Appraising the decision-making process concerning COVID-19 policy in postsecondary education in Canada: A critical scoping review protocol

Responses to COVID-19 in Canadian postsecondary education have overhauled usual norms and practices, with policies of unclear rationale implemented under the pressure of a reported public health emergency.

To critically appraise the decision-making process informing COVID-19 policy in the postsecondary education sector.

Our scoping review will draw from macro and micro theories of public policy, specifically the critical tradition exemplified by Carol Bacchi's approach “What is the problem represented to be” and will be guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews and the team-based approach of Levan and colleagues. Data will include diverse and publicly available documents to capture multiple stakeholders' perspectives on the phenomenon of interest and will be retrieved from university newsletters and legal websites using combinations of search terms adapted to specific data types. Two reviewers will independently screen, chart, analyze and synthesize the data. Disagreements will be resolved through full team discussion.

Despite the unprecedented nature of the mass medical mandates implemented in the postsecondary sector and their dramatic impact on millions of lives—students, faculty, staff and their families, friends and communities—the decision-making process leading to them has not been documented or appraised. By identifying, summarizing and appraising the evidence, our review should inform practices that can contribute to effective and equitable public health policies in postsecondary institutions moving forward.