Institutional Actions Against COVID-19: An Analysis of Mexican Autonomous Public Universities' Websites

ABSTRACT

The objective of this research was to identify and characterize actions taken by autonomous public universities in Mexico in response to COVID-19. The study is theoretically grounded in the notion of emergency education, which refers to broad prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, normalization, and educational recovery mechanisms for disasters. We conducted an exploratory-descriptive study, analyzing information posted on university websites from January 15 to June 30, 2020. It was found that many universities adopted reactive measures, albeit with no far-reaching prevention and mitigation strategies before they went into shutdown. We conclude there is a need to develop institutional policies that lay the foundation for an educational culture able to respond proactively to future catastrophes and for a shift from enacting guidelines for academic continuity to preparing broad education programs for emergencies.