The Teaching and Learning Innovation Digest - May 2023

2022). Many international students had added
problems created by firewalls and differing time
zones (Deshmukh, 2021). Meanwhile internet
access, bandwidth, and access to the
necessary hardware for online learning
became global challenges, particularly for
the world’s poorest (Blaskovits et al., 2023,
Hadfield & Summerby-Murray, 2021, Phillips,
2021). These were just a handful of the
multitude of problems that emerged from this
forced global experiment in online learning.
Alongside the challenges associated with
online learning, there were many benefits
that emerged, some expected and others
unexpected. Perhaps the greatest benefit
was the flexibility associated with online
learning. Teaching and learning could now take
place from anywhere and at any time, which
for students contributed to greater control
and self-regulation over the learning process
(Ashour et al., 2021, Phillips, 2021). It also
made education more accessible particularly
for those who struggled with accessing oncampus
learning (i.e. those with disabilities,
with competing family and work responsibilities,
international, rural and other students living far
from campuses, etc…) (Ashour et al., 2021;
Blaskovits et al., 2023, Hadfield & Summerby-
Murray, 2021, Phillips, 2021). For most
people there was also the added
advantage of the reduction in
time and costs associated with
commuting (Ashour et al., 2021,
Blaskovits et al., 2023, Phillips,
2021). Factor in the environmental
improvements associated with
reduced commuting and the
gains are global. Online learning
also created opportunities for
educators to challenge aspects
of pedagogy that needed to be
rethought and reimagined (Phillips
2021). It created richer learning
experiences associated with
greater access and opportunities to
collaborate with others, particularly
expert professionals from around
the world (Finch & Jacobs,
2012). An unexpected benefit was the way
online platforms like Zoom flattened out some
of the existing hierarchies associated with
physical classroom spaces (i.e., position of
teacher at the front of the room, students
situating themselves in either the back or
front of the classroom based on whether they
wanted to be seen and/or heard). The uniform
Zoom grid classroom flattened out the
traditional hierarchical classroom configuration,
which enabled greater participation of students
who would not have felt comfortable to
participate in a physical classroom (Deshmukh,
2021). Of course, this does not dismiss all the
inequities associated with using Zoom or other
online delivery platforms (i.e., accessibility,
technological literacy, privacy, etc.).
The results of current research on the
experience of online learning during the
pandemic are mixed and findings cannot
be reduced to a balance sheet of pros
and cons. When assessing this research
and the lessons learned it is important
to remember that the context of the
pandemic was diverse, despite it being a
global phenomenon. Institutions with more
economic, social, cultural, and political capital
were better able to navigate the barriers
associated with a virtual teaching and learning
environment. They had better infrastructure,
resources, and support for technology (Stack,
2021). There were also robust student
services like mental health, and financial aid
that students could access. Meanwhile, the
diversity of learners meant there was
not a common experience even among
learners. For example, online learning created
opportunities for those in rural locations to
access education, but this was not the case
for many Indigenous learners in rural areas
who had limited access to internet, computers/
laptops, and other technology and support
(Blaskovits et al., 2023).
As we emerge from the pandemic the
speed and scale of change of technology
has not slowed despite the concerns
exposed by the pandemic. The strides
made in technology are here to stay and
will probably accelerate. Many want the
benefits offered by technology to continue,
but also want options for what technology
could not provide. There also needs to be
a consideration of the disparities between
different groups and how technology
can both lessen and widen
those disparities. For example,
technology has increased access
to education for learners from
rural communities and other
marginalized groups (i.e. those with
chronic health conditions) but at
the same time growing poverty
particularly among students from
historically marginalized groups has
raised concerns about expenses
associated with technology and good
internet connections (Blaskovits,
2023). There is talk of postsecondary
institutions becoming more “nimble”
in the future, given that their world
will likely experience more global
crises due to further pandemics
and the impacts of climate change
(Deshmukh, 2021). As higher
education gravitates more towards
online learning this inevitably
raises questions about the role of
the campus.
Role of the campus: Questioning space
There is a lot of discussion about the role of
physical campus as postsecondary institutions
seek to find the right balance between face-toface
and virtual learning. In fact, in his research
on the post pandemic university campus,
Jay Deshmukh (2021) asks: “Has COVID-19
killed the campus? He and other researchers
suggest that it has not. In fact, educational
scholars recognize that learning is not just
formal, cognitive, and limited to classroom
spaces. Rather, he notes that “learning takes
place in the multiplicity of formal and informal
interactions that occur frequently and naturally
across the campus”. These interactions
contribute to the cognitive and social
development of those who inhabit these
institutional sites. If anything the pandemic
taught us that there is inherent value in real
and meaningful interpersonal engagement (i.e.,
collegiality and well-being) that takes place on
campuses (Blaskovits, 2023; Deshmukh, 2021,
Phillips, 2021).`
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