The pandemic period in education brought many challenges to all organizations. The activities of the higher educational institutions are being affected and the situation can last for a longer time. Under these circumstances, it is important to shift to online learning and improve educational processes through all organizational levels. The organizations had to assure appropriate distance or remote learning process by identifying their opportunities, meeting challenges, and identifying the sustainable quality factors for remote or distance learning. This study aimed to map and test the factors that influence online learning success in the pandemic situation in higher education in one of the European Union countries, Lithuania. Factors analyzed and presented in the paper are the quality of institutions and services, infrastructure and system quality, quality of courses and information, and online learning environment. Data were collected through surveys by distributing questionnaires and interviews. Authors are providing the main criteria for successful education based on administrative positions and design makers of the educational organizations. The article summarizes the interviews of 15 respondents from the three Lithuanian higher education institutions and how their informants met changes, opportunities, and identified quality factors addressed to the successful learning and teaching process during a pandemic period.

The pandemic COVID-19 period in education has brought many challenges to all organizations. The activities of the higher educational institutions are being affected and the situation may last for a long time. Under the current circumstances, it is important to shift to distance learning through online processes and improve educational processes at all organizational levels. Institutions have to ensure successful distance or remote learning process by identifying their opportunities, meeting challenges, and establishing the sustainable quality factors for remote or distance learning. This study aimed at identifying the pandemic-induced qualitative changes in studies that have occurred at the levels of university authorities, lecturers, and students. Universities of Lithuania were taken as a case study. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the focus of analysis is not on the negative effects of the pandemic observed in higher education studies but on finding positive qualitative changes that are also of importance to future studies. Phenomenographic qualitative research strategy was chosen in the research and 15 in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts in university studies were conducted. Seven categories were distinguished during the research representing qualitative changes in studies at three levels—authorities, lecturers, and students. The discussed levels seemed to have a mutual effect on each other. The external motivation of leaders and the support and establishment of work and online study conditions encouraged both external and internal qualitative changes in studies from the perspective of lecturers as well as students.

Research and higher education regulations have been shaping attitudes not only towards the higher education lecturer as a professional in the field who is able to use educational tools but also towards the interfaces between lecturers and students. In this lecturer–student interaction, the students’ own perception of the qualities of the lecturer’s personality and/or possessed competences that are acceptable to them and that motivate them to participate in the learning process should be emphasised as an important aspect of success. Thus, the article raises the following problem questions: (1) What competences should a lecturer have from the students’ point of view to achieve student-centred studies? (2) What is the relationship between the competences of the lecturer and the implementation of sustainable development ideas in the organisation of student-centred studies? This article is based on a 2019 survey conducted among Lithuanian university and college students, employing a questionnaire survey with a survey instrument that included open-ended questions. The survey was conducted with a sample of 390 participants. In addressing the issue at hand, it becomes evident that, from the students’ perspective, the personality of the lecturer possesses a multidimensional character. They not only value the lecturer’s expertise in the subject matter taught (subject competence) but also place a stronger emphasis on two other aspects. First, they value the lecturer’s ability to motivate and engage students in the learning process (educational competence), which includes an essential component: communication competence. Second, the lecturer’s personality acquires meaning through fundamental human values.

Purpose – The article is aimed at analyzing university management decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic thus emphasizing the impact of the decisions made on the effective management of the situation. Research methodology – To achieve the established goal, research methodology involved the qualitative research strategy applying the semi-structured interview method and scientific literature analysis. The article is of a theoretical and empirical nature. The empirical part presents its individual research on implementing strategies in the field of adapting appropriate areas of the University as an important part of the study implementation process. The study involved 15 experts – 12 men and 4 women. The research results are the basis for developing practical guidelines for higher education institutions. Findings – Research findings have disclosed that successful management decisions fall into eight categories: management actions, the collaboration between the different levels of authorities and the academic community, the development and maintenance of a technical base, timely and continuous academic support for teaching staff, multipurpose support for students, control over the studying process, security assurance, solutions at the level of study programs. The article demonstrates a holistic approach to making the required decisions. Research limitations – Research limitations impose conducting a study in a specific culture and the organizational context of Lithuania. Practical implications – Practical implications suggest that the conducted research helps the leaders of various levels at educational establishments make the most useful necessary decisions for the institution in an emergency. Originality/Value – The uniqueness of the conducted research lies in the first attempt to show management solutions worked out by the universities in Lithuania during the COVID-19 pandemic. Keyword : university management solutions, online studies, studies during the COVID-19 pandemic

The article analyses the relationship between educational and digital competences in the development of digital study tools and digitisation of the content of study subjects. A quantitative study was conducted, that is, a survey of lecturers who have participated in educational and content digitisation training courses and developed digital study tools. Simple quantitative analysis was used to process the data. The results of the survey showed that the development and use of digital tools require not only learning the different tools for digitisation, but also knowing what didactic purposes they can be used for and what learning goals they can be used to achieve. Thus, digitising the content of the subject begins with the selection of appropriate tools that serve specific didactic goals. The findings underscore the imperative to improve educational competence through the digitisation of study subject content.