The president of the Dominican Association of University Rectors (ADRU), Fr. Alfredo de la Cruz Baldera, the rector at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM), says that the Covid-19 virus has forced universities to reorient their investment strategies. The focus is now on strengthening distance and virtual learning programs instead of face to face classrooms.
With no clear picture of when the virus will be behind us, the universities need to deal with a decreased demand and a new economic reality. De la Cruz Baldera told reporters at the El Caribe that the universities are having to make substantial investments that had not been programmed for licenses for virtual applications, centers for audiovisual productions, and new academic material. He said the universities are having to refurbish their physical spaces, adopt rigorous protocols for access, as well as incorporate new protocols for controls on movement and the permanent disinfecting of university areas.
Despite this reality, the rector noted that he saw good things coming. He said that “this new scenario that combines virtual education with in-class presence will motivate the universities to create new academic proposals and testing models for the teaching-learning experience.”
De la Cruz Baldera says the list goes on. The university is now spending on expanding Internet bandwidth; training for professors specialized in virtual education and who train others; tutorials for online training of teachers and students; a modified work schedule to be able to extend service and to supply support to the students 24/7 in many cases.
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El Caribe
8 June 2020