Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education during Coronavirus (COVID-19): International Perspectives and Experiences

• In Event: Online Teaching and Learning in Higher Education during Coronavirus (COVID-19): International Perspectives and Experiences

Proposal

Book Overview

The purpose of this book is to explore how colleges and universities around the world are managing the shifts brought about by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic while continuing to provide the best services possible for their students, faculties, staff and alumni now and in the future. Specifically, this book examines the impact of technology and instructional support offices to promote effective online experience that leads to stronger student outcomes. As more colleges and universities around the world continue to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, this book investigates the effects of the shift to remote teaching and learning on digital accessibility under the current COVID-19 phase as well as its effects on the field globally beyond the COVID-19 period. The sub-theme that runs through this book concerns how faculty, staff, and students can advance pedagogical transformation in all spaces (face-to-face, online, synchronous, asynchronous) and support student learning (study, work, teach, language, volunteer abroad, international student services, and career services). Topics in this book include online teaching and learning, information technology, online pedagogy, universal design, student experience, instructional design, digital communication, and social media.

With social distancing expected to be the norm in many countries, this book serves as an opportunity for teacher-scholars, policymakers, and university administrators to fundamentally rethink and reimage the ways of online and distance education (e.g., developing physical distancing plans, limiting the number of participants in courses, improving the quality of virtual services, the expansion of simulation experiences). The international higher education industry is likely faced with a "new normal" as it relates to the campus work environment and how institutions support their campus. While this shift to remote work may not be a major transition for some organizations, we recognize that for education institutions to survive post-COVID-19, international leaders and professionals must reconceptualize how to support students in this transition to ensure enrollment and success. Consequently, this book provides educators, administrators, practitioners, policymakers, and families with evidence-based information to adjust to online teaching, learning, and virtual experiences that will inspire, challenge, and connect professionals during and after the COVID-19 era.


Rationale

The worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the importance of online teaching and learning for higher education broadly and international education particularly. With travel restricted and asynchronous health risks in different countries, international education is at a standstill except in distance learning form. The need to understand online teaching and remote working is more urgent as institutions around the world respond to COVID-19 and how technology is deployed and used for the future. More students than ever are learning online, and faculty and staff need more than the technical basics—they must be fully prepared to use pedagogical approaches that enhance students’ online experience. However, as COVID-19 has driven learning online and as institutions begin planning to support students and families from a distance, higher education scholars and advanced practitioners must lead the way as institutions pivot from crisis management to planning for the longer term.

Today, many colleges and university worldwide are trying to figure out the post-COVID-19 landscape - a landscape defined by its unknowns. Higher education institutions have purchased and deployed various technologies, yet there has been little consideration of the accessibility and affordability of those technologies. The critical role online and virtual teaching play has never been clearer. Online instruction that uses audio, video, and other tools to present content in multiple ways can help faculty and staff ensure inclusivity. At the same time, virtual and augmented reality field trips can help to optimize learning for students who are unable to attend in the real world. What happens next is still an evolving story – but higher education needs to prepare for a different future in which we educate young adults and adult learners.

This book provides guiding principles, best practices, and advice from teacher-scholars and administrators of online institutions and programs that educators can apply this year and beyond. A few guiding research questions in this book are:

* How do we best support our students with upcoming plans for intercultural learning and study abroad virtually?
* How do we move from talking head to active learning remotely?
* How do we make learning valuable and successful when teaching virtually?
* How do we proactively engage faculty, staff, students, and alumni with the goal of building and sustaining authentic relationships online?
* How do we redesign and deliver remote courses that emphasize field-based and experiential learning?

Editors: Dr. Roy Y. Chan (Indiana University); Dr. Ryan M. Allen (Chapman University); Dr. Krishna Bista (Morgan State University)

For more information, please visit http://www.routledge.com/go/routledge-studies-in-global-student-mobility

Author

• Roy Y. Chan, Lee University