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The use of digital tools in teaching and learning has become increasingly common in recent years. Even prior to 2020, their usage was steadily growing, but the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early part of the current decade significantly accelerated their adoption. This trend has persisted even as the virus is no longer a pressing emergency, indicating that certain changes will have a lasting impact. Utilizing digital tools in education offers advantages, but it also presents challenges. Transitioning from using computers and other devices for everyday purposes to incorporating them into educational contexts is not as straightforward. In this research, we examine how students perceive higher education during the transition prompted by the pandemic. We conducted a survey among military and civilian students enrolled in security and defence studies, focusing on their experiences and perceptions as they undergo significant changes in their educational routines. Analysis of the questionnaire revealed that students encountered difficulties in various aspects, including establishing connections with teachers and experiencing the same level of engagement when unable to interact with them in person. An increase in the students' perception of digital competencies was detected. This research is part of the activities undertaken in the European project DIGICODE, which aims to enhance the quality of education in security and defence by promoting the proper use of digital tools and fostering the development of digital competencies among both students and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 hastened a trend that was already ongoing before the pandemic outbreak: the progressively increasing use of distance and online teaching and learning, alongside with lectures and classes. The potentialities of online teaching allowed a didactic continuity that would have been impossible otherwise, and this approach is likely to be maintained even after COVID-19 related restrictions end. From these remarks, it immediately follows that it is of great importance that teachers, students and other personnel, such as technicians and program managers, possess digital skills devoted to education. In the context of security and defence, areas with a strong international vocation, these skills are even more valuable. This research investigates the impact of COVID-19 on education in these contexts: the changes caused by the pandemic, the teachers' perception about some aspects of their job, such as the way they relate with students, and their ability to perform the same commitments in a different scenario. The research has been conducted based on the analysis of an online anonymous questionnaire with more than 500 responses. Results suggested the importance of the development of a training devoted to improving teachers' digital skills, since they live frontline in education, and they have been directly impacted by disruptive changes. This study is part of the European project Digital Competences for Improving Security and Defence Education - DIGICODE. Pursuing to the Digital Education Action Plan, the project aims at improving education quality in security and defence, by means of digital tools in didactics, and the development of teachers' professional competences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]