During the past 2 years, instructors have faced a variety of obstacles related to COVID-19's continued impact on higher education. For example, educators have had to manage a lack of training, heightened stress and anxiety levels, the need for increased instructor flexibility, transitions from the classroom to the online environment (and back again), challenges to academic integrity, and difficulty maintaining boundaries between home and work life. In response, the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP; American Psychological Association Division 2) formed a task force to examine the obstacles instructors face when required to "pivot teach." The present article reports on the findings from four areas of particular difficulty for instructors throughout the pandemic. First, we focus on teaching modalities, specifically by examining online asynchronous instruction, virtual synchronous instruction, and hybrid or flex instruction. Second, we explore teaching methods and assessment, including the importance of transparency, the importance of flexibility, practical assessment strategies, and flexible assignment ideas. Third, we discuss personal and professional development and offer multiple strategies to help separate work from home. Finally, we provide thoughts on looking back and looking ahead as instructors continue to adapt to an ever-changing educational landscape.
Purpose This study aimed to investigate the impact of a university’s abrupt closure on the lives of graduate students and examined the role of grit, social support and school identification as they transferred to a new institution. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was administered to a diverse sample of 130 psychology graduate students after their university unexpectedly closed and the students transferred to another institution to complete their degrees. The survey included both qualitative and quantitative measures of the impact on different areas of their lives, anxiety and depression, life satisfaction, social support, grit and school identification. Findings Students reported experiencing financial loss, family and marital strain, anger, fear, uncertainty and loss of progress toward professional goals. Nearly 40% of participants had scores indicating elevated anxiety and depression. Students with higher anxiety and depression and lower life satisfaction tended to identify less with their new institution. Both social support and grit were related to better adjustment and life satisfaction. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact on graduate students following the closure of an institution of higher education. The findings have implications for educational policy and graduate student support services.
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