Transformation of the American academic system during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The article explores the issue of the structural transformation of the contemporary American academic system, namely one of the main formats existing in it – universities and their functioning during the first months of the spread of coronavirus infection. The COVID-19 pandemic has had the vast and most comprehensive impact on the higher education systems of the first world countries, which was demonstrated in the article. It is worth noting that the actively current trends of digitalisation, computerisation and the general implementation of the advancements of the scientific and technological progress of the higher education system were overlapped by the new emergency conditions of the pandemic and the need to choose a different format of functioning in the current situation. The ongoing transformations and structural alterations are most visible in the United States of America, due to a number of factors – from the historical dynamism of the development of the American higher education system to its active role in the development and rollout of technological advancements. The American academic system is introduced and analysed in two main formats: public universities and private ones. Each group of the indicated universities has chosen its own strategy of functioning and implemented it in practice, resting on individual factors and conditions. Nevertheless, there is already a separation between these two large groups of American universities in the implementation of functioning strategies during the coronavirus pandemic. The analysis of factors, conditions, contexts and actions of universities from these groups allows us to understand not only the dynamics of the development of the American academic system at the moment but also will allow us to comprehend its future transformations and alterations.