How do higher education faculty adapt to the demands of online teaching? : reaction of higher education to covid-19 in Poland and Unites States : a snapshot

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unusual situation in universities. All students, lecturers and administration staff had to start distance education. Suddenly, overnight, they all became the subjects of the digital revolution. This text is an overview of selected literature from 2020 compiled to reflect on the differences and similarities between higher education institutions in Poland and the United States as they reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite their inherent differences the two different systems of higher education in these two countries have reacted to the pandemic in a number of similar ways. It could be observed that the more independent system in the United States reacted faster to the unexpected changes, when faculty and higher education administrators waited for a decision from the centrally governing body: The Ministry of Education. The reaction and focus of the interventions pointed to similar areas: access to technology for students and their teachers, professional development of faculty, and student engagement. It seems that in both cases the pandemic exposed the shortcomings of both systems. While there are many unknows about the future, the common question for both systems will centre around making higher education institutions nimble enough to emerge from these challenging times better and stronger.