Higher Education Professors in Blended Learning Modality of Teaching: The Silent Tears of Heroes Towards Resiliency

Abstract

With the amplified effects of the pandemic, higher academic institutions are forced to embrace blended learning as a modality of teaching. Blended learning has been a modality of teaching for the past decades to address urgency in the educational sector gaining numerous literature that exemplified its effects on the students’ academic performance, however, there’s no literature that examined the lived experiences of the professors in this modality of teaching. Thus, this study investigated and explicated the lived experiences of higher education professors in the blended learning modality of teaching. With 8 participants, that data was treated utilizing the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) anchored from the Modified Van Kaam Approach popularized by Moustakas. Four emerging core themes were generated such as (Theme 1) pedagogical challenges in delivering quality education, (Theme 2) technical Struggles are real, (Theme 3) potential Health Risk is at stake, and (Theme 4) resiliency is the key. With these emerging core themes, it is clear that although most of the professors are struggling pedagogically and technologically with their health at risk, there are some of them who thrive and gradually dance with the tune of technology. It is recommended that sufficient skill training such as webinars and web talks in manipulating technological tools and online platforms may be provided to all higher education professors.