Covid-19 Pandemic--Catalyst for A New Class of Faculty.

• Author: Falk, Louis K.

INTRODUCTION

Within higher education because of the COVID-19 Pandemic there has been a seismic shift to toward teaching online. While an argument could be made that many institutions were gravitating into the online realm previously, the Pandemic forced an urgency that had been unheard of in modern times. With the majority of institutions canceling face-to-face classes (Smalley, 2020), moving to online instruction only has become a major disruption to college life. These disruptions include everything from teaching, to student life, to financial issues for the universities.

The rapid transition to online teaching brings to life a host of issues that are problematic within the higher education realm. One of the major points used to disparage online teaching has been quality of education. The aspect of quality is particularly worrisome because of the short timeframe many schools moved totally online. It has been suggested that to develop a fully online course, best practices recommend a 5-month timeline (Suny Broome n.d.). The Pandemic has resulted in converting entire campuses to a virtual presence within weeks.

This crisis is compelling many schools to "reimagine how we deliver an engaging and holistic learning experience for the students" (DePietro, 2020). Moving online changes the dynamics. Gone (for now) are the intimacy of small classes and most likely one-on-one instruction. In addition, the comradery, athletics, and the building of lifelong friends does not translate well to a virtual setting. The traditional college on-campus experiences that affords the opportunity to help participants grow both in and out of the classroom may be a thing of the past. Elements of a university education that were taken for granted months ago are now missing from this experience.

For schools with high on campus student residency rates, in person classes and extracurricular activities offer a complete experience which is impossible to replicate virtually. These universities will need to find ways to offer online classes to students who prefer an in person setting, while allowing social distancing for those that want the complete on campus experience. "...the promise of the campus experience, however diluted, is a major draw for some students" (Justin & Oxner, 2020), whereas other students prefer to stay away from campus and complete their courses online. Some of these students are concerned about paying fees for services that correspond to an on-campus education, such as library, recreation facilities, and parking, as they cannot be used by students that are out of town attending courses online.

The success of students is a major concern. Many students are first time attendees to online courses. The primary educational method for most developed societies is face-to-face in a classroom setting. The conversion to this on-screen environment requires adjustments. Putting the issues of technology aside, to be successful the overall student population needs to be given training on how to navigate the online environment--as communicating in person is very different then communicating electronically.

For universities the financial challenge is a gigantic concern. A side effect of this Pandemic is the extraordinary amount of access students now have to higher education. No longer do students need to attend a specific school as geographical boundaries have melted away. Whether it is hometown loyalties, institutional legacy, or reputation, all of these points can be taken into consideration or not, when selecting which college, a person wants to attend--since a majority of institutions are offering all courses online.

INSTRUCTION TYPES

The shift in course delivery at the university level has led to a blurring of the lines concerning the differing kinds of instruction. A transition of this magnitude from the traditionally form of instruction to this technology-based teaching leaves many options for content distribution. The term online instruction includes many of the descriptors that are used almost synonymously. There are subtle differences in the delivery forms. A statement could be made that because of the speed in which numerous universities transitioned to this virtual environment many courses offered are more accurately defined as using a remote learning paradigm. Remote learning is...