The New Non-negotiables: Delivering Effective Online Higher Ed in Crisis Contexts

Chrystina Russell, PhD, Executive Director, SNHU’s Global Education Movement (GEM) and Senior Vice President, Southern New Hampshire University And Nina Weaver, Director of Partnerships & Research, Global Education Movement, Southern New Hampshire University

COVID-19 has resulted in significant interruptions for students at all levels of education around the world, including refugees and others affected by crisis and displacement. Of the few refugees who are able to pursue higher education (only 3% globally, according to UNHCR), most are enrolled in traditional, in-person universities via scholarship programs. However, over the past several years, virtually-based (also known as “connected” learning) programs have become more prevalent as a solution to serve difficult-to-reach refugee populations. Since such programs are based either partly or fully online, students in connected learning programs have not suffered from the same disruptions as their peers who are enrolled in traditional universities locally. Although connected learning programs were more equipped for the shift to fully online learning, there are still important lessons that have emerged from the COVID19 pandemic about serving refugee learners via online programs during a time of global crisis. Critically, these lessons learned may have important implications for serving disadvantaged populations in other parts of the world, including the Global North.

In this article, we will explore a case study of a connected learning program serving refugee and displacement-affected communities in 5 countries in both Africa and the Middle East, called the Global Education Movement (GEM). GEM provides over 1,200 learners affected by conflict and displacement with access to Southern New Hampshire University’s online degree platform. Via this platform, students pursue accredited bachelor’s degrees, choosing among three majors.

From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, GEM worked with local partners in their nine sites of operation to adapt their blended learning model to address new and emerging learner needs. Historical data shows that academic progress for refugee students enrolled in GEM’s online degree programs has been largely uninterrupted, with the same levels of progress reported as prior the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking at GEM’s interventions as a case study, we have identified four new “non-negotiables” for offering online learning to disadvantaged populations during the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. Cover costs for internet access

Before COVID, students accessed the internet through on-site learning centers in the camps and urban areas where they live and study. Once lockdowns closed sites, the top priority for students was ensuring they received internet bundles to continue their studies. The logistical constraints around this are considerable (for example, how to get internet to people without meeting with them, which provider should be utilized, how much is “enough” data, and how one can know students are using it to complete their studies rather than entertainment on YouTube?). There are a myriad of financial, logistical, and user habits that enable administrators of programs to build solid arguments around why investments around data are problematic. However, for student success, access to the internet has become the new textbook. It simply must be considered and delivered as an essential component. And similar to the ways in which a few students abusing the cover of a textbook wouldn’t lead to determining they shouldn’t be used, misuse of data is rather a teaching and learning moment rather than a reason to avoid its provision. Despite many people hours spent on the logistics and development of covering the cost of internet access, repurposing the budget and cutting anything needed in order to ensure students had access to the internet is perhaps the singlemost important non negotiable the GEM project has adapted.

2. Provide needed and appropriate technology for students

Similar to covering costs for online access, ensuring students are provided a laptop has proven essential to students persisting in their studies during a crisis. It’s an easy statement to make, yet an expensive intervention to put in place. But rather than staff salaries, networking dinners, workshops by experts, or many of the other important items GEM spends funds on, none contribute to student success more than ensuring a student has the technology required in the 21st century world of studying and work.. Some of the more habitual components of a higher educational experience are best cut in exchange for providing students with the basic technology required for success. In the context where many refugees learn and study, it also sends the message that the university understands their lived realities, wants to remove the financial stress of acquiring technology, and believes in the student’s ability to succeed enough to invest in devices.

3. Maintain focus on digital internships and employment opportunities

It is critical to continue to push towards important goals and outcomes for students, even during a crisis. For most students at university level, a key goal is future employability and professional development. Work experiences are a mandatory part of GEM’s online degree model for students, and all students in the program must complete an internship prior to graduation. During the pandemic, GEM shifted focus from in-person internships to securing online internships with companies, expanding the number of digital and remote-based internship opportunities for our students. GEM also partners with SiriForce, a company connecting refugees with international companies for digital work opportunities. GEM also introduced more robust professional skills training for online and remote-based opportunities, including an online workshop series focusing on online professional development skills. These efforts have enabled students to stay focused on their long-term goals, as well as aided in preparation of students for a new post-pandemic world of work, in which remote-based employment and associated skills will play a large role.

4. Don’t forget psychosocial support needs

Psychosocial support is even more important during a time of crisis. Poor mental health is a barrier for many refugee students that often goes unaddressed. With the lockdowns imposed by COVID19, in-person counselling programs that did exist were halted. Psychosocial support is a core tenet of the GEM model, and GEM has always provided additional funding for local partners to offer psychosocial support and counselling services. However, with the COVID19 pandemic, the need for such services increased while also becoming more difficult to access due to lockdown restrictions. To replace in-person counselling sessions, GEM worked with local partners to introduce zoom- and Whatsapp-based options for remote psychosocial support via local counsellors who could speak students’ native language. Importantly, these services were both easily accessible anonymous for students, as students could reach out privately to a counsellor via Whatsapp chat as needed.

These four “non-negotiable” services - usually seen as “extras” or optional for most programs - are critical for effectively supporting refugee learners in online programs, and may also have important implications for serving disadvantaged populations in other parts of the world, including the Global North.

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