Post-Pandemic Colleges

THOUGHTS ON POST-PANDEMIC COLLEGES

February 2021

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that adaptive institutions will emerge stronger from times of change. Last fall, while we were still in “survival” mode, the department heads already started reading The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Post-pandemic College Report. The report, which examines how the pandemic will shape higher education in the years to come and what the college of the future may look like, provides some interesting food for thought as we reflect upon our current practices and plan for a post-pandemic community college. Here are some reflections on how we can work together to adapt to change:

Reflection 1. To inspire and educate a diverse student population in a difficult time, we need to focus on the interwoven aims of teaching and learning with equitable, evidence-based practice to improve access and effectiveness for all our students.

Question: When, where, and in what format do teaching and learning effectively occur? How do we meet all our students where they are?

Ideas:

Instructional Technology & Curriculum Support (ITCS), Office of Accessibility &Inclusion (OAI), and Library Services work together to promote and support Universal Design of Learning (UDL), Open Educational Resources (OER), and inclusive education in general. Bridging the digital divide is still one of the top priorities even after the campus reopen.
ITCS explores ubiquitous learning modalities and technological affordances with the faculty, Learning Technologies Committee, and Institutional Effectiveness to increase the flexibility, affordability, accessibility, measurability, and scalability of learning. More faculty-led communities of practice emerge.
Library Services proactively works with students and faculty to promote information literacy and create learning commons, virtually and on-campus.

Reflection 2. As area high schools contribute 44% of NPC’s enrollment, a seamless high school-to-college experience is key.

Question: How do we provide a holistic transition support and remain competitive with Early College programs (as the competition gets more intense)?

Ideas:

In collaboration with TAS, Enrollment Services, Student Services, Career Services, Marketing, and SSA, Early College (EC) shifts its focus from high school student registration to recruiting and advising. A streamlined EC enrollment system (and a course scheduling system integrated with degree mapping and career planning) will likely help with that shift to better support student success. An integrated recruitment, advisement, registration, orientation, and scheduling process will significantly improve student experience, enrollment, and high school partnership.
ITCS provides dual/concurrent instructor training and support in collaboration with EC advisors and Dual Enrollment Committee.
Providing clear degree/career paths and options.

Reflection 3. As a rural community college with limited resources, we need to encourage more engagement in research, innovation, grant opportunities, and professional networking.

Questions: What are the state and national trends in higher education? How do we connect to more opportunities, resources, and network? How do we stay current, competitive, and resilient?

Ideas:

Supporting research and innovation in teaching and learning (e.g., learning analytics, bridging digital divide, state and national trends on HyFlex, data-informed decision making, etc.).
Recognizing and rewarding faculty and staff for participating in professional learning and innovation experiences that promote more inclusive teaching and learning.
Library Services provides resources for research and facilitates “innovation incubators” with ITCS.
Creating a full-time grant coordinator position that works with a grant research team to fully explore, pursue, manage, and evaluate grant opportunities.
Taking advantage of professional organizations such as EDUCAUSE, OLC, League for Innovation in Community Colleges, AZ QM Consortium, AZ Transfer, NC-SARA, NACEP, etc., and engaging in best practice sharing within NPC as well as with other institutions.

The pandemic has created shifts in culture and lifestyle. We will also see shifts in programs, majors and degrees. The new normal of higher education requires more equitable, flexible, diverse and innovative approaches. Colleges have to respond to these changes quickly and effectively to be able to survive, and to better support our students. In the next few years, we will likely see more cross-functional teams formed to accomplish complex missions and new interdisciplinary programs created in response to labor market changes. Adaptability is key to post-pandemic colleges. “COVID recovery will focus on the importance of creating work environments where potential is a valuable skill,” says Jeff Schwartz, author of Work Disrupted: Opportunity, Resilience, and Growth in the Accelerated Future of Work. “It’s a back-to-the-future kind of story as we all figure out what’s next.”

I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Wei Ma, PhD
Dean of Instructional Innovation