Daily Times

More than 1.5 billion students and youth across the planet are affected by school and university closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak. While each level of education faces its unique challenges, it is the higher education segment that may end up, by necessity, triggering a learning revolution. Universities are distinctive in that their students are both old enough to handle the rigours of online work and technologically savvy enough to navigate new platforms. The real challenge lies for the institutions in which they have enrolled. Can traditional, campus-based universities adapt by choosing the right technologies and approaches for educating and engaging their students? The successes and failures that unfold should give us all a better grasp of what is possible.

The abrupt shift to a remote environment dismantles the traditional campus and profoundly changes the university experience.How universities deal with these challenges will be a consequence of their vision for who and what they are. Research has shown that having a clear vision is a critical part of overcoming a crisis. An institutional vision empowers people to endure turbulent times by guiding necessary change. It can create courage to take forward-thinking actions that would be otherwise unimaginable. Without it, every aspect of an institution can derail, shattering the chances for success.

The adoption of online solutions in recent months has been unprecedented. In the short term, educators are applying a ‘first aid’ solution by switching entirely from in-person to remote instruction, a move that has been forced upon them by sudden mandatory campus closures.But they are quickly realizing that remote learning is just a baby step experiment in the long journey to offering online education that has been conceived as such, which includes effective student engagement tools and teacher training. Some of the partnerships sparked between universities, online education companies and tech providers may continue beyond the pandemic.

Research-based education, academic freedom and faculty-student interactions are aspects of a university that define its purpose. These values and structures now operate in a new space, displacing a university’s purpose and thus ability to “figure things out”. Universities face seismic shifts in the way they do things, challenging entrenched values and structures of the age-old institution.

Students are deprived of what’s typically known as the “university experience” they are questioning why they are paying full tuition for what is perceived as a diminished experience. Ironically, online teaching has increased costs for universities who were unprepared for the scope of change required. The challenge is not just to deliver classes remotely/online, but also to deliver an experience that has significant value.

As universities face major changes, their financial outlook is becoming dire. Revenues are plummeting. This has pressurized treasury and management to think of other ways of fund generation as students’ fee are the major source of funds for universities.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) has remained proactive throughout this crisis providing technical support to universities and churning out a series of policy guidelines pertaining to online education.HEC was the main catalyst for the evolution as it persisted for online classes and online examination thus encouraging the ones agreeing and making others work their way to digital learning.

Punjab University is one of the oldest and largest universities of Pakistan. It sets a perfect example of revolutionizing the educational system by conducting online classes and examinations which was highly appreciated all across the academic circles.

Just as the First Industrial Revolution forged today’s system of education, we are expecting a different kind of educational model to emerge from COVID-19 which hopefully succeeds in serving the purpose

More than 80 thousand students from all across Punjab enrolled for online examinations, which were conducted efficiently. Students lauded the facilitating behavior of university administration.

PU will now start online admissions during which thousands of applicants will apply online from their homes. Few years back, one could see long queues of frustrated students outside the admission departments and banks. However, the highly digitalized system is now providing opportunity to the students to apply from comfort of their home.

The vision of Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Niaz Akhtar and his keen interest in digitalization of PU was the major reason of this success. In an interview he expressed they are ready for all types of scenarios, be it online or physical mode of education. This shows the broader vision and dedication of a person who spear heads Pakistan’s top university.

Likewise,the public interest in UET was at historic high this year. The University of Engineering and Technology had received 14624 online applications for admission to its various Bachelors programs at all campuses, compared to 4682 last year.A whopping 86.3% of the applicants were interested in admission to various undergraduate programs.Talking to Vice Chancellor, Dr. Syed Mansoor Sarwar, attributed the renewed students and parents in UET due to its excellent and caring faculty, Outcome Based Education (OBE), and lowest fee structure among all engineering and technology institutions in the province and federal capital.

Similarly other Public and Private Universities are digitally gearing up for online admission and classes in case the situation gets worst again.

The pandemic will lead to more and better online teaching than before in both wealthy countries and those with lower incomes. When universities in Pakistan closed, many instructors didn’t have the tools to teach online and many students lacked reliable Internet access at home but they have managed on both ends successfully leading to digital evolution.

After this Evolution the whole purpose of attending a particular University hasrisen?Faculty, students and staff alike will feel disrupted in their sense of “why” their universities exist. But the “why” is more important now than ever. In a world where students can attend any university from their living rooms, universities need a compelling answer to the question: “Why are you going there?”

In a nutshell, COVID-19 has struck our education system like a lightning bolt and shaken it to its core. Just as the First Industrial Revolution forged today’s system of education, we are expecting a different kind of educational model to emerge from COVID-19 which hopefully succeeds in serving the purpose.

The writer is web editor of Daily Times