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All a Matter of Intelligence: Faculty Competencies for Virtual Learning

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Emergency Remote Learning, Teaching and Leading: Global Perspectives

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many universities to take appropriate safeguards, which have included campus closures and increased usage of online teaching. These mandated changes have resulted in a rapid improvisation of courses to transform them from a traditional to an online setting. Nonetheless, research has shown that online learning is not the same as traditional classroom-based learning and simply transferring classroom-based materials and lectures to a virtual setting can result in students experiencing boredom, isolation and a lack of stimulation. In order to overcome this, it is necessary to develop new, interactive materials and to create collaborative and meaningful learning experiences for their students. In the move to online teaching, faculty who are unfamiliar with teaching in a virtual environment are expected to undertake their new role of developing and facilitating their online classes proficiently. This can be problematic for faculty unaccustomed to working in this type of environment if they do not have the skills required to support their students effectively. Exploring the behaviours and competencies of experienced online tutors can help these new faculty to identify and develop their own behaviours and competencies, thus improving their effectiveness in the virtual environment. This chapter explores the abilities of experienced online tutors in order to improve the competencies and behaviours that emergency online faculty require during challenging times such as COVID-19. As a result, this information can help traditional face-to-face faculty to identify and develop their own competencies and behaviours in order to improve their effectiveness in the virtual environment. Thus, this chapter explores the competencies that online faculty need in order to develop and teach virtual classes. These include foundational competencies – cognitive, creative, moral, emotional and social intelligences – and virtual competencies such as didactic, technological, cultural, interactive, political and time-management competencies. Implications for faculty and organisations are also discussed. It is not clear whether the forced change to online teaching by the COVID crisis is permanent or temporary. However, as universities seek to maintain and improve their educational offerings during this generational event, ensuring that faculty can meet these new challenges by having the requisite competencies, is a key component to their success.

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Correspondence to Elspeth McFadzean .

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McFadzean, E., Mohabir-McKinley, S. (2021). All a Matter of Intelligence: Faculty Competencies for Virtual Learning. In: Bissessar, C. (eds) Emergency Remote Learning, Teaching and Leading: Global Perspectives. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76591-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76591-0_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-76590-3

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