The Challenge for Faculty
As highlighted by Nathan Grawe (2020; How Will the Pandemic Change Higher Education), "We’re adopting new teaching technologies, engaging with advisees in new ways, and streamlining decision-making to match the speed of the crisis. Some of these changes have the potential to improve student outcomes. When the pandemic abates and campuses return to normal, we should permanently employ the best of those changes.”
The reality is that students in college today are fundamentally different than those just five short years ago; students are returning to our classrooms with unique challenges:
increased mental health concerns
increased economic burdens
increased support needs
increased desire for value-added knowledge and skills that directly impact career opportunities
Complicating the issue, these challenges are intensified by:
With falling enrollments and increased pressure to attract and retain students, faculty are faced with the challenge of offering students a value-added learning experience that meaningfully engages students in their courses and in the broader campus community. Beyond just meeting cognitive learning objectives, faculty must adapt to meet students' rapidly evolving expectations for flexible, relevant, hands-on learning while simultaneously creating learning experiences that meet students' core psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness.
Addressing this complex challenge requires more than simply integrating active learning strategies or modifying traditional assessments, it mandates embracing a new philosophy of teaching and learning.