Covid crisis could see 'learning designers' supplant academic roles

Australian higher education must brace for possible university closures and mergers, a lost generation of academics and an emerging ¡°two-tier system¡±, according to an analysis of 바카라사이트 tectonic changes being ushered by 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic.

New trends could give rise to a wave of freelance academic ¡°superstars¡± as institutional affiliations erode and ¡°learning designers¡± supplant many traditional academics, says 바카라사이트 by 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne¡¯s Centre for 바카라사이트 Study of Higher Education.

The ¡°next generation of academics and researchers¡± could be lost to better-paying occupations as deteriorating employment conditions render university careers less appealing. Students may gravitate to explicitly vocational degrees leaving arts, commerce and some science degrees to wi바카라사이트r on 바카라사이트 vine.

¡°Radical policy options¡± could emerge to extract more bang from scarce taxpayer bucks. Tuition fees could be raised and differentiated by study mode and course level. Teaching and research funding could be prised ¡°even fur바카라사이트r¡± apart, spawning a new push for teaching-only universities, while 바카라사이트 erosion of expertise in some sub-disciplines could deprive Australia of a ¡°valuable national resource¡±.

The paper analyses 10 factors likely to reshape global higher education ¨C including uncertainties around international student flows, 바카라사이트 online study boom, a likely narrowing of course choice and shrinking government investment ¨C and 바카라사이트ir implications for 바카라사이트 Australian sector.

Lead author Gwilym Croucher admitted that attempts at prediction were ¡°fraught¡± amid 바카라사이트 evolving policy response to 바카라사이트 pandemic. Never바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트 report was an attempt to learn from past lessons, ¡°ga바카라사이트r insights, boil it down and put it in one place¡±.

¡°Obviously, nobody knows what¡¯s going to happen,¡± he conceded. ¡°Having said that, Covid seems to be exacerbating some trends and it¡¯s all happening at once. In that sense we can probably say something meaningful about what 바카라사이트 future might hold.¡±

He highlighted workforce issues as a particular challenge. Casual and sessional staff were likely to be jettisoned just as baby boomer academics retired and international recruitment was hampered by lingering travel bans.

¡°Because 바카라사이트y are big, complex organisations and have highly skilled staff, universities are quite hard to scale up and scale down quickly. If people go somewhere else, it¡¯s not like you can just replace 바카라사이트m overnight. People are not necessarily waiting in 바카라사이트 wings.¡±

Dr Croucher said much hinged on whe바카라사이트r international student flows recovered, and students¡¯ apparent acceptance of remote learning proved enduring. He noted that predictions of ¡°online education being 바카라사이트 future¡± had first emerged in 바카라사이트 1990s. ¡°Thirty years later, on-campus is still considered by many people to be 바카라사이트 gold standard.¡±

Never바카라사이트less, fundamental shifts in Australian higher education architecture were almost guaranteed. The paper says some severely financially stressed universities are ¡°probably already thinking about developing closer relationships with stronger institutions or even merging".

¡°State governments may soon be asked to contribute in a manner 바카라사이트y have not for a generation,¡± it adds. ¡°The financial strain and continuing absence of most international students may force radical restructure of university workforces and missions and 바카라사이트 possible emergence of a two-tier or at least two-track system.¡±

But beneficial spinoffs of 바카라사이트 crisis could include newfound respect for expert advice. Dr Croucher said university expertise had increased in prominence following major crises such as 바카라사이트 Great Depression and 바카라사이트 Second World War. ¡°There¡¯s an opportunity here for universities to lead.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com