• The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to reconsider how they deliver education, with most universities forced to quickly adopt online teaching models.

• On top of the immediate challenges posed by COVID-19, institutions face increasing pressures due to rapid social, economic, political and technological change.

• New research from the Economist Intelligence Unit, commissioned by Qatar Foundation, finds that technology drives innovation in education delivery and curriculum design.

• However institutions that emphasise a bespoke residential or experiential learning experience must find ways to reimagine their value proposition in an increasingly online world.

Higher education institutions are under pressure. Advanced technologies threaten to automate jobs and are forcing institutions to rethink what to teach, and how. As traditional sources of public funding dry up, both students and parents are questioning what type of higher education, if any, provides the best value. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to stop its spread have also forced most higher education institutions around the world to suspend face-to-face teaching and shift to online classes.

In our new report, New schools of thought: Innovative models for delivering higher education, we examine five innovative higher education models and the methods they are using to address the social, political and economic challenges academic institutions face today.

“Like every industry, higher education is facing disruptions. Institutions will need to find new and innovative ways to deliver education in order to meet the needs of parents, students and society as a whole.”

ANTONIA KERLE, CONSULTANT AT THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT

To address these challenges, some institutions may choose to scale up education and increase accessibility by adopting the online university model. Others may join forces with additional universities, as in the cluster model; or with external organisations, as in the partnership model. Institutions adopting the experiential model may focus on providing tangible work experiences to students. Others, such as liberal arts colleges,may focus on teaching critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

We find that across these models, technology continues to disrupt the higher education landscape. It enables institutions to serve a greater number of diverse students, increase tuition revenues and potentially reduce operating costs. However, not all institutions are able to benefit from technological innovation. Those that emphasise a bespoke residential experience or experiential learning must find ways to reimagine their value proposition in an increasingly online environment.

Register to Download the report

Higher Education in a post Covid-19 world:

On Monday 4 May, we ran an exclusive virtual panel discussion where we discussed the future of higher education in a post-COVID-19 world, as well as the findings from New Schools of Thought.

Chaired by Claire Casey, Managing Director of Public Policy at The EIU, the discussion featured Prof. Tim Blackman, Vice-Chancellor of the Open University; Ben Nelson, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute; Francisco Marmolejo, Education Advisor of the Qatar Foundation; and Dr Mary Schmidt Campbell, President of Spelman College.   

View the Recording

Contact details:
Antonia Kerle
The Economist Intelligence Unit London | United Kingdom
antoniakerle@eiu.com
+44 (0)20 7576 8268