Hello there and a heartfelt welcome to my trending topic discussion! This thread shines a spotlight on social trends in higher education specifically remote work. Happy reading!
Remote work has experienced an exponential upward trajectory over the past two years. Although it has been blooming prior to the onset of covid-19, many thinkers acknowledge the fact that its growth rate intensified following the occurrence of the virus. During that period, remote work served as a safety net and measure for higher education professionals. In particular, it gave them the opportunity to work from home and/or from any location. I like to think of remote work as a safe haven for educators. The covid-19 experience, though, has been indeed beneficial for numerous educators worldwide. For many, it allowed them to strike that work-life balance that they’ve always wanted and have been trying to achieve for years. This and several other experienced benefits resulted in remote work becoming “a nonnegotiable expectation among Staff” (Pelletier et al., 2022, p. 8).
Countless countries are currently returning to a state of normalcy from the pandemic experience, and remote work has become the norm for numerous higher education professionals worldwide. Not only has it become a norm for many globally, but experts also forecast continued growth in the years to come. Its continued growth can impact higher ed institutions in many ways. Pelletier et al. (2022) highlighted that “higher education in general risks losing swaths of its workforce to other industries that are more fully embracing remote modes of working” (p. 8). This general consensus asserted by experts in the field suggests the detrimental effects that are likely to occur if higher education institutions fail to consider and incorporate a trend that will continue to gain traction in the years ahead.
As such, mapping the future of remote work and other related trends are essential for higher education institutions. Indeed, it can impact them in profound ways. In fact, forecasting information and trending topics like remote work can contribute to the success or disintegration of higher education institutions. For instance, lack of attention given to shifts in teaching and learning like professional work mode preferences can eventually result in high employee turnover rates as previously mentioned. Consequently, this can have rippling effects for higher education institutions. Interestingly, “a recent EDUCAUSE QuickPoll found that IT staff were more likely to be looking outside higher education for job opportunities when their institution’s workplace policies and practices were not aligned with staff preferences for more remote flexibility” (Pelletier et al., 2022, p. 8). This finding, in particular, emphasizes the significance of always looking beyond and forecasting trends that can have varying impacts in the long-run.
What are your thoughts on remote work? As an educator, is this your preference? Let's continue the conversation in the comment section below!
Krista
MDE student
University of Maryland Global Campus
University of Maryland Global Campus | UMGC
References
Pelletier, K., McCormack, M., Reeves, J., Robert, J., Arbino, N., Al-Freih, M., Dickson-Deane, C., Guevara, C., Koster, L., Sánchez-Mendiola, M., Skallerup-Bessette, L., & Stine, J. (2022). 2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report™ | Teaching and Learning Edition. EDUCAUSE. https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2022/4/2022hrteachinglearning.pdf?#page=4&la=en&hash=71AAD6A021B9E88CB8779E000A8DFDC04200739C
Hi Krista,
I also loved working remotely as a teacher for the exact reason you mentioned: work-life balance. I loved the flexibility and realized just how much of my day was absorbed by teaching when you factor in commuting. I also felt more efficient working remotely, as there weren't as many disciplinary and administrative tasks to siphon time away from curriculum planning and instruction. I think a lot of the frustration seen from students and teachers this past school year will lead to more hybrid and virtual options opening up in the future as people realize that "normalcy" looks different now and one-size-fits-all doesn't work. I really enjoyed your post!