The call for contributions

For staff and students alike, the shift to online learning necessitated by the Coronavirus Pandemic was far from a matter of choice. It was sudden, it was quick, it was necessary and it was ubiquitous. For many, a crash course in the use of unfamiliar tools and techniques rapidly followed in which teaching staff were expected to become familiar in double-quick time with new skills as online learning designers and tutors¹, whilst students were expected to equally quickly adapt to online learning approaches². ‘Emergency online teaching’ in the Summer developed into plans to make more of the affordances and potentials of online learning and to maximise the benefits of (increasingly scarce and constrained) face-to-face opportunities³. Important questions became increasingly pressing such as:

• What are the benefits of different modes of online learning and how can they best be combined with (increasingly challenging) opportunities for face-to-face interaction?

• How should we approach on-campus socially-distanced teaching and learning? How can technology support that on-campus interaction and how does the campus teaching fit with flexible delivery for all learners?

• How can engagement and active learning be maximised?

• How can learning relationships and a sense of community be maintained?

• How can learning outcomes still be met and assessed effectively?

• How can equity and accessibility be ensured?

• How can all this be achieved (and resourced) safely and effectively?

At York, as elsewhere, efforts were made to share the wealth of existing expertise and insights about online learning aiming to develop practices at institutional, departmental, programme and individual levels⁴. Time moved fast⁵. Challenging programme adjustments were made, difficult timetables were put together and new students were welcomed, all at a time of great dislocation and trauma⁶.

Two terms later, the sector is attempting to make sense of its experiences. At a national and international level, efforts are being made to evaluate the impact and to standardise approaches to understanding and describing what is happening⁷. Terms are being standardised⁸, forward-looking reports are being published⁹; increasingly talk is turning to the idea that it will not be desirable, let alone possible, to return to ‘business as usual’¹⁰. Even as we look to the future, however, the situation continues to evolve dynamically and unpredictably. Workloads have perhaps been and continue to be unprecedentedly stretched¹¹. The impact of social isolation and mental health issues is becoming increasingly clear¹² and issues of access and equality have become increasingly pressing¹³. Against this backdrop of challenge and constraint, however, and to quote a reflective article by various FORUM members in an upcoming article in FORUM magazine, there is much to be proud of:

While this period will always be remembered as highly challenging it has also brought with it many valuable lessons and, indeed, reasons to remain positive. Educators everywhere have risen to the challenge, and the rapid refinement of practices has been both explosive and extremely impressive

The successes have not been achieved without cost, and time to take stock and look forward is short and precious. Efforts to evaluate and share experiences are being made at York and beginning to emerge in publications¹⁴, but the need to share and reflect on the experiences is strong in order to maximise the potential benefits for student learning in the short and longer-term. This session aims to bring together interested staff and students for informal demonstrations and reflections for discussion, looking to address the key questions:

• What have we learned from our experiences of teaching and learning during the Coronavirus Pandemic online and on-campus?

• What positives can we take forward and share from these experiences in the immediate future and in the post-COVID University?

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