As the virus advanced across campuses, higher education leaders were obligated to create and implement immediate transition plans for remote learning, living, and working among thousands of students, faculty, and staff (Bolumole, 2020 Lee & Jung, 2021 Yang, 2020). Information about COVID-19 and its potential effects on higher education, as well as scientific epidemiological information such as the spread and control of the virus, was scarce in March 2020 (Zhu & Park, 2021). While institutional leaders often consult their counterparts at other institutions for significant decisions (Gigliotti, 2019), especially in the context of COVID-19 (Liu et al., 2021a), most decisions are made at the campus level based on the most immediately available data. Higher education in the United States is historically and traditionally a highly decentralized system (Ross, 1977), with most of the over 6,000 colleges and universities serving over 19.4 million students while functioning as independent units (NCES, 2021). By the end of February 2020, higher education institutions in the United States were making quick decisions about operations, despite limited information about the pandemic (American College Health Association, 2020).
The COVID-19 virus compelled every industry, including higher education, to adapt to the spread of a global pandemic through unprecedented measures. Future research should analyze the validity of information shared by individuals during key decision points of the pandemic and whether higher education is susceptible to the growing spread of disinformation through social media when formulating policy.
Illuminate .online drivers#
A crisis preparation phase continued through August 2020, but drivers of information transitioned from well-known news outlets prior to the pandemic to individuals directly experiencing the pandemic. Over time, the conversation centered on the pandemic, the implications of the sudden shift to online learning, and then the subsequent effect on universities, students, faculty, and staff. The relevant conversation rapidly evolved, as did the prominent influencers. Results showed that #highered was used widely in the early stages of the pandemic. Using a social network analysis tool, NodeXL, the collected tweets were analyzed by social network structure, topic, and influencer. Tweets including the hashtag #highered were retrieved at five time points in March and August 2020-M1 (retrieved on March 3), M2 (March 17), A1 (August 4), A2 (August 11), and A3 (August 18). Such analysis provides insight into how information is gained, shared, and used. The present study, drawing on crisis management theory as a framework, aimed to understand information and communication sharing behaviors of the higher education community during the pandemic by exploring patterns and discourse on social media. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic brought changes and efforts for adaption to the new environment in every industry, including higher education.
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