Teaching online and caring for students and colleagues

This chapter explores how the University's decision to move all courses to an online format impacted faculty members. It illustrates the challenges associated with transitioning from a brick-and-mortar, four-year university that predominantly offers in-person classes into one that operated almost completely online. The chapter focuses on faculty and how different aspects of their pedagogy were immediately impacted by the pandemic. It addresses how faculty participants expressed their concern for students and colleagues as well as the initiatives and actions participants took to assist students and colleagues. The chapter discusses the impact of COVID-19 and the transition to online learning on a traditional institution of higher education. The experience of transitioning to online teaching varied widely for faculty and was dependent on the course and content delivery, experience with online teaching and online tools, and course context. All faculty made accommodations for students, whether at the behest of the University directive to accommodate student needs or because they felt it was in the best interest of the students. Faculty participants also adjusted their expectations for assessments and grading. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Community, communication and expectations for teaching

This chapter explores how communication during the COVID-19 crisis hindered and supported faculty performance and how they interpreted institutional communication and expectations around their teaching. It addresses the importance of community to faculty, both as they adjusted to online instruction and as a source of thriving in their work. Faculty are a key element in higher education institutions, and the findings show how faculty participants acted on the frontlines of the transition to online learning. Faculty participants consistently talked about the challenges of teaching students to the best of their ability during a global pandemic, and the importance of their communities for their success in this endeavor. They expected clear communication from the University and desired guidelines specific to each college or department. In the end, faculty relied on their community as a resource of knowledge and support during the difficult transition. Professional organizations and colleagues outside of the University of Utah also served as sources of knowledge for faculty as they adjusted to online learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)