Comment: Pandemic could lead to better and more universal higher education

Covid-19 restrictions have forced universities online and, while the move has been tough on students and staff alike, harnessing technology could broaden access and help mitigate inequality in the long term

Stanford University in California is offering a mix of in-person and online classes, as well as spreading out its academic year so that fewer students will be on campus at any time

Will Covid-19 finally trigger a long-overdue technological disruption of higher education? Throughout the world, sudden mid-semester lockdowns aimed at combating the pandemic forced universities to switch to distance learning almost overnight. While this rapid transition has been tough for faculty and students alike, some good might yet come of it.

Like many businesses, universities are struggling with how to reopen and are adopting a range of strategies. For example, the University of Cambridge in England ...