Higher Education

Rebecca Stein, executive director of Penn’s Online Learning Initiative, offered two theories as to why some students report doing more work during the pandemic, in spite of professors saying they’ve lightened workloads. “The first is that students don’t have their usual busy social and extracurricular life. You would think this would give them more time. But rather, it makes them feel that all their time is focused on study.” The second explanation, she said, is that “students depend much more on their peers as scaffolding for their learning then we realized.”

Mitchell Orenstein of the School of Arts & Sciences called on colleges and universities to take a strong role in defending democracy. “Academic freedom can only exist in a society that protects political freedom,” he said.

Admissions Dean Neha Vapiwala of the Perelman School of Medicine said some medical schools are waving prerequisites to accommodate students who may have been unable to participate in extracurricular activities earlier this year.

Joni Finney of the Graduate School of Education and colleagues wrote a report calling on U.S. governors to develop a long-term higher education strategy that stimulates the economy and restructures how colleges are funded.

Peter Eckel of the Graduate School of Education said the pandemic has given colleges a chance to reevaluate their summer offerings and other scheduling matters. “The pandemic has raised a lot of questions about long-held traditions about how to deliver higher education,” he said. “The academic calendar is one of them.”