In this article, we explore the notion of sensemaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring sensemaking in periods of disruption and uncertainty can provide a deeper understanding of how distance education institutions can navigate future disruptions. We focus on support staff employed at one institution and their experience during remote work…

Objective: To assess changes in physical activity (PA) after a COVID-19 shutdown on a primarily residential university campus. Methods: Eighty students, faculty, and staff (FS) of a university (age: 32.2 ± 13.6 yr) who wore a consumer wearable technology (CWT) device completed an anonymous survey by inputting data for 30 days prior to- and 30 days…

Although undergraduates from all class backgrounds work while attending college, little is known about how students approach finding work and the benefits they reap from different on-campus roles. Drawing on interviews with 110 undergraduates at Harvard University, we show that in the absence of clear institutional expectations surrounding…

Higher education institutions have always been changing concurrently with larger societal developments. This paper addresses digital transformation in higher education (DTHE) during a disruptive crisis, e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding different perspectives on DTHE during the pandemic is important, as the meaning allocated to the…

E-learning was the most preferred mode of instruction during COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Government of India closed all the educational institutions in India due to spread of COVID-19 pandemic. The closure of educational institutions affected the schools, colleges and universities. To overcome this, the HEI's adopted various online…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how employees at a midsized public university in the U.S. South experienced working from home during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021. Most employees in higher education settings were affected by the pandemic. Administrative and clerical and support staff had to determine how to provide the…

On 17 March 2020, the population in France entered into a strict lockdown due to the critical spreading of COVID-19. Students could no longer go to their learning institutions. The initial 2-week-lockdown lasted overall 10 weeks and higher education institutions remained closed until the end of the academic year, affecting then even longer…

This qualitative case study explored the lived experiences of social work students through the COVID-19 pandemic. In the weeks following the detection of COVID-19 in the United States, educational institutions closed down on very short notice and administrators scrambled to develop plans that would ensure as little disruption as possible to…

Background: Our study aimed to examine the effects of COVID-19 on the physical fitness and academic performance of Chinese college students. Participants: The sample included physical fitness test data from 9,712 undergraduate students and academic performance data from 12,000 undergraduate students at a top university in China. Methods: Physical…

Burnout among faculty members impacts physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning and has negative socioeconomic consequences downstream. Prior to the pandemic, faculty members were already reporting high levels of burnout, which is characterized by depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a lack of personal accomplishment. Previous…

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on society includes the careers and career decision-making of emerging adults. This impact could influence how emerging adults approach careers and work-life balance. Vocational anticipatory socialisation examines how sources of career information influence the career decision-making process. With the COVID-19…

Many medical school faculty view the educational changes wrought by the pandemic as an aberration and are eager to return to traditional face-to-face teaching. To encourage faculty to continue with online teaching, it is important to understand medical school faculty experiences of teaching virtually during the COVID-19 shutdowns and how that has…

The unique nature of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented many typical graduate assistantships from occurring due to school-building closures, virtual classes, and stay-at-home orders. As such, the authors address the increase of 'shadowing' graduate assistantships at a large land-grant institution. To uphold the governmental stay-at-home regulations…

Objectives: To assess levels of psychological distress among a group of US undergraduate college students during the initial phases of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Methods: All undergraduates at Kent State University were surveyed in three randomly selected cohorts on March 18, March 25, and April 1, yielding 3924 valid responses…

During the global COVID-19 pandemic, to decrease the risk of viral spread, universities in the United States were forced to transition traditional classroom learning to online learning formats. Instructors who were teaching face-to-face classes had to urgently transition those courses to all-online. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological…