This report is the second in a series examining specific workforce domains in higher education (cybersecurity and privacy, teaching and learning, and IT leadership). Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of workforce domains in higher education saw significant shifts in focus, reductions in staff size, and structural reorganization. Now, several years out from the onset of the pandemic, we are taking a look at the current state of affairs, gauging whether the higher education workforce has continued to shift, see reductions, or reorganize, in addition to exploring other timely and relevant workforce issues. The data in this report are taken from a survey of teaching and learning professionals in higher education, conducted in September through October 2023, representing 1,001 respondents from different position areas and levels at their institution.

In this report, we describe the findings of the survey in six key areas:

• Respondent composition
• Department and unit structure, size, and reporting lines
• Staffing and budgets
• Flexible work options and workload
• Job satisfaction and applying for other positions
• Competencies and professional development

• A majority of respondents (85%) felt that having access to remote/hybrid work options is important, and two-thirds (66%) reported that they do currently have options for remote/hybrid work.
• A majority of respondents (85%) indicated that they have more than one primary area of responsibility. This number may continue to increase due to understaffing and budget constraints.
• A majority of respondents (63%) said that staffing issues have had a negative impact on their department/unit's services and operations, and financial constraints are the biggest challenge for staffing.
• Excessive workloads and burnout are negatively impacting mental health and morale; 82% of those experiencing "a lot" of burnout within the past 12 months reported having an excessive workload as compared to 47% of those experiencing little to no burnout.
• More than half of respondents are likely to apply for other positions in the next year, and those experiencing burnout are significantly more likely to apply for other positions than those not experiencing burnout.
• The job functions that saw the largest increase in time demands were artificial intelligence (AI); faculty training and development; and online, hybrid, or distance learning. The job functions that saw the greatest decline in time demands were staff education and training, library, and learning space design and management.
• Digital literacy (especially AI literacy) and adaptability and agility were identified as important competency areas for the future.
• Respondents want their institutions to make professional development opportunities more widely available, tailor development pathways to individuals, do more to help people get the most out of professional development opportunities, and improve communication and coordination of these opportunities.
• Moving forward, institutions will need to prioritize employee well-being and morale; a good starting point is finding ways to make workloads more manageable. Due to the changing landscape of teaching and learning, institutions will also need to find ways to better support change management.