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Permanent School Changes: Part 2 (Universities)

Just as elementary, middle, and high school students were sent home to complete their spring semester, university students were also forced to finish their courses online. For many, this was a particularly big challenge. International students faced visa complications, students in university housing had to suddenly leave their dorm or apartment, and many students had to leave jobs. The final few weeks of courses were experimental for most and many people are wondering what experimental educational methods will become permanent fixtures of higher academia. So many changes, some good and some bad have many students wondering what the future of college education will look like as many schools are navigating financial challenges. 

One permanent change coming to universities across the country is closure. Facing financial hardships for several years before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, MacMurray College was overwhelmed by the pandemic, and its board of directors voted to close the university after educating students for 174 years. While this was the first victim of the financial troubles caused by the pandemic, many universities are struggling to retain students, cannot raise tuition without serious backlash, and will likely lose significant revenues from student activities and athletics. The pandemic and economic fallout have brought budgetary concerns of universities to the forefront, and the next year will be an important time for universities to set standards for fundraising, tuition costs, and priority areas for distributing funds. 

Although many students look upon online courses unfavorably, it has shown the ability of some universities to effectively instruct students virtually. Most students look to return to in-person classes as soon as possible, but for some, the option of hybrid course selection is desirable for work-school balance or just having a flexible lifestyle. Online courses generally lend themselves to subjects that are not hands-on. For those majors that can effectively learn career skills online, a hybrid or fully online option could save money and support parents going back to school, young professionals continuing their education while worrying, or simply students who want to spend less time tied to a physical campus. 

Because this is the first pandemic since the influenza outbreak of 1918, many universities were caught without a solid plan for dealing with a viral threat. This outbreak has caused universities to rethink health and contingency plans for student housing, classes, and faculty training. Many universities are working to spread students out in campus housing and are creating dorm buildings strictly for quarantining students. The proximity and risk of dorms are being reconsidered as fears of a virus resurgence looms. A large number of university professors were inexperienced with virtual coursework and had to learn on the fly last spring. Since then, universities have begun requiring professors to take courses on the effective use of technology and online instruction. While another pandemic is unlikely to happen in the near future, an entire faculty that is versed in online instruction could allow schools to more easily grant snow days in which courses are online for a day or so, and no school is missed (surely to the dismay of students). 

Another interesting impact occurs at the grad school level where typically during recessions universities see a rise in applications for grad school, as people lose their jobs they see an opportunity to reinvent themselves. Again this is something that is being seen with grad schools, however, the impact of minimal or no in-person classes will be a new input to be measured.

While we may not know for another year how educational institutions and methods are affected by the last several months and decisions regarding the fall semester, there will be takeaways that conflict with the current expectations from university students and staff. There are no changes that have become permanent yet, but it is likely that students will have options concerning how, where, and when they take their classes and experience higher education. 

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