Maximizing online learning, especially post-pandemic, can significantly impact the quality of instruction you are offering students. At the beginning of the pandemic, much of our online instruction was built on a survival approach. The goal was to simply create some semblance of instruction while wading the uncharted waters of remote teaching. At this point, it would behoove instructors, departments and universities to strongly consider beefing up their online teaching efforts to ensure they are always ahead of the game should another social crisis leave us relying too heavily on the Internet.
If the pandemic hasn't proved anything else, its definitely proved that higher ed has the ability to pivot towards advanced technology faster than what is normally expected. If instructors are able to purchase and use the most cutting edge tech tools before they become antiquated, thriving would become easier. There is nothing like having the proper tools to get the job done efficiently and with ease. Don't use a hammer when you actually need a screwdriver. The right tools are a gamechanger.
Instructors might also benefit from scheduling a full day free for recalibrating or reevaluating some integral teaching practices. This might include, whether or not classroom projects are the most efficient use of time or considering a new plan that can be used for the next three or four semesters. Taking time to reassess some long relied upon practices and whether they still serve us, will save us time and energy for many years to come.
Focus on the next logical step towards completion of a long overdue project. Many instructors are teaching and simultaneously writing or researching for publication. In an effort to not be overwhelmed, it is important to focus on what can be done today and what the next plan of action must be in order to move forward. For example, it's very hard to truly focus on the classroom when there are other projects overdue. Find a way to schedule some time each day to work on the long-term project so that when it's time to prepare and teach a course, that nagging feeling of a project unattended to has subsided, allowing you the mental space to truly engage your course activities and your students.
Lastly, be proactive about what your time constraints are in every area of your career and home life. It is very hard to thrive when we are not honest about how much time is needed to complete a specific task. Be clear about the resources needed upfront, especially whether this might hinder your progress if not addressed.
Teaching in survival mode can be enough when it is necessary but positioning ourselves to thrive by making time to research, plan and adjust our current practices can be so much more rewarding. It's the difference between floating with the current and swimming against it. While floating can sometimes be nice, should the currents become turbulent, we want to be prepared to take charge and swim to shore. The shore, of course, being our plans and practices put in place to help guide us through both times of high stress and those times of ease and flow.
If you have some interesting ways that you use in order to thrive in higher ed, feel free to share in the comment section below.
