Abstract
Abstract An Irish Government directive to close colleges amid the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a switch to emergency remote teaching. Many lecturers unused to practicing online began teaching students who were unfamiliar with online learning. Completion of the semester does not necessarily indicate that it is practicable for a more extended period. This paper queries four aspects of the sustainability of emergency remote teaching: its acceptance by stakeholders; its impact upon student motivation and faculty workload; and its effect upon learning outputs. Questionnaires administered to undergraduate design students and faculty captured their respective experiences of emergency remote teaching. Acceptance of an extended pivot to online learning is not guaranteed, but will surely form a central facet of academic continuity. Increased working hours associated with online teaching endangers the work-life balance of lecturers, yet the same staff must find ways to support student motivation. Faculty’s reduced expectations of student output places strain upon the sustainability of online education founded upon an unplanned pivot. The experience of emergency remote teaching has created an opportunity for all parties to leverage the affordances of online learning – the challenge will be to ensure that all aspects of any extended switch to online are sustainable.
Highlights
An Irish Government directive to close colleges amid the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a switch to emergency remote teaching
The isolation of online teaching removed casual meetings with staff or students, which often acted as weathervanes by which to gauge the general sentiment towards classes
The student questionnaire was distributed to second-year design students during the final week of lectures, which afforded them lengthy exposure to emergency remote teaching as they reflected upon the experience
Summary
Abstract: An Irish Government directive to close colleges amid the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in a switch to emergency remote teaching. This paper queries four aspects of the sustainability of emergency remote teaching: its acceptance by stakeholders; its impact upon student motivation and faculty workload; and its effect upon learning outputs. The experience of emergency remote teaching has created an opportunity for all parties to leverage the affordances of online learning – the challenge will be to ensure that all aspects of any extended switch to online are sustainable. The isolation of online teaching removed casual meetings with staff or students, which often acted as weathervanes by which to gauge the general sentiment towards classes This feedback vacuum prompted the undertaking of research to learn the experiences of students and teaching staff during the period of emergency remote teaching. As an individual reflection upon the shift to online learning, this research investigates whether the pivot to online can be sustained for an extended period.
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