Educational Leadership Research

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread shift to online instruction brought increased attention to the importance of educational supervision. During this period, educational supervisors played a key role in improving instructional quality and supporting the professional development of teachers. Given the importance of supervision in virtual education, this qualitative study—conducted using a phenomenological approach—examines the experiences of educational supervision during the era of online learning. The participants included educational supervisors, instructional leaders, school principals, and assistant principals in the Kurdistan province of Iran who were engaged in virtual educational supervision during the 2020–2021 academic year. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews based on purposive and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis and theme extraction were conducted using the Attride–Stirling (2001) framework and MAXQDA 2020 software. Three overarching themes emerged: advancement of educational supervision, modernization of supervision practices, and professional development of educational supervisors. The findings indicate that at the onset of online education, supervisors experienced confusion and encountered challenges in monitoring virtual classrooms. They initially relied on supervisory models designed for face-to-face teaching and, at times, approached the supervision process with a degree of leniency. Over time, however, supervisors gradually adapted to the new conditions and adopted updated strategies for virtual supervision. They also became increasingly aware of their evolving role within the supervision and instructional process. Furthermore, virtual supervision holds potential for enhancing the professional skills and knowledge of both teachers and supervisors in the post-pandemic era.