Preparing Faculty for Technology Dependency in the Post-COVID-19 Era

This is a book on preparing pre-service, in-service teachers and higher education faculty on harnessing and dealing with technology dependence in an Emergency Remote Teaching era, induced by the coronavirus pandemic. The focus of the book will be on both current and post-pandemic preparedness. The book idea was born out of a burning passion to assist our teachers and faculty survive and thrive under the needs of any time. 2020 brought unforeseen challenges to our lives and educational systems, and our institutions and families suffered the consequences of our unpreparedness. Distance /online learning is a complex process in terms of design, analysis and time taken to develop and implement courses and programs. Because it has been around for decades, it has evolved and morphed into a multidimensional procedure that needs meticulous planning, evolvement, and evaluation. It is aimed to provide meaningful learning experiences to students who may not otherwise have the option to attend college, due to personal or professional responsibilities. Students of distance/online courses and programs usually choose to join voluntarily, and designers of such programs purposefully plan for them to be online from the start. In contrast ERT is, as the name implies, an emergency/crisis based need to move to teach and learning to alternative environments until the crisis is averted or ended. The book is intended for everyone interested in technology integrated curricular research, and in particular, the context of remote learning preparedness. It will be of interest to those who rely on data driven and empirical approaches to understanding concepts, processes, and practices that successfully drive remote learning. The book is also intended for in-service teachers and faculty who rely on sound research and supporting evidence to make pedagogical choices. Additionally, other professional such as instructional designers may benefit from the research since technology dependence in design is a key component of the teaching and learning process. Students of all levels in the field of education, including pre-service teachers and trainers, will also find the book useful due to the cutting-edge research and introduction to innovative educational solutions it will provide.