Interprofessional Perspectives

“The cornerstone of our school remains its professionals — the devoted faculty, staff and administrators who work diligently to deliver high- quality instruction and support to our students. For many, the modifications to daily work and teaching strategies over the course of this year have been daunting, yet challenged us to re-evaluate and re-imagine the ways in which we operate in this new landscape and serve our students. School of Health and Medical Sciences faculty, staff and administrators tell us about their approaches to remote work and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.” – Niyala Shaw, BA

SHMS-related operational roles and responsibilities were added to my assistant dean portfolio during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to navigating the impact of the pandemic on the planning and execution of our IPE courses and SHMS IPE Core events, I was also leading multiple operational aspects of the SHMS Fall Restart planning at the IHS Campus in consultation with the dean. The COVID-19 pandemic imposed several fast-paced and impactful changes to University operations, which resonated at all levels of SHMS operations. To that end, more issues and barriers were being identified at a quicker pace, and there was a greater need for making decisions. More than ever, this required engagement with key stakeholders and information gathering. Ever since the University transitioned to remote operations, frequent, clear, concise and timely communication became more important than ever. Communication and relationship management became even more critical in ensuring that stakeholders had the support and resources they needed to meet their goals. As challenging as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on our University, one of the positive outcomes of being so rapidly submerged into the virtual world has been the development of a more renewed perception of virtual learning. We hope to further explore more virtual opportunities.”

Assistant Dean for Interprofessional Education

[I’ve learned] to shut up a bit more when teaching and let the students do the talking…this has been a welcome consequence of having to truly flip my classroom as a result of remote learning. While I have always embraced technology in the classroom, the sudden change to remote learning required a big change in my delivery of instruction. Having to record lectures so students can view them in an asynchronous manner helped me to really streamline the important aspects of the lectures, especially with a goal of no lecture being longer than 20 minutes. Pairing each lecture with an article or short assignment gave students a chance to listen and read about given topics. During scheduled class time, I was able to meet with small groups of students in Blackboard Collaborate Ultra in 30-minute intervals and listen to students apply instruction to real-world case studies. I was very pleased with how this turned out; now my only question is how to maintain this approach when we resume in-person classes…I guess just remember to shut up a bit more and listen to the students more.”

Associate Professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology The first order of business working at home was to create a temporary office space. While trying to work during the day it is easy to get distracted by household chores waiting to be done, pets wanting attention, and of course the refrigerator, the television and the couch. So, creating a space that could serve as a workspace, where I could focus on work tasks, was important for being productive. I feel that it provides a balance, to be able to work mostly from home, and come to work on a limited basis to provide some feeling of normalcy. Since coming to the office a few days a week, I see a few of my faculty and co-workers occasionally, but others I haven’t seen at all. I enjoy the people I work with, and I miss seeing them and having that interaction. I’ve always enjoyed talking to students when they stopped by my desk to drop something off, to take a piece of chocolate, or just to say hello while waiting for a professor. Overall, despite some challenges and adjustments, I mostly feel very appreciative that the type of job I have allows me to perform most of the tasks at home, whereas many people aren’t as fortunate.”

Secretary, Department of Occupational Therapy