Narrating a mandated shift to online instruction during a global crisis: COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in February of 2020 made online learning in higher education a necessity. Because faculty are key to the success of online instruction, their attitudes, experiences, and motivation need to be understood and respected (Hoffman, 2018). Some faculty more readily adapt to online learning instruction than others. Little is yet known about the impact the required "pivot" to solely online instruction, also termed emergency remote transition (ERT), had on faculty experience and motivation to teach online including those who may or may not have had previous experience with online instruction, particularly in dietetic education. Using transcendental phenomenology (Moustakas, 1994) and self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) frameworks, this case study of a private research/teaching university in upstate NY examined the phenomenon of faculty members' abrupt transition to online teaching during a global crisis encountered in the spring semester of 2020. Data describing the participant experience/narrative was collected via semi-structured interviews with faculty participants and researcher field notes, contemporary and scholarly literature, and university documents/artifacts. Qualitative coding methods were used to identify themes and assertions. The COVID-19 pandemic required academia to swiftly transition to online learning while maintaining the rigor of academic programs. This "forced shift", while painful, may provide an opportunity to reimagine course instruction and delivery as pedagogy in higher education continues to evolve and encompass increased use of digital modalities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)