COVID-19 was extraordinarily challenging for universities and students alike. Universities were impacted by a huge decrease in international student revenue as borders closed, alongside the sector being unable to access JobKeeper payments. The demands on academic staff and students were unparalleled, with both needing to manage work-life balance while learning and teaching in a largely unfamiliar way, in the midst of pervading uncertainty. Despite this, tertiary institutions and their students and academic staff faced the challenges largely with determination, adapting processes and shifting their roles to better suit the world they faced.

But even with eased restrictions and the rollout of the vaccine, the shared view is that educational institutions and their campuses will never be the same again. While this will be a steep learning curve, it will present the sector with an array of opportunities that allows for the redesign and reimagining of new educational models.

Education providers and teachers will need to assess which attitudes and innovations arising from the pandemic would be valuable to continue with, and those that could be beneficial to further evolve.

Technology for learning

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that all educational institutions faced when the pandemic hit was the need to quickly shift to online learning with minimal warning or preparation.

Before the pandemic, though online learning and tertiary portals were available, they were in their infancy with regards to real-time learning. The pandemic has illuminated the potential of this online space to create an engaging and enriching learning experience that may have the capacity to host everyone.

Furthermore, online learning can make Australian education accessible to national and international students who can’t travel, increasing the reach of our educational institutions and their global influence. A challenge here, will be providing students from around the world with content and classes in real-time with variable internet connections.

To continue to make the most of digital learning, it is predicted that universities and TAFEs will likely increase digital spending by 11 percent, and institutions may need to consider liquidating buildings to free up resources.

Understand technologies limits and innovate

Though online learning has accelerated at an incredible rate in the last 12 months, it will be important for those in the sector to understand its current limitations and be open to improvements that can be made to the current digital learning space.

There are some experiences that may be difficult to reproduce in an online capacity, for example activities that develop manual and psychomotor skills, such as laboratory and field work in the sciences, and kinaesthetic skills in the performing arts.

Teaching well online requires at least as much effort as face-to-face, and potentially more. This means academic staff will likely require both initial and ongoing support within their fields of study to build their capacity in using online tools, adjusting their teaching practices and finding creative solutions for those activities that are difficult to teach online. If this isn’t done, universities risk students disengaging.

Campuses for community, not just learning

In an independent study, it was found that 89 percent of educational leaders believe there will be less demand for facilities such as lecture theatres, however there will be greater student demand for a more “alive” and community-focused campus experience.

Despite the expectation that there will be fewer students attending university campuses, 89 percent of educational leaders believe future campuses will be designed to create memorable experiences that help students form closer relationships with peers and the institution. Furthermore, 68 percent and 71 percent say there will be greater demand for more informal communal spaces and outdoor learning spaces, respectively.

Though the bricks and mortar universities are far from dead, it is expected that they will play a very different role to the one they have previously. This new model will appeal to different cohorts for various reasons. Domestic school-leavers will use the campus as a focal point for peer-to-peer connections, international students will have a chance to reinforce their immersive Australian experience, and they will give mature age students the ability to balance study with other commitments.

“The campus plays a different role depending on the student,” says Byron Collins, CTO at the University of Melbourne. “For some the campus is where they access specialist equipment while for others it’s their focal point for connection to other students and the institution.”

A focus on wellbeing and mental health

The importance of wellbeing and mental health was one that became significantly recognised across all industries and workplaces when the pandemic hit, including education. And with the number of students and teachers experiencing increased rates of anxiety and depression, newly implemented wellbeing strategies are something that will need to be continued and built upon within higher education.

For students, this means the reinforcement and investment in mental and physical health programs, as well as potential changes to campuses, such as more outdoor spaces and smart lighting. In fact, 61 percent of educational leaders believe future university campuses will be built to reduce stress and anxiety.



There is also growing understanding that mental health is something that is not specifically addressed during teaching degrees, despite research showing their professional lives can be highly demanding, pressured, stressful and at times, emotionally exhausting. Moving forward, offering academic staff access to health initiatives, mental health programs and an environment free from bullying and harassment will be important.

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