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Sample Module 1 Assignment by Instructor
Topic: An examination of the new normal in individuals and organizations after COVID-19 shutdowns and the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs)
Tentative Title: Re-imagining Community in a Post-pandemic Era: The Mediating Effect of ICTs in the New Normal
Description and Rationale:
Information and communication technologies, as devices, processes and applications, feature prominently in all aspects of life, particularly in Western societies. Indeed, the presence of technologies in everyday life is such an embedded matter-of-fact that at least two generations of young Americans have never known a time when there was no cell phone or the Internet. The integration of ICTs and their functionalities in work, study and personal interactions increased exponentially in 2020 and 2021 when the world shut down in response the COVID-19 pandemic. When physical contacts were impossible or restricted, ICTs mediated in ways that collapsed geospatial distances and somewhat eased the challenges of in-person interactions. Schools and churches transitioned online, medical providers offered virtual care for non-critical cases, and, virtual meeting platforms became “offices” and gathering spaces for work, conferences and other social interactions. By 2022, restrictions were eased as COVID-19 vaccination rates rose and infection rates decreased. People were encouraged to return to in-person activities and continue with life as usual.
The return to in-person interactions should be a positive development especially because the isolation of the pandemic era impacted mental and emotional health in various degrees of severity. However, media reports seem to indicate that many people are recalibrating “life as usual” and are choosing virtual interactions for work, study, shopping, etc. This research is aimed at examining what the “new normal” is for people emerging from the 2020-2021 pandemic shutdown and the role of ICTs in creating or accepting the pandemic-era methods of working, studying and socializing.
Tentative Outline:
1. Introduction and purpose statement: Overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, areas of communal life that were impacted by the subsequent shutdown, strategies of resilience, and continuity.
2. Theoretical framework and research approach: Social constructivism from a qualitative approach.
3. Research methodology – design and data collection methods.
4. Content/Issue areas: a) The workplace – rise in telework, working from home and virtual meetings as organizing principles for the workplace. -- The focus of work on task/project completion rather than hours worked. -- Lessons on how organizations manage their workforce? -- What has changed now that the shutdowns have ended and physical workspaces have re-opened? -- What factors determine the willingness of employees to return to the physical workspace? b) The rise of online classes even in non-online programs. -- Have online classes become the default learning platform? -- How willing are students to return to in-person classes? c) Social and personal relationships were maintained through technologies such as Zoom and other audio-visual meeting platforms. Does the success of these platforms affect people’s willingness to return to in-person interactions such as conferences, parties, and church? d) What are/were the impacts (gains and losses) of virtual interactions on interpersonal relationships and social interactions?
5. Research findings
6. Discussion: Future of work, learning, community and personal relationships.
7. Conclusion