| | DECEMBER - 20228IN MY OPINION THE NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY AND RESILIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATIONBy Leif Nelson, Director of Learning Technology Solutions, Boise State UniversityHigher education has existed in some form or another for over a thousand years. While modern colleges and universities are in many ways different from their medieval predecessors, some elements, like the concept of academic freedom, are remarkably enduring. Higher education has withstood centuries of wars, diseases, technological changes, and geopolitical transformations. Yet today, higher education is arguably going through what some may call a "rough patch." Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were concerns about declining enrollments, increased costs, political conflicts, and competition from alternative credentialing models. Today, many institutions are still struggling to define what their version of normalcy looks like in the context of a lingering global health crisis and economic and political turmoil. Some are beginning to wonder whether higher education will weather this storm, or if the cracks in the foundation are becoming irreparable. I submit that contrary to the common accusation that it is too tightly tethered to archaic traditions, higher education is actually quite responsive and adaptable to changing conditions, and this adaptability demonstrates higher education's resilience and staying power. The past couple years are illustrative of this.Many colleges and universities responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by enacting new strategies for online and remote instruction. There is even a new word in the educational lexicon--"hyflex"--which combines hybrid (referring to the blend of online and in-person teaching) with flexibility (implying that courses should be ready to "pivot" to an either/both modality in a fluid and responsive manner). Leif Nelson
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