The social and economic impact caused by COVID-19 is being felt all over. Education is on sector that has been heavily and I wanted to take a brief look at the shifting nature of University businesses as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Universities have been around for hundreds of years and they have constantly contributed to new generations of society. As prestigious institutions, they are also big businesses too with money flowing in from different areas including research and international student admission. With the virus making its waves, it was inevitable that on campus teaching and events would continue to operate as planned during the semester. The digital era has changed the way people learn and various educational institutions have either gradually integrated digital systems or were ready to deploy as the severity of the virus increased.
Going to university for me was an experience, I made peers and connections that created fond memories and new opportunities. The college freshman experience seems not so distant and getting over student syndrome was a challenge that I’ve not forgotten to this very day. Over the years, access to essential lecture material, recordings and other resources have improved the education experience. Teaching has shifted to online lectures via Zoom and other software solutions and this doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. So what does this mean for the future where the time of student socials are out of the question? Some subjects will change more than others, where an emphasis on practical tasks are needed, laboratory work may be absent from the core syllabus for the foreseeable future. This leads me to my next question, will universities use this opportunity to revamp the delivery of education?
Going to university is much more than just attending lectures. The immersive learning environment and social dynamics are a key contributor that attracts the bright minds from all over. If course content is to shift to an exclusive online only model, how will this impact the business model for these institutions? There is much uncertainty in the air but it’s clear that technology will be the core of this transition in the coming months and years. While I understand that institutions will want to keep afloat, curbing admissions and offering less for more at this time is unattractive for students who will no doubt be facing both financial and psychological hardship in these tough times. In an all-digital course delivery plan, I would imagine savings can be made which should be passed to learners too. I feel that education technologies including conferencing, social and other related areas are set to see a new boom as people adjust to learning and working from home. There will most likely be a number of plans implemented across different countries and only time will tell which combination of changes will yield the greatest results.
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