A prognostic of the impact of coronavirus on education in Europe : some evidence

Abstract

The spread of the COVID-19 has compelled most countries to impose man- datory, temporary closure of schools including higher education institu- tions (HEIs). Extended closures of HEIs may cause not only loss of learning in the short-term, but also further loss in human capital and diminished economic opportunities in the long-term. To mitigate the loss of learning, many countries pursued options to utilize open and distance learning to manage and cope with the crisis. However, issues of equity, participation, infrastructure, broadband capacity, research, assessment and validation of learning outcomes, quality assurance and accreditation, and pedagogic ca- pacity emerged as immediate challenges. Universities across the world have either postponed or cancelled all campus events and are taking inten- sive measures to prevent and protect all students and staff members from the highly infectious disease. In this review, we highlight the potential im- pact of COVID-19 outbreak on the education of students and their percep- tions on the effect of distance learning in their lives as students.