Back to class
The past 17 months have brought immense challenges to academic institutions. During the pandemic, administrators weighed difficult choices related to safety, student engagement and maintaining enrollment. Some colleges and universities or individual faculty members opted to go completely virtual, others continued in-person teaching and many navigated a hybrid of the two.
Now that effective vaccines are readily available, we may be turning a corner on the pandemic, and more faculty and students will be able to return to in-person classes in the fall semester. We were interested to know how our fellow faculty members feel about making this transition, and we wanted to get their advice and input if they are already back in the classroom, so we surveyed instructors who have been involved in 91影库 and Molecular Biology undergraduate events this past year. Respondents included faculty members across many types and sizes of institutions with a breadth of experiences teaching during the pandemic, as well as faculty members at various stages of the transition back to campus.
Despite that breadth of experiences, some clear themes permeated the responses. Most notably, nearly every faculty member wrote that they primarily are looking forward to face-to-face interactions with both students and colleagues.
Dan Dries, an associate professor of chemistry at Juniata College, cited casual conversations as a key reason he is excited to return to the classroom, writing, “I’ve lost my sense of connection to the college and its students and employees.”
The challenges of teaching in a pandemic reminded some faculty members of what’s important to them about their profession. Curtis Henderson, a professor of biology at Houston Baptist University, wrote, “This past year has helped me realize how much I value interacting with students.”
Faculty members are excited to return to the classroom for many reasons. For some, a return to fully in-person instruction signifies the end of the challenges of remote instruction. For others, in-person instruction in any form brings a valuable social outlet.
Cheryl Kozina, associate professor of biology at Saint Leo University, wrote, “I miss my students! I miss them dropping by my office unannounced just to chat or to give exciting news about new internships or acceptance to medical/vet/etc. schools. I miss the camaraderie with my colleagues as we have random conversations at the mailboxes or as we transition between classes. I miss the social aspect of my job.”
Becky Miller, a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is looking forward to “being in the same physical space as my students. Getting energy from their presence.”
Some are motivated by the desire to reengage in other ways. Martin Hicks, an assistant professor of genetics at Monmouth University and an 91影库Student Chapter adviser, is “looking forward to a return to in-person events, reach-out programs in the local community and traveling to regional conferences, as well as 91影库2022!”
Others expressed excitement about returning to the research lab with their students.
Concerns and challenges
Despite general enthusiasm about returning to the classroom, faculty members also shared concerns about the challenges they face in the transition. Many instructors have questions about safety issues, such as who will be vaccinated, whether the vaccines will be effective against new variants and whether vaccination and/or masks will be required.
Specifically related to academics, some wonder what will happen if institutions plan for in-person teaching but then need to pivot again in response to the pandemic. Some of the challenges of the past year likely will carry over, including having students in and out of quarantine and issues with family members having COVID-19. Anxiety may be high for instructors and students, and we may see an increase in other mental health issues, which will require careful monitoring.
Survey respondents expressed concern about issues associated with students readjusting to in-person teaching such as work ethic, interactions with peers and class attendance. Many instructors provided more flexibility with assignment deadlines over the past three semesters, and they now wonder how this will translate to the next academic year.
Instructors wonder what prerequisite knowledge students will bring to their classrooms based on their virtual or hybrid learning experiences. Lab skills are one area of concern. And some question the level of preparedness of new first-year students after more than a year of remote learning in high school.
For some students, attending class virtually became more than just a pandemic safety measure as th