A fascinating article in University World News has called for Universities and the general public to reimagine the function, operational capability and recruitment strategy of the university.
Highlighting how the current pandemic has put the focus on universities antiquated financial models, rigid admissions and registration procedures and poor student progression and graduation rates, the article calls for universities not to bury their heads in the sand but to find a way to change and adapt to a new world.
The article points to a survey of 2,200 teenagers aged 14-18 in which 50% were open to getting something other than a degree with 70% wanting to chart their own educational path. The same survey stated that 3 out of 4 respondents believed that Covid-19 had fundamentally changed higher education and that it was unlikely that there would be a return to the pre-Covid higher education experience of students attending classes fulltime in person.
The same survey highlighted that online learning was likely going to remain and had the highest potential for expanding access to higher education and addressing the inequality prevalent in higher education. As part of this reasoning, many respondents believed that fewer students would study abroad and that fewer students would be able to seek traditional university education due to affordability or other reasons. And the biggest conclusion from the survey was that students expected their colleges and universities to help them find jobs after graduation.
So, what solutions were proposed?
The article pointed out that universities must spend more time focusing on assuring student satisfaction rather than focusing on research grants. Suggestions included listening to current students about their experiences in university and where they thought improvements could be made, and acting on them. This would be carried out alongside conducting surveys and research amongst prospective students to understand what they were looking for from universities before applying and operating from there.
With online learning likely to become the go to for education for some time, the article also suggests that universities must spend a sufficient amount of time developing already existing online systems to ensure that lessons and learning can continue seamlessly. How they would do that, the article does not say, but it shouldn’t be too hard for universities to figure out what works for them.
Doing so, may actually ensure that international students still consider enrolling in foreign universities as a worthwhile venture, and may avoid the fears expressed in this article, if done correctly.
International Higher Education 