Preparing for the Unexpected: Academic Continuity Planning and COVID-19

The purpose of this study was to assess community colleges’ readiness to maintain
mission-critical activities of teaching and learning in the event of long-term or chronic
emergencies, specifically COVID-19. The research examined chief academic officers’ (CAOs’)
perceptions of community colleges’ preparedness or readiness in maintaining mission-critical
operations of teaching and learning in response to the long-term, chronic emergency of the
pandemic. Current literature reveals that while higher education has employed an all-hazards
approach to emergency management planning, academic continuity planning is not consistently a
part of the emergency management process. The predominant research question that guided this
study was as follows: What are the perceptions of CAOs of their level of preparedness and
readiness to ensure the continuation of mission-critical activities of teaching and learning? In
answering this question, the following supplemental questions were designed to assist: (1) Did
community colleges have an instructional or academic continuity plan (ACP) in place as part of
their long-term emergency management preparedness planning?; (2) How did the institution’s
ACP evolve in response to the COVID-19 crisis?; and (3) What components are essential for an
effective academic continuity plan?
A mixed methods approach was employed through a national, electronic survey and
interviews with institutions’ CAOs. Given the chronic nature of the crisis, emphasis was placed
upon academic affairs to examine the readiness for a continuation of instruction. Such research is
necessary to determine what revisions or redesigns community colleges might need to make to
their processes to be better prepared should another crisis occur. As the crisis continued to evolve and as cases continued to rise again across the United States, institutions must analyze and
evaluate long-term emergency preparedness planning, particularly in light of academic
continuity planning in higher education, to be better prepared for such situations that may arise in
the future.