SMU President Professor Lily Kong said that universities that had previously prepared their faculties to adopt blended learning were successful in pivoting swiftly to full online courses when the pandemic emerged. But she said, "Learning from both a physical classroom and an online learning environment must be balanced and optimised, with courses designed to leverage their respective strengths so as to enrich the learning experience." The Straits Times Education Forum 2021 on Reimagining Universities, Post-Covid, held in partnership with SMU, will examine the ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic on higher education and the changes that it will forge. The Forum, to be held online on Feb 5 this year, will provide more insights from Education Minister Lawrence Wong, Prof Kong and ST's Senior Education Correspondent Sandra Davie.