The pandemic has had a lasting impact on students’ wellbeing which universities are struggling to address.
During periods of lockdown, when students were suffering different levels of trauma, some learners were supported effectively by caring teachers engaging with them via digital technologies. It could be argued that the pandemic ushered in a more compassionate approach to students that should be retained.
Blended learning may not seem an obvious solution to what has been labelled a mental health crisis, especially given that students have been arguing to return to in-person teaching on campus. Yet it is widely acknowledged that the shift to online teaching at the beginning of the pandemic was not by design.
