Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author

Associate Professor of Higher Education, Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate and explain the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on higher education. Futurology as an interdisciplinary field guides the orientation of this article. The results are presented in the form of future scenarios. The findings showed that higher education experts have already accepted the fact that the COVID-19 crisis has had impacts on higher education. Moreover, in their view, these effects are not simple and have wide and diverse dimensions. On average there was a fifty percent agreement on at least one of seven preferred scenarios mentioned above. Three major trends that are most likely to occur from the respondents' point of view are: strengthening e-learning (but not as a fundamental transformation and a complete online delivery of the content), a change in the academic lifestyle and paying more attention to sustainability. These three trends contain the most preferred scenarios.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Alizadeh, A., Vahidi Motlagh, V., & Nazemi. A. (2008). Scenario planning. Tehran, Iran: Institute for International Energy Studies.

Bevins, F., Bryant, J., Krishnan, C., & Law, J. (2020). Coronavirus: How should US higher education plan for an uncertain future? (Institues for Translation Studies, Trans.). Allame Tabataba’i University, (Original work published Apr. 3, 2020). Reterived from https://www.msrt.ir/file/download/news/1587914225-corona-virus-all.pdf

Bolton, P., & Hubble, S. (Apr. 17, 2020). Coronavirus: Update implications for the further and higher education sectors. House of Commons Library, Reterived from https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8893/

Fernandez, A. A., & Shaw, G. P. (2020). Academic leadership in a time of crisis: The coronavirus and COVID‐19. Journal of Leadership Studies, 14(1), 39–45. doi:10.1002/jls.21684

Godet, M. (1999). Scenarios and strategies: A tool-box for scenario planning. Paris: LIPS.

IAP (2011).  The Science and technology in society (STS) forum. InterAcademy Partnershi, Reterived from  https://www.interacademies.org/event/science-and-technology-society-sts-forum

International Association of Universities (2020). COVID-19: Higher education challenges and responses Reterived from https://www.iau-aiu.net/Covid-19-Higher-Education-challenges-and-responses

Jindal Global University (Jun. 29, 2020). Impact of COVID-19 on higer education-Challenges and opportunities. Reterived from http://jgu.edu.in/blog/2020/06/29/impact-of-covid-19-on-higher-education-challenges-opportunities/

Joshua, K. (Apr. 1, 2020). Teaching and learning after COVID-19. Inside Higher Ed, Reterived from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/learning-innovation/teaching-and-learning-after-covid-19

Kumar, D. (Apr. 29, 2020). Impact of COVI-19 on higher education. Higher Education Digest, Reterived from https://www.highereducationdigest.com/impact-of-covid-19-on-higher-education/

Montazer, Gh (2020). Education challenges in Coronavirus age [monograph report]. Tehran, Iran: Tarbiat Modarres university. Reterived from https://www.modares.ac.ir/news/news-list/news-content?newsview=13406

Nathan, S. (May 11, 2020). Where does higher education go from Here? Reterived from https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2020/05/future-higher-education-go-from-here/

Persian Mirror (Apr. 1, 2020). Foreign students concerns in Canada. Reterived from https://www.persianmirror.ca

Slaughter, R. (2007). New thinking for a new millennium (A. Malekifar; A. Ebrahimi, & V. Vahidi Motlaq. Trans.). Institute for Education and Research in Defensive Industry. (Original work published 1995)

Wendel, B. (2012). Foundations of futures studies: human science for a new era (M. Taghavi, & M. Mohagheqh, Trans.). Institute for Education and Research in Defensive Industry. (Original work published 2003)

World Bank (2020). Tertiary education and Covod-19 crisis. Reterived from http://pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/621991586463915490/WB-Tertiary-Ed-and-Covid-19-Crisis-for-public-use-April-9.pdf

World Bank Group (2020). The COVID-19 crisis response: Supporting tertiary education for continuity, adaptation, and innovation. Reterived from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34571?show=full

CAPTCHA Image