For this project, we will focus on college professors as they struggle to navigate online teaching in the time of the Coronavirus pandemic. The purpose is to obtain a better understanding of how educators are adapting to stress in new environments.
Garrison, M. (2020, March 12). Some professors concerned about switch to online classes. Retrieved May 12, 2000, from https://www.thelantern.com/2020/03/some-professors-concerned-about-switch-to-online-classes/
In this article, Max Garrison explores the complications of online learning at Ohio University. With a 2019 study showing that 58.4 percent of students had at least one professor neglecting the use of online platforms to teach, professors are finding it hard to transition due to COVID-19.
Hodges, C., Stephanie Moore, S., Lockee, B, Trust , T., & Bond, A. (2020, March 27). The Difference Between Emergency Remote Teaching and Online Learning. Retrieved May 5, 2020, from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning
This source discusses the difference between Online teaching and emergency remote learning. Professors of higher education are feeling stressed because of the sudden change to online learning. It has made many teachers have to think outside of the box with technical problems they’ve been having. This source is helpful to blog because it discusses that professors are not teaching the same way they would if it were online learning.
Inside Higher Ed. (2020, March 19). How faculty members can best cope with the stresses of COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/03/19/how-faculty-members-can-best-cope-stresses-covid-19-opinion
This source is written as an open letter and offers advice to educators for dealing with COVID-19 related stress. This article illuminates how stress in the workplace is impacting other parts of the lives of college faculty members. Stress negatively impacts engagement and motivation in the workplace, this article discuses ways to manage and balance life and distance teaching.
Kruse, Kevin. “What Is Employee Engagement.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 26 June 2015, www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2012/06/22/employee-engagement-what-and-why/#63686b1f7f37.
Kevin Kruse is CEO of LEADx and an expert in leadership, and in this article from Forbes, he discusses employee engagement and what it really means to be engaged and what that looks like in the workplace. In the time of COVID-19, employee engagement is on the downfall especially for educators. Kruse says that employee engagement does not necessarily equate to satisfaction or happiness. Instead employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals. This means that employees care about their work and their company. During this time, it can be difficult for employers to keep their employees engaged.
Studies, G. (2019, December 11). 7.2 Stress in an Organization – Organizational Behavior. Retrieved from https://granite.pressbooks.pub/mgmt805/chapter/stress-in-an-organization/
This section describes how different situations cause stress for different people, it shows that not everybody experiences stress the same way and that a situation that is extremely stressful for one person is seen as merely a challenge for another. It also discusses common factors of stress and the symptoms and how it can affect people’s daily life.
Keppie, C. (2020, May 11). Zoom interview
Christina Keppie is one of the French professors at Western University as well as the head of the French department. During the interview we talked about how she is dealing with the transition to online teaching as well as some of the challenges she is facing. She says that she has been dealing with the change better than quite a few of her coworkers, as she is quite proficient in using online resources such as Canvas, the main website used by the university for classes. Even with all the technology and resources she has access to, she says that it is difficult to find the motivation to teach because she uses the energy of her students to help fuel her during her presentations and now that everything is online she is unable to make more meaningful connections with her students.
Weber, M. (2020, May 17). Email interview
Meg Weber is the head instructor for the Entrepreneurship and Innovation program at Western Washington University. Our email interview was based on two main points. The first was how the switch to online classes impacted her ability and teaching habits. The second topic we focused on was whether or not she felt a physical, mental, or emotional toll due to the shift to online classes.
Purdy, D. (2020, May 17). Email interview
Dan Purdy is a senior instructor of Marketing at the College of Business and Economics at Western Washington University. We wanted to find out how Dan was dealing with the stress of switching to online classes. Also to understand more in his point of view on how he feels the University prepared all professors for the sudden switch to remote learning.
Alyssa Ledgerwood, Kelsey Boone, Lucas Demmon, Stephanie Kirker, and Serafima Healy