This article analyses the concept of diversity in education in the context of Eastern Europe, and how its meaning might differ from that used in Western-focused literature. The study explores the ways in which faculty interpret diversity based on their experience of teaching contexts as being homogenous, situational, or internationalized, for which interviews have been conducted with university educators in Eastern Europe. In a phenomenographic analysis, three different approaches to how teachers engage with diversity in the classroom were identified: (1) exposing students to diversity as an external phenomenon through teaching; (2) focusing on the diversities among students in a given classroom and learning how to navigate them; (3) using the diversities present in the classroom to facilitate inclusive teaching and learning. We argue that the meanings and intentions associated with the understanding of diversity are constitutive of how faculty see their role in facilitating student learning in diverse classroom, and especially of their strategies to address sensitive and controversial topics. Finally, we discuss the implications for teaching practice and academic development, in addition to the relevance of diversity in Eastern European classrooms.

Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) occupies an ambiguous position in Europe. While many CEE countries had long joined the European Union, yet they are unceasingly perceived as lagging behind in terms of their democratic culture and liberal principles. In a sense, CEE has been in a permanent state of transition for over three decades, trying to "catch up" with the more advanced West. One area where this process manifests is education-a sector that has undergone significant changes in the recent decades, yet has not achieved the expected results. More specifically, this study analyses how two aspects of Western education system-multicultural education and the promotion of critical thinking skills-can be incorporated into the CEE education systems through the examples of Poland and Hungary, highlighting the importance of overcoming the historically deep-seated culture of frontal education style, as well as historical, political and social legacies of the past. Research Contribution:This research shows that implementation of educational policies that are rooted in Western educational traditions must accommodate the political, cultural and social context of the CEE region for successful implementation.

The coronavirus pandemic has profoundly affected Hungarian higher education (HEI). As campuses around the globe were forced to shut down, online distance learning became an everyday reality for all students. At the same time, faculty were rushed to adjust their teaching content and methods, as well as forms of assessment, to online teaching. As a result, this transition exposed flaws in technological abilities, digital preparedness and flexibilities within universities. In this work, my goal is to analyze how the Hungarian HEIs adopted online educational practices during the pandemic and how they were able to address some of the difficulties while adjusting their teaching and creating new forms of support for both students and faculty. To that end, the article first discusses the prevalence of distance and digital learning before the pandemic, then evaluates the steps and challenges of transition to remote online education during the pandemic, and finally highlights some lessons learnt and best practices of some Hungarian universities.

Is there a need for more research on the effects of COVID-19 on education? While there is research suggesting that the impacts and “the troubling effects of the pandemic on research and higher education… might be felt for years to come” (The Lancet Editorial, 2020), there is also discernible pandemic fatigue, not only among the population, but researchers and subjects of research as well (Patel, Webster, Greenberg, Weston, & Brooks, 2020). Indeed, there has been an overabundance of published research articles in nearly all disciplines about the pandemic. The purpose of the current special issue is not to repetitively take stock of what happened during the pandemic but rather explore how the pandemic transformed the education system while rethinking certain practices and strategies engrained in the education system. To some extent, then, taking stock of what we know about the pandemic should help us prepare for the era some call the “new normal post-COVID-19 era” (Cahapay, 2020).