As the 2020-21 academic year begins, colleges and universities are unveiling tentative plans for what teaching and learning will look like in the fall. Even as announcements are made, institutions know they need to be nimble enough to shift strategies to hybrid or all-virtual teaching models should the need arise.
For traditional universities, this means the continuation of a drastic shift in the way instruction has been delivered and received in the past. Faculty, who are novices at virtual teaching or who are disheartened at the thought of nixing face-to-face courses again can be overwhelmed by this news.
Related content: Students, faculty weigh in on online learning experiences
Preparing local campus faculty for the fall COVID-19 environment and whatever that entails means taking a critical look at how you communicate and provide faculty preparedness.
Below, I’ve framed how University of Phoenix’s Faculty Training and Development has accomplished this to ensure that our faculty who taught at our physical campuses – or those new to the University – are completely prepared for the synchronous learning environment.
After years in the healthcare field, Tahnja Wilson earned her elementary education certificate and designed and taught her own technology curriculum to K-8 student. Additionally, she developed more than 30 professional development courses for K-12 educators on personalized learning, gaming, student agency, etc. Since joining University of Phoenix in 2019 as the Director of Faculty Training and Development, her focus has been on enhancing faculty performance to realize better student outcomes.
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