The past two years have seen Covid-19 reshape how we live and work, but also how we learn. While the level of interest in postgraduate studies remains high, the pandemic has changed how prospective students, including those in development studies, decide where to study. The latest Future Masters and Future PhD survey of 16,000 prospective postgraduates worldwide found the global pandemic had prompted students to re-prioritise what and where to study based on course content, supporting resources available, and academic reputation. Covid-19 and related travel restrictions has meant that location is no longer the most important factor.
This is a marked change, but it is not ‘just’ Covid-19 that has disrupted how prospective students make decisions on postgraduate learning, particularly for those considering an MA in development studies. The past years have seen a perfect storm of political, social, environmental, and economic change that have placed topics such as sustainability, identity, activism, participation, equity, and policy making high on the agenda – both personally and globally. They have made it feel essential to gain – now – the knowledge, skills, and latest ideas that development studies can provide to understand and be part of making positive change happen.
Why study development studies?
Development studies applies interdisciplinary and participatory research approaches to develop knowledge and evidence that contributes towards shaping more equitable and sustainable societies. This is of fundamental importance at a time of such significant social, economic, environmental, and political change, and was bought to life in our recent #devhope2022 campaign, where researchers from across the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) shared their vision for the years ahead:
Ayako Ebata, IDS Research Fellow
‘Covid-19 has shed a light on, and exacerbated, the existing inequalities in our societies: job security, access to high-quality healthcare, healthy eating, vaccination, and mental health. These inequalities are a result of social, economic, and institutional structures that we can influence. I hope that in 2022, we put the needs of marginalised and disadvantaged people at the forefront and shape policies that improve their livelihoods, health and lives.’
Lyla Mehta, IDS Professorial Fellow
‘The pandemic has reversed past progress, however uneven, in addressing equity and poverty. My first hope is that rich countries like the UK urgently support the TRIPS waiver to prevent vaccine apartheid and enable vaccine production all over the global South. They also need to be more responsible regarding mitigations, without which new variants will emerge. Secondly, having worked on water issues for a long time, I would love to see 2022 as the year when poor women and girls no longer have to walk hours a day to provide basic water for their households. Equitable access to water is key to sustainable societies and helps improve resilience to extreme weather events.’
Our approach to learning
At IDS, postgraduate development studies students are surrounded by researchers in action, working for equitable and sustainable change. This means students learn alongside researchers, professional staff, and practitioners who bring applied knowledge and experiences of working in development. It creates a unique community where ideas are shared and innovations found for complex development challenges.
As a QS survey published in December 2021 found, Covid-19 has impacted on and shaped postgraduate learning space in new ways. It has shone a spotlight on the many political, social, environmental, and economic inequities, and on the need for radical structural reform. In so doing, the report has inspired a sense of urgency around studies that promote positive societal transformation. This has occurred in tandem with renewed focus on how postgraduate learning should best be delivered that suggests students and institutions alike are becoming more adept at managing disruption, whether from international travel restrictions or national waves of epidemic.
In many ways, the pandemic has accelerated innovations in teaching, including the rapid evolution of new forms of interactive online learning. At IDS, this prompted the development of our development studies courses, which have an online component and are designed to foster connection and participation. Our approach was framed by our expertise in collaborative learning and we developed new ways to imbue a strong IDS community identity.
Pamela Hajal, Researcher
‘My favorite thing about IDS is that I met people from all around the world and I benefited from their experiences in their home countries.’
A mix of small group, face-to-face, and online learning events are now the ‘norm’ at IDS, which enables teaching that retains the best of classroom experiences while embracing new technologies and new ways of teaching. This accommodates diverse learning styles and improves accessibility. It also ensures that there are significant opportunities for knowledge exchange and mutual learning across the IDS community, building on elements of our already established online learning that are designed to provide the best pedagogy for our international student cohort. The commitment is to excellence in both teaching and the learning environment so that every student can achieve greatest benefit from studying at IDS.
Flexible programme options
The Future Masters and Future PhD survey identified that ‘offering a unique programme portfolio is especially important for prospective Masters students – an audience that understands postgraduate study as an opportunity to specialise and diversify’. This affirms the IDS approach to postgraduate Masters, with 11 general and specialised development studies degrees that each include flexible module options that can be tailored by students to meet their specific and individualised interests. Additionally, our courses are provided as part of the University of Sussex, which opens opportunities to study alongside and be part of an even larger learning community.
Ujjwal Krishna, Postgraduate Researcher
‘My one year at IDS was nothing short of a master class covering almost all dimensions of international development.’
Meharoona Ghani, Writer and Diversity Specialist
‘I chose IDS and Sussex University to get exposure to international scholars and global learning programmes focused on gender and international development, race analysis and theory.’
Learning for the year ahead
As we plan for the year, the ‘known unknown’ is to expect further disruption to the ‘old’ ways of learning, whether caused by Covid-19 or prompted by wider technological and social change. For us at IDS, it offers an exciting opportunity to continue to innovate in how we provide teaching and deliver for our students an exceptional, collaborative learning environment within our action orientated, global leading research institute.