The challenges of teaching and learning during a pandemic become an opportunity: reflections on a student and academic partnership.

Abstract

The current pandemic has forced us to implement major changes in the way we communicate, interact and work, all of which have had a massive impact upon all aspects of our lives. Academics and students alike have had to adapt very quickly to the new situation and the challenges encountered, although viewed from different perspectives, are largely similar. Changes are often unsettling and taxing, especially when they are not the result of a personal choice, but they can also offer great opportunities, the most significant of which is for lecturers and learners to develop best practice together, in partnership (Kurczek and Johnson, 2014). This article reflects upon how sharing our experience of a students-and-staff partnership at the University of Greenwich 2021 SHIFT conference has affected our experience of teaching and learning during a pandemic.