Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Program
Urban Education
Advisor
Stephen Brier
Committee Members
Luke Waltzer
Robert P Robinson
Subject Categories
Education | Educational Technology | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Abstract
This dissertation examines how faculty at the City University of New York navigated the abrupt transition to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing how pedagogy is shaped by technological, institutional, and social conditions. Drawing on twenty-two interviews with twelve faculty across eight disciplines, I use a grounded theory approach to analyze how instructors adapted courses, reimagined assessment, and sustained connection with students amid crisis. Three overlapping pedagogical orientations emerged: improvisational, relational, and design-based teaching. These approaches highlight how faculty balanced responsiveness, care, and intentional course design in environments mediated by digital platforms and marked by inequity. The study situates these practices within a broader philosophy of technology informed by media and cultural studies. Building on Haraway’s cyborg theory and McLuhan’s concept of media as extensions of the body, I argue that pandemic teaching exemplified a hybrid condition where pedagogy was inseparable from technological infrastructures and human relationships. The research also foregrounds accessibility, emotional labor, and the political economy of higher education — particularly the reliance on contingent faculty labor.
Recommended Citation
Laksimi, Sakina, "Teaching and Technology: "You Can't Just Do the Same Thing Online"" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6443
