Bye-bye to these 10 practices already endangered by the pandemic. – The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Chronicle of Higher Education

Goldie Blumenstyk

September 16, 2020

Goodbye to traditional class lectures, in-person faculty office hours, and the college visit. Likewise, how about a fond farewell to inflexible academic calendars, the face-to-face faculty meetings filled with pontification, and the place-based conferences — with all their exclusionary trappings.

Dozens of you responded to my question over the past two weeks about what higher-ed practices paused by the pandemic should never come back. Thank you! The suggestions I cited above, along with four others, are the ones that stood out to me because they point to a more efficient or engaging way to operate. Also, in many cases, the replacements and adjustments reflect a more equitable approach. Hmm. Did we really need a pandemic to see that?

Several of these 10 ideas relate directly or indirectly to teaching.

It’s premature, of course, to declare that the pandemic has put an end to the class lecture as a teaching form, but I’ve seen lots of evidence that confirms an assertion I heard from Heather Tinsley that the pandemic has prompted many faculty members to think more holistically about their approach to instruction and change up their approaches.

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