Teaching Resilience: Enabling Factors for Effective Responses to COVID-19
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University of Technology Sydney
Australia -
University of Technology Sydney Australia
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University of Technology Sydney Australia
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University of Technology Sydney Australia
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Australia
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University of Technology Sydney Australia
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted higher education globally. Teaching staff have pivoted to online learning and employed a range of strategies to facilitate student success. Aside from offering a testing ground for innovative teaching strategies, the pandemic has also provided an opportunity to better understand the pre-existing conditions that enable higher education systems to be resilient - that is, to respond and adapt to disturbances in ways that retain the functions and structures essential for student success.
This article presents a case study covering two transdisciplinary undergraduate courses at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. The results highlight the importance of information flows, feedbacks, self-organisation, leadership, openness, trust, equity, diversity, reserves, social learning and nestedness. These results show that resilience frameworks developed by previous scholars are relevant to university teaching systems and offer guidance on which system features require protection and strengthening to enable effective responses to future disturbances.
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Author Biographies
Dr Alex Baumber is a Senior Lecturer at TD School (Transdisciplinary School) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and Deputy Course Director for the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII). Alex’s research background is in sustainable land use practices, with a focus on landholder decision-making and the design of policy interventions. He brings this focus on enabling change to his teaching, where he has undertaken research into the processes and principles that can enable a transdisciplinary approach to learning in higher education.
Lucy Allen is an Associate Lecturer within TD School (Transdisciplinary School) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). With a background in the creative arts and transdisciplinary innovation, her work explores creative and holistic education practice and how these support learning in an increasingly uncertain world.
Tyler Key is an Associate Lecturer in the TD School (Transdisciplinary School) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He teaches across the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation degree and is a First and Further Year Experience Co-coordinator assisting students transitioning into and out of university. He works with a clear purpose of improving learning outcomes by prioritising learner-driven curiosity and the wellbeing of his students. Tyler engages in university-wide projects focused on creating a holistic approach to wellbeing in the university space. He is completing his postgraduate research studies exploring the impact of partnership and participatory approaches on the implementation and scaling of health programs.
Giedre Kligyte PhD is a Lecturer within TD School (Transdisciplinary School)at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). In her research, she explores how different perspectives and relationships across organisational roles, silos and disciplinary divisions can be creatively leveraged to create ‘third spaces’ – spaces where difference, experimentation and co-creation are embraced to stimulate mutual learning, new ways of thinking and creativity.
AustraliaDr Jacqueline Melvold is a passionate educator, scientist, and transdisciplinary collaborator. She aims to drive and influence change as an education leader by exploring innovative and creative approaches to a lifetime of learning in collaborative and immersive transdisciplinary environments. She works at the cutting edge of solving complex societal problems by bridging disciplinary boundaries and taking a holistic, youthful, and collaborative approach to problem solving.
Dr Susanne Pratt is an artist, educator and researcher. She is interested in how we can feel possible futures, to inspire environmental and social impact and change in the present. Susanne is a Lecturer within TD School (Transdisciplinary School) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) on unceded Gadigal Land.
