Higher education policy and management in the post-pandemic era

The aim of the special issue is to present studies and discuss higher education policy and management in the post-pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on higher education institutions around the world, leading to changes in how universities operate, teach and manage (Ali, 2020). The widespread shift to remote learning and the financial strain caused by the pandemic have prompted many universities to re-evaluate their policies and management practices (Khong et al., 2022). Policymakers, institutions, educators and students have had to adapt to the new reality brought on by the pandemic and find new ways to continue education. Despite these efforts, many challenges remain, and the pandemic has highlighted the need for rethinking the management of higher education. These challenges include financial, operational, technological and wellbeing aspects, as well as issues related to the loss of international students, campus closures and border restrictions. While technology has provided some solutions, there is still much uncertainty about how to best respond to the pandemic and prepare for the post-pandemic period.

One major area of concern for higher education policy and management in the post-pandemic era is the issue of funding. The pandemic has resulted in a significant loss of revenue for universities, as many have had to refund tuition and housing fees and have seen a decline in enrolment. To address this issue, universities may need to implement cost-cutting measures, such as reducing staff or consolidating programs. They may also need to explore new revenue streams, such as online education and partnerships with industry.

An important issue is the ongoing shift to remote learning. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of online education, and many universities have had to quickly adapt to this new mode of instruction (Khong et al., 2022; Agasisti and Soncin, 2021). However, remote learning has its own set of challenges, such as ensuring the quality and accessibility of online course materials and providing support for students who may be struggling with the transition. Higher education institutions will need to develop policies and management strategies to address these challenges. Moreover, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of addressing equity and inclusion in higher education. Remote learning has disproportionately affected low-income students and students from marginalized communities, who may lack access to reliable internet and technology.

To address this, universities may need to provide additional support and resources for these students and develop policies to promote equity and inclusion in all aspects of their operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on higher education policy and management. The funding crisis and the shift to remote learning have prompted many universities to re-evaluate their policies and management practices, and to focus on issues such as cost-cutting, revenue generation, quality and accessibility of online education, and equity and inclusion.

Nevertheless, the changes from the pandemic have brought positive effects to some aspects in the education sector such as encouraging and boosting the digitalization in education and evolving novel models for learning and teaching with technology. The use of technology may reveal important metrics that have not been previously considered by educational stakeholders and policy makers (Nguyen et al., 2020). For example, the use of advanced analytics and AI tools may analyse the actions of not only those responsible for educational decisions, but also other stakeholders involved. These tools may identify new factors or patterns that are relevant to the topic under consideration.

Henceforth, the studies in this special issue have considered the issues and challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and looked at policy implications for higher education in the post-pandemic. In this special issue, Mula-Falcón et al. (2022) introduce an overview of higher education policy during the pandemic from a Spanish perspective. The study examines the policies established during the pandemic period, outlining the key decisions made by universities in Spain. The results show the coordinated efforts of the university system and the strong emphasis on the values of in-person instruction. The present health crisis has also exposed the shortcomings of the education system and has brought attention to its future. The study also suggested university systems to start laying the groundwork for educational innovation and training educators to adapt to online learning. Finally, the article provides recommendations for policymakers to handle future crises.

Tran et al. (2023) examine the impacts of COVID-19 and geopolitics on Australian international education from stakeholders’ perspectives and propose implications for the post-pandemic policies. The findings suggest that the combination of COVID-19, geopolitical issues and government responses have intensified the sense of crisis for universities and the international education sector, as their financial stability heavily relies on international students. The study provides evidence for the need of a reciprocal, collaborative, responsive and empathetic approach to international education in order to minimize geopolitical risks and ensure a more sustainable future for the sector. The research has implications for policymakers, universities and other stakeholders in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitics on the Australian international education sector and moving forward.

Mai and Chau (2022) investigate the factors motivating international students to select their destination country and higher education institution to study. The loss of international students has been one of major issues facing higher education institutions during the pandemic and attracting international students in the post-pandemic is obviously an essential topic. The study uses the push-pull factors framework and a mixed-methods approach that combines both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the phenomenon in higher education institutions in Vietnam, a developing country that has not been widely studied as a destination for international students. The research findings reveal that major push factors include a desire for new experiences, a poor economic outlook in the home country, and limited job prospects. At the national level, the strong economic prospects in Vietnam are the top pull factor whereas, at the institutional level, the university’s reputation and its Vietnamese Studies and language programs are the most significant pull factors that attract international students to study at the university. Based on these findings, recommendations are proposed for higher education institutions in Vietnam and other developing Asian countries to attract international students, taking into account the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Nguyen-Anh et al. (2022) examine digital transformation in higher education, especially for online learning. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, many universities had to shift to online learning in order to continue providing education to their students. From a comparative analysis of educational digital transformation in Singapore and Vietnam, the study investigates how students, educators and administrators perceive online learning. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a theoretical framework and a cross-country sample, the study examines the factors that influence the preference for online learning among university students and faculty members. The findings indicate that each group within the university is influenced by different factors, with students being most affected by their technical abilities, educators by the perceived usefulness of online learning, and administrators by the conditions of practice. Additionally, the study confirms the differences in preferences for online learning between the two countries through multi-group testing. Overall, this research adds to the knowledge on online education and has important implications for educational stakeholders and policymakers in the post-pandemic era.

Phan and Pham (2023) closely examine the teachers’ emotions and regulation strategies during the pandemic thus proposing relevant implications for institutional policy and management. Prolonging social distancing had a significant impact on mental wellbeing of many people including teachers. Beyond that, the rapid shift to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has even worsened the issue and brought new experiences for teachers that have not been widely studied. While coping with the effects of social distancing, teachers also had to maintain their work and spend efforts on adopting online teaching. The study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews to examine the emotional experiences of language teachers at a university from a post-structuralist perspective on emotions. The study reveals that the unique pedagogical and technological features of online teaching presented new challenges and evoked various emotions, both positive and negative, for the teachers. Additionally, the teachers reported using various strategies to cope with the new situation, which the study refers to as ‘in-the-moment’ and ‘out-of-class’ emotion regulation. The research emphasizes the need for institutions to acknowledge and support teachers in terms of resources, policy and management in the ‘new normal’ situation, while also highlighting teachers’ ability to be self-reliant and manage their emotions. The article stresses the importance of recognizing teachers’ emotions as an integral aspect of the profession, regardless of whether the classroom is physical or virtual.

Nguyen et al. (2022) look at the emotional aspects of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the study utilized a large-scale survey from 2252 students to look into how emotional intelligence in university students is connected to their ability to handle crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that both positive and negative emotions played a role in mediating the relationship between students’ self-emotion appraisal and their resilience during the pandemic. Additionally, the ability to use emotions and regulate emotions also had an impact on resilience, with positive emotions having a direct and indirect effect on resilience. Implications for further research and practical applications in higher education were discussed.

O’Dea and Zhou (2022) investigate policy concerns about university students’ online professionalism in the post-pandemic era in UK context. The study discusses the opportunities provided by the pandemic for experimenting with online teaching and learning, and how this experience can be valuable for higher education institutions in adopting blended learning in the future. However, it also highlights the emergence of new issues related to student behaviour during online learning, such as teaching to blank screens, students' inappropriate use of social media icons, languages and outfits. It argues that these issues have not been properly investigated and are not addressed by existing codes of conduct for face-to-face teaching. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with 20 academic staff working in UK universities, which provided insights into students’ unprofessional online behaviour as seen by tutors and the challenges they faced in managing it in formal online learning environments. The findings suggest that special attention needs to be paid to policy making regarding online learning and students' online professionalism.

Ngo and Phan (2022) continue the discussion with the topic on quality assurance systems and relevant practices towards the ‘new normal’ in the post-crisis era. This paper discusses the impact of COVID-19 on quality assurance practices in higher education in Vietnam. It examines existing debates and challenges in quality assurance and accreditation activities and identifies emerging issues in quality assurance practices in the post-pandemic era. The paper provides a conceptual tool to analyse the quality assurance of the higher education system, using three dimensions of teaching and learning, inputs and outputs. It is based on a critical review and analysis of emerging policies and existing literature and provides practical implications and projections for the future direction of quality assurance in higher education. The paper aims to provide a timely insight into the process of policymaking and the implementation of quality assurance in higher education during a time of uncertainty, with the goal of building resilience to future crises.

Finally, Celik et al. (2022) positively raise the discussion upon the opportunities for higher education in the post-pandemic era. The study highlights the role of technology in transforming higher education and particularly explores the potential of learning analytics tools to address challenges faced by higher education students, instructors and institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic for future implications. The study found that learners needed timely support and interaction, and experienced difficulty with time management. Instructors struggled with pedagogical knowledge for online teaching and assessment was a challenge. Institutions were not prepared for digital transformation and online teaching. In response to these challenges, learning analytics tools were used for monitoring, planning online learning, fostering engagement and motivation, facilitating assessment, increasing interaction, improving retention, and being easy to use. The study suggests that understanding the potential of learning analytics tools can provide insight into future higher education policies.

In their efforts to understand challenges and opportunities arising from the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the authors of this special issue have carefully investigated the phenomenon from different aspects and contexts. We also express our gratitude to all reviewers for their valuable feedback and constructive comments on the manuscripts. The special issue hopes to provoke continued discussions from education stakeholders on what we could learn from the pandemics, both from the practical and theoretical perspectives, and how we should move forward with more resilience in the post-pandemic era.