The recent, unexpected transition to full-blown online learning for schools across the country has led to many teachers, administrators, and students feeling overwhelmed by the adjustment and uncertain of the future.

Last week, Warren Community College President Dr. Will Austin joined experts in the higher education field on Inside Higher Ed’s national webinar, “The Great (Forced) Shift to Remote Learning: a Survey of Instructors and Campus Leaders.”

The event was made possible by a partnership with Cengage, an educational content and technology company that partners with Warren as the College’s online textbook subscription service. The hour-long program looked at key issues and challenges higher education educators and administrators have reported facing by the move online, including adjustments to teaching and learning styles, preparing for the future, and maintaining student relationships.

Dr. Austin was invited onto the webcast to share his firsthand experiences during the transition, during which he offered examples of how Warren had entered the period a step ahead of some of the College’s counterparts.

He agreed with many of the survey findings, discussing the stress on everyone involved and his own inability as an administrator and instructor to ever ‘turn off’ when working from home, but “I will say from our College standpoint, we felt in a lot of ways we might be uniquely qualified for this kind of disruption.”

Why? Because Warren’s faculty already had all their courses, whether online or on-campus, aligned with Cengage’s vast expanse of online learning resources. Having course content and materials uploaded onto a centralized platform meant that they were able to transition faster than those schools that had to find ways to change or host content upon announced closures.

“We were able to meet that [challenge] head on,” Dr Austin said. “I was so comfortable with our faculty going online and we were one of the first institutions in New Jersey to completely shut down.”

Being prepared allowed the Board of Trustees and administration to switch focus from curriculum to ensuring its community’s needs were being met. Dr. Austin outlined a toilet paper and paper towel distribution, a drive to purchase gift certificates from local restaurants and food markets for students in financial distress, and multiple phone calls to each and every student to make sure their needs were being met in class and out.

Dr. Phil Linfante, Chair of the WCC Board of Trustees, lauded Dr. Austin’s presentation: “His presentation was tremendous, highlighting how the dedication and hard work of all, including Board, administration, faculty and staff, have brought us all closer.”

Dr. Austin has served as Warren’s President since 2003 and has overseen a 120 percent growth in enrollment, improved graduation outcomes for 18 consecutive years, and advanced enrollment throughout his tenure. Warren was named the 11th best community college in the USA for overall student success by Chronicle for Higher Education in January 2020.

The webinar aired Friday, April 24, on InsideHigherEd.com. It was moderated by Inside Higher Ed Editor Doug Lederman and included other expert speakers in addition to Dr. Austin. The presentation can be viewed in full under the website’s Editorial Webcasts tab.