ABSTRACT
As a private, residential liberal arts college, Colby College had never had an online class prior to COVID-19, which struck in the spring of 2020. With the help of its Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), all its instructors pivoted to fully remote teaching in the spring of 2020, then a mix of virtual and in-person approaches during the 2020–2021 school year. As was true of many of the most selective and wealthy institutions in the United States, Colby did not experience a dip in enrollment or applications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Colby’s CTL staff does not include individuals who have particular expertise or duties associated with technology and how it influences teaching and learning (e.g., instructional designers). With the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic becoming larger, members of Colby’s senior leadership, with some faculty thought-leaders, began to meet and brainstorm options for how the remainder of the semester would proceed.
