College in the Time of COVID

We all had hopes that COVID-19 would be over by now. We hoped our collective actions would have flattened the curve, and that our lives would start to feel normal again. Yet, here we are, still in the throes of a pandemic - trying to return to “normal” with numbers still climbing.

Like every other industry, higher education has been turned on its ear. In the spring, the fear was that students wouldn’t want to transition to fully online classes, and that enrollment figures would suffer. That fear was realized, and schools adjusted, employing new tools and strategies in order to keep students engaged.

Government reacted with the CARES Act - providing support for both students and schools. It helped, but not enough. The rush to get aid to students and schools eclipsed the intention of the funding. Aid was available only to students who already were eligible for federal assistance; no support was available for new students who might have been newly down on their luck and considering education as a way out.

Here we are in early August. Fall semesters are just around the corner. Colleges and universities began the summer believing they would be back in-person in the fall... ​of course they would​. But as we approach the end of the month, each day brings more cases, hospitalizations and deaths. In this unprecedented time, what happens next for our colleges?

Higher Ed administrators are finding themselves at odds with faculty and staff. The personal connection and conversations that are so vital for student success are now potentially risky practices. Leadership is rightly worried about the financial implications of low enrollment figures. College employees are justified in their worries concerning safety, and many are struggling to decide what to do with their own young children, whose schools may or may not be operational in the fall.

Students and parents worry about shifting to online instruction - if the quality of instruction will be comparable to in-person instruction, and are online classes robbing students of the “college experience”? Is it worth it to pay tuition at a pricey university when students don’t get to really “go” to college? Parents are asking the same questions in K-12 scenarios. Weighing the options. Will my child get “behind” if they don’t attend school face-to-face? Will my child become ill if they do?

There are no definitive answers. All of us are experiencing this situation at the same time, for the first time. No one has experience in COVID-19, a novel virus. We are all novel pandemic survivors. We are doing the best we can.

We need to resist the urge to return to normal.

​Normal has left the building. Now, we are all pioneers in a COVID-19 world. We must innovate and create solutions. We can’t afford to stall out now - we’re just in the beginning of this new reality. Even when a vaccine is developed and widely administered, we will have all lived in a COVID-19 world; we’ll think differently about our interactions for years to come.

Now​ is the time for institutions of higher education to take note of what’s working, and build upon those successes. Are there any silver linings colleges are discovering now? What forms of communication are best for your students? Who are your stand-out online instructors? How can you leverage those successes to assist instructors who struggle? How can your institution support students who are challenged by technology or don’t have reliable, personal access to computers or high speed internet? How has COVID-19 impacted your employees and your funding?

Many large institutions have found their hallways relatively empty for months. The operating expenses alone are reason enough to really explore how online options can benefit students not only now, but going forward. Colleges need to invest in innovative leaders - especially in IT - who can accept that the world has changed and begin to build tools that will help institutions excel in the future, regardless of instructional delivery.

Odds are, some of the tools that have helped during the past few months will become commonplace at colleges and universities nationwide. Now, more than ever before, flexible, online tools are essential - and affordable.

Now that we’ve learned a bit about COVID-19, we need to step back and examine what we’ve learned FROM this experience. How can we use what we’ve learned to move forward, to spend wisely, and to support student success? Going forward, success for colleges will depend on how they’ve reacted to this crisis and the considerations they’ve made regarding student outcomes and engagement. If colleges can create online environments that mirror the in-person experience, they will not only weather this storm, but be ready for students who want better online options.