Raising the B.A.R.

Concurrent Session 3

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Grace is necessary in unprecedented times, but it should not be at the cost of quality education. Students need for faculty to offer benevolent support while maintaining academic rigor. This session focuses on demonstrating skills to effectively raise the bar for all learners regardless of the situation.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Jessica Blair, Grand Canyon Education

Co-presenter: Tiffany Newell, Grand Canyon University

Innovative and results-oriented Teacher and Trainer with over 15 years of demonstrated success in developing and implementing novel strategies to drive both academic and professional success. Adjunct online and ground instructor for the College of Education at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ. Experienced K-12 instructional coach.

Co-presenter: Kristina Rivera, Grand Canyon University

Co-presenter: Vivian Hobbins, Grand Canyon University

Extended Abstract

If there was a silver lining to a global crisis, it could be that those who were skeptic about online education were forced to see another perspective.  The shift in available teaching modalities allowed for the stereotypes of online education to be broken.  “This disruptive time can become an opportunity to foster a culture of care, help us refocus on what is most important, redefine excellence in teaching and research, and in doing so make academic practice more respectful and sustainable (Buckle, 2021)”. 

Fostering a culture of care while maintaining high standards requires providing benevolent academic rigor; Raising the B.A.R.  Faculty and higher education leadership had to find a balance between respecting the crisis and the need for grace without sacrificing the education. 

Various teaching methods had to be implemented to accommodate the even more diverse learner population.  A study conducted by Karalis & Raikou indicated aside from obvious technical issues that could occur, students had concerns with regards to communication and cooperation (2020).  If there was anything to be learned, it is that in order to offer grace, one must have open forms of communication.

This workshop provides faculty with a variety of different ways they can integrate grace into their classroom without diminishing the quality of education through open lines of communication.

 

References

Caitlin Buckle. (2021) Research during the COVID-19 pandemic: ethics, gender and precarious work. International Journal of Housing Policy, 1-15.

Karalis, T., & Raikou, N. (2020). Teaching at the times of COVID-19: inferences and implications for higher education pedagogy. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(5), 479–493.