Making Teaching Resilient, Flexible, and Sustainable

Description

Pandemic teaching required unprecedented flexibility, and we continue to recognize the need for learning environments that are adaptable to the unpredictable life needs of our students and ourselves. Amid all the buzz words for teaching practices that promise perfect adaptability, let’s consider what practices we’ll continue since COVID-10, what we’ll change, and what informs these choices on a sliding scale of flexibility, high expectations, support, and responsiveness. We also reflect on what makes our teaching and learning sustainable and plan courses that give life and energy.

By the end of this workshop, participants know or be able to:

• Identify examples of resilient and flexible teaching and learning strategies, from broad frameworks like universal design for learning to smaller policy practices like due dates and course pacing.
• Use learning outcomes, goals, and values to determine strategies for flexibility and resilience.
• Evaluate what teaching-related work cultivates or drains resources, whether it’s student and faculty labor or other resources.
• Prioritize student and instructor work that reflects learning outcomes and wellness.

Plans for Audience Participation and Interaction:

This interactive workshop is a reflection-based session with prompts guiding individual writing and ideas, small group discussion, and future course planning. As the facilitator shares multiple ways to define resilience, flexibility, and sustainability, participants have the structure and space to customize teaching practices and policies accordingly. Handouts and case studies help participants apply concepts during the workshop and plan for future steps following the workshop.