Did the pandemic lead to lasting change in university teaching?

6 December 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted traditional methods of teaching and learning within higher education, but what remained when the pandemic passed? (It has passed hasn’t it?).

CRADLE Fellow Jaclyn Broadbent and the project team Rola Ajjawi, Margaret Bearman, David Boud, and Phillip Dawson asked that question. Their latest publication synthesises the highlights of what emerged after the pandemic and the outcomes are detailed in the executive report Deakin University’s teaching and assessment approaches pre- and post-COVID-19: A review.

While the majority of the literature explores the shifts during the pandemic, with much speculation about post-pandemic futures, a clear understanding of lasting implications remains elusive. To illuminate this knowledge gap, Jaclyn’s study contrasts pedagogical practices in matched courses from the pre-pandemic year (2019) to the post-pandemic phase (2022/2023). The study also investigates the factors influencing these changes and the perceptions of academics on these shifts. Data were gathered from academics at Deakin of varying disciplines through a mixed-methods approach, collecting 67 survey responses and conducting 21 interviews.

Findings indicate a notable increase in online learning activities, authentic and scaffolded assessments, and online unsupervised exams post-pandemic. These changes were primarily driven by university-guided adaptations, time and workload pressures, continued COVID-19 challenges, local leadership, an individual desire to innovate, and concerns about academic integrity. While most changes were seen as favourable by academics, perceptions were less positive concerning online examinations.

These findings illuminate the enduring effects of the pandemic on higher education, suggesting longer-term implications than previous studies conducted during the acute phase of the pandemic.

Broadbent, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Boud, D., Dawson, P. (2023). Deakin University’s teaching and assessment approaches pre- and post-COVID 19: A review. Deakin University. https://10.6084/m9.figshare.24562786

Broadbent, J., Ajjawi, R., Bearman, M., Boud, D., Dawson, P. (2023). Beyond emergency remote teaching: did the pandemic lead to lasting change in university courses? International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 20, 58. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-023-00428-z