theguardian: 'Students like the flexibility': why online universities are here to stay
date：2020-06-01 20:12author：小编source：theguardianviews：
The coronavirus pandemic has forced UK universities to rapidly shift online, and no date has been confirmed for campuses to reopen. With the second coronavirus peak projected to take place in autumn, many institutions are already planning to move at least their first semester online. Whatever happens, universities are not going to look how their students expect for some time.
So if universities are online, will students still come? New research suggests that 20% of students are reconsidering plans to start university in the autumn – a possible 120,000 student shortfall. Yet so far, the University and College Admissions Service reports that very few have reneged on their offers. And for those already at university, a National Union of Students survey found that almost half of students were happy with their online learning.
These positive experiences may permanently transform universities, believes Vijay Govindarajan, a business innovation professor at Dartmouth College in the US. “Universities can create high-quality multimedia experiences online. Lectures can be recorded in HD and reused, so more of professors’ time can be spent on interacting with students. This will improve the overall quality of learning,” he says. “Online learning might have been a long time coming in higher education, but it’s here to stay.”
Online learning shouldn’t be seen as a quick-fix solution to the pandemic. Allison Littlejohn, director of the UCL Institute of Education’s knowledge lab, cautions that quality online courses take time and effort to create. “It’s crucial the online learning experience is well-designed and we don’t simply shift existing content from one format to another,” she says.
Equally, for many students, the value of university goes deeper than coursework and qualifications. Research by Universities UK found that almost 60% of students and recent graduates felt the social element of the campus experience helped them broaden their life experience, become more independent and confident, and develop skills like teamwork and time management.
“Learning remotely isn’t the same as the visceral experience of expressing and debating ideas in a physical space,” agrees Jesper Ryynänen, a student at the London School of Economics (LSE). “I chose LSE for its public events and renowned speakers, yet there’ll be none of that this semester.”
Some students may feel that paying the same fees for digital versions of their courses would be poor value. The tuition for Ryynänen’s one-year MSc at the LSE is £29,000 – far more expensive than fully online options from renowned names like Harvard University and Wharton Business School.
But moving university courses online due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cost the higher education sector £1bn. UK universities will be keen to ensure their investment in digital transformation is for the long term, especially after years of lagging behind universities in other countries.
One barrier could be cultural change. When Times Higher Education surveyed 200 university leaders in 2018, all of them agreed that online learning could never replace the physical university experience.
But there are benefits to online learning: it can widen access to education to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go. This is already happening in the US, where online education is more established, especially among lower-income students. Last month, Southern New Hampshire University, the country’s fastest-growing university, announced that it has used online learning to enable it to slash its tuition fees by 61%.
So if universities are online, will students still come? New research suggests that 20% of students are reconsidering plans to start university in the autumn – a possible 120,000 student shortfall. Yet so far, the University and College Admissions Service reports that very few have reneged on their offers. And for those already at university, a National Union of Students survey found that almost half of students were happy with their online learning.
These positive experiences may permanently transform universities, believes Vijay Govindarajan, a business innovation professor at Dartmouth College in the US. “Universities can create high-quality multimedia experiences online. Lectures can be recorded in HD and reused, so more of professors’ time can be spent on interacting with students. This will improve the overall quality of learning,” he says. “Online learning might have been a long time coming in higher education, but it’s here to stay.”
Online learning shouldn’t be seen as a quick-fix solution to the pandemic. Allison Littlejohn, director of the UCL Institute of Education’s knowledge lab, cautions that quality online courses take time and effort to create. “It’s crucial the online learning experience is well-designed and we don’t simply shift existing content from one format to another,” she says.
Equally, for many students, the value of university goes deeper than coursework and qualifications. Research by Universities UK found that almost 60% of students and recent graduates felt the social element of the campus experience helped them broaden their life experience, become more independent and confident, and develop skills like teamwork and time management.
“Learning remotely isn’t the same as the visceral experience of expressing and debating ideas in a physical space,” agrees Jesper Ryynänen, a student at the London School of Economics (LSE). “I chose LSE for its public events and renowned speakers, yet there’ll be none of that this semester.”
Some students may feel that paying the same fees for digital versions of their courses would be poor value. The tuition for Ryynänen’s one-year MSc at the LSE is £29,000 – far more expensive than fully online options from renowned names like Harvard University and Wharton Business School.
But moving university courses online due to the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cost the higher education sector £1bn. UK universities will be keen to ensure their investment in digital transformation is for the long term, especially after years of lagging behind universities in other countries.
One barrier could be cultural change. When Times Higher Education surveyed 200 university leaders in 2018, all of them agreed that online learning could never replace the physical university experience.
But there are benefits to online learning: it can widen access to education to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to go. This is already happening in the US, where online education is more established, especially among lower-income students. Last month, Southern New Hampshire University, the country’s fastest-growing university, announced that it has used online learning to enable it to slash its tuition fees by 61%.
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