Teaching Virtual Teams Projects in Germany amidst COVID-19

On a Friday afternoon, three days away from the start of the new semester, the state board of education informed us that the university would be shutting down and all courses would go online for at least the next five weeks. Suddenly colleagues, for whom online instruction meant uploading files to the university LMS, were faced with having to go completely digital. There was a scramble for Zoom tutorials, our IT department was flooded with so many requests they had to adopt a ticket system, and colleagues who were more computer savvy were suddenly in high demand. Within two weeks, professors, adjuncts and administrators were entirely online. And so were their students. Continue reading Teaching Virtual Teams Projects in Germany amidst COVID-19

Life in These Corona Times

April 13, 2020, was a difficult day for me as an educator, mother, and scholar. I have spent the past month encouraging and consoling students, my children, my colleagues, my family, and my friends. Yesterday I admitted to the chair of my committee that I had not written anything on my dissertation for more than two weeks. Although she was very understanding and kind, the idea that I had put that part of myself on pause was difficult to accept. Continue reading Life in These Corona Times

Give Yourself a Gold Star for Kin Work

You pull your attention away from your professional work once again to attend to some family matter that has just come up. It’s a call from your mom to talk about her prescription refills. Or it’s an email about how your cousin is now out of work and can’t pay his mortgage. Or it’s your brother sending you anxiety texts about the stock market. Sometimes family issues come up while we’re working (Ball, 2017). Continue reading Give Yourself a Gold Star for Kin Work

Life Interrupted—Finding the Good, Despite the Challenges, in the Pandemic as a Professional

My pandemic experience begins with disrupted plans to present at the ABC Southwest conference in San Antonio, March 11-14. In the days leading up to the conference, I watched as other professional organizations around the country canceled gatherings. Meanwhile, Youngstown State University was on spring break, and administrators grappled with how to respond as the coronavirus crisis began to take shape. I questioned whether the conference would take place and debated whether it was safe for me to attend. On March 10, Ohio prohibited state-funded travel outside of the state, effectively halting my trip. Continue reading Life Interrupted—Finding the Good, Despite the Challenges, in the Pandemic as a Professional