Highlighted Session: COVID-19 and higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean: Adapting and innovating

Group Submission Type: Highlighted Paper Session

Proposal

Across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), higher education institutions (HEIs) largely suspended face-to-face instruction during the coronavirus pandemic. Some ceased instruction entirely for varying amounts of time after the onset, though the vast majority shifted to virtual instruction. Except for a few countries and specific universities in the region, before the pandemic little higher education was being conducted online, so most tertiary teachers and students had little or no experience teaching and learning virtually. Although overall internet use, spurred by mobile access, is increasing across the region, as of 2018, just 34 percent of households in Central America and 20 percent of households in the Caribbean had internet access; furthermore, broadband (4G) mobile access is low in the region and practically nonexistent in the Caribbean. Across LAC, the percentage of population in rural areas with significant internet connectivity is roughly half that in urban areas.

As of 2019, 26.4 million students were enrolled in higher education in the lower- and middle-income LAC countries. Approximately 2.4 million (9 percent) of these students were enrolled in International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level 5, or short-cycle—i.e., two- to three-year—technical tertiary education programs. These programs generally prepare students for mid-level technical and associate professional positions, and though enrollment numbers overall in the region have decreased slightly in favor of bachelors’ programs since strong growth through 2013, prior to the pandemic they were increasing in several countries. Depending on the country, these degree programs may be offered by universities and/or by stand-alone institutes, both public and private. In LAC, students in technical tertiary education programs are more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and less likely to have access to reliable internet access, data plans, and equipment necessary to successfully participate in virtual learning.

This panel will bring together higher technical education stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean to share and discuss examples of how institutions, teachers, and students have been, and continue, adapting and innovating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the challenges and opportunities the experience has presented. Panelists from FHI 360 and Universidad Panamericana will share experiences implementing labor bridging activities in Guatemala and Jamaica under a regional higher education strengthening program; while panelists from LASPAU, the World Bank, and UNESCO/IESALC will analyze and discuss these and other examples from their own perspectives gained from research on topics including the pre-pandemic state of short-cycle programs in the region, the impact of the pandemic on these programs, and teaching innovations during the pandemic. The panel will also feature testimonials from students, teachers, and higher education institutional staff in the region.

A chair will moderate a Q&A session, and invite the panelists to reflect on specific adaptations, innovations, and lessons learned during the pandemic; how higher education institutions can hasten the post-pandemic recovery and improve resilience to future shocks; the opportunities the present moment can offer higher education stakeholders in the region; and recommendations for future programming.

Although we anticipate all the presentations will be delivered in English, as much as possible, we will strive to make our panel accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences as well (for example by developing slides and sharing resources in both English and Spanish, and utilizing subtitles on presentations).

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Chair

• Eleanor Sohnen, FHI 360

Individual Presentations

• One year in: impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on technical tertiary education in Latin America and the Caribbean - Eleanor Sohnen, FHI 360; Andreen Bowes Bowes, Family Health International (FHI360)

• The fast track to new skills: short-cycle higher education programs in Latin America and the Caribbean - Maria Marta Ferreyra, The World Bank

• Innovations in teaching during the pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean - Oscar Jerez, Laspau

• COVID-19 and higher education: today and tomorrow; impact analysis, policy responses and recommendations - Eleanor Sohnen, FHI 360

Discussant

• Ingrid Rivas, UPANA