Faculty optimism-pessimism of the overall future of higher education in two vs. five years

While faculty hope for better futures, they also have many concerns about their courses, students, and the state of the overall higher education system.

OAKLAND, CA, USA, August 25, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Faculty teaching during a pandemic are evenly split between being optimistic or pessimistic about the short-term future of higher education. However, more faculty are optimistic than are pessimistic about the longer-term future. The study, Faculty Expectations about the Future of Higher Education, was conducted by Bay View Analytics in partnership with Online Learning Consortium and Pearson. Based on a representative sample of 1,131 faculty from across the United States, the survey addressed the opinions and expectations of faculty members about the future state of teaching and learning.

Most faculty are either optimistic or neutral about the future state of higher education. However, while they hope for better futures, they also have many concerns about their courses, students, and the state of the overall higher education system. Findings include:

· Faculty are more optimistic and less pessimistic about higher education in the medium-term (5 years) than in the short-term (2 years).
· Nearly 9 out of 10 faculty view the pandemic as having a major impact on the future of higher education.
· About 8 out of 10 faculty report that they expect the pandemic impact on their institution will be long-lasting.
· Faculty also anticipate that online learning, income inequality, and political instability will have a continuing impact on higher education.
· About 60% of faculty expect that teaching and learning would be significantly different by 2025, and most anticipate the ongoing presence of online learning and financial constraints.

"Faculty recognize that higher education is fraught with challenges but are optimistic about its future." Noted lead author George Veletsianos. "Perhaps this reflects the resilience of higher education or recognition that Higher Education is always changing. Some of the optimistic futures that faculty describe invite us to ask: What can we do now to get there? Yet, at the same time, the harrowing futures they outline should give us pause: Are our current actions putting us on a path toward them?"

The full report is available at www.bayviewanalytics.com/digitalfaculty.html

About Bay View Analytics
Bay View Analytics is a statistical research firm focusing on survey design, implementation, and analysis. Formerly known as the Babson Survey Research Group, the scope of Bay View Analytics' consulting engagements includes scientific statistical analyses, clinical trial statistics, and survey designs for a range of topics, with a particular focus on online education. Bay View Analytics has been conducting research and publishing annual reports on the state of online education in U.S. higher education for thirteen years. Visit www.bayviewanalytics.com for more information or contact us at info@bayviewanalytics.com.

About Online Learning Consortium:
The Online Learning Consortium (OLC) is a collaborative community of education leaders and innovators, dedicated to advancing quality digital teaching and learning experiences designed to reach and engage the modern learner – anyone, anywhere, anytime. The growing OLC community includes faculty members, administrators, trainers, instructional designers, and other learning professionals, as well as educational institutions, professional societies and corporate enterprises. Visit onlinelearningconsortium.org for more information.

About Pearson
We are the world's leading learning company with more than 22,500 employees operating in 70 countries. We provide content, assessment and digital services to learners, educational institutions, employers, governments and other partners globally. We are committed to helping equip learners with the skills they need to enhance their employability prospects and to succeed in the changing world of work. We believe that wherever learning flourishes so do people. Visit www.pearson.com.

Media Contact
Bay View Analytics
info@bayviewanalytics.com

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