Community College Faculty Experiences as Post-Pandemic Online Instructors

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sudden transition from face-to-face to online instruction. The problem that was addressed through this study is that little is known about the experiences of community college faculty members when teaching online in the post-pandemic era. Grounded in Hall’s and Hord’s concerns-based adoption model, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of community college faculty members’ perceptions of their teaching experiences working online post-pandemic. For this basic qualitative design, data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 community college faculty. A thematic analysis of the data revealed the following six themes: (1) faculty had pre-existing experience and familiarity with online teaching and tools’, adoption and utilization of online platforms and tools, ; challenges and constraints in transition, ; institutional support and collaboration, ; flexibility and adaptation to student needs, ; and professional adjustments. The findings are that community college faculty transitioned from non-use of online learning tools to refinement and refocusing while expressing ongoing concerns about maintaining student engagement in the online classroom. Furthermore, faculty expressed a desire for institutional support through collaboration with curriculum designers and also training for students. The study’s findings can contribute to positive social change by providing insights for stakeholders and policy changemakers seeking to support faculty members in adopting and sustaining new online teaching practices.