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Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Consultancy.nl: "Education Must Prepare for a Blended Future"

Consultancy.nl has published an article about our survey of more than 1,500 students, faculty, and staff members from six higher education institutions. The platform wrote about the recommendations made by our education experts. What is the best blend of education for the future? And how can an institution best approach this?

Education Must Prepare for a Blended Future

After more than a year of online education, students and faculty are eagerly awaiting the moment when they can return to campus. In the long term, however, digital education offers many opportunities. What is the ideal balance between in-person and digital education? And what issues deserve special attention as blended learning gains ground? Turner conducted a study.

It is now crystal clear that the COVID-19 crisis is taking its toll on students. It will come as no surprise to many that 100% online education is not ideal. However, the current situation does offer an opportunity to take a fresh look at the future of education at colleges and universities, where digital and in-person learning complement each other.

With that in mind, Turner conducted a survey of 1,500 students and staff members at three colleges and three universities. Both students and faculty see many opportunities in “blended learning.” These include more opportunities to offer personalized instruction, easier access to faculty, more international education, new teaching methods, greater flexibility, and increased efficiency.

The Ideal Mix

A large majority of students are therefore open to taking part of their education online. On average, they consider 35% to 45% online education to be the ideal mix. However, preferences vary considerably. For example, a quarter of students would prefer no online education at all, while there is also a group that would like to take as much as 60% to 80% of their courses online.

Furthermore, it appears that online classes receive more support than online exams. On average, students indicate that they would like to take between 25% and 45% of their exams remotely. At the same time, as many as 40% do not want any online exams at all.

Teachers also believe that the use of online education offers many opportunities for the future. When asked what they need to make this happen, they most often cite a better home office setup. The right digital tools, better-coordinated schedules, and the time and training needed to master these new teaching methods are also frequently mentioned.

Offer a variety of options

All in all, what stands out most are the widely varying preferences. “Some thrive on the autonomy of online learning. Others do not. Some find online exams very stressful. Others, however, do not,” say the researchers, who therefore advocate offering different options in the educational mix: “Digital and non-digital, synchronous and asynchronous, at home and on campus.”

But how do you get started? Turner recommends beginning with a single course and redesigning it from scratch. “You look at which format best suits the learning objectives and activities of that course. Which parts of the course would benefit from being digital? Which ones wouldn’t?”

By starting small, concrete new possibilities and ideas emerge, and teachers can inspire one another: “This allows you to evaluate, engage in learning, and share in short cycles.”

More stress during exams

Almost every student experiences some degree of stress when taking an exam. However, according to researchers at Turner, stress levels are currently much higher than they were before the COVID-19 crisis.

To combat fraud, educational institutions are currently implementing a variety of measures that students find stressful. For example, some students experienced problems with their internet connection during an exam, which immediately resulted in their being disqualified and thus having to retake the exam. “Not being able to go back to previous questions to make changes later also caused stress,” Turner explains.

Leadership among students and faculty

Turner does not consider fully customized courses to be feasible, since there are always certain obligations or requirements imposed by the institution. However, students can contribute ideas on how a course is structured: “Taking control of the learning process—it starts with the student.”

Faculty members, too, can take on more leadership when they’re assigned tasks that play to their strengths and expertise. “Does one professor give captivating lectures? Record it on video and—while you’re at it—also cover a topic from that less theatrical colleague. Does another thrive in a lab or practical classroom? Spend most of your time there. Is yet another an expert at mentoring graduating students? Focus on that.”

Just as with students, a 100% customized approach does not seem feasible for teachers either. “There will always be requirements and obligations for teachers as well. A basic level of online teaching skills is simply essential for every teacher these days.”

Online education also requires new teaching skills. It goes without saying that it is important to work on developing these skills, for example through additional training or peer-to-peer coaching.

Connection

One of the most important themes of the past year was connection—or the lack thereof. The decisive factor in students’ satisfaction with their education was whether they felt heard and seen by their instructor.

Of course, 100% online learning will not remain the norm, but even if part of the education is delivered online, connection remains an important focus. “Provide students with the space and opportunity to connect, ask questions, and share ideas,” the researchers say.

Campus for Co-Creation

Finally, the campus. As education becomes more blended, the role of the campus will change. Turner sees opportunities here primarily in the area of co-creation. “Much more of a meeting place and much less of a workplace or a place for instruction. A place where knowledge is not only transferred but also created.”

In addition to education and research, this also involves seeking connections with the professional world. “To really get new collaborations off the ground, to have truly meaningful conversations, and to truly create something together, you need to actually meet in person.”

The campus as a place for co-creation also calls for a different layout of the available space. For example, there will be less need for lecture halls and more need for spaces where people can collaborate in new ways. “Real estate is a major expense and investment for institutions, so think carefully about what demand will arise in the coming years,” the researchers conclude.

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About the Study

Six institutions of higher education felt the need to take stock together after a turbulent period. Three universities of applied sciences (Breda University of Applied Sciences, HAS, NHL Stenden) and three research universities (Radboud University, TU Delft, Vrije Universiteit) collaborated with Turner on a study to collectively draw lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. We did this based on documents, online surveys that the universities and universities of applied sciences had already distributed to students and staff, and online surveys that we developed together. The central question: What can we learn about learning from the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Future of Blended Education Has Begun

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