Abstract

This study aimed to capture collective faculty experiences of adapting to teaching entirely or partially online during the three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The literature suggests that emergency remote teaching (ERT) was only a temporary stopgap for higher education institutions and faculty to move instruction online early in the pandemic (Hodges et al., 2021). Before the initial move to being entirely online in March 2020, higher education institutions had already lagged compared to other industries in providing digitally driven, outcomes-focused business models (Gallagher & Palmer, 2020). Therefore, it is no surprise that higher education leadership, faculty, and staff faced various operational and technical challenges when delivering online teaching and learning to students. After two years of being fully or partially online, most faculty returned to campus in the fall of 2022.

This study used a mixed method, embedded concurrent, single data collection strategy using a survey to measure the extent of faculty resource seeking of institutional, collegial, external (non-institutional), and other supports, with a qualitative component to capture and identify key value-creation stories shared through individual faculty experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Theoretical frameworks used include Communities of Practice (CoP), social learning (SLT), and the value creation framework (VCF, an evaluation tool for CoPs). This study aimed to inform future institutional decision-making regarding professional learning options for hybrid and online learning by identifying individual faculty resource-seeking strategies and adaptive teaching and learning practices used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty rankings of institutional, collegial, external, and other support resulted in the following conclusions. During the COVID-19 transition to online support RQ1, faculty first relied on institutional support and resources, followed by collegial resources RQ2; faculty collegial networks played a critical role during these times of uncertainty. Additionally, the study found that RQ3 resources seeking support and resources had the most value during a significant change. Future planning regarding the offerings of faculty support and resources can use these findings to prepare for uncertainty and disruptions.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023; Distance education; Web-based instruction

Date of Award

2024

School Affiliation

Graduate School of Education and Psychology

Department/Program

Education

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctorate

Faculty Advisor

Jennifer Miyake-Trapp

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