Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Higher Education

Abstract

The sudden lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to rapidly transfer their teaching activities online. Border closures are having a major impact on universities around the world, in particular those with large cohorts of international students that are not able to attend their courses. Increasingly, universities are being held accountable for the educational experience they provide with students demanding that the knowledge and skills they acquire lead to secure employment. In this paper we contrast the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on Higher Education institutions in Australia and the European Union and discuss the challenges and opportunities that this crisis presents. The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for rapid acceleration of digital transformation of the Higher Education sector. While some universities embrace this transformation as an opportunity, others appear to resist major changes to their existing business model. Our analysis indicates that a successful transition to the post-COVID educational environment will depend on technological readiness for online learning, university business model and entrepreneurship of university management.