The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on international higher education

An article published in Geographical Research examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted international higher education and the mobility of students around the globe, noting that universities face the urgent task of reimagining alternative futures for themselves.

While much hope is invested in vaccines, travel restrictions and health concerns may continue to hamper student mobility and encourage more remote learning. New study destinations, different modes of study, and partnerships with technology providers can be anticipated.

With these changes, regulatory and ethical oversight will be required. “Policymakers and university leaders must look beyond goals of revenue generation and education exports. A commitment to student learning and wellbeing is overdue,” said corresponding author Ravinder Sidhu, PhD, of the University of Queensland, in Australia. “The pandemic has revealed the need for more sustainable, ethical, and socially just modes of global higher education.”

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