‘I’ve got that autonomy on how I want to manage my day as long as I’m in for teaching’: a follow up of teaching practices in post Covid-19 higher education sport

Covid-19 and ensuing lockdowns severely disrupted all sectors of society, including higher education. In the United Kingdom (UK), universities rapidly transitioned to remote delivery, requiring significant changes in teaching and assessment practices. Using semi-structured qualitative interviews and the lens of self-determination theory, this study investigated the post-pandemic teaching and working practices of nine sports educators employed across seven UK higher education institutions. The aim was to explore the post Covid-19 teaching and working practices of educators delivering sports provision in UK higher education settings. Findings indicate that participants improved their competence in online teaching during the pandemic through the adoption of diverse digital tools and are now experiencing greater autonomy in structuring their working days but have not necessarily extended their alternative content and delivery styles since the pandemic. The resumption of in-person teaching promoted stronger connections and a renewed sense of relatedness with students but less so with other colleagues. Overall, the participants showed a clear understanding of the benefits and challenges of hybrid work. While they greatly valued having the freedom and choice to work from home on days when not teaching, some reported missing the informal, day-to-day interactions and community engagement that occur in campus settings.