Going Online: Life in the Fast Lane or so the Story Goes

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented catalyst for the scaling up from f2f to online teaching and learning.  This editorial suggests that the post-pandemic period will be dominated by three primary groups – The New Kids in Town, The Savvy Shifty Shifters, and the Retrenchment Innovators.  Leaders in these groups will need to make major organizational decisions about their future in the online learning market.  Leaders will need to lead their organizations through three main phases – Phase 1 - emergency response; Phase 2 – decision matrix; and 3) embedding the new organizational culture.  Leadership will be crucial to navigating a highly competitive higher education landscape where more providers in online learning will create more options for students to pursue their higher education goals.   Competition will be fierce and intense in higher education. Leaders will need to differentiate their organization from competitors and ensure that culture and context are considered in their vision.  The game changer in this new normalcy will be visionary and transformational leadership.