Teaching in Times of Crisis or Pandemic Pedagogy

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs), including universities, adult and vocational institutes, and technical and further education (TAFE) centres, faced the challenge of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with limited data on how best to protect their communities and to continue educating their students. HEIs implemented various measures and adaptations by prioritizing the safety and well-being of students, staff, and the broader community while ensuring uninterrupted educational delivery. The pandemic presented a global educational challenge, requiring institutions to address complex organizational issues. These challenges encompassed topics such as information access, equity, diverse communication infrastructures, collaboration, logistics, the use of digital platforms, decentralization, redundancy, variation in virtual rituals and communication protocols, unstructured digital proxemics, Zoom fatigue, the absence of remote feedback loop models, and COVID-19 management protocols. Among the critical questions posed by the pandemic in the higher education sector in Australia and Canada, whether at universities, technical institutes, or education centres, was how faculty enhanced the learning experience and fostered symbiosis among co-located/on-shore and remote/off-shore students. To gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between HEIs and COVID-19 educational mitigation, we analysed the actions taken by three HEIs in Australia and one in Canada during the crisis years of 2021–2022. This analysis was based on the personal reflections of the authors (academics from various HEIs), a synthesis of which is presented in this chapter.

Citation

J.-F., , Pullen, D., Bown, A., See, Z.S., Nelson, N., Heywood, A., Dao, L., Yang, Y., Winnberg, H. and Reck, S. (2024), "Teaching in Times of Crisis or Pandemic Pedagogy", Hack-Polay, D., Lock, D., Caputo, A., Lokhande, M. and Salunkhe, U. (Ed.) Global Higher Education Practices in Times of Crisis: Questions for Sustainability and Digitalization, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 29-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83797-052-020241003