COVID-19 crisis has transformed higher education: RBC

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TORONTO — New possibilities have opened up for Canada’s post-secondary educational institutions since their campuses closed down due to COVID-19, according to a new discussion paper from RBC.

With more than two million college and university students learning on-line, and as many as 540,000 students completing their programs at a distance, the report’s author Andrew Schrumm urges post-secondary institutions to develop new learning models to provide students with greater flexibility in where, when and how they learn.

Students may be able to choose from a menu of micro-credentials, online, on-campus and blended, college and university level courses from various institutions. These “self-directed” programs are an effective way to develop job-ready skills for a fast-changing labour market.

“The swift shift to online learning demonstrates the amazing capacity of our post-secondary institutions to transform,” said Schrumm in a prepared statement. “Students, faculty and administrators have gained new experiences and preferences that are unlikely to subside, even as the health crisis does. This space is ripe for innovation.”

RBC anticipates there will be a much more competitive environment to attract students to campus post-pandemic. (This could represent a significant challenge for Canada as its post-secondary international student population contributes about $22 billion in GDP and about 11,000 new permanent residents annually.)

Online education will be a key differentiator for schools, as it is borderless, scalable and untethered to the traditional academic calendar. However, prior to the crisis, half of Canadian post-secondary educational institutions said they lacked the resources and expertise to develop online learning. This challenge is more pronounced among smaller institutions.

Moreover, even as institutions of higher learning make the shift online, the report cites various other challenges. For instance, the online environment can struggle to develop socio-emotional skills such as active listening, speaking and critical thinking skills. Online instruction requires a different pedagogy than in-person learning to achieve the same learning outcomes, and to develop these human skills it needs to support various forms of social interaction.

About one in four Canadian households in lower income categories use smartphones as their primary internet access. Roughly 10% of households – mostly in rural areas – lack reliable broadband internet. Indigenous students are over-represented in these categories. For students with accessibility concerns – from auditory to vision to mobility – institutions may need to provide custom digital tools to ensure continuity in their learning.

“Our colleges and universities have taken the first steps to transform the student experience for the better,” said Schrumm. “There is every reason to believe they can build on their momentum to ensure our country thrives and prospers well into the future.”