Transformation of university teachers’ working and employment conditions in the period of distance learning: socio-psychological aspects and risk assessment

Abstract

The forced transition to distance learning during the pandemic has determined the development of new models of university teachers’ professional activity. The results of the “first wave” show that the community of teachers was not prepared for distance learning not only due to the lack of necessary competencies and skills of working in the online environment but also psychologically. In particular, the psychological unpreparedness of teachers for the transition from traditional formats of interaction to the remote ones, the collapse of the familiar “live” models of communication with students and colleagues turned up to be a major difficulty. Based on the results of research, the key problems of the organization of teachers’ remote work are determined and the socio-psychological consequences of remote employment are revealed. The main groups of risks faced by teachers due to the forced transition to remote employment are also identified. The impact of remote formats on the professional activities of teachers cannot be assessed unequivocally. On the one hand, in the time of remote work, teachers have developed new skills and competencies, mastered innovative online technologies, managed to overcome numerous psychological struggles, etc. On the other hand, teachers are aware that the necessary process of transformation of education will not only substantially change their professional activity but will also lead to the emergence of fundamentally new social roles and models of professional behavior. There is a growing sense of unease and confusion in the teaching community and negative expectations associated with uncertainty in the professional labor market are developing.