Chapter 9 ‘Overall It Was OK’
COVID-19 and the Wellbeing of University Teachers
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Abstract
The complex profession of a university academic includes a wide array of tasks and expectations in research, administration and teaching (Gillespie et al., 2001). The teaching component involves further complexity as teaching requires educating students of differing backgrounds and levels of academic and social-emotional skills (Hagenauer & Volet, 2014). Although conditions vary across nations and systems, a common concern is increased demands associated with the likelihood of burnout in university teachers, less job satisfaction and a threat to wellbeing (Han et al., 2020). The COVID-19 pandemic presented an additional layer of challenge throughout the world that might impede university teacher wellbeing. Wellbeing, however, can be supported through social and organisational as well as individual strategies (Mudrak et al., 2018). This chapter examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the wellbeing of university teachers in one Australian university over the course of a semester.