Open University Discussion Radio National Life Matters

ABC Radio National Life Matters had a discussion of Open University today with Professor Simon Marginson, Centre for the Study of Higher Education at Melbourne University and Associate Professor David Glance, Director UWA Centre for Software Practice.

Mass open online courses, offered by American universities, are changing the university landscape. Australian students now have the opportunity to enrol in subjects prepared by Stanford or Harvard. So will this virtual campus reshape the offerings at Australian universities? Just how satisfying is the online learning experience compared to setting foot on a real-life university campus?

I posted this comment:

Tom Worthington :

28 Aug 2012 9:28:57am

Australian universities can compete to provide on-line courses. As well as courses for large number of students, there can be smaller ones, providing traditional small group tutorials for students.

Since 2009 I have been teaching "ICT Sustainability" on-line from the Australian National University in Canberra. The tutorial groups are small, with the students and staff getting to know each other and share experiences. Most students are on campus in Canberra, but others are around Australia and th world. They can share their work experience from their desk at work and use what they have learned immediately in the workplace.

An "Innovation in Education Showcase" will be held at the Australian National University in Canberra, 17 to 23 September 2012. As part of this I will be speaking on "A Green Computing Professional Education Course Online using eBooks", 12:30pm, 19 September 2012, in the Ethel Tory Centre: http://tomw.net.au/technology/it/green_computing_professional/