Coronavirus is changing higher education
The pandemic is changing higher education. On March 6 of 2020 “The University of Washington in Seattle became the first major American college to shut down campus operations. Ten days later, over 250 U.S. colleges and universities followed suit.” Most campuses are not fully functioning yet. Most have allowed students to return on campus but are continuing most instruction online. Others have encouraged students to stay home. The end of the third-semester post-shutdown is approaching and everyone is wondering what will happen next. Neither colleges nor students were prepared for prolonged campus closures. Both face a variety of challenges going forward. Due to subsequent coronavirus outbreaks, some institutions have already been forced to close a second time.
Remote Learning
The biggest challenge for many students has been the switch from in-person to remote learning. In fact, “nearly two-thirds of U.S. colleges were fully or primarily online” in the Fall ‘20 semester. While nearly 88% of Americans are internet users, the share of Americans with computers hovers around 74%, according to Statista. Smartphones can only get you so far, so they aren’t machine enough for video conferences, online quizzes, and essay-writing. Some of the initial challenges for students learning remotely have gotten better with time. Initially, teachers had only days to move their classes online so it took a while for them to figure out the technology. Now, they are better prepared in many cases, and their students are more likely to have a higher quality experience.
Ways The Coronavirus Will Change Higher Education Forever
Demonstrated Value
Both students and their parents now pay far more attention to the value they receive from higher education as well as what it costs them. This will accelerate as more families either can’t or won’t pay the levels of tuition that a lot of colleges and universities charge now. Families want to make sure the investment of time and precious financial resources are worth it as defined by outcomes. Colleges and universities will be forced to be more reflective about the quality a particular institution offers and what families will pay for that perceived value.
Education on Demand
Today’s prospective students are not confined by what we have historically offered or how we have offered it. They want education when they want it and delivered how they want it. They are much more open to online and in-person hybrid formats, blended learning, accelerated programs, part-time options, and more.
Long-term Security is the Key Goal
A focus on life launch: We tend to reduce this to “getting a job,” but this misses the larger and more challenging point. Both parents (who often pay for higher education) and students (who invest their time and earnings and take on the debt) go to college because they want to do well in life. Going forward, both parents and students will want to know how successful the university is at launching graduates into lives and careers. They also will want to know more about the risk factor — what percent of students fall through the cracks and how the college helps those students and alumni.
Location Matters More Than Ever
There is no clear pattern, but expect that location will move up on the list of things students use to decide college choice. Some students will choose to stay closer to home given the uncertainty of the pandemic. International students will select areas of the country that are open and friendly to people like themselves. More students attending college are attentive to their own needs — whether they’re health-related, focused on entertainment, access to transportation — and they choose where to study and live with those factors in mind.
Uncertainty about the Future
The sudden switch to online classes has caused anxiety and raised questions among students about their academic futures. The long-term effects are hard to tell. Generally speaking, when vulnerable populations are hit by an emergency, it makes their life situation worse. So, “overall that’s what we are going to see,” says Eddy Conroy of Hope Research Center for College, Community & Justice. He also says that “the worse thing is that we could see a lot of students who are right on the tipping point of maybe leaving college leave and not come back.” For many students, the pandemic was the emergency that tipped them over the edge.
“I’m not super satisfied…there has been a push to lower tuition just because classes are going to be taught online but [my] university has said that tuition will not change.”
“Initially i was really excited because I didn’t think it was that serious…but as time has gone on and now that we’re fully doing classes without being in class, it’s a lot harder than I thought”
“The thing that’s the hardest is not having students face to face, I’ve been teaching for 35 years and I’ve never taught in an online situation”
“I think the professors so far have been really good of saying this is the challenge and this is the new medium that we have to work with. Not only how do we cope with that but how do we take advantage of that.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jada Pierce
Student Author - Summer 2021
