Associate Teaching Professor,
Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Dr. Keith Gehring supports the Undergraduate Program at the Korbel School of International Studies by teaching core and upper-level courses, mentoring students through the undergraduate experience, engaging international partners to expand student opportunities, and serving the program in a variety of ways. Dr. Gehring’s expertise is in the areas of political economy, technology, globalization, forecasting and development. His research is focused on the institutions supportive of knowledge economy development, specifically in the area of information and communication technology (ICT). Dr. Gehring is a Faculty Affiliate with the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures where I support the expanded use of the IFs model with students and external partners.
Describe a change to your general teaching practice as a result of the pandemic that worked well or better than expected.
Students are generally supportive of course pivots, so long as they understand why a change is needed and (hopefully) that it leads to improved instruction. I’ve also learned to adapt technology along with my teaching methods in relatively short order; something I would have been far more cautious in doing before the pandemic. In short, a crisis forces all of us to quickly experiment, test, deploy, recalibrate, and repeat and while stressful, it has ultimately improved my teaching.
Describe a change to classroom activities or assignments that worked well or better than expected.
My International Futures undergraduate course was both challenging and rewarding. With help from the Pardee Center, we were able to build out substantial asynchronous content to teach a hybrid/hyflex course that was as effective as it was when taught using a traditional modality during pre-pandemic times.
What change/s have you made to your teaching practice during the last year that you anticipate continuing beyond the pandemic?
Recognize when a single lecture or even the overall course structure does not quite meet your student’s needs and be ready to adjust as necessary.
