Abstract

VARGAS, Rene Montero  and  ORTIZ, Rocío Rueda. Pedagogical shifts in higher education: the role of virtual platforms in redefining teaching practice. Prax. Saber [online]. 2025, vol.16, n.45, 1.  Epub Jan 13, 2026. ISSN 2216-0159.  https://doi.org/10.19053/uptc.22160159.v16.n45.2025.17566.

This article presents a qualitative approach to teaching practices mediated by a virtual education platform at a Colombian public university. The study draws on interviews with faculty members and reviews of platform-generated reports on teacher and student activity. Two central dynamics are highlighted: first, the reduction of educational practice to an administrative function focused on reports, statistics, user profiles, and personal activity graphs translated into data; and second, the redefinition of teaching practice in terms of discrete tasks and a "monitored" presence shaped by the platform itself. The findings reveal a platform governance model that primarily conceives these systems as instruments of control, thereby narrowing teaching practices to data-driven analysis and decision-making. Consequently, the pedagogical meaning of teaching and both faculty and institutional autonomy tend to be guided by criteria established by this governance.

Keywords : higher education; distance learning; digital platform; teaching practice; educational trends; role of the teacher.

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