RIS ID
73693
Link to publisher version (URL)
Abstract
Broadband has the potential to radically transform the educational landscape. Coupled with access to the Internet, it has the potential to decrease the time it takes to learn a subject, increase grade point averages, increase course completion rates and, particularly important for Australia, provide rural and regional Australia with access to the same teaching resources as metropolitan areas, particularly important given the chronic shortage of teaching resources experienced. However educational institutions, particularly universities, are highly complex organisations with geographically dispersed campuses, culturally diverse stakeholders, multiple interfaces to the external world, and a multiplicity of different discipline-specific users. At the same time universities have a commitment to deliver a meaningful learning experience to their students. How can a university such as the University of Wollongong, which has a very strong commitment to student engagement and experience, still deliver on this promise while delivering courses over a broadband network? This presentation considers what overseas experience can teach us and then focuses on four case studies developed at the University of Wollongong. In four completely different disciplinary areas, broadband is anticipated to radically transform the program content and delivery mechanisms of courses, ultimately impacting not just the educational experience, but the culture of the community, the quality of healthcare, and the economic development of the Illawarra region and beyond.
Publication Details
Eastland, E. D.. Broadband and the impact on education. James Cook University. 12 July. 2012.