Fall Planning for the New Normal: Moving Higher Ed Online

Fall Planning for the New Normal: Moving Higher Ed Online

Introduction

During the summer of 2020, in the midst of unprecedented change and uncertainty wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, EDUCAUSE and Cisco partnered to conduct research exploring the ways higher education institutions are responding to this crisis and adapting to "new normal" ways of operating and serving their students. In particular, this research examined the role of technology and of technology leaders in shaping students' educational experiences, the opportunities and challenges for adapting and improving online and physical spaces, and potential solutions to address the health risks and needs of students, faculty, and staff during these unique times.

Through two surveys of higher education technology leaders and in-depth qualitative case studies of three institutions navigating these challenges, this study sheds light both on the general trends that have taken shape as institutions planned and made preparations for fall education and on the particular practices and models that institutions have deployed in their own planning and preparations. The common themes emerging from this research and the potential paths forward that these themes suggest can help technology and higher education leaders better understand their present challenges and feel better equipped for living in uncertain times.

Indeed, this study focuses on exploring and finding whatever new normal may be emerging for higher education institutions in the midst of a global pandemic. The plans that institutions have been working so hard over the summer to put into place may need to be adapted (or completely shelved) at a moment's notice, and the innovative solutions that work best today might no longer work tomorrow. Agility and flexibility in coordination with decision-making are key to success for institutions, leaders, and students in higher education, and the technologies and solutions these institutions rely on may need to become equally agile and flexible in adoption and deployment.

Learn More

Access additional materials, including an infographic, and presentation on the EDUCAUSE/Cisco project research hub.


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EDUCAUSE is a higher education technology association and the largest community of IT leaders and professionals committed to advancing higher education. Technology, IT roles and responsibilities, and higher education are dynamically changing. Formed in 1998, EDUCAUSE supports those who lead, manage, and use information technology to anticipate and adapt to these changes, advancing strategic IT decision-making at every level within higher education. EDUCAUSE is a global nonprofit organization whose members include US and international higher education institutions, corporations, not-for-profit organizations, and K–12 institutions. With a community of more than 99,000 individuals at member organizations located around the world, EDUCAUSE encourages diversity in perspective, opinion, and representation. For more information, please visit educause.edu.

 

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Cisco is committed to expanding the boundaries of what's possible in education and redefining the education of tomorrow—from simplifying and streamlining administrative collaboration to optimizing student experiences and securely enabling the transition to the hybrid classroom.
 

© 2020 EDUCAUSE. The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.

Citation for this work
Sean Burns and Mark McCormack. Fall Planning for the New Normal: Moving Higher Ed Online. Research report. Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Research, September 2020.