Principal Perspectives on School Staffing Struggles: Finding from the 2022 Learn Together Survey. American Educator Panels. Research Report. RR-A827-14

In this report, a nationally representative sample of kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) public school principals were asked about their experiences with covering classrooms and hiring staff. In the spring of the 2021-2022 school year, which coincided with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) omicron variant surge, most principals struggled to keep classrooms consistently staffed and many reported that hiring had become more challenging since the previous school year. Principals indicated that a lack of substitute teachers -- not an increase in open teaching positions -- was the main reason for classroom coverage shortages. In addition to day-to-day coverage issues, most principals reported that teacher vacancies were on the rise. Most of these principals believed that vacancies had grown more difficult to fill than in the prior school year, largely because of declining applicant counts. Principals' preferences when hiring teachers lend further insight into potential drivers of hiring challenges. A large majority of principals expressed strong preferences for like-minded teachers whose mindsets aligned with the vision and culture of the schools. Few principals prioritized the diversity of the educator workforce at their schools.

Coping Orientation of Academic Community in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Multi-Country Survey Study

In this paper, we have mapped the coping methods used to address the coronavirus pandemic by members of the academic community. We conducted an anonymous survey of a convenient sample of 674 faculty/staff members and students from September to December 2020. A modified version of the RCOPE scale was used for data collection. The results indicate that both religious and existential coping methods were used by respondents. The study also indicates that even though 71% of informants believed in God or another religious figure, 61% reported that they had tried to gain control of the situation directly without the help of God or another religious figure. The ranking of the coping strategies used indicates that the first five methods used by informants were all non-religious coping methods (i.e., secular existential coping methods): regarding life as a part of a greater whole, regarding nature as an important resource, listening to the sound of surrounding nature, being alone and contemplating, and walking/engaging in any activities outdoors giving a spiritual feeling. Our results contribute to the new area of research on academic community's coping with pandemic-related stress and challenges.

Emotional well-being and performance of middle leaders: the role of organisational trust in early childhood education

PurposeThe current study investigated the impact of organisational trust on emotional well-being and performance of middle leaders during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of 265 middle leaders in kindergartens in China responded involving trust in schools (e.g. trust in principal and trust in colleagues), emotional well-being and job performance. Both confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used in the investigation.FindingsThree hypotheses on the relationships between the three constructs were verified. Trust in schools significantly influenced emotional well-being and job performance of middle leaders which correlated with each other. The interactive effects of trust in principal and trust in colleagues were discussed for improving the well-being and job performance of middle leaders. Relationships between the two kinds of trust and pride were also identified in the research.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies may put efforts towards improving these three outcomes synchronously.Practical implicationsBased on the evidence of the current study, future research may focus on how middle leaders act as a bridging role between different stakeholders such as principal and teachers, principal and parents, teachers and children, meanwhile how to boost the leaders' own well-being and performance in the early childhood education (ECE).Originality/valueThis study established the empirical linkages between school trusts, emotional well-being and job performance.

Connectivity, community, and sense of belonging

This chapter illustrates how the change to a virtual setting challenged students' social connectedness and sense of belonging. It demonstrates how students found a way to build social connectedness in a virtual setting that reinforced their sense of community. The chapter discusses how Students of Color experienced the COVID-19 interruption. It offers insights into whether thriving in college is even possible for students when their means of creating community have been disrupted. At the University of Utah, the detachment was experienced by students in their interactions with faculty and their relationships with their friends, peers, and classmates. The closing of campus and the shift to online learning also limited students' social connectedness with friends, classmates, and peers. Students also relied on new communities to gain motivation and achieve academically. University employees were also a part of students' relational communities. Some students created a strong emotional connection with staff members, such as advisors and student affairs professionals. The pandemic and the resulting educational changes added another layer of complexity to the academic experiences of Students of Color. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Sociological Role of Empathy in the Classroom

Teaching during a global pandemic has prompted many discussions about how faculty can best support students and create classrooms where deep learning and engagement occur. In this conversation, we argue there is a role for empathy in college classrooms. We present data from interviews with faculty at a small, Midwestern, teaching-focused university during the fall of 2020. We map these perspectives onto the empathy paths framework and suggest that the therapeutic and instrumental paths are most useful for understanding empathy in the classroom. We also discuss why it is important for faculty to think about empathy and the role sociology can play in these conversations. Finally, we present a series of empathetic practices individual faculty can incorporate into their pedagogy and structural supports that departments and universities can provide to help faculty engage in empathetic practices in the classroom.

How a Sense of Collective Efficacy Influences Teacher Learning during Change: The Role of Academic Optimism and Shared Vision

Purpose: The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study reflects on the development of professional capital through understanding collective cultural factors, namely, academic optimism and shared vision. Second, it aims at exploring teacher learning. Teacher learning resulting in changes to teacher knowledge, attitudes and practices is crucial for the necessary changes education is continually confronted with. This learning is too often studied as a result of individual traits or structural factors, such as motivation or time. The authors investigated how teacher learning is influenced by academic optimism and shared vision. Design/methodology/approach: The authors administered an online web-based survey to 278 teachers in higher education, using the educational change to online learning due to the COVID pandemic as a unique chance to study the role of collective cultural factors in teacher learning. Findings: Results showed how teachers characterized their learning, academic optimism and shared vision during the educational change to online learning resulting from the COVID pandemic. The authors found that teacher learning was greatly influenced by teachers' collective sense of efficacy, an aspect of their academic optimism. Teachers' strong belief in each other, that they as fellow professionals could handle the challenging changes that the COVID pandemic required, strongly enhanced teacher learning during the COVID pandemic. Teachers' feeling of a professional community helped teacher to make sense of, and push through, the undeniable chaos that was the COVID pandemic. Originality/value: Collective cultural factors are rarely studied in conjunction with educational change. Insights into how a collective culture of professionalism enhances or hinders teacher learning are important for theory, policy and practice as it helps understand how teacher teams can be supported to build their professional capital by learning from educational change.

Impact of COVID-19 on Institutionally attached Nursing Professionals of Nepal

Aim: The specific aim of the study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on nursing faculty experiences.Background: Academic nursing experiences were disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is concern that the resulting stress threatens nursing faculty emotional well-being and reason to burnout.Method: A descriptive, quantitative study was conducted;exploring faculty academic and clinical roles during the COVID-19 pandemic by using structured, self designed, open-ended questionnaire to 401 institutionally attached nursing health professionals. The questionnaire includes various domains including Safety and Health, Challenges for teaching, clinical practise, supervision perception of institutional support provided;faculty burnout, satisfaction, and well-being.Results: Overall satisfaction with the working environment in the institutions with respect to total teaching experience showed a significant statistical. Participants perceived support from academic institutions and increased need to provide emotional support to students.Conclusion: Nursing faculty are essential to the profession. Nursing faculty require proactive and sustained institutional and personal support to provide exceptional ongoing education, build resilience, and support students.

Mental Health and Coping Strategies among University Staff during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross–Sectional Analysis from Saudi Arabia

This study examined psychological health and coping strategies among faculty and staff at a Saudi Arabian university. A web-based self-administered survey was used to assess probable anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and coping strategies by using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and Brief-COPE scale, respectively. Of 502 participants (mean age 36.04 ± 10.32 years, male: 66.3%), 24.1% (GAD-7 ≥ 10) had probable anxiety. Anxiety score was significantly higher in females (p < 0.001), those with a history of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.036), and participants with less work experience (p = 0.019). Approximately 40% of participants met the criteria of probable depression, with females (p < 0.001) and participants with less experience having more depressive symptoms. Around one-fourth (27.7%) of study participants indicated probable PTSD (score ≥ 33), with higher symptoms in females (p <0.001), less experienced staff (p < 0.001), and academic staff (p = 0.006). Correlation analysis indicated a significant positive correlation between anxiety and depression (r = 0.844, p < 0.001), anxiety and PTSD (r = 0.650, p < 0.001), and depression and PTSD (r = 0.676, p < 0.001). Active coping, religious/spiritual coping, and acceptance were common coping strategies, while substance use was the least adopted coping method among the study participants. This study indicated a high prevalence of probable psychological ailments among university staff.

Student Satisfaction on Lecturers' Effectiveness, Efficiency and Productivity: Malaysian Education Landscape during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the whole planet, including the education sector in Malaysia. As a result, the quality of lecturers' work is critical in maintaining the number of students in a university, particularly during a pandemic. Lecturers are put through their paces as they move from traditional to e-learning, learning new ways to teach classes, navigating technology, using new skills, and utilising their own knowledge. This study analysed responses of 892 local students from various officially registered public higher learning institutions throughout Malaysia. Convenient sampling method was used to gather responses through online google forms from the above respondents. The outcomes of this study provided some insight on how Malaysian higher education institutions might redeem themselves by offering better service to the society, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undertanding the Experience of Universities Flexible Learning in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case for Two Universities in the Philippines

The school system was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to assess the implementation of flexible learning in academic institutions. The study intends to describe the flexible learning as practiced in the highly urbanized University and the countryside University during the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey research aims to explore students' and faculty members' perceptions of the flexible learning modality implemented in the two institutions of higher learning. It also aims to discover the challenges, preferences, and support students and faculty need. Based on the results, learning becomes not workable given reasonable factors: strength of internet connectivity, quality of modules provided, the validity of the assessment, availability of learning devices such as smartphones, availability of budget for net data subscription, conduciveness of respective households for learning, et cetera. There should be standardized, normativized, and effective modules that are produced out of the intervention of various stakeholders. Requirements must be simple, reasonable, and workable given the students' time, resources, and capacity. Assessments should not be traditional and objective but should be authentic assessments. The digital divide should never be promoted directly or indirectly. The default system for all degree programs has to be the modules. The synchronous and/or asynchronous sessions should be made available to students but not mandatory;the University and teachers have to monitor every student's learning progress effectively. © 2022 IEEE.

Faculty Perceptions of Health Professional Students' Hybrid-Online Learning Strategies: A Multi-Center Qualitative Study

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the utilization of hybrid-online and fully-online instruction in health professional education. Physical (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) programs have become increasingly reliant upon this mode of instruction. Therefore, it is important to understand advising strategies for this educational environment. Faculty advisors may endorse specific learning strategies over others. However, advising strategies of faculty are not well represented in the scientific literature. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological design used a six-item, open-ended questionnaire to purposefully survey faculty members teaching and advising students in hybrid-online PT and OT graduate programs during COVID-19. Dedoose® v.9.4 qualitative software (Los Angeles, CA;2021) was used to perform coding and thematic analysis. Three investigators performed data analysis to reach consensus on the organization of emerging codes and themes. Results: A sample of N = 36 participants was collected from three states: Florida 14 (38.9%);Texas 12 (33.3%);California 10 (27.8%). Total N (%) of PT and OT faculty enrolled were 26 (72%) and 10 (28%), respectively. Years teaching in hybridonline programs N (%) was: 1e4 years 20 (55.6%);5e9 years 8 (22.2%);10e14 years 5 (13.9%);15þ years 4 (11.1%). Thematic analysis revealed three major themes: Self-regulated Behaviors, Student Engagement, and Studying Strategies. Self-regulated Behaviors and Student Engagement were most prevalent among participant narratives. Coded responses such as " ‘time management', ‘preparedness', ‘chunking study time', ‘daily engagement with learning material', ‘work/ life balance', and ‘peer-to-peer teaching'” were positively associated with perceived student success. Conversely, "'procrastination/cramming', ‘poor work ethic', ‘lack of engagement', ‘lack of preparedness', and ‘rote memorization'” were negatively associated with perceived student success. Discussion: This study identified faculty perceptions of student strategies for success in hybrid-online health professional learning. The self-regulated behaviors of time management, preparedness, work/life balance, and the engagement behaviors of daily engagement with course materials, content application, class participation, and peer collaboration strongly emerged. These findings may help guide novice faculty advisors as hybrid-online instruction becomes more frequently leveraged across health professional education programs. © 2023 Association of Medical Education in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (AMEEMR).

The Experience of Teaching Public Administration in Russia during the Pandemic in 2020-2021

The main aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic both on the public services and on public administration (PA) education, to find out how the process of teaching of future public administrators had changed during the Pandemic and how these changes could possibly influence the process of teaching public administrators in future. The research methods included theoretical and analytical research methods, the methodology of empirical research, and comparative research methods. The latest works of PA scholars in the global context, the materials of the study provided by the teams of teachers of the leading Russian universities concerning teaching experience during 2020, and the latest data provided from the analysis carried out at the Institute for Social Sciences of Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Moscow, in the conditions of distant and mixed learning in 2020-2021, allowed the author to give some practical advice to teachers and education managers concerning the improvement of the educational programs for PA students regarding the new conditions of the study. The main conclusion made on the results of the analysis is that digitalization of teaching and learning process and organization of distant learning at the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic should be considered to be the most important issues in PA education which could be applied in PA education in future. The recommendations concerned such aspects as the development of digital competencies of students, distant regime implementation, new pedagogy and digital didactics, socialization of students, internationalization and academic mobility of students, improving the qualifications of teachers and university management teams, research work, and the development of meta-competencies of future public servants.

Implications of online faculty professional development through innovative and collaborative approaches in the new normal

The effect of schools suspending face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 outbreak has been challenged. To meet the current difficulties, instructors must be creative in their instructional strategies. As a consequence, students must be prepared for both synchronous and asynchronous learning. In the new normal, teachers need to be more motivated and self-reflective, and teaching and learning (TL) should be supported by a variety of technological resources. Thus, the aim of the study was to determine the implications of online faculty professional development via innovative and collaborative approaches in the new normal. As an intervention, it used an actual series of trainings. The survey questionnaire was used to assess the online faculty professional development series as well as an evaluation tool to determine its advantages and drawbacks. This qualitative method of study discovered that there is a genuine need for regular faculty professional development as well as the introduction of various technological resources and information and communication technology tools to enable teaching and learning for our students during this pandemic, and to make teachers more motivated and reflective to teach. The research used thematic analysis to identify topics that would reflect the implications of professional development. With series of online faculty professional development at PCC, the implications are relevant to the improvement of the outcomes-based teaching and learning, outcomes-based assessment, and the achievement of student-centered mode of instruction (Level 3). It is further recommended that a regular faculty professional development will be conducted to PCC to further enhance the teaching and learning process and for professional growth purposes of teachers. © 2023 Author(s).

Online learning during COVID-19

This chapter focuses on the challenges unique to online learning environments, how students responded to the abrupt shift to remote learning, and how this impacted their ability to thrive in the midst of a global pandemic. It illustrates how instructors' ability (or inability) to smoothly transition from in-person to online environments impacted students' learning. The chapter examines some of the challenges students faced with online learning, including changes in learning environments, communication with instructors, and classroom dialogues. It explores instances of students thriving in online learning environments. The inherent unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic and some institutional inconsistencies created challenges to building an environment in which students could thrive. Although the University attempted to create an online environment that allowed students to continue their education during the pandemic, significant issues arose that forced students to teach themselves, often with little support from faculty. The challenges of learning online were compounded with the loss of on-campus resources such as access to quiet study spaces and the University library. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

"The Stories We Tell Ourselves Shape Our Identities": Journals in a Plague Year

The author--in the role of one teacher observing another--documented a spring 2021 remote introductory art history course during the COVID-19 pandemic when graduate student teaching assistants called a campus-wide strike. Forced to improvise, the professor replaced formal analysis papers and exams with an ungraded journal. Drawing from the content of these journals, notes from the Zoom classes, and email correspondence with the professor, the author explicates how students took this journal assignment as an invitation to respond personally to the course content, and as an opportunity to grapple with their own identities. These journals allowed students to use art to explore similarities and differences freely across culture, space, and time. With the traditional requirement for an academic argument temporarily on pause, the author raises questions that characterize our present day: how to encourage a world that accepts different identities without hostility.

Report on the Condition of Education 2023. NCES 2023-144

The "Report on the Condition of Education" is a congressionally mandated annual report from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Using the most recent data available (at the time this report was written) from NCES and other sources, the report contains key indicators on the condition of education in the United States at all levels, from prekindergarten through postsecondary, as well as labor force outcomes and international comparisons. There are core indicators that are updated every year and spotlight indicators that provide in-depth analyses on topics of interest to education agencies, policymakers, researchers, and the public. At the broadest level, the Condition of Education Indicator System is organized into five sections: family characteristics;preprimary, elementary, and secondary education;postsecondary education;population characteristics and economic outcomes;and international comparisons. The Report on the "Condition of Education 2023" encompasses key findings from the Condition of Education Indicator System. The full contents of the Indicator System can be accessed online through the website or by downloading PDFs for the individual indicators. [For "The Condition of Education 2023": At a Glance, see ED628291. For the "Report on the Condition of Education 2022. NCES 2022-144," see ED619870.]

Marxismo e Serviço Social: palestra do Professor José Paulo Netto

Os manuscritos ora apresentados constituem a transcrição — ainda que com algumas adaptações — da palestra proferida pelo Professor José Paulo Netto, em 29 de setembro de 2020. Desde logo, informamos ao leitor que o presente texto passou pelo crivo do palestrante que, depois de atenta leitura, aprovou-o para publicação. A atividade supracitada foi organizada pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Serviço Social, da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Como já estávamos enfrentando a crise sanitária decorrente da pandemia da Covid-19, a palestra foi realizada na forma de um Webinário, com a minha mediação. Na ocasião, o Professor José Paulo Netto abordou o tema Marxismo e Serviço Social: elementos para pensar a pesquisa, a produção do conhecimento e os desafios do trabalho dos assistentes sociais. Como destacamos já à época, o professor José Paulo Netto tem um carisma inquestionável e uma competência intelectual amplamente reconhecida. Trata-se de uma exposição sobre o tema feita por um dos mais importantes marxistas da atualidade no Brasil. Suas contribuições ultrapassam as fronteiras do Serviço Social, tanto brasileiro como latino-americano, caribenho e europeu. José Paulo Netto tem contribuído para o debate da teoria social marxista e, por isso, tem também reconhecimento em outras áreas do conhecimento, o que acaba por fortalecer o próprio Serviço Social brasileiro, haja vista que é um agente desta categoria. Quem o conhece sabe que a sua produção intelectual é acompanhada pela militância política, no contexto das lutas anticapitalistas. Não por acaso, José Paulo Netto recebeu a insígnia de ser um marxista sem repouso, não só pela sua contribuição no âmbito da academia, mas também pela sua capacidade de problematizar e colocar luzes sobre as pautas e as lutas da classe trabalhadora. A exposição de José Paulo Netto que agora chega ao público também em forma de uma publicação escrita por esta edição da Revista Katálysis foi realizada num período imediatamente precedente à publicação daquela que já tem sido reconhecida como uma de suas mais importantes produções intelectuais. Trata-se do seu livro Marx: uma biografia, que foi lançado no final de 2020 e que deu forma a um sonho que perseguia o autor desde a sua adolescência. Este sonho, talvez mais do que poderia ele imaginar, tem ganhado força social na medida em que tem suscitado nos estudiosos do marxismo, principiantes ou não, questionamentos importantes sobre o nosso tempo histórico a partir da obra e da vida de Karl Marx, o que evidencia a atualidade do seu pensamento para orientar as lutas pela emancipação humana.Alternate :The following manuscript results from the transcription — albeit with some adaptations — of the lecture given by Professor José Paulo Netto, on September 29, 2020. The text was reviewed by the speaker himself, who, after careful reading, approved it for publication. The aforementioned event was organized by the Postgraduate Program in Social Work, at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Since we were already facing the global health crisis resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, the lecture was held in a Webinar format and coordinated by me. During the occasion, Professor José Paulo Netto addressed the theme entitled Marxism and Social Work: reflections on research, knowledge production, and the challenges of social workers' practice. As we pointed out at the time, Professor José Paulo Netto has undeniable charisma and widely acknowledged intellectual competence. The theme was tackled by one of the most important Marxists in Brazil today. His contributions surpass the boundaries of Social Work, both Brazilian and Latin American, Caribbean and European. José Paulo Netto has enriched Marxist social theory in general and, therefore, he also has an impact on other areas of knowledge, which further strengthens the Brazilian Social Work, since he is a representative of this category. Those who know him are aware that his intellectual career is accomp nied by a life of political militancy, in the context of anti-capitalist struggles. Not by chance, José Paulo Netto has received the title of being a restless Marxist, not only for his efforts in the academic field, but also for his capacity to challenge and shed light on the agendas and struggles of the working class. This lecture by José Paulo Netto which now is brought to the general public in the form of a written piece, published in this issue of Katálysis Journal, was held right before the release of what has already been recognized as one of his most important intellectual works. His book Marx: a biography, which was released in late 2020 and fulfilled one the author's teenage dream. This dream come true, perhaps more than he could have imagined, has gained social force to the extent that it has raised in scholars of Marxism, beginners or not, relevant questions about our historical time from the work and life of Karl Marx, which highlights the relevance of his thought to guide the struggles for human emancipation.

Reimagining Teacher Identity in the Post-COVID-19 University: Becoming Digitally Savvy, Reflective in Practice, Collaborative, and Relational

Objective: Through the crisis of COVID-19 university teachers have been pushed into the realm of emergency remote teaching (ERT), familiar ways of living, working and being, brought unprecedented additional uncertainty and vulnerability to an already highly complex context. The purpose of this narrative review was to look at how these transformations affected teacher identity and the ways relationality shifted during this time. The intention was to bring relationality, care, collaboration, and excellent teaching possibilities, into the centre of our thinking. Whilst recognising the pandemic as a traumatic experience for many, it is a hopeful paper. Method: An examination and thematic analysis of literature published from March 2020-November 2020 on ERT. Results: The crisis and corresponding shift to teaching online demanded faculty to overcome their bias against online delivery, reimagine teaching, resulting in increased innovation and unexpected positive experiences which continue to rise. Conclusion: Teachers already engaging with student-centred approaches, relational pedagogies, reflective practice, community networks, and/or digital technologies managed the transition to online teaching and learning more effectively. Future teacher training requires effective online education, how to design and deliver, how to collaborate, and how to make relational connections with others, and access to resources.

TeleNGAGE: Enhancing Collaboration between Families and Schools

Findings in the literature strongly support the importance of family engagement in education. However, effective partnerships between families and schools are rare, especially in ethnically diverse communities where families may lack efficacy or face structural challenges for engagement. Additionally, educator perspectives toward engagement are often framed by White, middle-class paradigms. Educators often fail to acknowledge structural challenges faced by low-income families or the cultural contributions low-income and/or minoritized families can bring. To facilitate engagement between families and schools, a new ECHO® line, TeleNGAGE, was developed at Oklahoma State University, Educational Leadership program. ECHO®, traditionally used in the field of medicine, has utility for professional development for educators because it offers a platform for case-based learning where real problems are addressed in real-time. Additionally, didactic presentations provide professional development for collaborative learning. Through the lens of Communities of Practice (CoP), this qualitative case study explores how relationships between families and schools changed as a result of participation in TeleNGAGE. Tenets of CoP, negotiated meaning, mutual engagement, and a shared repertoire, support a collaborative approach to addressing complex problems. Findings suggest that a CoP has emerged through TeleNGAGE and has resulted in changes in perspectives across families and educational leaders about "what it means to be engaged," enhanced family efficacy for engagement, and changes in engagement practice as family voice has expanded through sharing of concerns/perspectives. These findings have important implications for equitable engagement in a convenient, cost-free environment where educators and families can communicate and develop mutually supportive understandings and practices.

The way forward

The profound sadness, anxiety, depression, and loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is difficult to fathom. This chapter offers both scholars and practitioners the opportunity to reconsider the purposes and potential of higher education in a world after COVID-19. The importance of community and a sense of belonging, the power of learning new strategies during changing times, and acknowledging that the COVID-19 pandemic had significant consequences for individuals are themes that describe the experiences of the pandemic for faculty, staff, and students at the University of Utah. The University of Utah is offering most classes in an online environment and most students are not on campus, but students, their families, faculty, and staff are gathering for small, COVID-safe in-person graduation ceremonies. The chapter illustrates pockets of thriving across the University of Utah: students creating communities wherever they could to overcome lags in motivation;faculty feeling vitality as they learned new ways to teach and recognized their growth in this process;and staff realizing they could find new ways to solve problems with students. It offers broad recommendations for higher education with the intent that the findings may help others attempting to thrive or survive during times of crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)