Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education Teaching Delivery: Faculty perceptions

Abstract

In December 2019, when a viral pandemic of pneumonia had affected the lives of people in Wuhan, China, little did the rest of the world had taken notice of the massive repercussions it would have on the majority of the world’s population. COVID-19 spread and grew in exponential proportions and was declared by the WHO as a pandemic in March 2020. The lockdown and social distancing norms created a turbulent impact on the operational aspects of higher education. For the first time, the universities had to depend on the online delivery of education reluctantly. The traditional chalk-talk method in brick and mortar classrooms was swept away, and suddenly online methods came centre stage. The paper will explore the salient attributes of the new normal of higher education and the technological innovations that can be incorporated in the online modes to foster student engagement amidst the challenges of digital access.  The pandemic outbreak has shaken the status-quo of academic delivery in higher education. It has amplified various innovations in teaching and learning and the eventual adoption of virtual interaction, online teaching and learning, and remote academic employment. The opportunities are immense as faculty members are upgrading their online learning and teaching experiences, adding on to their digital competencies in curriculum development and design through different blended learning methods. There is a paradigm change in the perception of the delivery process of teaching and the role of the student as the learner. A qualitative study was conducted with 18 faculty members (in the rank of Professors and Associate Professors) of the Management department of a private university based in India. The paper additionally discusses the implications of the shift in learning with a focus on the teaching and learning transformations and the policy imperatives too. A multi-pronged approach is imminent to handle the volatile higher education sector and drive excellence and sustainability.