Academic Voices: A Conversation on New Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the post-COVID World

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Academia\'s Digital Voice: A Conversation on 21st Century Higher Education provides critical information on an area that needs particular attention given the rapid introduction and immersion into digital technologies that took place during the pandemic, including quality assurance and assessment. Sections discuss the rapid changes called into question as student mobility, pedagogical readiness of academics, technological readiness of institutions, student readiness to adopt online learning, the value of higher education, the value of distance learning, and the changing role of administration and faculty were thrust upon institutions.

The unprecedented speed of international lockdowns caused by the pandemic necessitated HEIs to make rapid changes in both teaching and assessment approaches. The quality of these and sacrosanctity of the academic voice has long been the central tenet of higher education. While history is replete with challenges to this, the current, rapid shift to online education may represent the greatest threat and opportunity so far.

Focuses on the academic voice in HEI
Presents an authentic message and mode for the new world we live in post COVID
Includes a section on academic predictions for higher education institutions

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978-0323911856

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Chandos Publishing

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72.27

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PDF

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Discusses the scholarship on the creative adoption of technology to support online teaching, learning and assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

The sacrosanctity of the academic voice has long been the central tenet of higher education. While history is replete with challenges to this, the current rapid shift to online education may represent the greatest threat and opportunity so far. How the academic voice is heard going forward will depend largely on how academics respond to the new forms of teaching, learning, and assessment. The impetus for this book is the COVID-19 pandemic that has propelled Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to rethink, redesign, and respond in real time. There has never been a time such as occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the collective attention of the world has scrutinized education in such a focused way.

The dramatic closure of education institutions around the world raised several questions in terms of the adaptability and readiness of the HEI sector to adapt and respond to the changes. The changes called into question issues such as student mobility, pedagogical readiness of academics, technological readiness of institutions, student readiness to adopt online learning, the value of higher education, the value of distance learning, and the changing role of administration and faculty. While research has shown for some time that the higher education sector must adapt and adopt new technologies in teaching and learning, it took the COVID pandemic to force wholescale, worldwide adoption. This rapid adoption not only highlighted the shortcomings of many higher education institutions to adapt to online teaching, but also forced academia to reassess teaching and learning going forward.

An area that needs particular attention with the rapid introduction and immersion into digital technologies, as took place during the pandemic, is the issue of quality assurance and assessment. The unprecedented speed of international lockdowns, caused by the pandemic, necessitated HEIs making rapid changes in both teaching and assessment approaches. The quality of these approaches needs to be carefully assessed in light of the reality that these may become the necessary or desired approaches in the future. Another important element that has impacted online learning both prior to and during the pandemic is the lack of student engagement. Overall, the rapid change in the HEI landscape suggests a need to address policy gaps, identify appropriate online tools and approaches, assess the readiness of academic staff to adapt to the new teaching situations, and determine the readiness of students to learn in online environments.

The purpose of this book is to contribute to the scholarship on the creative adoption of technology to support online teaching, learning, and assessment and more importantly to give a platform for academic voice. The need for academics to reflect on the lessons learnt and articulate new educational approaches and paradigms going forward, will be key to both the validation of the importance of the academic voice in higher education. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Dr Upasana Singh is the academic leader and a senior lecturer in the Discipline of Information Systems and Technology at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Westville Campus, in Durban, South Africa. She has a keen interest in Educational Technologies. In 2019 she completed her Fellowship in “Teaching Advancement in Universities” (TAU), from the CHE. Her primary area of research is Digital Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9943-011X

Professor Sid Nair is currently Executive Dean and Dean Learning, Teaching and Student Experience at the Victorian Institute of Technology (VIT), Australia where he is responsible for the learning, teaching, student experience and quality matters of the Institution. Previous to this appointment at VIT, Sid was the Executive Director of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), Mauritius, the apex regulatory body where he was responsible for the formulation and execution of strategies, policies and procedures in the higher education sector in Mauritius. Prior to joining TEC, he was Professor of Higher Education Development at the Centre for Education Futures (CEF), University of Western Australia His role was to build the capacity of academics in the digital delivery of their teaching. His career path also had him as Interim Director and Quality Advisor (Evaluations and Research) at the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) at Monash University, Australia where he headed the evaluation unit at Monash University. In this capacity he restructured the evaluation framework at the university. The approach to evaluations at Monash has been noted in the first round of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) audits and is part of the good practice database. His research work lies in the areas of quality in the higher education system, classroom and school environments, and the implementation of improvements from stakeholder feedback. He has extensive lecturing experience in the applied sciences in Canada, Singapore and Australia. He is an international consultant in quality and evaluations in higher education.

Dr. Craig Blewett is an Associate Professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; an internationally acclaimed speaker and the developer of the ACT approach to teaching with technology. He has numerous books, papers, and other publications on a range of technology-related topics during his over 20-year academic career.

Dr Timothy Shea is an Associate Professor of Decision and Information Sciences at the Charlton College of Business, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He is a long-time, enthusiastic proponent of distance learning and teaching with technology, with 25 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and 70 international conferences and service activities. --This text refers to the paperback edition.