Deconstructing learning, reconstructing education

THROUGHOUT the world, the decision to reopen university campuses has been a source of fierce controversy. The University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina and Michigan State University in the United States have already been forced to suspend in-person classes following a surge in Covid-19 cases on campus.

At the same time, opposing arguments, such as that of Brown University president Christina Paxson, emphasise a host of issues that students and universities will face if campuses remain closed, highlighting the difficulties remote learning presents for less privileged students.

What does all this mean from the educational point of view? Since digital alternatives that maximise safety exist, is there a nonfinancial argument for retaining the campus? How does it help further the education of students who are not enrolled in courses such as nursing or chemistry, which require a specific physical environment? Does in-person higher education even have a future?