College Instructors’ Experience with Flexibility through Pandemic Teaching
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This study explores flexibility in teaching during and since the COVID-19 pandemic through the lived experiences of instructors at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In-depth interviews were conducted to investigate how instructors implemented flexibility and adapted to the rapid transition to online and hybrid teaching models during a global health crisis. The study explores the effects these measures (and the pandemic) had on their students, their pedagogy, the perceived expectations for them to provide it, and their well-being. The findings illuminate the strategies instructors employed to maintain educational continuity ranging from adjustments in course delivery and assessments to accommodations for student engagement and well-being, and continued expectations for flexibility. Findings convey instructors’ experiences with rapidly adapting in unprecedented times, understanding student needs and expectations, and uncovering the unintended consequences and the unexpected benefits. Instructors emphasized the importance of human-centric, empathetic teaching practices that address broader emotional and psychological needs of students. Throughout their narratives, three significant themes for discussion emerged from these shared experiences: the dual role of technology, the recognition of inequitable flexibility, and a reflective and spirited response of education.
Author: Orugboh, Kate Marie Quesenberry
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7078793415