‘Economic Crisis’: Could the Hybrid Model be Higher Education’s Savior?

The ultimate goal of higher education is to facilitate and provide an environment to prepare for the future of work. With the pandemic rapidly accelerating economic change through the elimination of many ‘pre-pandemic’ jobs and industries, there is a completely new landscape to navigate.

via Unsplash

As the World Economic Forum put it: “Before the pandemic, the online learning environment existed predominantly as a virtual filing cabinet… The pandemic has illuminated what can be done with this online space: it can be engaging, enriching and accessible”. And while this is certainly the goal, there are a number of obstacles that have arisen since the global lockdown began.

In the long term, building resilience into higher education systems is necessary to fully adapt. Learning cannot be brought to a halt, or even significantly delayed as we saw at the beginning of the pandemic.

Economic instability a reality

This report from Forbes is encouraging, showing that most individuals still believe that higher education is worth it for the economic long-term benefits. However, it is impossible to ignore the trend of falling enrollment numbers, paired with drastically reduced enrollment from international students due to travel restrictions.

via McKinsey

An economic recession is also a very real possibility, and prior income that might have been earmarked for higher education, or even further training from those in the working world is now very much at risk. These realities need to be at the forefront of planning priorities and mean a stark new reality for higher education as an industry.

The hybrid institution model

In truth, more adaptation is needed from higher education institutions to ensure an equal and engaging learning environment is the reality. Many students feel disillusioned with how learning has taken place throughout the pandemic, and the continuation of these innovations, rather than a rollback to traditional methods, is paramount to survival, especially in these economic conditions.

The hybrid institution model must be the new normal for these institutions to survive. This method, in which a large amount of faculty-led learning happens through online methods, with face-to-face action supplementing online resources Take into account the demand from students to have the option to continue taking classes online, and staff wanting the ability to work from home to be a permanent fixture, and you have your ‘new’ normal.

Safety and accessibility

Beyond the dissatisfaction are those who are now on the fence about whether they will continue with higher education or leave it altogether. Many have safety concerns about being on campus even with full vaccination rates on the rise. Others have had to adapt to new normals, with struggles of time management, in-home parenting, and access to resources suddenly much more apparent.

As we explored in our conversation with Clay Shirky, Vice Provost of Educational Technologies at NYU, we can look at the latest trends in education as a double-edged sword. While the pandemic threw into sharp relief many problems of the status quo for higher education, there also arose questions about accessibility. Institutions that do not seek to serve their students in non-traditional and innovative ways will quickly fall behind.

What’s next?

There are a few ways that higher education institutions can ensure survival in the coming months, but the number one requirement is adaptability. The current model of learning in higher education must be redesigned to facilitate the continuation of the journey for lifelong learning by making education accessible to all, with the systems in place to support this.

Ultimately, the labour market is experiencing a huge shift with employers looking for specific skill sets in potential employees, higher education institutions must keep up with the times.

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