A Blended Learning Future: COVID-19 Lessons for “Phygital” Higher Education

The pandemic transformed higher education, making it clear that the future of education lies in the use of technology. Recognizing this development, this study examined the blended learning experiences of students and teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to propose targeted strategies for the evolving “phygital” (physical + digital) university ecosystem. Drawing on existing literature, it explores three critical dimensions of the educational experience: technology, the teaching-learning process, and social interaction. Following a transcendental phenomenological approach, the study used a convenience sample of 10 students and 10 teachers, selected based on the saturation criterion. Using Leximancer software for text analysis, in-depth interviews with a representative sample of students and teachers were conducted. The findings exposed significant challenges faced during the pandemic, including a lack of digital tool proficiency among users, inadequate engagement with online content, organisational hurdles, increased workload, diminished personal interactions, and emerging mental health concerns among students. These insights underscore the urgency of crafting tailored strategies to enhance the phygital learning environment, focusing on improving infrastructure and providing comprehensive training to both students and educators.