Getting Out from Behind the Screen

Is hybrid work hurting the HigherEd Pro Pipeline?

Before you start to lob verbal grenades at me I want to be clear, I think there is a space for hybrid work in HigherEd. Seriously. I do. I see it work and work well. I also see it work not so well. Is this a HigherEd specific challenge? Hell no. The private sector is demanding people come back to work for a variety of reasons ranging from ‘productivity’ (which is BS), to corporate climate and cohesion (largely BS), to the fact that we pay a lot of money for our office space which to not have all the seats full (OK, there it is).

HigherEd moved its world of work during the pandemic. Some campuses like SNHU really invested in this, sending the employees funds to set up their home offices - no questions asked. Other campuses told employees, we don’t care where you are, just do your job - and people complied, moving several states away to be with loved ones during this difficult time in our collected psyche. Strong administrative practices can be nimble, moving from in person to online, but as we know the delivery of classroom content that was designed for delivery in a classroom, laboratory or lecture hall is not as malleable. Online learning is a different world of course development, and for most faculty, getting back IN the classroom was welcome from the Zoom world.