Shifting from traditional and blended learning approaches to a fully virtual and remote course delivery : implications from COVID-19

This contribution discusses the latest opportunities and challenges that affected higher educational institutions, following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It sheds light on the effects of an unprecedented COVID-19 on higher education services. Educational institutions were suddenly expected to abide by COVID-19 preventative measures, including social distancing and hygienic practices, among others. As a result, many of them migrated to virtual and remote course delivery. This reflective paper urges education leaders and policymakers to embrace online teaching models and virtual systems, as they are here to stay in a post-COVID-19 era. In conclusion, it puts forward key implications to practitioners and identifies future research avenues to academia.peer-reviewe