Lessons learnt during COVID-19: making sense of Australian and Swedish university lecturers’ experience

• Published in: International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 2023-12, Vol.20 (1), p.25-17
• Main Authors: Turner, Kristina, O’Brien, Siobhan, Wallström, Helena, Samuelsson, Katarina, Uusimäki, Sirkka-Liisa Marjatta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arbetslivsstudier; CAI; College Faculty; Colleges & universities; Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences; Computer assisted instruction; Computer Science; Computers and Education; COVID-19; Digital Technologies; Distance Education; Distance learning; Educational Change; Educational Technology; Foreign Countries; Higher Education; Humanities; Information Systems Applications (incl.Internet); Law; Learning; Lärande; Media Engineering; Mediateknik; Online instruction; Pandemics; Pedagogical Work; Pedagogik; Pedagogiskt arbete; Pedagogy; Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology); Psykologi (exklusive tillämpad psykologi); Research Article; Sensemaking; Social Psychology; Socialpsykologi; Statistics for Social Sciences; Stress Variables; Teaching Experience; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommuting; University faculty; University Lecturer; Web Based Instruction; Well Being; Wellbeing; Women Faculty; Work Sciences
• ISSN: 2365-9440; 2365-9440
• DOI: 10.1186/s41239-023-00395-5

This article reports on a study analysing changes in the use of digital technologies and working from home during the COVID-19 crisis and the impact of these changes on the wellbeing of five female university lecturers from Australia and Sweden. Applying collaborative autoethnographical methods, this study employed Weick’s sensemaking framework to explore how the academics made sense of these sudden changes. The Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) wellbeing framework was also employed to explore the effect of these changes on the academics’ wellbeing. Findings from the reflective narratives show that after the initial experiences of stress, each university lecturer was able to adapt and navigate the online teaching environment during the pandemic. However, the time constraints in preparing and adapting to online teaching, and working from home, were experienced by some of the university lecturers as highly stressful and isolating which impacted their sense of wellbeing. Even so, working from home was recognized as a positive experience, providing time for research, hobbies, and time with family. This study addresses a gap in current knowledge by examining the impact of the sudden transition to online teaching and learning had on academic wellbeing as conceptualised through the PERMA framework. In addition, by applying Weick’s sensemaking framework, this study provides a unique perspective around how academics made sense of the sudden switch to online teaching and learning during COVID-19.