Faculty Development during & after COVID: Lessons from Abroad (France, Japan, Australia)

The paradigm shift induced by the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the teaching practices in an unprecedented way. The sudden and often mandatory shift to hybrid and online teaching highlighted the crucial role of faculty development, which also had to adapt to the new normal in its own ways of delivery. Among all the local faculty development initiatives settled from the beginning of the pandemic to support educators, and beyond obvious constraints raised by their context, some of them have represented an unexpected opportunity to re-think teaching and learning practices. Therefore, they can represent idea laboratories that might induce changes in these practices, not only during the pandemic, but also in the middle and long term, reflecting the “Evolve” and “Transform” post-COVID scenarios showcased in the EDUCAUSE Top IT issues 2021. This session will consist a panel discussion on the topic of faculty development through lessons learned from the COVID era in three large-scale examples from significantly different places: France, Japan, and Australia. Beyond the international comparative approach, people who attend the session will benefit from the presenters’ profiles (mixing researcher/professor, FD director, former deputy vice president and deputy vice chancellor). The session will highlight the operational and strategic challenges and perspectives of faculty development at the middle and long term.