ECU ranks highly for planning for course delivery during the COVID-19 crisis

The cupola stands on ECU’s empty campus. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

East Carolina University has been listed as one of the best prepared for the COVID-19 reality as colleges across the country plan to open this fall.

Educate to Career, a California-based education nonprofit, ranked universities in four tiers based on criteria ranging from online learning to being located close to students’ homes. The rankings address college planning in the time of COVID-19, the organization said in a news release.

Released June 5, the ranking is designed to help students navigate uncertainty in a cost-effective and practical manner. “With our new rankings system, a ‘distance learning’ component is mandatory for a high ranking simply because there is a real possibility that at least some instruction will be done via the internet,” the release said.

ECU ranked in Tier One by having the systems needed to deliver coursework remotely or in-person, including:

• A physical campus for in-classroom instruction should health authorities allow colleges to open this fall.
• Robust software and systems to support distance learning programs.
• Faculty experience in teaching online.
• Reasonable tuitions and fees on a relative basis.

Other universities in North Carolina ranked in the top tier were Elizabeth City State, Fayetteville State, N.C. A&T, UNC Charlotte, UNC Greensboro, N.C. Central, N.C. State, UNC Pembroke, Winston-Salem State and Western Carolina.

Educate to Career assessed more than 1,200 colleges — which are sorted by state and ranked by ability to offer a quality education under any conceivable scenario: in-classroom, online and a blend of each format.