The Interplay of Institutional Support and Faculty Roles during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Implications for the future of Online Teaching and Learning

While the outcome of the Covid-19 pandemic was largely the same across higher education – a rapid transition to online teaching and learning – the processes and institutional support that led to this transition varied greatly. As such, the perception and anxieties experienced by faculty warrant exploration as these perceptions will likely dictate the future of online teaching and learning within higher education institutions. Through the use of tweets made during the pandemic and interviews with faculty, this study reveals that the emotional stress experienced by faculty when playing multiple, unfamiliar roles hinder implementation of online teaching and learning initiatives. This hindrance may in part be alleviated through well targeted institutional support.