ORCID
Cathryn Walker, 0009-0007-4310-2081; Glenn Richard Penny, https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0790-8855; Lynne Orr, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6238-0761; Kathleen Norris, https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1662-2698; Judith Blakely, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7550-7707
Abstract
Faculty in a virtual online university benefited from employing elements of the community of care, community of inquiry, and social determinants of health frameworks to strengthen a sense of connection and to develop a community of care in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This article presents an overview of practices at one university related to the design, implementation, and benefits accruing from employing strategies anchored in these frameworks. During 2022, two years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, university leaders approached a team of faculty members to facilitate a dialogue series to enhance relationships among faculty, given the knowledge gap regarding such practices. This faculty-led initiative aimed to reconnect faculty through a three-phase dialogue series. The virtual series focused on distinct objectives: establishing trust and faculty connections, fostering collaboration around social change, and addressing barriers to social change in higher education. Based on informal data collected from participating faculty, perceived outcomes included greater faculty morale, teambuilding, a reinforced sense of belonging among faculty, and mutual support. The success of the series underscored the potential of intentional social interactions in virtual academic settings to improve collegiality and resilience among higher education faculty. This model offers a replicable approach to promoting sustainable faculty well-being and community in online institutions.
Included in
Higher Education Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons, Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons
