Mounting Uncertainty for Colleges apd Universities: States Facing Challenges as COVID-19 Radically Reshapes Higher Education.

• Author: Smalley, Andrew
• Position: SPOTLIGHT

When the University of Washington announced it would cancel in-person classes and move to online instruction on March 6, the entire higher education community entered a period of dramatic change, upheaval and uncertainty. The decision came at a time when Washington state had fewer than 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, but over the next several weeks cancellations would reverberate through campuses across the country. By the end of March, virtually all postsecondary education had moved online. Classes were held virtually, lectures were delivered over video, and commencements were cancelled, delayed or conducted remotely.

"Postsecondary education has never faced such challenges as we are experiencing today," says Alaska Senator Gary Stevens (R), including the "necessity of protecting students and employees from the pandemic, fewer face-to-face classes, the difficulties associated with teaching online, reduced budgets, loss of faculty, fewer students and restricted campus access."

The coronavirus pandemic has radically reshaped higher education. From admission to graduation, no aspect of the college experience remains unchanged, and the disruptions are far from over. How institutions and students will manage this year is uncertain, and the survival of some schools is in doubt.

Many campuses began to reopen in August, only to close a few weeks later following outbreaks of the virus, leaving students caught in a web of obstacles to obtaining a postsecondary degree, from increased financial stress to growing mental health concerns.

These challenges come at a time when education, retraining and retooling are more important than ever. Postsecondary institutions' response to the crisis will dramatically affect the economic recovery, and state legislators and policymakers have an important role to play in that effort.

Impacts on Students

While many colleges and universities have offered some online courses for years, the abrupt and complete shift of all coursework to the web in the middle of the school year was a monumental disruption for instructors and students alike. The change forced a majority of professors to use teaching methods and programs they had never previously used. For students, online instruction presented an academic experience completely different from classroom learning and left many struggling to adapt.

Studies have warned that student performance, particularly for those already in trouble academically, can suffer in online...