Introduction

  • Mary Gobbi University of Southampton, UK
Keywords: COVID-19, staff development, on line support, higher education strategies, institutional change

Abstract

This Edition of the Journal comprise eleven papers, of which six are related to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The papers are balanced between those mainly concerned with media or online pedagogies (four), staff development and experiences (three) and strategic university wide policy or institutional change (four). The papers continue to reflect a varied range of participant countries both in terms of the authors, but perhaps more importantly the study sites, (Colombia, Italy, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey). Universities from both the state and private sector are represented, either through individual case studies or via multi-site studies in subject areas, departments, or institutions. What is fascinating, and perhaps unsurprising, is that common themes emerge from different countries. From the papers in this edition, several issues emerge. First, we can conclude that with distance learning there was/is a particular challenge of dealing with cheating and plagiarism- and exhibited during the pandemic. Second, responses, or readiness to change, with respect to new initiatives and pedagogies can vary by discipline within the same institution, between institutions and within a country. Third, it was noted that when change is made, either planned or in an emergency, the extent of the impact is related to the prior experience and expertise of both teachers and students and the available infrastructure with respect to the new situation. Several papers raised concerns about the pedagogical competences of the teaching staff and how, when this is limited in relation to a required change in pedagogy, stress and workload problems are encountered by both teachers and students. Furthermore, the learning experience is hindered and, where technology changes are involved, students can become isolated and demotivated. Accessibility and equality e.g. (gender, age, income, access to resources) issues were also raised, most evident during the pandemic and emergency remote teaching. The conclusion is perhaps that universities need to plan more carefully for emergency situations taking account of their demographic and socio-economic community – whether teachers, students or other stakeholders.

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Author Biography

Mary Gobbi, University of Southampton, UK

Emeritus Professor (University of Southampton, UK) and Editor of Tuning Journal for Higher Education since 2019. Professor Gobbi (PhD, MA Ed, Dip N ,Dip Ned, RN) has been Tuning Nursing co-ordinator since 2003 and is an expert educational developer and evaluator, with extensive national and international experience. These include projects within the European Union (e.g. technologies in healthcare training, on Sectoral Skills Councils for Nursing’; role and training of health care assistants; developing a European MSc in Advanced Rehabilitation Technologies,); South Sudan (developing standardized in service midwifery training)’; Germany and US (Leadership Competences for executive nurse leaders); Republic of Georgia (developing bachelors nurse education); and Canada (comparing EU and Canadian nurse education and advising on masters level standards). Mary has experience with different levels of education for nurses and other health care professionals (from care assistant to post doctoral level); and with different educational strategies and technologies (from the use of grading in practice, simulation and use of mobile technologies to improve critical care education and resuscitation performance using ‘smart technologies’). She has supervised 10 doctoral students to successful completion.

Published
2023-11-30
How to Cite
Gobbi, Mary. 2023. “Introduction”. Tuning Journal for Higher Education 11 (1), 51-62. https://doi.org/10.18543/tjhe.2880.

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