The COVID-19 pandemic has positioned the issue of the virtual environments in the “new normal” of the teaching and learning processes. During these last times, the rapid transition from traditional face-to-face learning to online learning or ICT-based learning has been viewed as a paradigm shift in higher education. Based on the theoretical fundamentals of communicative interactions, the present study describes their adaptation to an ICT-based teaching strategy considering the basic organizational needs and the pursuing of engagement and motivation of students and teachers. The present approach aims to contribute from two perspectives: (i) in a theoretically way to the literature with the fundamentals about communicative interactions, specifically from online learning or ICT-based learning, and (ii) in an empiric way with the practical implications of formulating strategies and processes of digital transformation in academic context and the relevant pondering about the teachers and students needs inside the virtual learning environments. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.