University of Tehran Sport Management Journal 2008-9341 15 3 2023 10 23 Analyzing the Lived Experiences of Sports Science Professors from the Challenges and Achievements of Virtual Education during Covid-19 Pandemic Analyzing the Lived Experiences of Sports Science Professors from the Challenges and Achievements of Virtual Education during Covid-19 Pandemic 174 150 85119 10.22059/jsm.2021.330955.2818 FA Mahdi Bashiri Department of Sports Management, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0003-0514-2772 Saba Dibaei Master student of Sports Management Behboud Yarigholi Department of Educational Sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran Rasoul Faraji - Department of Sports Management, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran 0000-0002-6615-7110 Sepideh Shabani Department of Education of East Azarbaijan, Tabriz, Iran Journal Article 2021 09 22 <strong>Introduction:</strong> Given the widespread use of virtual education in the universities, the need to maintain education in the form of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic as an alternative to in-person education, as well as the use of the experiences and perspectives of professors to improve the quality and quantity of e-learning in the future, has led to a study entitled "exploring the experiences of sports science professors with the challenges and achievements of virtual education during the coronavirus pandemic".<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> The study was descriptive phenomenological research with qualitative approach. Participants in the study were professors of sports science at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University who were selected through a convenience sampling method. The participants’ contribution was preceded until the data collection was completed. In order to collect data, in-depth semi-structured interview was used and to analyze qualitative data Colaizzi's method was used.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> Based on the analysis of participants' experiences, 5 main categories (inefficiency of teaching practical courses, lack of necessary virtual teaching infrastructure, the need to pay attention to teaching considerations, quality of evaluation and e-learning outcomes) and 26 sub-categories were identified.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> According to the findings, it was found that e-learning of practical courses was not desirable; therefore, it is recommended that more sufficient alternative and complementary methods complying with the educational goals be applied alongside consideration of health care protocols. <strong>Introduction:</strong> Given the widespread use of virtual education in the universities, the need to maintain education in the form of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic as an alternative to in-person education, as well as the use of the experiences and perspectives of professors to improve the quality and quantity of e-learning in the future, has led to a study entitled "exploring the experiences of sports science professors with the challenges and achievements of virtual education during the coronavirus pandemic".<br /><strong>Methods:</strong> The study was descriptive phenomenological research with qualitative approach. Participants in the study were professors of sports science at Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University who were selected through a convenience sampling method. The participants’ contribution was preceded until the data collection was completed. In order to collect data, in-depth semi-structured interview was used and to analyze qualitative data Colaizzi's method was used.<br /><strong>Results:</strong> Based on the analysis of participants' experiences, 5 main categories (inefficiency of teaching practical courses, lack of necessary virtual teaching infrastructure, the need to pay attention to teaching considerations, quality of evaluation and e-learning outcomes) and 26 sub-categories were identified.<br /><strong>Conclusion:</strong> According to the findings, it was found that e-learning of practical courses was not desirable; therefore, it is recommended that more sufficient alternative and complementary methods complying with the educational goals be applied alongside consideration of health care protocols. https://jsm.ut.ac.ir/article_85119_f0ee7f4ebc9b37a2af3da0a19c9d4936.pdf