Instructional changes instigated by university faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: the effect of individual, course and institutional factors

The purpose of this study was to investigate instructional changes made by faculty for emergency online teaching necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and hence to explore key factors related to those changes from an ecological systems perspective. Data on various individual, course, and institutional factors and instructional change variables were collected from 201 educators at higher education institutions. Results revealed that the level of instructional changes made by faculty was on average between substituting their existing course for an online one with some functional improvement (augmentation-level 3) and critical course redesign (modification-level 4), but that educators did not reach the level of the creation of new tasks which were previously inconceivable (redefinition-level 5). The biggest instructional change was found to be in teaching behaviors, followed by technology use, with only small changes in beliefs about online teaching. Factors that most highly correlated with instructional change were individual educators’ technology acceptance and innovation propensity, media synchronicity of the course, and the fidelity of institutional support. Recommendations are provided to aid strategic coping by universities facing a major crisis, with insights that may ultimately improve the quality of higher education in non-crisis contexts.

Online Engineering Education Under COVID-19 Pandemic Environment

This essay considers the significance of students’ emotional experiences during online engineering instruction by reviewing the evidence of factors that make for more efficient and effective online instructional practices during the pandemic period. The engineering courses, particularly those with labs and activities, were especially disrupted when they were re-designed for online context. The continuation of these instructional changes may cause substantially increased stress levels for students that ultimately may impact enrollment. Therefore, the success of engineering education for both the near and long-term future depends on providing students positive learning experiences which are associated with academic emotions during the establishment of this new normal of online technical engineering education.

Effective Methods of Professional Development

This chapter discusses successful elements of professional learning practices. Teacher interviews inform this chapter, as they share their own experiences. Teachers come to staff development with beliefs and knowledge about teaching. The relationship between the knowledge and opinions that teachers bring and what staff developers offer are critical to the acceptance of new instructional practices. For meaningful instructional changes to occur, teachers must have a voice in the process of their own learning. Successful professional development should allow for reflection, collaboration, and acknowledge the needs and interests of teachers. Furthermore, adult education practices need to be considered when designing professional learning sessions.

How the Principles of Green Chemistry Changed the Way Organic Chemistry Labs Are Taught at the University of Detroit Mercy

Many logistic and instructional changes followed the incorporation of the 12 principles of green chemistry into organic chemistry laboratory courses at the University of Detroit Mercy. Over the last decade, institutional limitations have been turned into green chemical strengths in many areas, including integration of atom economy metrics into learning outcomes, replacing overly toxic equipment and reagents, and modifying matters of reaction scale and type.

Scaffolding Critical Reflectivity in Graduate Students

This presentation details findings from a study in the Advanced Studies in Teaching and Learning (ASTL) program. We studied the development of critical reflectivity in our graduate students over the span of five courses. Critical reflection is the act of analyzing and challenging one's assumptions and predispositions. This act is often very difficult for students who have been socialized to consider their experiences at face value and not necessarily analyze the broader sociopolitical influences on, and consequences of, their actions and experiences (Brookfield, 1990). To foster critical reflection in students, ASTL's core courses actively engage students in formal inquiry. Faculty also explicitly teach students about critical reflection by introducing them to a three-tier model of inquiry that is continually returned to throughout their core coursework. We framed reflection as a tangible construct and a skill to be developed; this framing aided students in establishing critical reflection as a habit of mind. To examine the development of critical reflection, faculty collected and analyzed formal writings of students. While conducting the study, the analysis also drove instructional changes. This ongoing research by faculty positions critical reflection as an endeavor undertaken by all, not just students. By systematically analyzing students' reflective writings, faculty found themselves engaging in critical reflection about their own practice.