The Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic in Engineering Higher Education

In an ongoing exploratory anecdotal study the authors endeavor to identify some fundamental effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in course offerings in engineering higher education. A part of their efforts is presented in this article. In the process this study relies heavily on the internet search engines as tools to search and locate the resources provided in this paper. This study suggests that although most higher education institutions already had online programs in place, the magnitude of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic caught the profession by surprise. The sheer number of classes that some institutions convert from live to online in such a short period of time is astounding, to say the least. Inevitably there were obviously casualties in this process. All groups in higher education were affected by the pandemic with many people more than others. The effect is felt globally. Not for the first time or the last time human innovation and ingenuity, in some cases implemented in very small and simple increments help higher education overcome some of the ongoing challenges with more challenges still unidentified and unrecognized. Many more resources and time are needed to fully explore and study the effects. However, since the heartfelt effects of this pandemic have impacted every aspect of higher education, it is essential to understand and have the preparation mechanism in place for future pandemics. For the matter to be studied and understood comprehensively requires expediency and urgency for financial and other kinds of support from funding agencies at the federal and state levels.