Sink or swim: Exploring resilience of academics at an education faculty during Covid-19

Abstract

There is a proliferation of local and international research focusing on Covid-19 and its impact on teaching and learning practices in higher education. However, there is considerably less focus on the resilience of academics in higher education during the pandemic in South Africa. To consider this gap, a group of curriculum officers at an education faculty based at a university of technology in the Western Cape set out to explore how resilient academics were during Covid-19. Thirteen academics who teach in and across the Foundation, Intermediate, and Further Education and Training phases participated in a focus group interview. Data was analysed thematically using content analysis and three themes were identified: creativity through complexity; embracing challenge through resilience; and connecting with self. The implications reveal that universities as a contextual environment for promoting resilience need to engage with the social and physical ecology of staff by providing support and resources to facilitate resilience during times of crisis. The dominant nature of the hierarchical dynamics of the university's management also needs to be considered as part of a social-ecological perspective in valuing academics' wellbeing during emergencies.

Nurturing the scientific mind: resilience and job satisfaction among Saudi faculty

“…Moreover, recent studies by Mead et al (2021) , Gull et al (2023) , and Durso et al (2021) emphasize adaptability and flexibility as key resilience components, especially significant in adapting to rapid changes like digital transformation in higher education. This emphasis on adaptability seamlessly connects to the importance of robust support systems, as highlighted by Shaik et al (2022) and Moore et al (2023) , who point out the role of communities of practice, mentorship, and faculty support in bolstering personal resilience during crises. Additionally, the aspect of emotional and mental resilience, discussed by Kowler et al (2023) , emerges as crucial for maintaining mental health and emotional well-being under academic pressures.…”

Psychosocial Implications, Students Integration/Attrition, and Online Teaching and Learning in South Africa’s Higher Education Institutions in the Context of COVID-19

“…Some of the problems created by the COVID-19 disaster in South Africa's HEIs relate to issues of student access, resilience, persistence, and attrition or success. Shaik et al (2022) [50] claim that universities as contextual environments must focus on promoting resilience by engaging with the social and physical ecology of staff, and [students] (emphasis added in the original), by providing support and resources to facilitate resilience during times of disaster. Pedagogic migration to remote online learning has posed challenges that are unique to certain groups of students.…”

A systematic review of the implications for teaching, learning and assessment at South African universities after the Covid-19 pandemic

“…Online learning was the only way to continue TLA (Feldman, 2020;Valler & Bruce, 2020), enhance preparedness through integration of digital technologies as standard practice (Knoetze & Toit, 2022;Wolhuter & Jacobs, 2021), transform infrastructure and develop technological tools for T, L & A (Kativhu, 2021;Mdiniso et al, 2022), increased reliance on stable internet access (Makhoba & Reddy, 2022), prioritize technology-related professional development (Shaik, 2022;Naidoo et al, 2022), enhance digital capital for lecturers and students (Bekker, & Carrim, 2021;Oluwatimilehin, 2021), redesign curriculum for the delivery of both theoretical and practical components online (Molato & Sehularo, 2022), and more time spent on LMS for TLA (Gamede, Ajani & Afolabi, 2022;Joseph et al, 2022).…”

“…Multimodal learning channels for diverse backgrounds and learning styles (Czerniewicz et al, 2020;Joseph et al, 2022;Naidoo & Israel, 2021), creating inclusive and supportive learning environment (Hardman et al, 2022), demonstrate resilience (Shaik, 2022), mitigate solutions to challenges, indicating some element of being self-directed learners (Mahlaba & Mentz, 2023), diagnose students' learning styles to optimize interventions (Kativhu, 2021), engage in reflective practices to align teaching approaches with student needs (Godsell, 2022), customize pedagogical tools for specific content to enhance learning (Menon & Motala, 2022), adapt teaching methods and delivery (Naidoo et al, 2022), and tailor instructional design and pedagogical strategies for online environments (Aina & Ogegbo, 2021).…”

“…Numerous studies have explored the impact of the pandemic on TLA at South African HEIs. These studies have provided comprehensive findings through diverse methodologies, offering insights into various contexts within the South African higher education landscape (Mahlaba, 2020;Jordaan, 2022;Maphalala et al, 2021;Phejane, 2022;Shaik et al, 2022, Woldegiorgis, 2022. Interestingly, the findings across different contexts present a consistent perspective, indicating that most students, lecturers, and HEIs encountered similar challenges and transitions during the pandemic.…”