Glimpses of Teaching in the New Normal: Changes, Challenges, and Chances

Abstract

The current context on virtual education has provided a plethora of studies investigating educational institutions’ response strategies to remote and online learning formats. However, to provide a much-grounded description of the realities in the field, this study explored the role of teachers in the virtual learning environment through their narratives reflective of their experiences. Furthermore, it employed a qualitative narrative and descriptive research method anchored on the tenets of Husserlian descriptive phenomenology. Six higher education professors from different colleges and universities in Central Visayas, Philippines served as the participants of the study. Data were collected from in-depth interviews done virtually via Zoom. Based on participant narratives, the following emerged as themes: changes, challenges, and chances, respectively, in all the teaching-learning phases, from preparation and implementation to assessment. These changes, challenges, and chances shared by the participants have shed light on teaching being a multifaceted profession, putting emphasis on teachers as innovators of change. Thus, it is recommended that colleges and universities should establish an institutional based framework for emergency remote teaching. The framework should highlight policies on virtual education, upscale and upskill teachers, address learning losses, and promote strategies to build resilience in students and teachers.