The Coronavirus pandemic rapidly and drastically altered the ways we teach and learn within HE. On one hand, this has resulted in some practices which have been beneficial and innovative, and useful to teaching more widely. On the other, practices developed relevant only to the context of the crisis itself, which the institution and Warwick’s teaching and learning community will benefit from setting aside with intentionality when the pandemic comes to an end. Within the sector, there were calls to consider the shape of the ‘post-pandemic university’ and what we could learn about teaching and learning from this time (see for example, the series and articles produced by BERALink opens in a new window and WONKHELink opens in a new window, the recent UUK education summitLink opens in a new window, and the work done by the Post-pandemic UniversityLink opens in a new window project). More widely, the RSA conducted work to support organisations, institutions and society in considering their response to the pandemic, and how learning from this time can support more robust responses to crisis and change in the future, developing a ‘Future Change Framework’Link opens in a new window as a result and the publication of a report into the value of considering future changeLink opens in a new window. 

In this open Learning Circle, we considered what we wanted to take forward and leave behind from the time of Covid within Warwick, as well as what we wanted to restart (or deliberately not restart) in response to the crisis.  Focusing specifically on learning and teaching, we had the opportunity to engage with the Bridges to the Future work developed by the RSALink opens in a new window in response to pandemic, to frame a process of gathering insights from the Warwick teaching and learning community, both staff and students, and to make recommendations to the University.