Pandemic Pedagogy in Higher Education: Exploring Theories With Experiential Learning

March 2020 will be etched in time as a significant pivot in the landscape of education. For many educators, transitioning to remote learning initiated a survival mode in which previously unutilized strategies were implemented to salvage curriculum. The lack of in-person interaction halted traditional instruction methods, altering opportunities to incorporate sufficient rigor. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning in higher education increased in popularity, despite perceptions of inconsistent online design and implementation (Meyer, 2002). The sudden shift to a remote learning environment sparked a return of student concern toward online learning. Shortly after the spring 2020 semester, 72.5% of students reported the online format required “more effort to complete my coursework” (Motz et al., 2021). The lack of proper training in online instruction often resulted in educators—unfamiliar with online tools designed for student engagement—who associated rigor with a robust amount of coursework (Tobin, 2020). As observed in the Motz et al. (2020) study, the intent to supplement in-person lectures with additional resources did not lead to learning. Recent research indicated that increased coursework with more time spent on assignments resulted in lower grades and decreased students' perceived success (Motz et al., 2021).