The impact of community on teaching and learning: Lessons from before and after COVID

Abstract

The world is, most likely, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic phase and moving into something new. What this “new phase” will look like is unclear but it appears very certain that there is no “going back” to the way that things were before. This is probably true for almost every activity from travel to how we shop to the way that education happens in our schools and colleges. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed higher education in some very fundamental ways. The pandemic has done what most believed could never happen—moved practically all instruction across all disciplines and institutions around the world to a completely online modality in a matter of weeks. Faculty who may have had little interest in teaching online were suddenly teaching all of their classes fully online. Students were taking all of their courses online whether they wanted to be “distance learners” or not. We all had varying degrees of success at figuring out new technologies and how to teach and learn with them. Now that many schools, colleges, and universities are coming back to in-person classes and activities, we are at a point where we can consider what can be learned from the pandemic. What worked? What did we miss? What do we want to keep? How has teaching and learning during the pandemic changed the paradigm of teaching and learning—or has it? Over the past 42 years, New Directions for Teaching and Learning has explored teaching and learning theories and practices across higher education. But the COVID-19 disruption brought new challenges that most had never seen before. In addition, technology has advanced that almost all institutions had at least some tools available to design new online ways to deliver virtual courses and programs. Many things changed during the pandemic. The purpose of this volume is to look back at one aspect of teaching and learning that has been greatly impacted by the pandemic— that of being in community with others. Many faculty and students have shared that one of the things that they missed during the pandemic was that of meeting together—in class, in the hallways, and in the spaces together. There are concerns about safety in coming out of isolation, most certainly, but there is also a desire to return to a sense of togetherness and to find ways to connect with others again. I have had the honor of serving as Editor-in-Chief of New Directions for Teaching and Learning since 2010 and have read every chapter in every volume since that time (and many before that, too). Looking back at the wisdom and insight of the many authors who have offered their experiences and perspectives provides us all with a lens for moving forward. The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly not the greatest disruption that higher education has faced and we can be certain that there will be many more disruptions in the decades to come. But our past can prepare us for whatever the future holds. I hope that you re-read these chapters (or read them for the first time) and recognize the depth of insight and knowledge that these authors have shared—all before the pandemic.