How the coronavirus pandemic may be the discontinuity which makes the difference in the digital transformation of teaching and learning

摘要

At the time of writing this editorial, the majority of people around the world are living through a prolonged period of pandemic response. While circumstances and policies vary, certain changes are common: across the world, we are seeing the imposition of social distancing and an expectation of sustained changes to the way social interactions can be safely conducted. Such rapid changes in how societies do things are described by Foucault as discontinuities and he outlines the "concepts of discontinuity" as "transformation" (2013, p. 23). For many organisations, these enforced changes have accelerated digital transformation, a discontinuity already underway. We have seen a digital transformation in retail and financial services for several decades. More recently the cultural industries, such as the makers of music, games, film and television, have undergone enormous discontinuities. For education, the digital transformation of teaching and learning is being accelerated by the Covid-19 lockdowns. This involves the rapid and widespread adoption of e-learning, as many schools, colleges and universities are closed - and teaching and learning is being widely accessed online.