Key issues in teaching and learning resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

This article examines the impact of emergency remote learning and draws on both current and prior research to suggest ways forward in teaching and learning in higher education. Synchronous online learning was the primary delivery method during the Covid-19 pandemic, but research has identified many limitations in this form of delivery, as well as some benefits. Many lessons and best practices in online learning had been developed before the pandemic, but these have been largely ignored both during and following the pandemic. The author suggests that hybrid learning (a mix of in-person and online) is in general the future of teaching and learning in higher education, although there will be important but specific markets for both wholly in-person and fully online learning. Research has indicated that effective online and hybrid learning requires a major shift in teaching, and particularly in assessment methods, from those used in classroom teaching. This presents a major challenge for faculty development, and some strategies to meet this challenge are suggested.