The “New Normal’’ At Universities: An Outlook For The Future

The spread of the virus is already having a massive impact on the businesses. Just a few sectors are growing, as people use more technology and swap to bigger supermarket shops, but most organizations of all shapes and sizes are taking a massive hit. Unfortunately, the educational sector is no exception. Higher education institutions all around the world have been closed. What is more, according to recent analyses and researches done, education will probably also be among the sectors of the economy hit hard by an extended lockdown in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, the impact on higher education is forecast to be greater even than that on the hospitality industry, which has been almost entirely closed down by efforts to contain the spread of the virus. In the most affected areas around the globe, universities are facing huge difficulties in saving not just the current semester, but the ones following from now on. And while the world continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the question as to when life will return to normal and what will be the new normal when it comes to university life after the coronavirus pandemic remains for both prospective and current students.

In any other year, students would already have in hand a tightly choreographed schedule for late summer and early fall time at university: the move-in date in the student dormitory, the orientation day, and, finally, the first day of classes of course. But on the COVID-19 pandemic calendar, there are no dates yet for the next academic year, just different scenarios and predictions based on the situation in every single part of the world.

In general, the possibilities range from a return to normalcy, which few higher education institutions expect at this point, to a fall semester with dormitories shuttered and students taking online classes not just until the end of 2020, but maybe even beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every educational aspect from teaching to administration and the eligibility of applicants. At this time of global uncertainty, young people are wondering what will happen with their future as university students next autumn. Senior high school students are now feeling worried and do not know what to expect because of the actions taken against coronavirus recently. The fact that schools are closed and the school staff is either working from home only or not working at all is expected to result in delays when it comes to the award of high school diplomas. This, in turn, may mean that when one applies for a university, he or she, technically, will not meet all requirements. Does that also mean that a lot more students will take a gap year instead of going to university from the fall semester of 2020?

Some universities will definitely try to adapt to this scenario as much as they can and will change their admission procedures and most probably their application deadlines because the COVID-19 is expected to affect a large number of first-year students. If no steps are being taken, higher education institutions may stay literally half-empty for the upcoming academic year. What we can also predict is that those changes will be long-term applicable, just because no one knows when the coronavirus crisis will be finally over, and even if it happens soon, everything will be different.

Now that the coronavirus epidemic is still going on and universities are entirely running online, many people are probably asking: “Is the distance study method actually working, and are we at a ‘transformative moment’? The truth is that a clear and definitive answer to that question is still open. But even though everything we can predict is preliminary and only based on current observational data, it is still worth noting some key points of what we can expect from the new way universities will operate. It will be worth asking about the extent to which the online experience within universities may occur.

According to many statistics, very few higher education institutions were doing absolutely nothing with online education before the coronavirus epidemic. There was wide variation, however, in the degree to which online education was central to an institution's strategic planning. While up until now, higher education institutions have relied upon online education as a secondary means of transmitting content and content practice, now and for the foreseeable future, it has become the primary medium. This new approach will, for sure, change how university plan for, manage and fund online education. Gone will be the days when individual schools within a university were able to go their own way with online education. The necessity of increased online learning options can no longer be denied.

What is more, we can probably expect that in the future every president, provost, and dean will understand that online education is not only a potential source for new revenues. Rather, online education will probably be recognized as core to every school's plan for institutional resilience and academic continuity.

Previously decentralized and distributed online course development and student support functions will be most certainly centralized, subject to institutional planning and cross-campus governance. Management of online learning will be integrated into existing academic leadership structures and processes.

As a result, predictions are that once people get used to the online education, higher education and universities, in general, will become significantly more accessible as institutions will think about how to move all of their programs and activities online, including student counseling, career development, and many more.

But are there any issues connected to the new way that universities are expected to run from now on? Is it all good or are there also disadvantages we have to be prepared for?

Even though distance learning might be that thing that can literally be the higher education sector’s savior, without question, some other, negative aspects need to be considered as well, such as the inequality in the provision of remote classes. In fact, this depends strictly on the country and the academic community itself. There are significant variations in how distance education is carried out. In many lower-income countries, broadband is inadequate, patchy, or even largely absent. These issues are also problematic in some rural areas of developed countries. Many students, especially in lower-income countries and from less well-off families, do not have access to good computers or unlimited access to high-speed Internet. Less well-equipped universities, in general, have not developed the technical, curricular, or other infrastructures necessary for quality distance education. This is especially true for the burgeoning private higher education sector, which now accounts for perhaps half of the global enrolments.

The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life for communities around the world and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, with experts suggesting that social distancing measures will be a necessary part of confronting the pandemic for several more months if not years. Apart from online studying becoming the new normal university students may expect, the other topic that concerns both local and foreign prospective students is the access to student dormitories for the upcoming academic semester in the fall.

What many universities worldwide are announcing is that the most likely scenario is that students will still be able to benefit from the advantage of living in a student dormitory, but the general conditions, the inside rules, and students’ whole experience will be different for a certain time. For example, the entrance of students who are not accommodated in the dormitories will be absolutely forbidden in order to avoid the spreading of COVID-19 infection, whereas people accommodated in dormitories will be informed on an exceptional regime at dormitories by separate message.

Universities are planning to implement rosters in order to limit the number of students in shared spaces such as floor kitchens and common leisure rooms. Of course, the cleaning will be increased not only in university buildings but across the residence halls, too. That being said, the era of the (in)famous huge student parties in the dormitories will be gone, at least for the time being.

Sleepovers in someone else’s room will not be allowed. As a result, the student dormitory life as we know it will be different. The measures will almost definitely affect students’ social life and overall university experience.

There are numerous new things universities around the world are planning to implement to ensure education is still a high priority and create the necessary conditions at the university buildings. In the current crisis, areas where large groups of people come together present the greatest threat, such as lecture halls and examination rooms. And this is where a distance of one-and-a-half to two-meters distance will also take place. In fact, scientists have warned in different analyses that physical distancing measures may need to be in place in all public places intermittently until 2022 or even later.

Higher education institutions will have to think about restructuring the way lectures are being held as well as the number of people that will be able to attend a lecture or tutorial at the same time. Most exams will also be held online, especially oral ones, and when attendance is a must, then the number of persons admitted to a hall at a time will be strictly limited and with at least one-and-a-half-meters’ distance between each student.

Among everything, gossiping with friends during the breaks between lectures and tutorials on the yard will not be considered a normal thing like it was up until a few months ago.

Even having lunch at the canteen will be a whole different experience for university students because the distance between people will apply there too, of course. Therefore, casual conversations with colleagues at the university will most probably be considered inappropriate for a long period.

Nearly every aspect of a normal life as we know it has been affected by the spread of coronavirus and its associated disease, COVID-19. Many countries are already restricting entry at their borders, and only nationals or permanent residents are allowed in unless there are important reasons. Universities are probably scared that the consequences of the coronavirus epidemic will affect foreign incoming students in autumn 2020. Naturally, students from around the world are also questioning the opportunity to start the next academic year in their dream destination as planned. Will they be even allowed to enter the country after arriving at the airport and if yes, will there be any additional requirements and complications for them?

Over the last decade, the number of international students worldwide has more than doubled, with five million in 2016. Before the coronavirus struck, this trend was set to continue unabated, with some expecting over eight million international students by 2025. But now, things just do not look the same anymore.

Even though no one today can predict the future, what is certain, however, is that depending on the destination, many foreign students will be unlikely to return to physical campuses. There will be countries, like the United States, Italy, China, France, Australia, and many more that will not be able to attract overseas students in anything like the same numbers for the start of the new academic year this September or even after that. Governments and university leaders in many places around the world are sensibly preparing for a drastic drop in international students of potentially 50 to 75 percent or worse, representing a significant reversal for one of the great boom businesses of the globalized economy. Disruption to travel and income from the corona crisis will boost the relative appeal of opportunities for domestic study. Many prospective students are actually expected to choose to stay in their home country from security reasons, which will result in financial difficulties for all the higher education institutions that rely mostly on international students.

The current pandemic situation has alerted us to the fact that we live in a borderless world in which our well-being depends on global cooperation. At the same time, we are self-isolating and practicing distancing from each other, with our personal borders now starting at our front door. Among everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic and its measures are causing a lot of confusion not only among foreign university students but also among those who want to benefit from a study-abroad program. The current public health crisis we are experiencing now is different than any other in history, and will definitely leave lasting changes to the way that institutions think about and practice education abroad.

What will the future bring? What will education abroad look like as it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic? For starters, for those students who plan to do a semester or a year abroad in the future, their program most likely will require an international insurance plan. The good news is that more and more insurance companies, like Allianz or Cultural Insurance Services International, have announced now that they will include coronavirus treatment as part of their health insurance packages for students. According to the providers, if students show any of the symptoms of the virus, like fever, cough, or any other, they can call the emergency numbers and ask for a doctor as coronavirus infection treatment is covered. Many college-sponsored programs will also provide students abroad with a mobile traveler app to help them stay connected with their program, home campus, and family members in the future.

In critical times like these, everyone feels the need to be more creative in terms of different activities. Students may not be able to have pool parties or road trips with friends during their semester abroad anytime soon, but there are ways they can still learn new skills or beef up their resumes.

With the coronavirus initiating international travel bans and campuses shut down, different associations in cooperation with higher education institutions are currently seeking alternative ways to provide students with continued academic opportunities, including the iconic, immersive overseas study experience. The idea is that in case students cannot travel for a study-abroad semester, the study-abroad semester is brought to students instead, without them having to leave their houses. Students will complete their semester online, using online books, online materials, and everything else needed for the course to be successful while being mentored along the way, just like in real semester-abroad programs.

Even though this cannot be compared to the experience of meeting new people from all around the world in person, traveling within the area for real and everything else, it also has its benefits. Study abroad is very transformative and life-changing experience for students, but it also requires for students or their parents to have some savings because one has to cover travel expenses and living expenses, including rent for several months. Additionally, study-abroad programs have a limited number of places, and the number varies from one higher education institution to another. As a result, not every student has the option to do it. So, from an access standpoint, digital study-abroad opportunities in the future will remove all these barriers and will make many students’ dream come true more easily.