If someone asks you to imagine a typical day in any school, college or university, what would you come up with? The most common answers would be a buzzing campus, students on their way to class, or lazing about on the lush green grass. Perhaps you’d think of a cafeteria bursting with exciting plans for the weekend or complaints about a strict research paper writing guide.
But as 2020 rolled in, these moments that you took for granted soon became a dream as all academic institutions shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The global pandemic made its impact felt in all spheres of your life, including education. While university students of first world countries could quickly adapt to the changes, most students in other places struggled with basic access to classes.
Keeping all this in mind, let’s dive into the 5 ways COVID has impacted the condition of higher education worldwide in greater detail.
The economic impact
The domestic higher education market has suffered immeasurable losses due to the pandemic causing the government to shut down all international travel, thereby preventing the influx of international students.
Out of the millions of international students in the US alone, about one-third are from China, while Indian students made up more than 18%. During the early months of 2020, most international students had to leave their campuses for their native countries. Also Read- How Can I Improve My Dissertation?
But, while the ban on international travel has undoubtedly helped prevent the spread of the virus, it has left many students stranded, with no way to return for their studies.
Additionally, recent graduates from third world countries who universities in the US had already accepted face a significant challenge to get fully vaccinated before they can get permission to move abroad.
Unless the situation gets better, the US higher education market, which has the highest number of international students applying to universities and colleges, will continue to face an economic downturn.
Increasing gap in education access
With WHO classifying the COVID-19 as a global pandemic, most colleges and universities shut down for months during the beginning of 2020. However, as time went by, it became apparent that this pandemic wasn’t going away soon. That’s when all educational institutions started to adopt the online mode of learning.
However, some countries fared better than others in this regard. Universities across the US, UK, Canada, and other first world countries took the transition well enough. But for the third world developing countries, it was an entirely different situation.
Chika Oduah, an award-winning Nigerian American journalist, shared how parents were unable to help their children adapt to homeschooling or the virtual learning method in Kenya. Many other countries reported the same. Thus, there is a wide disparage across the entire higher education system as students fall behind due to a lack of infrastructure.
Adapting to new technologies
As the possibility of reopening schools remains a topic of debate, higher education does not have the luxury to stand still. As a result, most colleges and universities worldwide have shifted to virtual classrooms to accommodate the situation.
However, moving all the courses online in a short amount of time has proven challenging for all. Moreover, the abruptness of the situation led to the burden falling on the smaller universities without a solid online system in place.
Moreover, the change has also taken a toll on professors who are not very familiar with the technology. Unlike the students, they are not the quickest at adapting to such drastic changes, thereby leading to technological challenges during lectures.
As a result, universities have teamed up with their IT departments to boost the systems to handle multiple lectures. Additionally, the institutions have also taken active workshops and seminars to update the professors on how to handle the platforms better.
A general demotivation among students
The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the mental well-being of students all over the world. The disruption of a familiar routine leaves no room for these students to concentrate on their demanding college courses.
Many students have had to deal with losing loved ones with an assignment deadline looming over their heads. But, unfortunately, professors haven’t been the most accommodating either. On social media, many students have recounted how they have been denied any grace period, despite explaining to the professor the mental strain the pandemic has been taking on them.
Many experts have extensively brought up mental health during this time as students report feelings anxious, stress, depression and even lethargy during this period. This has negatively affected their academic performance, leading to an overall decrease in grades and more searches for dissertation help online.
Introducing innovative forms of teaching
Professors worldwide have had to adopt new teaching methods that could suit the online mode of learning better. This has resulted in a technologically advanced learning environment that has helped students understand concepts more effortlessly.
Teaching through video presentations, PowerPoint slides, and adopting a collaborative learning method has helped students grasp the topic quickly.
As many higher educational institutions plan to reopen as the vaccination drive continues, some plan to keep up a blended learning mode and introduce more technology in physical classes.
Summing it up,
The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lasting impact on higher education by exposing the gaps in the system for the world to see. Even after a year, many countries still face issues on an everyday basis conducting classes online. Yet, there is no denying that technology has made it possible for students to continue with their education despite a global pandemic. Without it, higher education would have stopped entirely for millions of students worldwide.
