Decoding new normal in education for the post-COVID-19 world - Beyond the digital solution

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

The new normal in education has gained prominence since the COVID-19 pandemic, with online education widely promoted as the standard solution. This reflection examines education through the UN 2030 agenda and social justice, arguing for a caring, inclusive, equitable approach as the post-COVID-19 new normal. It analyzes technology’s role through six lessons from prior experience, emphasizing that technology is a means, while education must embody care, inclusion, and equity to remain just. The piece calls stakeholders to learn from decades of open and distance education research and practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Highlights

What is already known about this topic

What this paper contributes

Implications for theory, practice and/or policy

Introduction

Decoding new normal in education for the post-COVID-19 world: Beyond the digital solution Junhong Xiao Abstract: The new normal in education has been in the spotlight since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mainstream discourse is in favor of online education as the new normal during the pandemic crisis and even in the post-pandemic world. This reflection first examines education in its broad sense, i.e. , in the context of the United Nations’ 2030 agenda through the lens of social justice. It then makes a strong case for a caring, inclusive and equitable approach to education as the new normal for the post-COVID-19 era. The role of technology in the new normal as well as in education in general is discussed with six lessons drawn from the past experiences. It is argued that the normal -whether new or old- in education should first and foremost embody care, inclusion and equity and that technology is but a means, not an end , although education would be unimaginable without technology. The reflection concludes by appealing to stakeholders in education to learn from decades of research and practice in the field of open and distance education. Keywords: care, inclusion, new normal, open, distance and online education, social justice Highlights What is already known about this topic: • There is a lot of hype about the new normal in education both during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the post-pandemic era characterized by technocentric thinking or an “affordances”account. • The mainstream discourse is in favor of online learning or blended learning as the new normal. What this paper contributes: • Looks at education in the context of the United Nations’ 2030 agenda, i.e. , beyond cognition, and through the lens of social justice. • Reiterates the centrality of humanity in education and draws lessons from the past experiences in using technology for educational purposes. • Argues for a caring, inclusive and equitable approach to education as the new normal for education in the post-pandemic world rather than defining it in terms of modality. Implications for theory, practice and/or policy: • We should not pursue cognitive achievements at the cost of less tangible, less standardized, and less measurable values and qualities which , however, are instrumental in promoting social justice. • Care, inclusion and equity should be at the heart of education, whatever the circumstances maybe. • Research and practice in open and distance education can effectively inform the new normal in the post-COVID-19 education. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every sector of society, including education. Millions and millions of students have been affected (United Nations, 2020) . Nevertheless, this shocking number alone cannot reflect the adversity of the consequences that the pandemic has brought about to education. Even today, not all educational institutions around the world can return to “normal” campus life. Against this backdrop, there is increasing interest in what the new normal in education should be like. The “new normal” hype is gathering momentum , although it is not a new topic , attracting research interest ever since before the pandemic (e.g. , Dziubanet al. , 2018; Norberg et al. , 2011; Wildemeersch & Jütte, 2017) . It has, however, gained greater popularity soon after the global pivoting to online learning (e.g. , Basilaia & Kvavadze, 2020; Li, 2020; Male, 2020; Puri, 2020) . The mainstream discourse is in favor of online education as the new normal during the pandemic and even in the post-pandemic world (Hanson, 2020; Kobb, 2020; Raveendran, 2020; Sintema, 2020; Yan, 2020) . During the pandemic crisis, online education might be the only or last resort in many circumstances although it was perhaps not fit for all (Xiao, 2021) . Nevertheless, this justification does not necessarily translate well to the postpandemic world in that many of the barriers to successful online educa

FAQs

What does the document argue education’s “new normal” should prioritize after COVID-19?

It argues that education should prioritize care, inclusion, and equity rather than define the new normal primarily by modality, such as online-only delivery.

How does the reflection frame the topic of the new normal in education?

It frames education in relation to the United Nations’ 2030 agenda and uses social justice as the lens for analysis.

What role does technology play according to the document?

Technology should function as a means to support education; it is not an end in itself, and education would be unimaginable without it.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet