Transcript Wanted: flexible, independent and motivated researcher

Distance Education in Australia:
Lessons and Future Challenges
Professor Belinda Tynan
[email protected]
University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
‘… Oft the colours are pitched so high
The deepest note is the cobalt sky; …’
Dorothea Mackellar (1885 – 1968) from ‘The colour of light’
Thank you Fredric Litto for inviting me to ABED.
It has been an amazing experience already and your
warmth, generosity and welcomes are appreciated.
I hope that my presentation is of interest and that we
can continue to learn from each other.
Where is Australia?
Surface Area
Density of Population
The Tyranny of Distance
• More than two-thirds (69%) of Australia’s
population lives in the capital cities
• Much of the interior of the Australian continent is
grazing land or desert- sparsely-settled interior
• Australian universities have a long and successful
tradition of distance education.
Rural isolation stimulated the early development of distance education
Distance Education in Australia
• Distance education is not viewed as unusual or
different
• This “debate is long over in Australia” ( Jones &
Pritchard 2000, 32).
• This has been the case in Australia for more than
25 years
The debate over distance education is long over in Australia
Key challenges
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Changing political environment (still no prime minister!)
Social inclusion and participation
Aging academic workforce (more than 50% retire in the next few years)
Student centred funding model
What have we learned about retaining our students?
How can we best to exploit the new National Broadband Network-highly
contentious but will bring fibre to the homes of at least 90% of the
population
Impact of the new technologies and how to adapt and move forward a
sometimes reluctant academic staff?
There is a digital revolution in secondary and primary schools and these
children are our future students
Internationalisation and mobility
Asia-Pacific is a real focus in our region-we look to Asia to expand our
student numbers as competition becomes harsher amongst the 38
universities
Everyone is getting into distance learning
1890’s humble beginnings
The Australian Model
1950’s
• Distance and on-campus students were taught by
the same academic staff.
• Both sat the same examinations, were taught using
the same curriculum and received identical awards.
• The guiding principle was “equivalent” not
“identical” support.
• Internal students attended lectures and tutorials.
• Distance students benefited from intensive schools,
study guides and support by telephone/post.
Distance students relied on the telephone and post.
Growth after 1965
• After 1965, the numbers of Australian universities
offering distance programs continued to grow.
• The number of distance education students also
increased.
• By the early 1990s, 32 universities were offering
distance education programs.
• The Federal Government was concerned about the
costs of distance education provision.
Reasons for the Model’s
Success
• Australia had well-developed postal and telephone
services.
• There was strong academic staff commitment to
distance education.
• Australian universities were well-funded and
resourced.
• The great majority of distance learners were
mature-aged students with families, working and
studying part-time to gain a qualification.
Distance education relied on well-developed postal
and telephone services
Distance Education in
Transformation
• Australian universities now face the challenge of a
transition from “mass to a universal higher
education system” (Massaro 2009, 1).
• Regional universities, which are the major providers
of distance programs, are under the greatest
pressure.
• In meeting this challenge, they have begun to
experiment with new approaches and pedagogies.
• The emerging Model is very different to the
traditional one.
Challenges to Growth and
Equity
• Australia is perceived as “falling behind other
countries in performance and investment in higher
education” (Bradley 2008, xi).
• There are fears that we are “losing ground” in the
global knowledge economy (Bradley 2008, xi).
• The Federal Government is also concerned that
most university students are relatively privileged.
• Students from the poorest quartile of the
population are under-represented in higher
education.
Towards a Mass System
• In 2008, the Federal Government proposed two
long-range targets.
• By 2025, 40% of 25–34 year olds are to have a
university qualification by 2025.
• By 2020, 20% of higher education students will be
from the poorest quartile of the population.
• The present figures are 32% and 15% respectively.
• By Australian standards these are radical aims and
they had begun to stimulate wider changes.
The Impact of these
Changes
• Reaching the Federal targets will require an
additional 544,000 university graduates by 2020.
• This is the equivalent of 20 new universities of
around 12,000 students each.
• Much of this demand will be met through distance
and online education.
• In addition, the composition of the distance
student cohort will change considerably.
• The reason is the new student-centred funding
model.
The Student-Centred
Funding Model
• From 2012, Australian universities will be funded
on the basis of actual enrolments.
• There will be no limits on the number of students.
• Institutions will be able to set their own entry
standards.
• In part, this move is intended to improve flexibility
and the quality of the student experience.
• Equally important, however, is the expected impact
in terms of access and equity.
Pressures on Regional
Providers
• The main distance education providers are the
smaller, regional universities.
• In the past, these have relied on regulation to
protect their market share.
• After 2012, they will be under pressure to reduce
entry scores and to increase the places offered
through alternative entry pathways.
• As a result, there are fears of a “new binary system”
(Massaro 2009a, 1).
A Binary System?
• Metropolitan universities with long-established
reputations are expected to increase entry
standards. Their goal will be to recruit the best
students.
• Regional universities will be competing for the less
academically prepared students.
• However, traditional distance education approaches
have depended on the motivation and academic
skills of students.
• These qualities can no longer be taken for granted.
Competition from Private
Providers
• Regional universities also face growing competition
from more than 150 private-sector providers.
• These providers are only weakly regulated by the
States and Territories.
• Standards at some private providers are low or
non-existent.
• Australian acceptance of online learning makes it
easy for “virtual universities” to flourish.
• There is potential for fake degrees in reward for
little or no academic study.
Reinvigorating Distance
Education in Australia
• To meet a fresh set of challenges, distance
education providers are engaged in a process of
renewal.
• New technologies are being used to put the student
at the centre of the learning experience.
• Fresh solutions are being offered to the perennial
problems faced by distance learners.
• Innovative, more effective approaches to student
support have emerged.
• This process of renewal is occurring within a
national quality framework.
The Present Quality Framework
• At present, the Australian Universities Quality
Agency (AQUA) promotes, audits, and reports on
quality assurance in higher education.
• Aligned with the Australian Qualifications
Framework (AQF)
• 38 Australian universities are currently “selfaccrediting” for their awards.
• These are regularly audited by AQUA.
• Most private providers are “non-self-accrediting”.
• Less than half have been audited by
AQUA.
The Evolving Quality
Framework
• From 2011 there will be a new Tertiary Education
Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
• TEQSA will accredit providers and evaluate the
performance of all higher education institutions.
• TEQSA will take over the functions performed by
AUQA and the regulatory responsibilities of State
and Territory agencies.
• TEQSA will be able to register and deregister
universities and non-university higher education
providers.
Quality is outcomes focused
• Universities are measured for ‘continuous
improvement’ across themes rather than
compliance to standards:
• Indicators such as
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Graduate employment in area of study
Graduate salaries
Overall student learning experience
Qualifications of university teachers and continuous professional development
Progression of students (reducing attrition)
Staff:Student ratio
Social inclusion targets
Indigenous students completion and engagement
Strategic intention and university differentiation (ability to deliver the ‘promise’)
Governance
Quality Assurance Within
Universities
• Distance universities are taking their own steps to
improve quality.
• They participate in benchmarking with each other.
• One major strategy is better use of business
intelligence systems.
• More intensive case management is also emerging
as a key technology for student progression.
• The delivery of effective student support is critical
if universities are to meet the requirements of the
next wave of distance students.
Meeting the needs of distance
students
• Distance learning requires high levels of selfdiscipline, dedication and motivation.
• Most distance students face competing demands
on their time from family and career.
• Distance learners often feel isolation and
disconnected from the university community.
• The strength of these feelings is a major predictor
of attrition (Heirdsfield, Walker & Walsh 2005).
The Spectre of Attrition
• Distance students with weaker study skills are
particularly vulnerable to discouragement.
• Attrition rates for such distance learners are much
higher than the rest of the cohort. (McInnis et al
2000, 69).
• Distance universities know they must manage
attrition.
• Otherwise there is a risk of a downwards spiral, as
lower entry qualifications drive down student
outcomes and completion rates.
Attrition
• The retention rate for undergraduate students at
UNE has remained between 72.01% - 74.56%
during 2001- 2006.
• In 2008, the dollar value of attrition at UNE (using
2009 funding rates of $13,600 dollars per student
this represents an enormous unrealised revenue
• Attrition has been a problem since distance
education has started and we have failed to address
the issue effectively...
Why is this so when we know so much?
Making Student Support More
Effective
• Universities have to adopt more proactive student support
mechanisms.
• Integrated databases are necessary to allow student support
teams to monitor the progress of each distance student.
• Triggers (such as the failure to submit an assignment on time)
result in direct personal intervention.
• First-line support staff put students in touch with specialists
(such as counsellors or academic skills tutors) if necessary.
• The curriculum needs to be improved.
• Learning needs to be more active.
Maintaining Course Quality
• Monitoring of student progress allows the
University to identify areas of concern.
• High rates of distance student dissatisfaction and
disengagement are often indicative of poor
teaching.
• Using new business intelligence systems,
universities can identify academic staff who need
additional support.
• The result is a much more proactive, effective
approach to teaching quality.
Building Student Communities
• Technology has long been heralded as the answer
to the feelings of isolation felt by distance
students.
• Early efforts to build student communities using
online chat and bulletin boards have only been
partially successful.
• Easier to use, more intuitive tools such as Moodle
are providing a better way.
• The new goal is to build online course communities
based on social media.
Social Networking Statistics
• As social media moves into the mainstream, new
opportunities arise for making learning
communities.
• On a per capita basis, Australia has one of the
highest uptakes of social media in the world.
• Australia’s social media audience has been
estimated at 9.9 million.
• 59% of Australian Internet users have a Facebook
profile.
• There were 1.2 million Australian users of Twitter
in January 2010 (DigitalMarketingLab 2010).
Internet Access
• This goal is only now possible because of broader
Internet access.
• 78% of Australian households now have access to a
computer.
• 72% of these households have a home Internet
connection.
• 86% of households with home access had broadband
(ABS 2010).
• The Internet is not yet ubiquitous, but it soon will be.
Our goal is only now possible because of broader Internet access.
UNE models over time
Delivered learning: Print
plus residential school
earning
1955
Enhanced delivered
learning: Print, audio,
video, telephone ,
residential schools
1970
Managed learning: Media
rich curriculum- LMS,
video conferencing,
CDRom, web tools ,
communication tools
2000
Personalised learning:
‘community’ learning
environment, p2p,
collaboration, networking,
personalised softwares,
integrated support and
business intelligence
systems; rich resources;
communication tools
2006+
Building community learning
environments
• The weakness of personal learning environments
(PLEs) and communities are many– more to
manage-less control.
• Early efforts to build student communities via PLEs
using online chat and bulletin boards have only
been partially successful.
• Easier to use, more intuitive tools such as Moodle
and social applications are providing a better way.
• The goal is now to build online course or discipline
based communities based on social media.
2012 DEModel: Personalised Student
learning experience
Interaction
Between
Teachers &
Students
Support
Academic
Admin
Technical
Social
Student
Student
Learning
Learning
Experience
Experience
Resources for
Learning
Collaboration
1955 delivered
learning
Isolated and self-directed
Peer to Peer
and to
Community
2012 Student
/technology and
social practice
Personalised co-constructed
Key challenges
• Change challenges across an institution at all levels-it is easy to stay
comfortable.
• Attrition remains an issue and when will we address it?
• New models of distance education are needed to meet student needs
that take advantage of the new ‘social technologies’.
• International distance education that crosses borders requires
greater flexibility, understanding and cultural patience for
difference.
• The delivery of effective student support is critical if universities are
to meet the requirements of the next wave of distance students.
• Australia has a long history of distance education which should allow
us to meet future challenges but this long history can also reduce
our ability to change quickly and look to the future.
Thank you
Bibliography
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ABS (2010) 8153.0 - Internet Activity, Australia, Dec 2009 Canberra:
Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Bradley, D., Noonan, P., Nugent, H., & Scales, B. (2008) Review of Australian
Higher Education: Final report. Canberra: DEEWR.
DigitalMarketingLab (2010) 2010 Australian Social Media Compendium.
Heirdsfield, Ann M. and Walker, Sue and Walsh, Kerryann M. (2005)
Developing peer mentoring support for TAFE students entering 1st-year
university early childhood studies. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher
Education 26(4), 423-436.
Jones, D. R., & Pritchard, A. L. (2000). The distance education debate: An
Australian viewpoint. Change, 32(6), 32-33.
Massaro, V. (2009). Bradley and the new Binary System. Melbourne: LH Martin
Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Management, University of
Melbourne.
McInnis, C., Hartley, R., Polesel, J., & Teese, R. (2000). Non-Completion in
Vocational Education and Training and Higher Education. Melbourne: Centre
for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne.