisis. To this end, two instruments were applied: a survey (N=28) and a written narrative (N=12). The analysis of the data not only revealed difficulties in terms of technological and pedagogical competence with digital technologies (DT) faced by teachers in the Emergency Remote Teaching, mediated exclusively by DT; but also, various inconveniences related to personal factors, reorganization of routine, working conditions, among other aspects. However, the narratives also show that the contingency had positive aspects for teachers in terms of appropriation and use of technology, opportunities for (self)learning and professional development, which allowed them to “(re)discover” the potential of DT during remote teaching and potentially in the return to face-to-face teaching. It is concluded that any abrupt change brings with it challenges and opportunities and that the pedagogical use of DT by on-site university professors deserves to be further investigated and contrasted with what was evidenced during the past crisis.