On this page, please find some of the recommendations for higher education institutions to carry on with teaching and learning activities during this socio-economic, cultural and health crisis and also on how to address the future.

MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS

UNESCO

• Global Education Meeting (2020 GEM) held on 22 October resulted in the 2020 GEM Declaration which commits to protecting education finance and identified priority actions to accelerate progress towards SDG4 in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.
• From disruption to recovery: UNESCO is supporting countries in their efforts to mitigate the immediate impact of school closures, particularly for more vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and to facilitate the continuity of education for all through remote learning.
• UNESCO Institute of Higher Education has published a Special Issue of the International Review of Education on Education in the Age of COVID-19: Understanding the Consequences. (March 2021)
• UNESCO Education Sector’s issue notes cover key topics related to the COVID-19 education response (April, 2020).
• UNESCO - Futures of Education Initiative published the report: Protecting and Transforming Education for Shared Futures and Common Humanity A Joint Statement on the COVID‐19 Crisis (April, 2020).
• IESALC published recommendations (in Spanish) for higher education institutions in relation to the COVID-19 health crisis and provides information from 13 councils of rectors and national associations of higher education institutions (HEI) in Latin America and the Caribbean (April, 2020).
  
  

  United Nations launches the UN Secretary-General Policy Brief ‘Education during COVID-19 and beyond’(August, 2020).	OECD has released Education Responses to COVID-19: Implementing a Way Forward. The paper proposes a framework and recommendations to help governments form and implement strategy for education responses to COVID-19 (July, 2020).	World Bank published the report The COVID-19 Pandemic: Shocks to Education and Policy Responses (July, 2020).

  
  

  ---

  INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  ---

  Association of Indian Universities published a COVID-19 response Toolkit for Indian Higher Education Institutions: Institutional Resilience for academic planning and continuity.	Educause has created a resource page to help higher education institutions plan for possible campus disruption by COVID-19.	Pakistan Higher Education Commission has posted a Strategy for Gradual Reopening of HEIs. The document outlines a reopening plan that draws on strategies adopted by universities worldwide (September, 2020). New Policy Guidance for the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), following the Government’s decision regarding continuation of education during the 2nd wave of COVID-19 (November 2020)	Seven Seas Worldwide regularly updates An International Student’s Guide to UK University (COVID-19) to help share useful advice and information on the impact of COVID-19 on young people’s mental wellbeing.
  The Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) has issued the Covid-19 and aftermath: Guidance for Higher Education Providers on Standards and Quality.	United States Agency for International Development released the Higher Education Response to COVID-19: A Landscape Map of USAID Partner Countries (October 2020).	United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regularly updates a resources page on Colleges, Universities, and Higher Learning Plan, Prepare, and Respond.	Universities UK regularly updates a portal on Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Information for universities.
  UK Department for Education has updated its Guidance for universities to help universities make campuses as safe as possible for students and staff as part of their wider COVID-secure measures (December, 2020).

  
  

  ---

  • Universities UK has released the paper Achieving stability in the higher education sector following COVID-19 , a proposal to the government for a package of measures to maximise universities’ contribution to the economy, communities and the post virus recovery. (August 2021)
    https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-08/uuk_achieving-stability-higher-education-april-2020.pdf

In this tab you will find information on how organizations monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the higher education community. A selection of survey reports on the impact of COVID-19 is also presented.

MONITORING BY MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS

UNESCO

• UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has published aUNESCO Covid-19 Education Response Issue note on Higher Education Institutions’ Engagement with the Community (August, 2020).
• UNESCO Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) has published La educación en tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19 (Education in the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic).
• IESALC webcast Back to the future: Higher Education in the Post-Pandemic world, the Director of UNESCO IESALC (November, 2020).
• IESALC has released COVID-19 and higher education: Today and tomorrow (April, 2020).
• International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-Buenos Aires) updates regularly a resource based on UNESCO’s inputs to the educational emergency produced by COVID-19.
  
  

  Council of Europe has opened a call for best practices in promoting academic integrity in higher education institutions in Europe under its new Best Practice Programme. Applications must be received before 20 August 2021. CoE has also published the book Higher education’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic - Building a more sustainable and democratic future. IAU Secretary General, Hilligje van’t Land, is co-author of one of the chapters. The Council of Europe Education Department website also presents information on the Covid-19 response by the CoE, member states and other organisations (2021).	World Bank traces in real time the closure of schools by country and proposes key resources to address the health crisis.	World Economic Forum analyses how COVID-19 has accelerated the digital transformation of higher education. WEF has also published This is how university students can emerge from the pandemic stronger

  ---

  MONITORING BY INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

  ---

  Academic Cooperation Association published a series of Think Pieces about the longer-term impact of the pandemic on international education and mobility.	Agence universitaire de la francophonie produces a weekly update monitoring publications related to the pandemic from higher education and partners of the AUF; and also monitors the actions of its members and partners in response to COVID-19.	Asian Development Bank has published COVID-19 and Education in Asia and the Pacific provides guidance to help developing countries address the disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic but also identifies critical policy reforms and concrete actions - framed as the three Rs - Response, Recovery, and Rejuvenation (February 2021) ADB has also published Online Learning in Sri Lanka’s Higher Education Institutions during the COVID-19 Pandemic (September, 2020).	Asociación Colombiana de Universidades monitors the actions carried out by its member universities to alleviate the effects of COVID-19.
  American Council on Education shares information and resources relating to COVID-19.	Association of African Universities offers a resource page to help higher education institutions plan for possible campus disruption by COVID-19.	Association of International Educators, NAFSA shares a Coronavirus Critical Resources document focus on international educators and students in United States of America.	Association of Pacific Rim Universities has made available a web page including links to members’ websites stating their policies and the actions they are taking to face the current health crisis.
  Association of Universities in the Netherlands shares updates on changes within universities and the higher education system in the Netherlands in relation to COVID-19.	Boston College Center for International Higher Education has published a Special Issue of its International Higher Education quarterly publication on the many challenges relating to the COVID-19 crisis.	eLearning Africa and the EdTech Hub has published a report The Effect of Covid-19 on Education in Africa and its Implications for the Use of Technology. The French version Impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur l’éducation en Afrique et incidence sur le recours aux technologies is also available.	International Sciences Council launched a COVID-19 Scenarios Project in March 2021, outlining a range of scenarios over the mid- and long-term that aim to assist our understanding of the options for achieving an optimistic and fair end to the pandemic. The project, along with the article in The Lancet can be found here.
  Lumina Foundation launches the publication COVID’s Lessons for Global Higher Education Coping with the Present while Building a More Equitable Future (November, 2020).	Quality and Qualifications Ireland has released the report A QQI Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Modifications to Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Further Education and Training (FET) and Higher Education (HE) in Ireland (August, 2020).	Russian International Affairs Council has published the report The Response of Higher Education Systems and National Governments to the Pandemic. The report analyzes the consequences of the pandemic for the development of higher education in the world, as well as the reactions of higher education systems in response to the emerging challenges and threats (January, 2021).	System of State Universities of Oaxaca has released the book: Pandemic: The Catastrophic Crisis (in Spanish and English). The work is coordinated by Dr. Modesto Seara Vázquez and constitutes an analysis of the pandemic, within the framework of what is considered to be a major systemic crisis (January, 2021).
  University Affairs Canada publishes regular updates on the situation facing Canada’s universities with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  
  
  
  

  ---

  REPORTS

  ---

  The Australia Institute has released the fact sheet An Avoidable Catastrophe: Pandemic Job Losses in Higher Education and their Consequences which reviews latest available data on the scale and distribution of job losses experienced in Australian universities. (September 2021)
  https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2021-09/apo-nid314011.pdf

  Cooperación Latinoamericana de Redes Avanzadas (RedCLARA) has released the results of the 3rd edition of its survey (in Spanish) Gobierno de TIC en las Instituciones de Educación Superior de Latinoamérica desde la perspectiva de la pandemia por COVID-19, 2021. It discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic affected progress in the implementation of ICT in Latin American HEIs and perspectives on digital transformation. (September 2021)
  https://www.redclara.net/images/docs/G-TIC_en_las_IES_de_Latinoamerica_desde_la_perspectiva_de_la_pandemia.pdf

  UNESCO IESALC has created and is updating two maps that respectively monitor the situation of higher education reopening and plans for reopening per country in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. (July 2021)
  https://www-iesalc-unesco-org.translate.goog/covid-19-hacia-la-reapertura-de-la-educacion-superior-en-america-latina-y-el-caribe/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=nui

  IESALC published the report Educación superior y COVID-19 en América Latina y el Caribe: Financiamiento para los estudiantes (in Spanish) which unveils financial aid measures taken for higher education institutions and students during the pandemic in the Latin America and Caribbean region. (July, 2021)
  https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/09-07-2021-COVID-19-FINANCIAMIENTO-3.pdf

  IESALC released the report Close now to reopen better tomorrow? Pedagogical continuity in Latin American universities during the pandemic. It discusses the results of a research aimed at highlighting the strategies developed by higher education institutions in the region to ensure pedagogical continuity. (July, 2021)
  https://www.iesalc.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Closing-now-to-reopen-better-tomorrow-FINAL_EN.pdf

  The Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED) has released an occasional paper entitled The perceived impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education in the Southern Mediterranean. It presents the results of a survey launched in May 2020 among heads and international relations offices of UNIMED member universities in the Southern Mediterranean, aiming to better understand how universities have been reacting to the pandemic and which innovative solutions have been put in place. (April 2021)
  https://zenodo.org/record/4725724#.YV1bFn06-Hs

  OECD
  The state of higher education. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic is an update of the first report published in April 2021. This new publication provides an overview of educational responses from OECD member and partner countries 18 months into the COVID crisis. This report looks at comparative statistics the OECD has collected across a number of education systems to track developments in the higher education sector throughout the pandemic.
  https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-state-of-higher-education_83c41957-en#page1

  Report, produced in collaboration with UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank
  The state of Global Education. 18 months after the start of the pandemic. The report, produced in collaboration with UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank, is based on the collection of data on how each education system in the selected countries is responding to the crisis, from the closure of schools and universities and distance learning to the vaccination of teachers and the gradual return to face-to-face teaching. For mention of higher education (see p.31 Education Funding During the Pandemic).
  https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/the-state-of-global-education_1a23bb23-en#page1

  UNESCO conducted a survey of UNESCO’s 193 Member States and 11 Associate Members to provide an evidence-based overview of the current situation of the higher education system at the national and global levels.. The survey was available online between 15 December 2020 and 12 February 2021 and gathered responses from 57 countries.
  The report attempts to assess the impact of the pandemic on the higher education system in terms of access to education, equity and quality of teaching and learning, university operations, national challenges, emerging issues and strategic responses and it is available here: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000378174

  The International Association of University Presidents carried out a survey in conjunction with Santander Universidades, HACU, and other higher education associations on LEADERSHIP RESPONSES TO COVID-19 – A GLOBAL SURVEY OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP. Conducted between mid-July and mid-September of 2020, the survey received 763 responses from university leaders in 89 countries.The Executive Summary is available at the following link: https://www.iaup.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/IAUP-Survey-2020-ExecutiveSummary.pdf

  Abdullah Gul University (AGU) has released the Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic report sharing AGU’s roadmap for process management, psychological and physical resilience, best practices, expertise and the university’s experience during the COVID-19 crisis (April 2021).

  American Council on Education (ACE) Pulse Point surveys gather the insights of college and university leaders through a brief set of questions designed to get their take on the decisions, issues, and challenges they face. The final COVID-19 Pulse Point Survey shows how institutions are adjusting on issues such as mental health, enrollment numbers for summer and/or fall courses, racial equity issues, and the long-term financial viability of the institution (May 2021).

  European University Association has published the survey report Digitally enhanced learning and teaching in European higher education institutions. This report maps the situation regarding digitally enhanced learning and teaching at European higher education institutions over the past seven years and is mainly based on data from a survey conducted between April and June 2020 via an online questionnaire to institutional leadership (January, 2021).

  German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has released the results of the second COVID-19 survey, COVID-19 and the impact on international student mobility in Germany (March, 2021).

  International Sciences Council researched how to design sustainable pathways during the COVID-19 recovery period and beyond. The results of this initiative have been published in a synthesis report with eight key recommendations, and four thematic reports on the policy choices needed to move towards a stronger and more sustainable long-term future (January, 2021).

  Network of Experts working on the Social dimension of Education and Training (NESET) in collaboration with the European Commission has published the report The impact of COVID-19 on higher education: a review of emerging evidence. The report provides a synthesis of the emerging evidence on what impact COVID-19 has on three specific aspects of higher education in Europe: teaching and learning; the social dimension of higher education and student mobility (2021).

  
  

The IAU survey report on the impact of Covid-19 on higher education showed that one of the key challenges encountered by higher education institutions was the sudden shift to distance learning. This challenge comes with different dimensions, most particularly the technical infrastructure, the support tools to use for distance learning, assimilating online teaching pedagogies and finally how to organize and manage exams and student assessments from distance. IAU has made a selection of useful resources in order to respond to these challenges.

TOOLS, PLATFORMS AND SOFTWARE FOR DISTANCE LEARNING

UNESCO

• Distance learning solutions
• UNESCO Office in Bangkok, Thailand published a Blended learning for quality higher education: selected case studies on implementation from Asia-Pacific. It explores how leading institutions in Asia-Pacific build capacity through a holistic approach to drive, sustain and scale their blended learning practices.
  
  

  World Bank : Remote Learning, Distance Education and Online Learning: A Resource List >

  ---

  DISTANCE LEARNING PLANNING AND PEDAGOGY

  ---

  Conference of Principals of Spanish Universities (CRUE) in collaboration with the distance learning universities UNED and UOC, has launched a portal with a series of recommendations and advice for planning and structuring teaching by distance (the portal is in Spanish).	Commonwealth of Learning (COL) has released “Guidelines on Distance Education during COVID-19” with policy advice and practical tips on the use of distance-education methods, tools and appropriate technology as a response to the COVID-19 crisis and a Guide to Blended Learning.	Deaking University (Australia) offers a free online course: Transforming Digital Learning: Learning Design Meets Service Design (estimated time required: 6 hours).	European Maturity Model for Blended Education (EMBED) is a framework which can be used to assess conceptual or implementation issues regarding blended learning, teaching and education. It indicates which dimensions are relevant for lecturers and educators, but also institutions, policymakers and educational centres.
  Indiana University proposes a page with resources for assessments and final exams from distance. It includes examples for moving exams online as well as developing alternative assessment forms during this time of crisis.

  
  

This tab contains a selection of recent news on actions taken around the globe to respond to the current health crisis.

WORLDWIDE

 UNESCO held a GEM meeting on 13 July
From recovery to accelerating SDG 4 progress: 2021 Global Education Meeting - Ministerial Segment

 UN High-Level Political Forum on "Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development". IAU is actively participating in side events (July, 2021)

 A time for innovation in international HE post COVID-19 (February, 2021).

 Mental scars caused by on-campus teaching in pandemic may not heal (February, 2021).

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL INITIATIVES

Select region of interest: Africa - Arab States - Asia and the Pacific - Europe - Latin America - North America

 Africa

International students stranded online (February, 2021).

• Libya Lets Universities Reopen Based on Their Covid-19 Preparedness. (October 2021)
  https://www.al-fanarmedia.org/2021/10/libyas-universities/
  
  
• Guinea
  The Guinean Ministry of Higher Education and Research has put in place a dedicated platform Espace de continuité pédagogique (ECP). The platform aims to assist students as they continue to study during the Covid-19 pandemic and is full of resources and tools designed to help students (in French).
  
  
• Senegal
  The Virtual University of Senegal has experienced increasing development during the COVID crisis. Its teaching methods offered face-to-face and remotely have been able to adapt to the needs of the crisis (June 2021).
  
  
• South Africa
  Unisa and Mintek collaborate on rapid Covid-19 tests (January, 2021).
  
  
• Uganda
  Lecturers at government universities go on strike (February, 2021).
  
  
• Zimbabwe
  Learners should access education in their mother tongues (February, 2021).

 Arab States

• Egypt
  Government reviews digitisation process at universities, university hospitals (January, 2021).
  
  
• Iran
  Iran‌ Says Ready to Provide Lab Equipment for Afghan Universities (February, 2021).
  
  

 Asia and the Pacific

Asian Development Bank published the note COVID-19 and Education in Asia and the Pacific. It provides guidance to help developing countries address the disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic but also identifies critical policy reforms and concrete actions - framed as the three Rs - Response, Recovery, and Rejuvenation (January, 2021).

• Australia
  17,000 Uni Jobs lost to Covid (February 2021).
  Covid-19 predicted to change design of Australian universities (February, 2021).
  
  
• Bangladesh
  Universities to reopen in May (February, 2021).
  
  
• China
  A Future Decline in Chinese Study Abroad Numbers (February, 2021).
  
  
• India
  Indian students ’positive’ about UK courses despite lockdown (June 2021)
  India Writes New Code Of Education (January, 2021).
  
  
• Japan
  Japan to launch $96 billion university fund by March 2022 (January, 2021).
  
  
• Korea
  Disgruntled students decry online university classes 2,744 students file class-action suit against universities, country, demanding tuition refunds. (June 2021).

Private universities losing money ‘hand over fist’ (February, 2021).

• Pakistan
  Schools back to life in Punjab after a long hiatus (June 2021)
  Minister urges universities to guide nation about Covid 19 (June 2021)
  FAPUASA demands increased allocations for higher education in budget 2021-22 (June 2021)
• Thailand
  Universities to receive Wi-Fi boost through network upgrade (February, 2021).

 Europe

Universities look to EU’s €800B COVID-19 recovery fund to upgrade campuses

• Belgium
  University to launch COVID-19 tracing and support unit (February, 2021).
  
  
• France
  ’Sick of Zoom’: Teachers and students rally in France for more virus support (January, 2021).
  
  
• Germany
  The DAAD continues to follow the developments on the coronavirus and adapts its activities flexibly to changing situations (February, 2021).
  
  
• Ireland
  Minister Harris confirms further restriction of onsite third level activity in response to deteriorating Covid situation (January, 2021).
  
  
• Russia
  Foreign students get green light to return after PCR tests (February, 2021).
  
  
• Switzerland
  Students’ finances suffer as part-time jobs dry up (February, 2021).
  
  
• United Kingdom
  How mass testing helped limit the spread of COVID-19 at the University of Cambridge (June 2021)
  Government unveils post-pandemic IHE recovery strategy (February, 2021).
  
  

 Latin America

• Colombia
  Government announces $1.2 billion pesos for students in public higher education institutions (January, 2021).
  
  
• El Salvador
  The University of El Salvador has decided to provide free and quality education to the Salvadoran people (January, 2021).
  
  
• Hunduras
  In the framework of the start of the 2021 academic year, the Ministry of Education reported that it will seek to improve the mechanisms of care in the non-presential education of students in the country (February, 2021).
  
  

 North America

• Canada
  COVID-19: updates for Canada’s universities (June 2021)
  A blend of in-person and online learning is becoming the norm. Post-pandemic, let’s make it work (June 2021)
  Slow vaccine rollout could extend student enrolment slump (February, 2021).
  Ontario’s Universities face mounting COVID-19 impacts (February 2021)
  
  
• United States of America
  Colleges Say Students Must Get a Covid Vaccine. But No, Not That One. (June 2021)
  Biden rules out cancelling US$50,000 in student debt (February, 2021). Vaccine requirements were designed mostly for American students. That is presenting hurdles for international students without access to one of the eight W.H.O.-approved vaccines.

This tab contains information on calls for application and webinars to support and learn how universities are addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic.


Select information of interest: UPCOMING WEBINARS - OPEN CALLS - RECORDINGS FROM PAST WEBINARS

The International Association of Universities, in collaboration with several partners and Members, is pleased to offer a series of free webinars on the Future of Higher Education.

UPCOMING WEBINARS

 Association of Arab Universities and Gulf Conferences
Digital transformation of the higher education sector in the time of COVID is one of the themes to be addressed at the “Middle East Education Thought Leadership Forum” organized virtually, on 25-27 October 2021 by the Association of Arab Universities and Gulf Conferences. (September 2021)
http://www.aaru.edu.jo/en/english/Lists/NewsandEvents/Disp_Form2.aspx?ID=241

 Contact North, Tuesday, September 21, 2021 11:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time): The Spark of Online Learning: How Technology and Emotion Science Invigorates Every Class.

OPEN CALLS

International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) has launched the OER4Covid initiative which comprises a diverse group of almost 900 participants from 69 different countries. They are requesting help from educators to identify and prioritise local needs for open educational resources. To access the survey, please follow the link.

Institute of Applied Linguistics (University of Warsaw) invites to take part in a research investigating how language and linguistics teachers/instructors and students/learners have been coping with the transition to remote instruction. The survey is anonymous and will solely serve scientific purposes. It should take no more than 25-38 minutes to complete; around 85% of the questions are of the quick multiple-choice type.

There are different versions of the questionnaire:

for Language Teachers
for Linguistics Instructors and TAs
for Language Learners
for Linguistics Students
for Educators in subjects other than language

QS Quacquarelli Symonds invites to take part in a new survey for university staff as part of its commitment to providing the higher education sector with data-driven insights. To access the survey please follow this link.

RECORDINGS FROM PAST WEBINARS

	May 3, 2021 Economic and Social Council: Partnership Forum, 2021 session Theme: Partnership as a game changer for a sustainable recovery from COVID-19. Offered by UN Economic and Social Council: Partnership Forum See video
	February 22, 2021: Access and Equity: what have we learnt from the pandemic and what should we be doing about it? Offered by Magna Charta Observatory
	January 18, 2021: Adapting to the New Reality – The Public Purpose of Universities in a Post-Covid19 World Offered by Open Society University Network – Talloires Network Educational Partnership
	December 7, 2020: The what, the how and the why of the pandemic Offered by International Sciences Council
	September 25, 2020: What happened during the Corona crisis? Offered by Nordic Webinar Series SEE THE PRESENTATION !
	September 18, 2020: What are we learning from Covid 19? Offered by Magna Charta Observatory
	August 18 and 19, 2020: Impact of COVID-19 on Education Offered by the RUDECOLOMBIA Doctorate in Educational Sciences of the University of Cartagena, Colombia. WATCH THE RECORDING !
	August 18, 2020: Strategies and actions for returning to academic activities (Estrategias y acciones para el regreso a las actividades académicas) Offered by UDUAL.
	August 11, 2020: Choosing a Technology that Makes a Difference to Learning - Getting Past the Hype Offered by Contact North/Contact Nord WATCH THE RECORDING !
	July 20, 2020: Building Anti-Surveillance Ed-Tech! In Conversation with Audrey Watters Offered by Contact North/Contact Nord. WATCH THE RECORDING !
	July 14, 2020: Help your Students Succeed in Their Online Courses WATCH THE RECORDING !