Distance Education in Australia: Lessons and

Future Challenges Professor Belinda Tynan

belinda.tynan@une.edu.au

University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia

‘… Oft the colours are pitched so highThe 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

• 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 “self-accrediting” 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 – 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 self-discipline, 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

Enhanced delivered

learning: Print, audio, video, telephone , residential

schools

Managed learning: Media rich

curriculum- LMS, video conferencing, CDRom, web tools ,

communication tools

Personalised learning: ‘community’ learning

environment, p2p, collaboration, networking, personalised softwares, integrated support and business intelligence

systems; rich resources; communication tools

2000 2006+1955 1970

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.

StudentLearning

Experience

2012 DEModel: Personalised Student learning experience

StudentLearning

Experience

InteractionBetween

Teachers & Students

CollaborationPeer to Peer

and toCommunity

Resources for Learning

SupportAcademic

AdminTechnical

Social

1955 delivered learning

2012 Student /technology and social practice

Isolated and self-directed 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

• 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.