Advantages and disadvantages of virtual and classical training experience gained from COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic restriction, the Trakia University closed and transmitted education in a virtual learning environment using Moodle online platform and G Suit offered free from Google. In the beginning, that situation created a shock in academic staff and students. Many professors and assistants did not know whether would they be capable of coping with the requirements of the situation or not. However, the governance of the university gave immediate support as links for training, orders, definitions of how is adequate to continue the learning process, how should keep track of students and administration, and so on. Moreover, the support and instructions were given to academics who were not been familiar with an online platform to learn how to create and spread lectures, exercises, training quizzes, and how to build a stable virtual channel with the students. It was needed just one week and distant online training settled successfully at Trakia University. Because of that pandemic event, the virtual learning environment in the university was enlarged and enriched with new digital information and possibilities to conduct lectures and exams through the video connections of virtual classrooms. Both academic staff and students became more familiar with working in the digital environment and gained new knowledge. Furthermore, students were strongly engaged in the new situation and were supportive. The students created virtual communities as closed groups on Facebook, Messenger, e-mails, and phone calls. The lecture attendance rose due to epidemic restrictions and the recommendation «stay home safe life». Distance learning flourished, students showed high responsibility for doing different homework and tasks, they were very precise coming on time at virtual meetings, and in the end, the exam results were better. Nevertheless, real communication was missing; the advantages were more free time and work from any place where WiFi is.