Paul Johnson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia (UWA) issued "UWA Futures: White Paper" in August 2012. There were responses from UWA academics over the next few months, UWA Academic Staff Association (March 2013). In November 2012, the UWA Vice-Chancellor issued "UWA Futures: The Response". This appeared a useful, if somewhat limited exercise in consulting the university community on a difficult issue, of what a university is. The ANU embarked on a consultation process in mid 2013, but this concentrated on possible budget cuts, rather than the nature of a university.
The original white paper suggested that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from new commercial and not-for-profit organizations will compete with universities for students. The paper argued that UWA should seize these opportunities which result. However that was the only mention of MOOCs in the white paper, so it was not clear what it is proposed to do. The responses discussed MOOCs and the issues with e-learning and provision of technology to students in more details.
The paper argued there will be negligible growth in student numbers for the remainder the decade, which seems to me be at odds with the rapid growth in the middle class in developing nations, who can now afford university education. However, UWA proposes to increase its student fees, which could price it out of this growing market.
Under "Proposal 1" UWA would "... conduct a full review of pedagogic purpose and practice in 2013, with the aim of introducing new pedagogies from the beginning of 2015". This would appear to be essentially about the role of e-learning, but the large scale Interactive Engagement being introduced at ANU could also be an option. Some of the responses discussed this, with approaches such as the flipped classroom. The UWA Academic Staff Association went further, proposing that MOOCs could be used for teaching, complementing a Humboldtian model of the university, where students are not locked into a rigid program.
Proposal 3 envisaged "... personalised mentoring and academic support for all... students...". However, there was no mention of the new skills which staff will need to provide this support, not how they will acquire it. Some responses asked about training for faculty in mentoring.
ps: I will be in Perth, WA, 23 September to 18 October 2013.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query uwa. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query uwa. Sort by date Show all posts
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Where is the University Headed?
Within ten years most university courses will be provided globally on-line. How can Australian universities compete in this market? I suggest Australian universities need to start now to reinvent themselves as e-learning hubs to support on-line education, as well as continue to offer on-campus education and conduct research.
The UWA provides a traditional university campus experience. Last Sunday, when walking through the campus, I was confronted by a woman in a bikini on horseback waving a banner. It turned out the students were making a LipDub music video. While the technology used is up to date, this tradition of university students dressing up and doing silly things is ancient.
On Friday while walking to give the Friday Computer Science Seminar, I could hear organ music coming from UWA Winthrop Hall (which looks like a set from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Sneaking in the back of the hall I found a full student orchestra rehearsing an organ concerto. I sat in the back (with permission) alone with light streaming in through the stained glass windows as the hall's organ shook the building for the finale.
All this makes for an interesting student experience, but what about academic education? Paul Johnson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia (UWA) issued a "UWA Futures: White Paper" in August 2012 (the ANU embarked on a consultation process in mid 2013). This suggested that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from new commercial and not-for-profit organizations will compete with universities for students. The paper argued that UWA should seize these opportunities which result. However that was the only mention of MOOCs in the white paper, so it was not clear what it is proposed to do. Over the following months there were responses from student and staff associations. In November 2012, the VC issued "UWA Futures: The Response". This would appear to be essentially about the role of e-learning, but the large scale Interactive Engagement being introduced at ANU could also be an option.
Like ANU, UWA and most Australian universities see their future as a physical campus, delivering education to students on site. Large investments are being make in new student accommodation and other facilities (mostly funded indirectly by the Australian government). What is not clear is how these facilities will be used in a world where most education is on-line.
A reasonable rule of thumb I suggest, is that within ten years, 75% of a student's post-primary education will be on-line. Those students near a campus might be expected to spend, at most, one day a week there. But this is not to say that existing university buildings are redundant. Campuses will still be needed for administration, research, so education and as a based from which to provide e-learning. A physical campus also provides a powerful marketing tool for a university, even if most students will never visit it.
One use for university buildings is research. Universities traditionally use student fees to cross subsidize research. However, low cost unbundled on-line courses from non-traditional providers could result in traditional universities having to reduce their fees and remove the subsidies. This risks undercutting the research which supports education.
Only a small proportion of university research requires dedicated buildings. Most university research involves people sitting in ordinary offices, not purpose built laboratories. The research is done by post-graduate students, who pay to research, either directly or via a government subsidy. These students will be increasingly be conducting their research part-time off-campus, from their workplace or home. The university will then need less space for their researchers. However, there will be some space need for on-site research, as well as administration of the research.
Universities can reinvent themselves as innovation centers, as ANU is doing with the Entry 29 Co-working Space and the Innovation ACT Competition (which originated with the work of Dr Lachlan Blackhall, when a PHD student at ANU engineering). Following the model of Cambridge, universities can provide low cost space for staff and students to turn ideas and inventions into products and businesses (and take a cut of the profits). The SpaceCubed Co-working space in Perth provides a vision of this future.
Professor Brian Schmidt is reported to have has proposed the Australian National University reduce student numbers, tighten entry requirements and limit tutorial sizes to 15 students. This would seem to be. at first glance, at odds with his preparing to teach a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Astrophysics in 2014. A MOOC can have hundreds of thousands of students, many more than the entire ANU's current student enrollment. MOOCs are also open to anyone with no entry requirement. However, the university can offer different forms of education to suit different students capabilities, needs and budgets.
Professor Schmidt's initiative with massive open on-line education, when combined with his proposals for small group teaching provides a blended model which may be the key to the future of Australian universities.
For the last four years I have been teaching "ICT Sustainability" in an advanced masters level course at ANU. Small groups of students, usually no more than 25, explore the topic in weekly tutorials. Students then have to write assignments to first scope the problem and propose solutions. This may seem unremarkable, but the students can study via the Internet from anywhere in the world. In practice many of the students are on campus and come to see me in person for advice and assistance, but if they need to be somewhere else, that is fine and we can communicate on-line.
Australian universities can retain their campuses for a relatively small number of students, researchers and has hubs for innovation. At the same time the universities can have hundreds of thousands, or potentially millions, of students on-line around the world. The on-line students will benefit from the research and interaction with staff and other students. The students can explore real world problems in courses and in research projects. Students can also set up a business to further their ideas, with the help of their university.
From a Window over the Green
Greetings from Perth Western Australia, on the edge of the campus of the University of Western Australia. I am sitting at a window overlooking a townhouse courtyard on a rainy Saturday. Above the trees and tiled roofs the new wing of St Catherine’s College is reaching up to the sky. This week the university received a $15M donation to further expand accommodation for researchers. The university is expanding upwards and outwards, but in education terms where is UWA and Australia's other elite universities going?UWA Broad Education Experience
The UWA provides a traditional university campus experience. Last Sunday, when walking through the campus, I was confronted by a woman in a bikini on horseback waving a banner. It turned out the students were making a LipDub music video. While the technology used is up to date, this tradition of university students dressing up and doing silly things is ancient.
On Friday while walking to give the Friday Computer Science Seminar, I could hear organ music coming from UWA Winthrop Hall (which looks like a set from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Sneaking in the back of the hall I found a full student orchestra rehearsing an organ concerto. I sat in the back (with permission) alone with light streaming in through the stained glass windows as the hall's organ shook the building for the finale.
All this makes for an interesting student experience, but what about academic education? Paul Johnson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Western Australia (UWA) issued a "UWA Futures: White Paper" in August 2012 (the ANU embarked on a consultation process in mid 2013). This suggested that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from new commercial and not-for-profit organizations will compete with universities for students. The paper argued that UWA should seize these opportunities which result. However that was the only mention of MOOCs in the white paper, so it was not clear what it is proposed to do. Over the following months there were responses from student and staff associations. In November 2012, the VC issued "UWA Futures: The Response". This would appear to be essentially about the role of e-learning, but the large scale Interactive Engagement being introduced at ANU could also be an option.
Like ANU, UWA and most Australian universities see their future as a physical campus, delivering education to students on site. Large investments are being make in new student accommodation and other facilities (mostly funded indirectly by the Australian government). What is not clear is how these facilities will be used in a world where most education is on-line.
University Education is Moving On-line
A reasonable rule of thumb I suggest, is that within ten years, 75% of a student's post-primary education will be on-line. Those students near a campus might be expected to spend, at most, one day a week there. But this is not to say that existing university buildings are redundant. Campuses will still be needed for administration, research, so education and as a based from which to provide e-learning. A physical campus also provides a powerful marketing tool for a university, even if most students will never visit it.
One use for university buildings is research. Universities traditionally use student fees to cross subsidize research. However, low cost unbundled on-line courses from non-traditional providers could result in traditional universities having to reduce their fees and remove the subsidies. This risks undercutting the research which supports education.
Only a small proportion of university research requires dedicated buildings. Most university research involves people sitting in ordinary offices, not purpose built laboratories. The research is done by post-graduate students, who pay to research, either directly or via a government subsidy. These students will be increasingly be conducting their research part-time off-campus, from their workplace or home. The university will then need less space for their researchers. However, there will be some space need for on-site research, as well as administration of the research.
University Campuses as Innovation, Research and e-Learning Hubs
Universities can reinvent themselves as innovation centers, as ANU is doing with the Entry 29 Co-working Space and the Innovation ACT Competition (which originated with the work of Dr Lachlan Blackhall, when a PHD student at ANU engineering). Following the model of Cambridge, universities can provide low cost space for staff and students to turn ideas and inventions into products and businesses (and take a cut of the profits). The SpaceCubed Co-working space in Perth provides a vision of this future.
Professor Brian Schmidt is reported to have has proposed the Australian National University reduce student numbers, tighten entry requirements and limit tutorial sizes to 15 students. This would seem to be. at first glance, at odds with his preparing to teach a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Astrophysics in 2014. A MOOC can have hundreds of thousands of students, many more than the entire ANU's current student enrollment. MOOCs are also open to anyone with no entry requirement. However, the university can offer different forms of education to suit different students capabilities, needs and budgets.
Professor Schmidt's initiative with massive open on-line education, when combined with his proposals for small group teaching provides a blended model which may be the key to the future of Australian universities.
For the last four years I have been teaching "ICT Sustainability" in an advanced masters level course at ANU. Small groups of students, usually no more than 25, explore the topic in weekly tutorials. Students then have to write assignments to first scope the problem and propose solutions. This may seem unremarkable, but the students can study via the Internet from anywhere in the world. In practice many of the students are on campus and come to see me in person for advice and assistance, but if they need to be somewhere else, that is fine and we can communicate on-line.
A Blended Model for Australian Universities: On-Campus and On-Line
Australian universities can retain their campuses for a relatively small number of students, researchers and has hubs for innovation. At the same time the universities can have hundreds of thousands, or potentially millions, of students on-line around the world. The on-line students will benefit from the research and interaction with staff and other students. The students can explore real world problems in courses and in research projects. Students can also set up a business to further their ideas, with the help of their university.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Using Moodle for University Learning
Professor Shannon Johnston and the team from University of Western Australia's Centre for the Advancement of Teaching (CATL, pronounced "Cattle") presented an interactive seminar on "Utilising the LMS for learning" today. UWA use the popular Moodle Learning Management System, but rather than the usual training session on how to use features of the LMS, this was on what forms of teaching it supports.
The seminar presented several case studies drawn from successful UWA courses, many of which blend e-learning with the classroom.
This was a useful seminar, but perhaps could gone a little further and shown how the teaching technique is implemented with Moodle. Also it would be good to have some templates for different types of courses.
Like ANU (where I teach), UWA is facing the issue of how e-learning is to be used. This is most difficult for elect research universities where staff have considerable autonomy. Professors can't be simply told to use a particular technology and pedagogy, as they have considerable autonomy. Instead they must be gently educated and persuaded. However, I suggest a more direct approach can be used with junior staff and adjuncts. In particular, induction courses for new early career academics and adjuncts from industry can teach the pedagogy and how to support it with the LMS.
The seminar presented several case studies drawn from successful UWA courses, many of which blend e-learning with the classroom.
This was a useful seminar, but perhaps could gone a little further and shown how the teaching technique is implemented with Moodle. Also it would be good to have some templates for different types of courses.
Like ANU (where I teach), UWA is facing the issue of how e-learning is to be used. This is most difficult for elect research universities where staff have considerable autonomy. Professors can't be simply told to use a particular technology and pedagogy, as they have considerable autonomy. Instead they must be gently educated and persuaded. However, I suggest a more direct approach can be used with junior staff and adjuncts. In particular, induction courses for new early career academics and adjuncts from industry can teach the pedagogy and how to support it with the LMS.
Utilising the LMS for learning : An interactive seminar which will examine the role and purpose of an LMS in an institutional context. Other events... Assistant Professor Shannon Johnston will be leading this interactive seminar with the assistance of the team of LMS Trainer / Educational Developers at CATL. She will examine the role and purpose of an LMS in an institutional context, and with the team will explore uses of the LMS for learning, with case studies highlighting the usage of the LMS to enhance the student experience in University teaching contexts. The session will involve audience discussion and exploration of potential for learning focused activity in the LMS. This session is suitable for all staff involved in the delivery and support of teaching.
Speaker(s) Assistant Professor Shannon Johnston and guests Location Oceans Institute Seminar Room G.05 Contact FASE Administrator <fase-ecm@uwa.edu.au> : 6859 URL http://www.ecm.uwa.edu.au/staff/learning/fase-objectives/fase_events Start Tue, 08 Oct 2013 12:30 End Tue, 08 Oct 2013 14:00 RSVP RSVP is required. Submitted by FASE Administrator <fase-ecm@uwa.edu.au> Last Updated Fri, 20 Sep 2013 14:40
Included in the following Calendars:
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Selecting Survey Instruments For Engineering Education Evaluation
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| Dr Johannes Strobel |
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| UWA Institute of Advanced Studies |
Thursday, September 26, 2013
University Satellite Campuses Like Co-Working Offices
While in Perth I dropped into to see Ben Killigrew at the UWA Pilbara Project,
which is looking at setting up an office in north Western Australia,
with research and teaching facilities. The project office is next door
to Spacecube Co-working space,
and I suggested UWA look at the design of such shared offices, as well
as university learning commons for their Pilbara facility.
Universities face a difficult choice when setting up satellite campuses. Buildings are expensive fixed assets and require staff to run them. The staff and students, research and teaching needs will change over time. Very small facilities, typically one building in a country town, have their own challenges in terms of keeping them staffed and used.
It happens I visited UWA Albany Campus in south Western Australia some years ago, when a consultant for government. This was in a restored historic building, with a good layout of small tutorial rooms and offices.
The University of Canberra Inspire Centre is a good example of a new purpose built stand alone facility worth a look. It has the white-board paint, hard-wearing floors, folding furniture on wheels.
For the redesign of the ANU CIST Building I proposed removing walls to create one large multi-purpose spaces, retain some glass walled tutorial rooms and have a cyber-cafe/reception area, as is now usual for learning commons.
Another option is to incorporate the university facility in a larger community complex. Gungahlin College and Library in North Canberra provides an excellent example of a combined facility. The one building has a TAFE, school and community library. The TAFE and library have their own areas of the building which can be closed off when required, but can share facilities.
Universities face a difficult choice when setting up satellite campuses. Buildings are expensive fixed assets and require staff to run them. The staff and students, research and teaching needs will change over time. Very small facilities, typically one building in a country town, have their own challenges in terms of keeping them staffed and used.
It happens I visited UWA Albany Campus in south Western Australia some years ago, when a consultant for government. This was in a restored historic building, with a good layout of small tutorial rooms and offices.
The University of Canberra Inspire Centre is a good example of a new purpose built stand alone facility worth a look. It has the white-board paint, hard-wearing floors, folding furniture on wheels.
For the redesign of the ANU CIST Building I proposed removing walls to create one large multi-purpose spaces, retain some glass walled tutorial rooms and have a cyber-cafe/reception area, as is now usual for learning commons.
Another option is to incorporate the university facility in a larger community complex. Gungahlin College and Library in North Canberra provides an excellent example of a combined facility. The one building has a TAFE, school and community library. The TAFE and library have their own areas of the building which can be closed off when required, but can share facilities.
Sunday, April 10, 2022
Internationalising WA's tertiary institutions
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| Dirk Mulder |
Rather than boosting research, I suggest WA look to boost their education sector. International university rankling systems heavily favor research, even though this has little, if anything to do with the quality of education provided. Researchers do not necessarily make good teachers, if anything the opposite is the case. WA can boost its research, and increase its rankings, but this will not improve the quality of education provided. Instead WA could sponsor new international ranking systems, which better reflect the role of education. This could be based on the "Webometrics Ranking of World Universities" by Spanish researchers.
WA could also look to its educational technology sector. Perth is home to one of the world's leading products Moodle. However Australian governments, including the WA government of WA have all but ignored Moodle. Another WA success is Lectopia, developed by UWA, and then acquired by Echo 360. I got to see the original product in use at the UWA Albany centre in 2000, when working on an IT strategy for the Great Southern Region.
In 2019 I visited Indonesia for the IEEE regional tech education conference, and was impressed with what I saw. Previously I had talked at a university in Sumatra on green IT. The challenge is to offer Australian education which complements, not competes with the local product.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Education at a New Level
Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra where Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington said the ANU aims to have more MOOC students by the end of the year, than the total number of graduates the university has ever had. ANU is currently accepting enrolments for its first two edX on-line courses: Engaging India and Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of the Universe. Professor Hughes-Warrington then showed the amusing video promotion for the astronomy MOOC and the more sober, but none the less exciting, promotion for the India course. Then
Professor Anant Agarwal, President of edX, explained how Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) can complement traditional university education. He then discussed the flipped classroom and blended learning.
On-line learning is not a new concept, but as Professor Anant Agarwal explained, this has not had a good reputation. Today's event and edX in general, is essentially an exercise in promoting e-learning as a respectable form of education, for respected universities. This is as much an exercise in marketing to the academic staff, as to potential students.
Professor Brian Schmitt, Nobel Prize winner, said that some low quality Australian universities will not survive the age of the MOOCs. The cost of creating a MOOC was quoted at $100,000, plus presenter time. Professor Agarwal commented the first time a MOOC was prepared it takes much work, but is easier to revise (this is the same I find with conventional on-line courses and UK Open University has produced methodologies for costing).
Professor Schmitt commented that MOOCs from ANU provided something for students in developing nations. But this is something I disagree with. Many developing nations have their own online open universities. These institutions do not have the prestige of ANU, but they provide courses relevant to the needs of those countries and their students. There may well be undiscovered astronomy geniuses in developing nations, but those countries have other priorities for economic development.
One question from the audience was how edX authenticate who is doing the course. Professor Anant Agarwal explained edX take an image of the student and their ID, and provides this with certificates. In some ways this is more secure than ANU's certificates which are electronic, but have no biometric identification.
Professor Schmitt commented that the optimal length for an educational video is six minutes. This is about two thirds the length of the average adult video viewing, suggesting the perhaps education could be made more stimulating. ;-)
Professor Schmitt suggested that MOOCs would not fundamentally change the nature of elite universities. However, I suggest there is a very great risk for Australian universities. If low cost on-line courses really do deliver a quality education, there will be no need for most of the international students to come to Australia or pay the current fees. Instead the students would pay a few hundred dollars for an on-line course in their own country. If Australian universities do not offer these courses, then the students would go elsewhere. In my view, MOOCs are no threat to the Australian education industry (they are more of a threat to universities which over-invest in them), but other more mature and sustainable forms of e-learning offer better opportunities.
Some months ago, I attended and presented seminars at UWA on e-learning. There had been a white paper on MOOCs and debate at UWA, over the role of e-learning and MOOCs. When I visited it was clear that these issues were still under active discussion. This debate has yet to start at ANU and perhaps this event will be of use to spark discussion. However, I don't think MOOCs are the main issue, or are fundamental to the future of education.
Tonight’s event is being recorded.
On-line learning is not a new concept, but as Professor Anant Agarwal explained, this has not had a good reputation. Today's event and edX in general, is essentially an exercise in promoting e-learning as a respectable form of education, for respected universities. This is as much an exercise in marketing to the academic staff, as to potential students.
Professor Brian Schmitt, Nobel Prize winner, said that some low quality Australian universities will not survive the age of the MOOCs. The cost of creating a MOOC was quoted at $100,000, plus presenter time. Professor Agarwal commented the first time a MOOC was prepared it takes much work, but is easier to revise (this is the same I find with conventional on-line courses and UK Open University has produced methodologies for costing).
Professor Schmitt commented that MOOCs from ANU provided something for students in developing nations. But this is something I disagree with. Many developing nations have their own online open universities. These institutions do not have the prestige of ANU, but they provide courses relevant to the needs of those countries and their students. There may well be undiscovered astronomy geniuses in developing nations, but those countries have other priorities for economic development.
One question from the audience was how edX authenticate who is doing the course. Professor Anant Agarwal explained edX take an image of the student and their ID, and provides this with certificates. In some ways this is more secure than ANU's certificates which are electronic, but have no biometric identification.
Professor Schmitt commented that the optimal length for an educational video is six minutes. This is about two thirds the length of the average adult video viewing, suggesting the perhaps education could be made more stimulating. ;-)
Professor Schmitt suggested that MOOCs would not fundamentally change the nature of elite universities. However, I suggest there is a very great risk for Australian universities. If low cost on-line courses really do deliver a quality education, there will be no need for most of the international students to come to Australia or pay the current fees. Instead the students would pay a few hundred dollars for an on-line course in their own country. If Australian universities do not offer these courses, then the students would go elsewhere. In my view, MOOCs are no threat to the Australian education industry (they are more of a threat to universities which over-invest in them), but other more mature and sustainable forms of e-learning offer better opportunities.
Some months ago, I attended and presented seminars at UWA on e-learning. There had been a white paper on MOOCs and debate at UWA, over the role of e-learning and MOOCs. When I visited it was clear that these issues were still under active discussion. This debate has yet to start at ANU and perhaps this event will be of use to spark discussion. However, I don't think MOOCs are the main issue, or are fundamental to the future of education.
Tonight’s event is being recorded.
Friday, May 31, 2024
Australian Regional University Study Hubs
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| Map of Regional University Study Hubs, from Department of Education, 2024 |
As soon as I became an online student, I had an overwhelming urge to attend class. This was a surprise, as I was a practitioner of online learning, as well as a mature, postgraduate student. It was not so much for face to face tuition by a teacher, but to talk to other students. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anyone else studying at the same universities nearby, so I attended workshops and seminars at the local university for students, and staff, of the same discipline. In this I had an advantage of being on the staff of one of the universities, so having access the average student does not. In one case I convened my own interest group at the offices of my professional body.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Online Teacher Training: US MOOC Versus Australian Vocational Training
University of California, Irvine are offering a Specialization Certificate "Virtual Teacher Program" on-line through Coursera. The student undertakes four courses and a final capstone project. The courses are each 2 to 4 hours a week over five weeks and cost A$63 each. The capstone is also $63, making for a total cost of A$315 for the Specialization Certificate.
The courses are:
- Foundations of Virtual Instruction
- Emerging Trends & Technologies in the Virtual…
- Advanced Instructional Strategies in the Virtual…
- Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom
- Virtual Teacher Final Project
Australian registered training organizations (RTOs) offer an on-line Cert IV T&A from $300 to $500 (or about $1,800 for the classroom course at a TAFE), making the US course cheaper. The US certificate also has the advantage of being issued by an institution called a "university".
The Australian government is currently negotiating a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with the USA and other counties in the region. The details of the draft TPP are secret, but the intention is to reduce barriers to trade. One effect of the TPP may be that Australia will be required to accept qualifications such as US university Specialization Certificates as being equivalent to Australian VET qualifications. The result of this will be that government TAFEs and commercial RTOs in Australia will be competing directly with US universities for students.
This may require Australia to broaden its definition of a "university" to include what are now vocational institutions, or for the current universities to offer VET qualifications, so they can compete with US institutions.
Australian teaching universities will likely strengthen their links to the VET sector, so that students can start with a VET qualification and then articulate to university. But the high status "research" universities will be wary of damaging their reputations by being seen to be offering VET qualifications. They will likely continue to offer education programs at associated "institutes" but not highlight these are actually VET qualifications. Also research universities would have difficulty obtaining VET certification as their academics would not have the necessary teaching qualifications.
As an example of the open approach, Federation University Australia offers their own branded Technical and Further Education (TAFE) programs, which articulate to their university degrees.
In contrast, the University of Western Australia offers an "Advanced Management Program", in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Management Western Australia (AIM WA). The marketing material for this says participants can earn an AIM WA "Advanced Diploma" and status for UWA certificate and degrees. But the marketing is careful to avoid using the terms "VET" or "TAFE", as that would detract from UWA's image as a leading university.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Use of Video Capture at Universities Beyond Lecture Recording
The Australian National University, where I teach, has selected Echo360 for recording lectures in lecture theaters. This will replace a bespoke system called "Digital Lecture Delivery Service" (DLD), which has been in use since 2004. So I dropped in for a demonstration of the new system from Jo Williams at Echo360's Perth office (the product was originally developed at UWA in Perth and then commercialized).
It happens I had seen an early version of this system in use at the UWA's Albany campus, when a consultant for government.
At its most basic Echo360 works like DLD in the lecture theater. The audio is recorded from the same microphone used for the lecture theater. Whatever is on the projection screen is recorded as video. This is usually slides, but can be a document camera recording material, including hand drawn diagrams. Optionally a video of the presenter is also recorded. The presenter just as to remember to start the recording and stop it at the end, whereupon the system makes the recording available via the Learning Management System (LMS), in the case of the ANU, this is Moodle. The student just need a web browser to play the video (PC, Apple Macs and Linux).
Students appreciate having recordings of lectures, for ones they miss or want to go thorough again (students where English is a second language find this particularly useful). Also this is a quick, easy and cheap way to create content for a distance education course. Research shows that a recording of a live lecture with poor quality video and all the unedited gaffs is just as educationally useful as a professionally produced video.
Echo 360 offers some intriguing extra features, some already in the product and others in development. The lecturer can record their lecture at their desk, using software on their PC or Apple Mac (unfortunately Linux is not supported). They can also annotate a recording they have made live in the lecture theater with extra notes for the students. Also notes from students can be shared.
Students can pause the recording of a lecture, rewind and fast forward. An intriguing future possibility would be to pause a live lecture. I discussed the possibility of this in the conference talk and paper "Synchronizing Asynchronous Learning: Combining Synchronous and Asynchronous Techniques", and wrote a project proposal for a student to write "Software for Synchronised Asynchronous Constructivist e-Learning". The idea would be to break down the division between what is real time and what is pre-recorded.
Another intriguing possibility is to combine large group interactive sessions with students live in a room and on-line. The use of this form of "interactive engagement" is still controversial at ANU when used just in a classroom, without adding the complication of on-line students as well. However, combining the on-line and classroom students could enrich the experience for both and make it much more lively.
It happens I had seen an early version of this system in use at the UWA's Albany campus, when a consultant for government.
At its most basic Echo360 works like DLD in the lecture theater. The audio is recorded from the same microphone used for the lecture theater. Whatever is on the projection screen is recorded as video. This is usually slides, but can be a document camera recording material, including hand drawn diagrams. Optionally a video of the presenter is also recorded. The presenter just as to remember to start the recording and stop it at the end, whereupon the system makes the recording available via the Learning Management System (LMS), in the case of the ANU, this is Moodle. The student just need a web browser to play the video (PC, Apple Macs and Linux).
Students appreciate having recordings of lectures, for ones they miss or want to go thorough again (students where English is a second language find this particularly useful). Also this is a quick, easy and cheap way to create content for a distance education course. Research shows that a recording of a live lecture with poor quality video and all the unedited gaffs is just as educationally useful as a professionally produced video.
Echo 360 offers some intriguing extra features, some already in the product and others in development. The lecturer can record their lecture at their desk, using software on their PC or Apple Mac (unfortunately Linux is not supported). They can also annotate a recording they have made live in the lecture theater with extra notes for the students. Also notes from students can be shared.
Students can pause the recording of a lecture, rewind and fast forward. An intriguing future possibility would be to pause a live lecture. I discussed the possibility of this in the conference talk and paper "Synchronizing Asynchronous Learning: Combining Synchronous and Asynchronous Techniques", and wrote a project proposal for a student to write "Software for Synchronised Asynchronous Constructivist e-Learning". The idea would be to break down the division between what is real time and what is pre-recorded.
Another intriguing possibility is to combine large group interactive sessions with students live in a room and on-line. The use of this form of "interactive engagement" is still controversial at ANU when used just in a classroom, without adding the complication of on-line students as well. However, combining the on-line and classroom students could enrich the experience for both and make it much more lively.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
End of an Era for All Women University College
This week I had the pleasure of dining at St Catherine’s College in Perth. This is a small college just across the road from University of Western Australia (UWA). The college is expanding its facilities with several new wings and invited the local community to see the work and as a "thank you" for putting up with the building works. We looked at a mock-up of the new rooms, had drinks in the courtyard and then dinner in the hall.
This was an informal event without academic gowns (which is good as I did not bring mine), a minimum of speeches and without the use of "high table". Being one of a handful of males (the college has some male "visitors") surrounded by hundred of young women was a little intimidating, but pleasent.
Next year the college will be opening up to more male students in the new accommodation. The change is being made in stages, I suspect so that the new male students can be socialized to the college life.
The new accommodation consists of one person studio apartments, each with a bathroom and cooking facilities. The rooms have been cleverly designed to fit everything in a small space. Designs and sizes will vary.
The display room has the cooking facilities in the passageway to the left as you enter, with the bathroom on the right. Having the kitchen next to the bathroom has drawbacks, but makes the plumbing easier to install and also keeps dirty pots and pans out of sight of the main living area. Smaller rooms will have double beds and larger ones queen size. The St Catchs rooms seem to be slightly wider than those of other accommodation I have seen, making them seem spacious in comparison.
There are large fridges in each room. When I asked about using a small fridge I was told that residents from the country like to have plenty of the food they are used to on hand. It seem that St Cath's primarily caters to rural WA students. There was also some mention of minimum accommodation standards required by some government scheme.
There are also common rooms in the new buildings to get the students out of their rooms and socializing. However, unlike the new UniLodge at University of Canberra, there are no multi-person apartments (UoC has five bedroom apartments with shared kitchen and bathroom). Also unlike shipping container apartments at ANU Ursula Hall there are no apartments for couples.
It should be kept in mind that a university college provides more than accommodation and St Caths has tutorials and other activities for and by students.
The UniLodge multi-bedroom apartments provide a good model. Some of these could be produced with smaller (therefore cheaper) rooms using half the sapce. Essentially a student needs their own bed to sleep in, some storage space and a desk to study at. They do not need more than a single bed, a desk big enough for a computer and a textbook. The student can use the common areas for socializing, cooking, eating and washing.
The practical minimum size for a dwelling in Australia is about 15 square meters (the area of a shipping container). But this is for a standalone, fully self contained home, whereas a student can use shared facilities for washing and cooking.
The reasonable smallest space for a student might be 5 square meters. This would provide enough space for a single bed, a desk and storage. Another 5 square meters would be needed per student for shared space. This might need some changes to government regulations.
This was an informal event without academic gowns (which is good as I did not bring mine), a minimum of speeches and without the use of "high table". Being one of a handful of males (the college has some male "visitors") surrounded by hundred of young women was a little intimidating, but pleasent.
Next year the college will be opening up to more male students in the new accommodation. The change is being made in stages, I suspect so that the new male students can be socialized to the college life.
New Accommodation
The new accommodation consists of one person studio apartments, each with a bathroom and cooking facilities. The rooms have been cleverly designed to fit everything in a small space. Designs and sizes will vary.
The display room has the cooking facilities in the passageway to the left as you enter, with the bathroom on the right. Having the kitchen next to the bathroom has drawbacks, but makes the plumbing easier to install and also keeps dirty pots and pans out of sight of the main living area. Smaller rooms will have double beds and larger ones queen size. The St Catchs rooms seem to be slightly wider than those of other accommodation I have seen, making them seem spacious in comparison.
There are large fridges in each room. When I asked about using a small fridge I was told that residents from the country like to have plenty of the food they are used to on hand. It seem that St Cath's primarily caters to rural WA students. There was also some mention of minimum accommodation standards required by some government scheme.
There are also common rooms in the new buildings to get the students out of their rooms and socializing. However, unlike the new UniLodge at University of Canberra, there are no multi-person apartments (UoC has five bedroom apartments with shared kitchen and bathroom). Also unlike shipping container apartments at ANU Ursula Hall there are no apartments for couples.
It should be kept in mind that a university college provides more than accommodation and St Caths has tutorials and other activities for and by students.
Small Cheaper Student Accommodation Needed
The new St Caths and other new facilities at Australian universities provide an impressive level of accommodation but at a cost. Not all students can afford their own fully equipped apartment. I suggest that smaller, lower cost facilities need to also be provided, at about half the floor area (and cost).The UniLodge multi-bedroom apartments provide a good model. Some of these could be produced with smaller (therefore cheaper) rooms using half the sapce. Essentially a student needs their own bed to sleep in, some storage space and a desk to study at. They do not need more than a single bed, a desk big enough for a computer and a textbook. The student can use the common areas for socializing, cooking, eating and washing.
The practical minimum size for a dwelling in Australia is about 15 square meters (the area of a shipping container). But this is for a standalone, fully self contained home, whereas a student can use shared facilities for washing and cooking.
The reasonable smallest space for a student might be 5 square meters. This would provide enough space for a single bed, a desk and storage. Another 5 square meters would be needed per student for shared space. This might need some changes to government regulations.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Financial Performance of Australian Universities
The LH Martin Institute have released an analysis of the latest financial data from Australian universities: "Financial Performance of Australian Universities in 2014". The Australian National University had the highest per student revenue ($63,922), followed by Melbourne University ($49,770) and UWA ($45,375). The highest revenue per academic were at Charles Darwin ($739,658) and Central Queensland University ($665,157).
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Profile of Australian Universities
LH Martin Institute and the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) released the report "Profiling diversity of Australian universities", 3 June 2013. This places universities into one of six groups, based on five dimensions. One interesting finding is that RMIT is different to all other Australian universities and thus has a group to itself. The next smallest group are three smaller research intensive universities in smaller state capitals, which groups UWA, with the University of Adelaide
and ANU. One point this raises is to what extent Australia needs all these separate universities, if most are doing essentially the same thing. Also it would be interesting to extend the analysis internationally.
Southern Cross University
University of Ballarat
Central Queensland University
University of Southern Queensland
Charles Darwin University
James Cook University
Griffith University
Flinders University
La Trobe University
The University of Newcastle
Murdoch University
University of Technology Sydney
University of Wollongong
Macquarie University
The University of New England
University of Tasmania
Curtin University of Technology
Queensland University
of Technology
Deakin University
University of
South Australia
Victoria University Australian Catholic University
Edith Cowan University University of the Sunshine Coast
The University of New South Wales
Monash University
The University of Melbourne
The University of Queensland
The University of Adelaide
The Australian National University
and ANU. One point this raises is to what extent Australia needs all these separate universities, if most are doing essentially the same thing. Also it would be interesting to extend the analysis internationally.
The Five Dimensions:
- Teaching and Learning;
- Student Profile;
- Research Involvement;
- Knowledge Exchange; and
- International Orientation.
The Six Groups of Universities:
- Regional Universities
- Mixed Group 1
- Mixed Group 2
- Large Research Intensive Universities in Larger Capital Cities
- Small Research Intensive Universities in Smaller Capital Cities
- RMIT University
Group 1 universities
Charles Sturt UniversitySouthern Cross University
University of Ballarat
Central Queensland University
University of Southern Queensland
Charles Darwin University
Group 2 Universities
University of Western SydneyJames Cook University
Griffith University
Flinders University
La Trobe University
The University of Newcastle
Murdoch University
University of Technology Sydney
University of Wollongong
Macquarie University
The University of New England
University of Tasmania
Curtin University of Technology
Queensland University
of Technology
Deakin University
University of
South Australia
Group 3 universities
Swinburne University of Technology University of CanberraVictoria University Australian Catholic University
Edith Cowan University University of the Sunshine Coast
Group 4 universities
The University of SydneyThe University of New South Wales
Monash University
The University of Melbourne
The University of Queensland
Group 5 universities
The University of Western AustraliaThe University of Adelaide
The Australian National University
Group 6 university
RMIT UniversityTuesday, December 17, 2013
Lecture Capture Software Survey
Julian Prior, Learning Technologist at Southampton Solent University has reported the results of a Lecture Capture Survey of mostly UK universities. Panopto was the most popular product used, followed by Echo 360. and Camtasia Relay. Most universities have their lecture capture software hosted locally and integrated with the learning management system. One area which I suggest needs to be addressed is integration of the lecture capture software with webinar software. Lecture capture software assumes that "Lectures" are being used: that is a person is addressing a group of students in the same room. The lecture capture consists of a recording of the single speaker's voice, along with visual material presented. This does not allow for more interactive on-campus experiences, where the students provide input, nor for ones where the students are distributed across multiple locations. In theory there is no reason why the webinar software, such as Blackboard, could not be used for lecture capture. Such products have additional features to also record the remote student input.
Australian National University, where I teach, has selected Echo360 for recording lectures in lecture theaters. This will replace a bespoke system called "Digital Lecture Delivery Service" (DLD), which has been in use since 2004. So in September I dropped in for a demonstration of the new system from Jo Williams at Echo360's Perth office (the product was originally developed at UWA in Perth and then commercialized).
Australian National University, where I teach, has selected Echo360 for recording lectures in lecture theaters. This will replace a bespoke system called "Digital Lecture Delivery Service" (DLD), which has been in use since 2004. So in September I dropped in for a demonstration of the new system from Jo Williams at Echo360's Perth office (the product was originally developed at UWA in Perth and then commercialized).
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Data Science Ranking Universities
In "Data science can fix ranking briar patch" (The Australian, 14 March 2018), Tim Dodd suggests that data science could be used to rank universities, but this has been done for years with the "Ranking Web of Universities". Their methodology emphasizes the quality and quantity of information universities provide online (which I think is a good thing). This produces slightly different rankings for Australian universities, to measures emphasizing research output behind pay-walls.
For its top ten Australian institutions the QS World University Rankings has: ANU, Melbourne, UNSW, Queensland, Sydney, Monash, UWA, Adelaide, UTS and Newcastle. On the Ranking Web of Universities, ANU slips from first to fifth place, while UTS and Newcastle displace Curtin, and Macquarie in the bottom two places.
For its top ten Australian institutions the QS World University Rankings has: ANU, Melbourne, UNSW, Queensland, Sydney, Monash, UWA, Adelaide, UTS and Newcastle. On the Ranking Web of Universities, ANU slips from first to fifth place, while UTS and Newcastle displace Curtin, and Macquarie in the bottom two places.
| Australian Web ranking | World Web Rank | University | QS Australian Rank | Presence Rank* | Impact Rank* | Openness Rank* | Excellence Rank* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Melbourne | 2 | ||||||
| University of New South Wales | 3 | ||||||
| University of Queensland | 4 | ||||||
| University of Sydney | 5 | ||||||
| Australian National University | 1 | ||||||
| Monash University | 6 | ||||||
| University of Adelaide | 8 | ||||||
| University of Western Australia | 7 | ||||||
| Curtin University of Technology | 15 | ||||||
| Macquarie University | 12 |
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Changes to Australian Higher Education in the 2014/2015 Federal Budget
Just about every year since the Australian Federal Budget
was first put on the web, I have done a quick search though the
documents to find matters of interest in information technology. This year, here are some comments on the education aspects of the budget.
Last year the Government "recommitted" to "Remote Indigenous Internet Access", but but without an explicit amount of money committed to the program. This year, apart from the NBN I could not find any similar programs, for indigenous or other communities.
NICTA’s funding, of about $40 M per year for IT research, will end after 2015–16. NICTA has a significant number of PHD students jointly with universities, who presumably continue to be funded.
In addition changes to higher education will also require new IT systems. The deregulation of tuition fees from 2016 will require minimal direct changes. However, there is likely to be a reshuffling of campuses, with some major city universities closing regional campuses (as University of Queensland has already decided to close its Ipswich Campus).
The opening financial assistance to students studying diplomas may change the way higher education is delivered in Australia. Students who would have previously enrolled in a bachelors degree at a university, may opt for a shorter and cheaper diploma at a state government TAFE or private Registered Training Organisation (RTO), then top up their education with a part-time blended or fully on-line degree. These diplomas will mostly be delivered online. This will require an expansion of IT systems to support the new education options, but more significantly require a retraining of academics to design and deliver them. IT courses are likely to be one of those disciplines most changed.
For the last few years Australian universities have been struggling with how to think about new education options, as well as how to deliver them. The system to evolve will likely see the city research universities charge a premium to their on-campus students, while regional universities concentrate on low cost blended and fully online education. Even the typical "on-campus" student will be 80% on-line: sitting in a classroom or lab one day a week. One term used to describe this was UWA Academic Staff Association's Humboldtian model of the university.
However, certificates are not included in the new higher education funding scheme. The shortest program the student can get funding assistance for is a diploma, which normally requires one year full time study. Certificates, which require six months full time study are very useful, as they allow students to quickly get a qualification for a job. Where institutions offer four terms a year, a part time student can do a certificate in one year. I did my Graduate Certificate in Higher Education this way, mostly on-line.
Cuts to federal school funding may also see an increase in demand for new IT systems by state governments to reduce costs and increase efficiency, with new ways to teach.
Last year the Government "recommitted" to "Remote Indigenous Internet Access", but but without an explicit amount of money committed to the program. This year, apart from the NBN I could not find any similar programs, for indigenous or other communities.
NICTA’s funding, of about $40 M per year for IT research, will end after 2015–16. NICTA has a significant number of PHD students jointly with universities, who presumably continue to be funded.
In addition changes to higher education will also require new IT systems. The deregulation of tuition fees from 2016 will require minimal direct changes. However, there is likely to be a reshuffling of campuses, with some major city universities closing regional campuses (as University of Queensland has already decided to close its Ipswich Campus).
The opening financial assistance to students studying diplomas may change the way higher education is delivered in Australia. Students who would have previously enrolled in a bachelors degree at a university, may opt for a shorter and cheaper diploma at a state government TAFE or private Registered Training Organisation (RTO), then top up their education with a part-time blended or fully on-line degree. These diplomas will mostly be delivered online. This will require an expansion of IT systems to support the new education options, but more significantly require a retraining of academics to design and deliver them. IT courses are likely to be one of those disciplines most changed.
For the last few years Australian universities have been struggling with how to think about new education options, as well as how to deliver them. The system to evolve will likely see the city research universities charge a premium to their on-campus students, while regional universities concentrate on low cost blended and fully online education. Even the typical "on-campus" student will be 80% on-line: sitting in a classroom or lab one day a week. One term used to describe this was UWA Academic Staff Association's Humboldtian model of the university.
However, certificates are not included in the new higher education funding scheme. The shortest program the student can get funding assistance for is a diploma, which normally requires one year full time study. Certificates, which require six months full time study are very useful, as they allow students to quickly get a qualification for a job. Where institutions offer four terms a year, a part time student can do a certificate in one year. I did my Graduate Certificate in Higher Education this way, mostly on-line.
Cuts to federal school funding may also see an increase in demand for new IT systems by state governments to reduce costs and increase efficiency, with new ways to teach.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
How Small Can Student Accommodation Be?
Universities have the perennial problem of providing enough affordable accommodation for the students. There are examples of high quality on-campus accommodation, such as the new wing of St Catherine’s College at UWA and the University of Canberra UniLodge. But in a way these are a little too glossy for real living, a but like up-market hotel.
Perhaps some of the grunge shipping container look of ‘Westside @ Acton Park’ could be used. This might be done somewhat like Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall, with a conventional base to the building and shipping containers stacked on top. This could have more industrial aesthetic than Laurus Wing which hides its shipping container origins.
Also perhaps universities should look at more affordable accommodation. While the apartments and rooms of the current accommodation are conformable, they are not necessarily affordable for students. The students then end up stacked in bunk beds in run down homes.
Universities could have some rooms which are more like a capsule hotel. The most generously sized of these would still be only be just big enough to fit a single bed, with room to stand. Storage would be provided above the bed, which would fold up to make room for the student to sit. Four such rooms would fit in one 20ft shipping container. However, this may require a change to legislation. For example Victoria requires rooming house rooms to be at least 7.5m2 and only two of these could be accommodated in one shipping container. It could be argued that students have extensive additional space in their accommodation and so such rules could be relaxed.
Perhaps some of the grunge shipping container look of ‘Westside @ Acton Park’ could be used. This might be done somewhat like Laurus Wing of Ursula Hall, with a conventional base to the building and shipping containers stacked on top. This could have more industrial aesthetic than Laurus Wing which hides its shipping container origins.
Also perhaps universities should look at more affordable accommodation. While the apartments and rooms of the current accommodation are conformable, they are not necessarily affordable for students. The students then end up stacked in bunk beds in run down homes.
Universities could have some rooms which are more like a capsule hotel. The most generously sized of these would still be only be just big enough to fit a single bed, with room to stand. Storage would be provided above the bed, which would fold up to make room for the student to sit. Four such rooms would fit in one 20ft shipping container. However, this may require a change to legislation. For example Victoria requires rooming house rooms to be at least 7.5m2 and only two of these could be accommodated in one shipping container. It could be argued that students have extensive additional space in their accommodation and so such rules could be relaxed.
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
QS Top Universities Rankings 2021
The latest QS Top Universities Rankings have six Australian institutions in the top 100, ranked: 31 ANU, 40 Sydney, 41 Melbourne, 44 NSW, 46 Queensland, 55
Monash, and 92 UWA. These results are similar to other ranking schemes, are widely reported, and influence student choices. However, the relevance of the methodologies used is questionable.
The QS rankings are based on five indicators: Academic and Employer Reputation, Faculty/Student Ratio, Citations per faculty, International Faculty and Student Ratios. Reputation makes up half of the raking, but is, in part, a self fulfilling prophesy: academics and employers base their ranking of an institution, in part, on how universities have ranked in the past. The ratio of teachers to students might seem more objective, but this doesn't take into account if these teachers are qualified to teach (most university academics do not have a degree in education). Citations provide some measure of research output, but this may indicate less interest by the staff in teaching. International staff and student ratio is used as a proxy for soft skills, but does not measure if the international staff and students mix, or are confined to specific campuses and classes.
Another difficulty with QS and similar ranking systems is that they only cover about one tenth of higher education institutions in the world. Most students can't afford to attend one of these "top" 1,000 universities. Most students would be better off with an institution not in the top 1,000, but which focuses on quality teaching for skills in demand, rather than research. The Webometrics Ranking of World Universites, tries to provide a boarder ranking, and covers more institutions.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Australian University Education in 2025
Recently I was asked what university education would look like in 2025. I don't think it will look much different to some of the courses I teach (and am a student of) now: on-line with no attendance required and no
end-of-semester examinations.
Since 2009, I have been primarily teaching on-line, with individual support to the students, supplemented by face to face activities as needed. Assessment is partly progressive, to provide an incentive for the student to do the basic learning needed and to provide them with feedback, but the majority of assessment is by projects based on real world problems (Worthington, 2012).
By 2025 this blended approach will be applied to all students, with the distinction between "coursework" and "research" students all but eliminated. Students will enroll in a general degree program, start with some coursework and end with research or project based work. Students will be able to choose the mix of coursework and research which suits their interested and abilities, as they progress. Undergraduate students will be required to do at least a one semester project and postgraduate students twice that.
All students will use an e-portfolio to document graduate skills not covered by coursework (a "Thesis" will be an especially large entry in an e-portfolio). Staff will be formally trained and tested to advise on, supervise and assess these e-portfolios. E-portfolios will also be used for professionally accredited qualifications (such as for the Australian Computer Society). This will allow accreditation requirements to be met while not confining students to a limited set of courses.
By 2025 Australia could have more universities in the top 50 world rankings (research and for education quality), with institutions having hundreds of thousands of degree students enrolled.
There will still be some free and low cost courses for the community (previously called "MOOCs") but these will not be seen as part of the core university teaching.
The typical university student will be part time, with a job and family commitments. The primary way the student will interact with the university, their teachers and fellow students, will be on-line. An important part of this will be students learning to work with those of other cultures (Worthington, 2014). The interface to the students will look like those of the better on-line universities of today, such as USQ and Athabasca University (Canada).
Universities will have four terms a year, allowing a part time student to do just one course at a time (the maximum workload feasible for someone with full time job and family commitments). All degree programs will have "checkpoints" where the student can obtain an intermediate qualification useful for their career and still continue on. Typically a student would be awarded a Certificate, Diploma, and then Degree (or graduate equivalents).
Most education programs, and research collaborations, will use an asynchronous on-line mode. This will allow study and research to fit between work and family commitments. It will also allow for time zone differences around the world, as only about 10% of students enrolled at Australian universities will be in Australia. Most importantly, asynchronous mode will give students time to contemplate important topics and not just dash off an instant answer (Worthington, 2013).
The emphasis on on-line part time distanced education is not to say that campus based courses for full time students will disappear. Most students will be doing on-line and on-campuses courses for part of their studies, depending on their needs. The constraints of on-line delivery make these courses much harder to design well. So universities will find the strategy of designing on-line cruses and training their staff for this mode, then adapting some courses for on campus use, as required. The opposite does not work so well: face-to-face courses cannot easily be adapted for on-line use and classroom teachers simply do not know what to do on-line.
By 2025 at least one of the teaching team of each university course will be required to have a formal Australian higher education teaching qualification. The minimum will be a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, usually obtained through a Registered Training Organization (RTO) associated with the university. Staff will also be encouraged to join Australian professional teaching societies, which have international affiliations.
By 2025, RTOs will have been expanded to become an important part of the university, with most degree students expected to undertake at least one vocational course, to complement their university studies. Graduates will have the option to obtain vocational qualifications required by industry alongside their degrees. This will replace the current practice where some graduates have to attend a vocational institution elsewhere, in order to be qualified to work.
By 2025 most post-graduate students will undertake teaching as part of their degree and be expected to tutor junior students (although it will be called "professional leadership skills" rather than teaching). Introductory teacher training will be by the university's RTO, with the option of obtaining a recognized vocational qualification. Students will also be able to obtain a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, or an education degree, from the university's Education Faculty.
Before embarking on a 2025 strategy, a university should first look at some of those already in preparation, or released, including those by the universities of Melbourne, UNSW, Newcastle, and Monash. Also last year I discussed UWA's strategy in Perth. But it is not just Australian universities considering strategies, I attended a Flexible Learning Strategy Workshop at University of British Colombia's Vancouver campus.
Worthington, T. (2013). Synchronizing asynchronous learning - Combining synchronous and asynchronous techniques. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2013 8th International Conference on (pp. 618-621). IEEE. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCSE.2013.6553983
Worthington, T. (2014). Chinese and Australian students learning to work together online - proposal to expand the New Colombo Plan to the online environment. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2014 9th International Conference on (pp. 164-168). IEEE. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCSE.2014.6926448
Since 2009, I have been primarily teaching on-line, with individual support to the students, supplemented by face to face activities as needed. Assessment is partly progressive, to provide an incentive for the student to do the basic learning needed and to provide them with feedback, but the majority of assessment is by projects based on real world problems (Worthington, 2012).
By 2025 this blended approach will be applied to all students, with the distinction between "coursework" and "research" students all but eliminated. Students will enroll in a general degree program, start with some coursework and end with research or project based work. Students will be able to choose the mix of coursework and research which suits their interested and abilities, as they progress. Undergraduate students will be required to do at least a one semester project and postgraduate students twice that.
All students will use an e-portfolio to document graduate skills not covered by coursework (a "Thesis" will be an especially large entry in an e-portfolio). Staff will be formally trained and tested to advise on, supervise and assess these e-portfolios. E-portfolios will also be used for professionally accredited qualifications (such as for the Australian Computer Society). This will allow accreditation requirements to be met while not confining students to a limited set of courses.
By 2025 Australia could have more universities in the top 50 world rankings (research and for education quality), with institutions having hundreds of thousands of degree students enrolled.
There will still be some free and low cost courses for the community (previously called "MOOCs") but these will not be seen as part of the core university teaching.
The typical university student will be part time, with a job and family commitments. The primary way the student will interact with the university, their teachers and fellow students, will be on-line. An important part of this will be students learning to work with those of other cultures (Worthington, 2014). The interface to the students will look like those of the better on-line universities of today, such as USQ and Athabasca University (Canada).
Universities will have four terms a year, allowing a part time student to do just one course at a time (the maximum workload feasible for someone with full time job and family commitments). All degree programs will have "checkpoints" where the student can obtain an intermediate qualification useful for their career and still continue on. Typically a student would be awarded a Certificate, Diploma, and then Degree (or graduate equivalents).
Most education programs, and research collaborations, will use an asynchronous on-line mode. This will allow study and research to fit between work and family commitments. It will also allow for time zone differences around the world, as only about 10% of students enrolled at Australian universities will be in Australia. Most importantly, asynchronous mode will give students time to contemplate important topics and not just dash off an instant answer (Worthington, 2013).
The emphasis on on-line part time distanced education is not to say that campus based courses for full time students will disappear. Most students will be doing on-line and on-campuses courses for part of their studies, depending on their needs. The constraints of on-line delivery make these courses much harder to design well. So universities will find the strategy of designing on-line cruses and training their staff for this mode, then adapting some courses for on campus use, as required. The opposite does not work so well: face-to-face courses cannot easily be adapted for on-line use and classroom teachers simply do not know what to do on-line.
By 2025 at least one of the teaching team of each university course will be required to have a formal Australian higher education teaching qualification. The minimum will be a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, usually obtained through a Registered Training Organization (RTO) associated with the university. Staff will also be encouraged to join Australian professional teaching societies, which have international affiliations.
By 2025, RTOs will have been expanded to become an important part of the university, with most degree students expected to undertake at least one vocational course, to complement their university studies. Graduates will have the option to obtain vocational qualifications required by industry alongside their degrees. This will replace the current practice where some graduates have to attend a vocational institution elsewhere, in order to be qualified to work.
By 2025 most post-graduate students will undertake teaching as part of their degree and be expected to tutor junior students (although it will be called "professional leadership skills" rather than teaching). Introductory teacher training will be by the university's RTO, with the option of obtaining a recognized vocational qualification. Students will also be able to obtain a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education, or an education degree, from the university's Education Faculty.
Before embarking on a 2025 strategy, a university should first look at some of those already in preparation, or released, including those by the universities of Melbourne, UNSW, Newcastle, and Monash. Also last year I discussed UWA's strategy in Perth. But it is not just Australian universities considering strategies, I attended a Flexible Learning Strategy Workshop at University of British Colombia's Vancouver campus.
References
Worthington, T. (2012). A Green computing professional education course online: Designing and delivering a course in ICT sustainability using Internet and eBooks. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2012 7th International Conference on (pp. 263-266). IEEE. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCSE.2012.6295070Worthington, T. (2013). Synchronizing asynchronous learning - Combining synchronous and asynchronous techniques. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2013 8th International Conference on (pp. 618-621). IEEE. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCSE.2013.6553983
Worthington, T. (2014). Chinese and Australian students learning to work together online - proposal to expand the New Colombo Plan to the online environment. In Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2014 9th International Conference on (pp. 164-168). IEEE. URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICCSE.2014.6926448
Sunday, June 9, 2024
Further Disruptions for Australian Universities
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| Future Disruptions for Australian Universities Report |
Most of the disruptions discussed are hardly Black Swan unanticipated events, and most and already being addressed by university with gradual evolution, rather than sudden disruption. Geographically dispersed work-forces were catered to in the past by distance education, which has been made much easier in the last few decades using the Internet. AI has been developed over decades, and those of us in the tech sector have received briefings over the years on its progress, before Chat GPT came to public attention.
As the report suggests, the world may be moving to a period of ‘poly-crisis’, with multiple global and regional events to deal with. However, the world has only been relatively crisis free for a small wealthy, mostly western, section of the population. The rest of the world, including academics, have had to learn to cope with an uncertain world. Australia's universities, despite some challenges, will still be in a relatively privileged position, with more and more stable funding, benign security situation, and stable governments. That will continue to provide a competitive advantage against institutions located in countries with unstable repressive regimes, where their campuses are threatened by terrorists, their own or neighboring military.
A military confrontation in the region, involving Australia, might result in the sudden loss of almost all international students. In 2016 I presented students of computing ethics with a hypothetical on cyber-war over a confrontationa. Later in the year I suggested Australian universities should be ready to switch to online learning, if their international students were unable to get to campus due to regional tensions. Unfortunately this remains a possibility, and so universities should keep online options ready for teaching domestic and international students together.
As well as the effects of a physical military confrontation universities need to respond to online attacks. As well as attempts from criminals and nation states to steal intellectual property, there is a risk to personal information which could be used against staff, students, their families and organisations. The internet may also be used to ferment unrest at universities.
The author suggests there are opportunities for universities in these challenges. One example not mentioned in the report was the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed universities to move from a lecture based model of learning to a blended one. The report points out that universities bundle and cross subsidize cross-subsidise activities. However, this is not by accident, with governments requiring universities to be multi-purpose, multi-discipline, and forcing institutions to seek external funding.
The author suggests there are opportunities for universities in these challenges. One example not mentioned in the report was the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed universities to move from a lecture based model of learning to a blended one. The report points out that universities bundle and cross subsidize cross-subsidise activities. However, this is not by accident, with governments requiring universities to be multi-purpose, multi-discipline, and forcing institutions to seek external funding.
The author suggests disruption could come from how teaching and research are provided. However the effect of technology has been over-promised in the past, and Australia has an unfortunate track record with private for-profit educational institutions in the vocational sector. An area which the report mentions, but seems least important is changes to university campuses. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, most students did not attend lectures. The change brought on by the pandemic was the elite universities and academics, were forced to admit this change had happened, and officially made the changes which regional universities, and vocation education had already made.
The report suggests digital technology and AI might make universities obsolete. I suggest this is unlikely, as despite their traditional image universities have fostered and embraced such changes in the past. It is more than 50 years since Open University UK started offering technology enhanced education (using some techniques learned from Australia). Australia currently has one for-profit foreign owned university, which is experienced in online education, but has not presented a significant threat to existing non-profit private and public institutions.
Australia has a dual sector system, with university alongside vocational institutions. There are considerably more private companies in the vocational sector. Australia has a competitive advantage with its close regulation of both sectors. The greatest risk, I suggest, is governments suddenly deciding to deregulate post-secondary education, using a flawed model of education imported from the USA. But not all government changes are negative. The funding of study hubs, first in regional areas, and now expanded to outer metropolitan areas is a useful innovation.
Australia has a dual sector system, with university alongside vocational institutions. There are considerably more private companies in the vocational sector. Australia has a competitive advantage with its close regulation of both sectors. The greatest risk, I suggest, is governments suddenly deciding to deregulate post-secondary education, using a flawed model of education imported from the USA. But not all government changes are negative. The funding of study hubs, first in regional areas, and now expanded to outer metropolitan areas is a useful innovation.
One form of disruption for universities could be from the disintegration of degree qualifications into something more like the process used in the vocational sector. Universality students typically enroll in a two to four year university degree. The institution can then plan for this student, minus dropouts, over those years. Vocational students build a qualification from a series of shorter qualifications, and go through a recognition of prior learning process for each. As a result the student may spend only a small amount of time enrolled, and this, along with fees and resource use, may be intermittent.
As vocational modules are nationally standardized, students can easily move from institution to institution, receiving full credit for prior study. In contrast university students face difficulty, and loss of credit due to non standard courses. External bodies, such as the Australian Computer Society have developed micro-credentials which offer industry recognition of skills alongside the university system (I am on the board which oversees the standards for micro-credentials). Universities have attempted to create their own micro-credential systems, mostly by converting individual courses or groups of courses into a micro-credential. However, this then creates the expectation among students that larger formal qualification will be built from the micro-credentials in a modular way. The Singapore Institute of Technology has announced competency based, stacked short qualifications, with work integrated learning, and project capstones.
As well as making planning of resources and funding more difficult, new forms of education require new skills of those teaching. Australian law does not currently permit specialized teaching universities. All universities must undertake research in multiple disciplines. Also, in the public's mind, the quality of university education is erroneously linked to research output. As a result universities hire academics based on research output, then require these staff to teach. When teaching consisted of giving lectures and setting exams, this could be done with minimal teacher training. However, experiential and workplace learning, with complex stacked course structures, authentic assessment and blended delivery require advanced teaching skills. This creates a challenge for universities, as well as new non-university educational institutions which can leverage the expertise of the vocational sector.
The need for government intervention is illustrated, I suggest, by the lack of university funded study hubs in regional areas. Some universities opened their own study centers (such as UWA Albany), but these were exclusively for their own students. The savings from sharing facilities were rejected by universities wanting to compete for students. One area of cooperation for Australian universities has been Open Universities Australia, where many institutions, including regional and city based elite institutions, offer online courses. The government could put in place policies and funding for more such cooperation, to assist domestic students in regional areas, and also in competing for international students.
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