Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Experienced Introductory STEM Instructors’ Teaching Practices

Professional development for STEM instructors and facilitating change in their instruction requires understanding current practices along with what motivates or causes them to change their teaching practice. Teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic caused a lot of change in how courses were delivered in-person or online, but it also provided opportunities for instructors to change the teaching method used in the courses, potentially shifting towards more student-centered practices. Some commonly cited barriers to faculty changes were removed or lowered during this time and instructors had to think about their teaching due to the nature of the pandemic. Opportunity for change was present which could provide lessons for professional development and STEM reform efforts. This article reports on the analysis of experienced introductory STEM instructors’ syllabi before, during, and after the full Covid-19 pandemic academic year 2020-21. Focus group interviews were also conducted to explore how teaching was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings suggest that little changed in instructional strategies, and that the experience likely reinforced teaching practices from prior to Covid. There was no indication of intent to improve or change instruction in anyway. Take aways for professional development and teaching reform with experienced STEM faculty are discussed.