In early February 2020, I was in San Diego for a gathering of higher education professionals, including many chief academic officers. The first known case of COVID-19 in the U.S. had been diagnosed just a few weeks earlier, in January. While together at our conference, we contemplated the future of our industry, the changing students we are privileged to serve, our responsibilities in such a time as this, and of course, the upcoming fall elections and their impact on our campuses.
Although we worried about the virus getting ever closer, we could never have anticipated the shattering loss of life ahead, nor the lasting emotional, physical, and fiscal tolls it would exact on families, organizations, and entire communities.
Long after the pandemic ends, its effects will linger. No business operation or organization will be left unchanged. The significant demographic shifts, student preference swings, and workforce changes affecting degree-granting institutions were already spurring big changes in academia.
This global pandemic has accelerated the fires of change. Wise institutions and administrators will look to the horizon of opportunity ahead and use it as an impetus for meaningful improvements. Higher education must be prepared for at least three lasting pandemic-related changes.
A more central role for online degrees
For the past 12 years, I have worked at institutions that were leading efforts in the advancement of quality online degree programs. No matter the progress in technology and instructional design strategies, no matter the advancements articulated in industry and outcomes-oriented literature, some academic colleagues have continued to deny the legitimacy of a fully online academic degree.
The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed significantly to putting this debate to rest. While some institutions have struggled with the switch to online learning, those that already embraced this modality easily transitioned. This clearly demonstrates that virtual learning is about more than just putting an instructor in front of a camera.
We’re also seeing greater appreciation for online degrees. Most employers now accept online degrees and consider them equivalent to in-person learning. Some say they respect the commitment to strong time management that the choice of an online degree indicates on the behalf of the graduate. And because many jobs have shifted to an online or primarily online platform, businesses now appreciate the value of doing things virtually.
Students express high satisfaction with high-quality online learning. Virtual degrees can also expand access to higher learning for students who might not otherwise be able to pursue a degree. This promotes a more robust and diverse educational environment, and ensures that parenthood, geographic disadvantage, working full-time, and similar challenges do not have to prevent a student from achieving their highest potential.
I see this as an exciting time in education, with increased emphasis on choice for the learner based on their learning style and personal situation. After more than a decade of leading the development of quality online education, I am glad to see this vital and rigorous modality get the recognition it deserves.
The critical importance of quality and relevance
Synchronous learning, asynchronous learning, online learning, hybrid learning, HyFlex learning, flipped classrooms, and countless other descriptive words and phrases have entered the campus lexicon over the past decade. During 2020, such words and phrases exploded in their use as institutions across the nation scrambled to serve the needs of students suddenly displaced from their classrooms.
As debates about the best approach to learning rage on, what is most important is how the learner experiences various methods of delivery as they pursue their desired learning outcome. Quality and relevance matter deeply—no focus on modality is complete without proper care for content and design quality. Consider, for example, that employers are comfortable with online degrees, but continue to prefer those that come from accredited nonprofit institutions.
Expert faculty who are highly trained in their field of study offer deep and broad content expertise. They can meaningfully engage with recent literature, offer greater relevance in the classroom, and nurture meaningful connections with students.
Exceptional faculty are not enough, however. The myriad nuances of and advancements in learning management systems demand a partner with a specialization in instructional design.
Although thousands of institutions moved quickly to online content, not all content was of high quality, particularly in the early days. In fact, at schools for which online learning was a new modality, research shows a sharp dip in student engagement and satisfaction. An expert instructional design team is critical to the future of an institute of higher learning to ensure students receive an excellent education across learning modalities.
A more flexible, high-tech approach to in-seat education
For some students, in-person learning is their preference and provides them a sense of well-being and ability to master content. Over the past year, colleges and universities have masked and socially distanced, rearranged furniture for lower density classrooms, and committed to other adjustments in the service of bringing students back to the classroom. Some institutions have created A/B groupings of classes with designated times to be in class and designated times to attend virtually.
The pandemic has exposed students who initially pursued in-person learning to a level of learning flexibility that was previously unfamiliar. Students have learned it is possible to progress toward their degree via online management systems, from the comfort of home. They’ve seen that they don’t have to leave their families to receive a quality education.
Though some learners may maintain their desire to experience college inside a classroom—or at least to attend some classes in person—in-seat education will continue to become more flexible and high-tech as we move out of the pandemic. Flexibility is here to stay, and those institutions that can adapt to this demand will better serve students, while reaping significant benefits in enrollment.
Dr. Tim Eades has served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Southern Nazarene University since 2019, and was previously Executive Vice President for Graduate and Continuing Studies at Trevecca Nazarene University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion from Trevecca, a Master of Ministry from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and a Doctorate of Education in Ethical Leadership from Olivet Nazarene University.
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