Chapter 1: Education in a Time of Crisis: An Introduction

For many decades, even in the pre-COVID era, higher education institutions had been trying to become more innovative. The unexpected emergence of COVID-19 forced colleges and universities around the world to design and implement new approaches not only to teaching and learning, but to virtually every aspect of tertiary education—and to do so incredibly quickly, with little if any time to prepare. This chapter will provide an overview and share selected examples of how U.S. higher education has been attempting to rise to the challenge. Universities and colleges are adapting institutional policies, practices, and procedures related to significant operations from admissions to supporting the new learning and teaching modalities. They are also redesigning learning spaces to assure the well-being of students and faculty conducting research. Also, higher education is organizing events online, hosting virtual graduations, et cetera. Conceptually, the chapter is organized by selected COVID-inspired innovations that revolve around the student academic life cycle.