RUME 28
2026
Alexandria, Virginia
Readiness for the Next Disruption: Lessons from Instructors’ Struggles During COVID-19
Page: 1283
When higher education rapidly shifted online in 2020, STEM instructors encountered fundamental challenges including academic integrity concerns, inequitable access to technology, insufficient training, unclear communication, and emotional strain. This poster draws on open-ended responses from 934 chemistry, mathematics, and physics instructors to investigate the pandemic-era challenges they described and the capacities they believed were lacking. Guided by resilience theory (Holling, 1973; Norris et al., 2008), we view these reflections not as a record of crisis, but as insight into what is required for instructional readiness. Resilience in this context is more than the ability to move courses online quickly; it is the extent to which this transition does not compromise academic integrity, dismantle professional communities, widen inequity, or encroach on learning. Preliminary analysis reveals recurring challenges related to technology, assessment, communication, equity, and isolation. These reflections can inform a framework for crisis-readiness in STEM departments.