Reflecting and Adapting to an Academic Workplace Before and After the Lockdown in Greek-Speaking Cyprus: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are required to constantly adapt and respond to the needs of society, both economic and social, including the current pandemic situation. The traditional representation of university as an educational side is being challenged leading to the inclusion of the practitioner side, emphasising on the need for business education. In this context, the present study examines how academics reflect and adapt to an HEI and enhance their workplace literacy and work-related practices inside and outside the foreign language classroom. The participants were 36 academics of all ranks involving part- and full-timers working in a private English-speaking HEI. The findings indicate that participants could need more support with the subject area that is English, and an extended access to the shared repertoire of their communities, which may strengthen their connections with other academics and reduce high job demands, resulting in better adaptation to new workplaces.