Covid-19 and Beyond: From (Forced) Remote Teaching and Learning to ‘The New Normal’ in Higher Education

  • 118k

    Total Downloads

  • 1.69m

    Total Views and Downloads

Download PDFDownload EPUB

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic brought extraordinary disruption to the higher education (HE) landscape, with campuses closing everywhere seemingly overnight. The speed with which faculty were making the (forced) shift to remote teaching was astounding and unparalleled, and complicated by the fact that such “emergency remote teaching” in response to a crisis bears little resemblance to deliberately-designed online teaching and learning. In the chaos of this unified response for keeping universities running, moments of inspirational cooperation and accord were happening in the way the international academic community supported one another—communicating through online networks, asking for advice, and sharing knowledge.

Faculty had little time to process the abrupt changes affecting their professional and personal lives. Professionally, they had to transform face-to-face classes into forms involving online delivery and assessment; ‘learning on-the-fly’ using novel technologies, finding new ways to support and inspire students’ learning, while operating remotely from their homes. Personally, while coping with becoming house-bound and concerned about the health of their families and selves, faculty had to become schoolteachers for their children; with some forced to take pay cuts or be furloughed.

Students had similar personal concerns about their health and loved ones, but were also adjusting to changes in their HE experiences, sometimes including fundamental shifts in their living arrangements such as being despatched from campus dwellings back to family homes; with some international students prevented doing so by travel bans. Even senior HE managers, fearing long-term economic consequences, were uncertain about meeting institutional obligations to students. The crisis, and ensuing panic, appeared managed in the immediate term, but fundamental questions remain about the future and about the past: What are the costs of the short-term responses for students and faculty? What will the HE landscape look like in the aftermath of COVID-19 (e.g. recruitment, viability, closures etc.)? What does the experience tell us about our values in HE, or reveal about our priorities and vulnerabilities? And where might we look for hope and direction?

This Research Topic seeks to capture the myriad impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the international HE landscape, by providing opportunity for the international academic community to pause and reflect on what has transpired, and prepare for the future, perhaps even a “new normal”. Many found themselves less affected by the pandemic, and more affected by the lockdown and ensuing isolation. One of our main goals is to understand how the lockdown affected students (at home or abroad), faculty and HE institutions. This could include effects on mental health, relationships, livelihoods, choices about studying abroad, etc.

Socially-isolating faculty everywhere were required to make fundamental changes to their teaching delivery and assessment. This involved multiple challenges for faculty, students, and HE managers, in terms of grappling with new technology, support, leadership, the pragmatics of achieving this with everyone in their own ‘bubbles’, and more. It is important to hear about those challenges, and how were they experienced.

It is also important to explore what the medium and long-term consequences may be for HE. What might be the costs and consequences of the closures? In the aftermath of COVID-19, what might the future hold for HE and what will be the “new normal”? What does the current crisis mean for programmes and institutions; international study; professional training; qualifications and career planning; research; new technologies, etc. And what does it tell us about what we value and care about in HE? This Topic will be a valuable scholarly exploration of an exceptional world event. It will also serve as a resource for all academics, and a cathartic response to a shared crisis/panic.

Under the overarching theme of impacts of the COVID-19 lockdown and move to remote online teaching and learning—on faculty, students and HE institutions—we welcome the broadest spectrum of voices in higher education. We aim to be inclusive and encourage manuscripts from the perspectives of faculty, students, and managers related to the following themes:

(1) Higher Education Delivery - e.g. challenges of emergency remote teaching; technology and remote delivery; assessment limitations arising from online formats; learning curves of faculty and students; costs to institutions; etc.

(2) Lives and Livelihoods - e.g. impact of isolation, loneliness, and mental health; losses (of support networks, income, and bereavements due to COVID-19); family commitments and juggling multiple roles; working from home; technology and physical spaces; etc.; and

(3) Reflections on Past and into the Future - e.g. what will be the “new normal” in HE? What values, vulnerabilities, priorities, and opportunities have been revealed in the crisis and our varied responses? Where might we find hope? Areas of possible inquiry in these regards are: re-ordering of values and priorities in HE; realigning relations between teaching, research and service; emerging economic depression and university closures; recruitment; study abroad; internationalization; etc.

We welcome contributions that provide:
• Original research, including case studies;
• Reviews and commentaries that produce novel insights; and apply or extend established techniques and/or theoretical perspectives;
• Reflective essays, opinion pieces and viewpoints.

***Authors are required to submit an Abstract in advance of manuscript submission.***

***Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 situation, Frontiers is waiving all article publishing charges for COVID-19 related research.***

Keywords: COVID-19, higher education, student experience, remote delivery, on-line teaching and learning, higher education leadership

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and they fall under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

      In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Participating Journals

Impact

  • 1.69mTopic views
  • 1.48mArticle views
  • 118kArticle downloads
View impact