From Room to Zoom: Co-constructing Doctoral Community in Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Times

In early 2020, the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions meant that doctoral programmes which depended on face-to-face models for teaching, learning, and interaction needed to quickly reconsider their established practices. Of particular concern was the impact of pandemic restrictions upon the development of a sense of community among doctoral scholars. This article considers the experiences, opinions, and perceptions of one cohort of students regarding the development and facilitation of a sense of community in their professional doctorate programme at a time of unparalleled restrictions around in-person congregation. The findings indicate that students were predominantly positive about both student-led and staff-led initiatives to foster and maintain a sense of community, with the strongest sense of community occurring at the specialism level. Arising from these findings, the article reflects broadly on the effectiveness and value of these community-building activities and their continued relevance for subsequent iterations of the programme in the post-pandemic near-future.