Implications of Government Reforms for Online LearningAFR Higher Education Reform Summit
12-13 November 2014
What we’ll cover today
• Competition in digital markets
• Consumer expectations
• Traps to avoid
• Government’s online agenda
Competition works differently in digital markets
The internet doesn’t respect national borders
Competition works differently in digital markets (cont)
No cosy oligopolies here
Competition works differently in digital markets (cont)
Adapt or die
1st Wave(80s-90s)
2nd Wave(00s)
3rd Wave(10s)
Next Wave
“Build the internet infrastructure”
“Build stuff on the internet”
“Build apps for the internet”
“Integrate the internet into other things” ???
Competition works differently in digital markets (cont)(adapted from address by Steve Case, founder of AOL)
Straddling rarely works
Competition works differently in digital markets (cont)
Illustration: Harvey Norman
“most of the online business will be conducted by traditional retailers”
“over 90% of the e-retailers will in fact all go out of business one after the other”
Online retailing “is a complete waste of time”
Phase 1: “What’s all the fuss about?”
Phase 2: “This is unfair, and it’s all the GST’s fault”
Phase 3: “I don’t like it, but we’ll do online”
Phase 4: ???
"I am reluctant to do it but I do it, because if I don't they label me a dinosaur. I'm out there labelled as a bloody dinosaur.“
20122000 2010 2018
“There have been a number of times where I've thought to myself, are we going to go broke? What the hell's happening here? And it just gets worse.”
“What we are talking about is someone buying a guitar in New York, for instance, and having it sent over here 30 per cent cheaper. It is giving that overseas retailer the advantage.”
?
“There are a lot of retailers that are going to go broke between now and the next three months”
Competition works differently in digital markets (cont)
Consumer expectations are different in digital markets
“Why isn’t it free?” – the Google effect
Consumer Expectations in Digital Markets
“Even if it is free, it had better be good”
Consumer Expectations in Digital Markets (cont)
Online learning:
Traps to avoid
“Why can’t I just use my lectures”
Surely, I can just load a PDF of the course materials into Blackboard, film
a few lectures and post them there, and create a discussion board
That sounds kind of cool. What would I need to do?
Students really love your subject. You should teach it online
Well, you’d need to completely redesign and reconstruct the whole course, with no additional funds or
resources, and without any real recognition from your university for
having done so
Well, you’re not really selling it to me ... that sounds like a lot of
work. What’s in it for me?
Reputation. Challenge. More students able to study your
subject. You know ... education
[through gritted teeth]Congratulations ... you’re in step with the current world of online
education
Traps to avoid in online learning
“I need to keep costs down, so I’ll do it on the cheap”
… whereas high production values engage learners
“Students only care about course content”
Course content
Opportunities for discourse
Student community
Platform
Teacher accessibility
Value for money
Traps to avoid in online learning (cont)
OUA’s characteristics of good online learning
Student-centric
Modularised content
Personalised and adaptive, enquiry-based
learning
Usable platform
High production
values
Engaged, accessible, responsive
faculty
Data-driven
Traps to avoid in online learning (cont)
Government’s reform agenda: impact on online
Online not explicitly contemplated in reform package
Funding for sub-degrees
Fee deregulation
Reduced CGS funding to universities
CGS funding for private providers
NEW SECTOR
Outstanding loan balance tied to bond
rate
Lower income threshold for repayments
Merge FEE_HELP and
HECS_HELP
Remove lifetime
FEE_HELP limit
Establish C’wealthSupport Scheme
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
Government’s attitude towards online is unclear
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
Funding to private providers will enhance competition
$-
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
$140,000
UWA - Current UWA - Proposed Avondale College -current
Avondale College -potential price
approach
Pure online providers -OUA proposed
Education - Cluster 4
CGS
Student Fee
(52)%(67)%
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
Funding to private providers will enhance competition
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
$-
$20,000
$40,000
$60,000
$80,000
$100,000
$120,000
$140,000
UWA - Current UWA - Proposed Avondale College -current
Avondale College -potential price
approach
Pure online providers -OUA proposed
Education - Cluster 4
CGS
Student Fee
Is this reasonable?
Can this be explained by research?
What added value do students receive for this hike in the debt that they will carry?
Imagine the impact on Federal Budget, level/ repayment of student debt, exports
OUA’s view of the future … disruption will happen
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
From campus To online
For whom? Only for the elite Open and accessible to everyone
Delivery Place and time-based (“be in Lecture Hall 1.08 at 2:00pm Tuesdays”)
Anytime, anywhere, on any device
Teaching approach Sage on the stage (knowledge transfer) Facilitated knowledge exchange
Peer-to-peer learning Tutorials, group assignments and copy each other’s notes
Discussion boards, forums, wikis, social media, peer review/assessment
Level of customisation One size fits all (same material, at same pace, in same sequence, with same resources)
Personalised and adaptive path through material
OUA’s view of the future … disruption will happen
From campus To online
Content Length of lectures determined by physical infrastructure utilisation model (24 x 1 hour lectures)
Duration of content determined by capacity of individual to comprehend concepts/applications (350-400 x 8-10 min modules)
Availability/ Frequency Cohort based, generally 2 semesters per year Multiple semester options, or on-demand
Support (student initiated) Specified hours at lecturer’s office 24/7 learning support
Support (institutioninitiated)
Students who fail offered support Data identifies students at risk and interventions occur in real time
Level of customisation Set core plus limited choice of electives Customise my program across offerings of multiple universities
Government’s reform agenda (cont)
Contact details
Paul WappettChief Executive Officer
Open Universities Australia
Level 1, 473 Bourke StreetMelbourne Vic 3000
P: +61 3 8628 2502E: [email protected]
Twitter: @PaulWappett
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