Sustainability and Impact of COVID-19 among Higher Education Institutions during/after the Public Health Crisis
Prof. Dr. Carlos Laranjeira
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on students and teachers in higher education institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major global crisis and has had a very direct impact on the education sector. Vulnerable individuals with underlying physical or mental health conditions are more likely to experience severe psychological repercussions as a result of the pandemic. At-risk population groups include, but are not limited to, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, those with pre-existing mental or physical health conditions. In order to formulate appropriate public health policy in response to the pandemic, there is an immediate need to gather evidence-based insights into how these population groups are affected by the psychological impacts of COVID-19.
In same line of reasoning, the universities are key to contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda. COVID-19 has changed curricula and teaching methods, generating an impact on students and teachers. This impact may have caused a detriment to the quality of education, increased inequalities among students, and widened the technological gap. However, SDG 4 assures that quality education must be achieved among students. Having analysed the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, researchers are expected to come up with various solutions to improve higher education institutions in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
An important trend in higher education is also the underpinning of institutional teaching on the results of innovative research and the use of students' acquired knowledge and practices for the development of skills for life and responsible citizenship. In this sense, students are increasingly emphasizing the development of their soft skills that are valued in the workplace, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, people management, creativity, and teamwork. As responsible citizens, they should be able to meet the needs of society and the community at the global, regional, and local levels, especially when it comes to sustainability, socioeconomic development, and addressing environmental and climate challenges, after completing higher education.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the impact of COVID-19 on student attitudes and behaviours, impact of COVID-19 on teacher attitudes and behaviours, changes in the curriculum, changes in competences, adaptation to the online modality, and teaching policies aimed at achieving the SDGs. Research articles, using qualitative and quantitative techniques, and review articles will be accepted.
This Special Issue is also intended to serve a wide range of trends in higher education that emerge from different educational perspectives in response to global challenges. The collection of articles in this Special Issue will be a resource for appropriate theories, approaches, and practices that will help the broader higher education community continue to improve their psychological and mental well-being status and the effectiveness of teaching and learning at its institutions.
Prof. Dr. Carlos Laranjeira
Guest Editor