21 st Century Communications Technology, Online Higher Education Innovation, and Remaining Challenges David Reeves Government Relations Charles Sturt University

About Charles Sturt University Largest regional university in Australia Start of 2014, total enrolments of 39,315 8 major campus spread across New South Wales and Canberra Numerous study centers in both regional and metropolitan areas, including Manly and Wangaratta

CSU and Online Education CSU is the largest provider of online and distance education in Australia Of our 39,315 students, 24,194 were completing their studies online by distance A further 5,438 attend via mixed mode, which includes a substantial portion of online education. CSU has substantial experience in online education, and a significant interest in the future of communications technology across Australia – it is core to our business

Distance Higher Education in Australia Australia has a long history in distance higher education. In 1911 the University of Queensland was the 2 nd university world wide to allow to “home education” By 1993, external students accounted for 11% of total enrollments With advances in communications technology, primarily the internet, but also affordable phone access, distance higher education has grown greatly It has also evolved at a rapid rate

Online Higher Education in Australia One of the difficulties of quantifying pure online education participation is that statistics are collected for mode of study: internal, external and mixed mode However, we can assume vast majority of external students are online-based In 2014, there were 186,279 external students in Australia – 14% of total enrolments Another 115,887 were mixed mode, which requires a substantial online portion – 9% of total enrollments

Online in Australia contd. Advances in communications technology, and developments for external-based online education, have now also impacted traditional, on-campus study. Online learning portals for on-campus students, video recorded seminars, and of course online chat and interaction with professors, lecturers and tutors are now common – all are major developments that stem from online-based distance education. In a sense, every students attending an Australian university today undertakes some forms of online higher education

The CSU Experience As a rurally-based regional university, servicing remote locations, CSU specifically aims to provide as many of our degrees with an online option as possible Courses ranging from nursing, teaching and accounting, to policing, wine studies and agriculture – as well as broad range of post- graduate options. CSU has also sought to innovate in how degrees may be delivered, and continue to evolve the online higher education process

School of Engineering In 2016, CSU will launch our School of Engineering, designed to blend both on-campus and online study, using an innovative design For the first 18 months, students will be based on-campus, undertaking a traditional university experience During the subsequent 48 months, students will engage in both online-based external education, and take part in organised practical placements – a mix of teaching and on-the-job experience This use of intensive on-campus study, online education and practical experience allows for students to graduate with two degrees: – A Bachelor of Engineering; and – Masters of Engineering (Civil Systems)

Engineering contd. While mixed study options exist in the market today, CSU Engineering is one of the only designed to operate as such The courses and curriculums are specifically designed to maximise the benefits of the alternative delivery modes It will not be available all on-campus, and neither can it be completed all online The use of the mixed option, and the communications technology that underpins it, allows for the substantial level of practical experience and for students to gain a Masters level qualification in a shorter than normal timeframe

Challenges for CSU Engineering, and all Online Higher Education We have reached a point where it is no longer technological constraints acting as a barrier to online higher education It is now access to these technologies While online higher education has evolved to make use of delivering material via high-definition video, interactive online portals, video conferencing and interactive, online assessment forms, these are all predicated on access to affordable, reliable high-speed broadband

Challenges contd. For CSU, access is a major concern: – How do we overcome the tyranny of distance and isolation for our external, rural students, when they can’t get a decent connection? In Albury, where we have a major campus, there are streets where down one side homes can access relatively (for Australia…) high-speed connections The other side of the street…dialup The same with mobile 3G and 4G connections This is not just the experience of Albury, but many regional and rural towns – let alone remote, rural areas Access is inconsistent, inadequate and often expensive

Challenges contd. In going down the route of video, interactivity and other bandwidth intensive education delivery methods, perhaps the sector has forgotten some of those major challenges Australia’s network is not up to the job of delivering what universities have developed and innovated For CSU, as with all universities facing this dilemma, we have highlighted the problem, but cannot be the solution The (previous) NBN offered one such solution, but what now?

Challenges contd. Important to note that priority has been given to roll-out of satellite-NBN in remote areas However, lack of universality of access risks creating competitive advantages in some areas – distorting the market and disadvantaging potential student cohorts Issue in explaining the benefits of the cost in rural and regional areas – less technologically savvy population groups in rural and regional areas often do not connect the potential benefits of the initial and ongoing outlays required for computers, smart televisions, high-speed access etc.

A short word on MOOCs Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have received significant press in the last few years Have been touted as the next big thing in higher education In some ways they are revolutionary But the market, and institutions are still determining how to adjust: – Accept course credit from a MOOC or not? – Quality control? – How do they fit within a more traditional degree structure? – Can they even fit within a degree structure?

MOOCs contd And finally, one major problem with MOOCs As of yet, no institution or group has cracked the business model