The Future of Higher Education Symposium - Heads of the Class

College and university faculty are feeling burned out by the extra demands of planning and preparing courses for online — and sometimes in-person or hybrid — courses. Texas State University professor Janet Bezner and UT-El Paso professor Guillermina Gina Núñez-Mchiri spoke with Texas Tribune higher education reporter Kate McGee about how they’re balancing rigor with flexibility and compassion for students struggling to stay in school during the pandemic. They discussed food and housing insecurity among their students, some of whom can’t make it to class because they are working while attending school.Both professors expressed relief that their respective universities provided flexibility to most faculty, allowing them to choose whether they wanted to teach in person or remotely this fall. Bezner is teaching a hybrid class where her students are split into groups that attend once a week in person. There are still unknowns, including how well students will perform this semester, whether first-generation college students will feel supported enough to continue and whether faculty have the endurance to continue in this current environment. — Kate McGeeThis session is supported by Texas State University System.