Building a resilient university: ensuring academic continuity—transition from face-to-face to online in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In recent times, disturbances, such as pandemics, natural disasters, and social unrest have put universities in unstable situations, affecting educational processes. The duration of unstable situations is unpredictable and can be weeks or years. Despite these disruptions, universities have to continue to fulfil their mission to educate young people. This paper discusses the notion of the resilient university with a particular focus on academic continuity. In order to investigate the migration to online learning under the COVID-19 pandemic and examine student and faculty perceptions and lessons learned, a literature study on resilient organizations and academic continuity and a case study of the World Maritime University (WMU) were undertaken. The case study employed two methods: a focus group (qualitative) and online questionnaire (quantitative and qualitative). The results show that in order to ensure academic continuity and build resilience, the university has to develop anticipation, coping, and adaptation capabilities and act on lessons learned. The research findings revealed the capability of a university in coping with the unexpected challenges and a potential to become a resilient university.