Prologue: Our Journey through the Pandemic

Abstract

Rarely are we--we, in the largest sense--affected by a single event. When they do occur, we know that these broadly shared experiences are inherently historical: World War II, the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (vicariously experienced across the world in real time via television and radio), and the Covid-19 pandemic. As faculty in institutions of higher education, we, like others around the world and in different professions, faced an unprecedented experience. How we approached the experiences varied from instructor to instructor from institution to institution. Within these various experiences, paradoxically, there was a common thread: how to meet learning outcomes and achieve student success despite the sudden and radical shift in our and our students’ lives. As we considered, and then prepared a special issue on how the pandemic impacted teaching and learning at institutions of higher learning, it occurred to us that the Hero’s Journey spoke to our common experience. We were forced from our normal lives into the unknown. As we moved into the unknown, we found allies and mentors. We learned new skills and strategies. We confronted difficulties and managed to overcome them, sometimes exceedingly well, sometimes we just survived. And now we prepare for a return to what doesn’t feel like the old normal, but could be. What will we learn from this experience?