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University study is out of reach for many people in regional Australia. Most of our universities are based in a handful of capital cities. The result is\u00a0persistent educational inequity<\/a>\u00a0between our capital cities and regions.<\/p>\n The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to move their activities online. This shift has created\u00a0challenges for students<\/a>, but has also temporarily erased the longstanding disparity in university access between cities and regions.\u00a0Internet connections permitting<\/a>, regional students have been able to participate on equal footing with their city colleagues.<\/p>\n As universities look to return to campus, the temptation is for city campuses to abandon the video link and rush back to business as usual. Yet this misses a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tackle longstanding inequities for regional students. The innovations in online delivery forced on universities by the pandemic now point to ways to permanently improve regional students\u2019 access and experience of tertiary education.<\/p>\n Regional people \u2013 the\u00a032% of Australians living outside a capital city<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 are a recognised\u00a0equity group<\/a>\u00a0in higher education. They are\u00a0less likely to attend university<\/a>\u00a0than their metropolitan counterparts \u2013 only one in five Australian university students is from a regional area. And if born in a\u00a0remote area<\/a>, they are only\u00a0one-third as likely<\/a>\u00a0to go to university as those born in a major city.<\/p>\n The educational divide is the result of the multiple\u00a0barriers to university access<\/a>\u00a0that regional students face. Many of their\u00a0disadvantages<\/a>\u00a0relate to the economic, social and cultural costs of\u00a0moving away from home to study<\/a>, particularly to a large and distant city.<\/p>\n Students face a raft of changes at once: they must leave family and community behind and fend for themselves in unfamiliar environments. Families must find money for housing and other costs. For \u201cmature age\u201d students who already have families and local commitments, moving away to study is often simply impossible.<\/p>\n Regional university campuses<\/a>\u00a0play an important role supporting equitable access to education. These campuses can offer great face-to-face study experiences, but many are small and have limited course options.<\/p>\n And across the width and breadth of Australia, we have few regional campuses. Most regional Australians do not live near a campus.<\/p>\n Online study is often mooted as an alternative, but it often has\u00a0poorer outcomes than on-campus study<\/a>. Internet connectivity in regional areas can be\u00a0a problem<\/a>, too. And online study can be isolating; new students in particular often need interaction and support to succeed.<\/p>\n To reduce these systemic inequities, we need to do regional education differently.<\/p>\n In response to the pandemic, many universities have moved coursework and community engagement activities fully online. Lectures, tutorials, seminars, workshops and even graduations have gone on-screen. While not the same as face-to-face interaction, these online engagements have had the unexpected benefit of opening access for those who previously couldn\u2019t participate at all.<\/p>\n Universities have learned to use video conferencing and online platforms in new ways to maximise interactivity for students at a distance. In some cases \u201chybrid\u201d activities mix face-to-face and digital participation all at once: some participants gather in the room and others join from the screen.<\/p>\n When done well, with good technology and good manners, hybrid interactions are fluid and the hierarchy between \u201chere\u201d and \u201cthere\u201d disappears. These hybrid activities suggest a new way to approach the challenge of providing university education across distance.<\/p>\n For the first time, regional students and communities have had access to activities and resources previously available only on capital city campuses. So long as internet connections are reliable, it no longer matters if the student is five kilometres from the city centre or 500.<\/p>\n Now, with universities planning to move back to campuses, we find ourselves at a vital crossroad. To bring campuses back to life, students are being urged back into classrooms. Video links disappear. Expectations of a physical presence on city campuses return.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Federal Education Minister Alan Tudge has reprimanded universities for not getting enough students back on campus even though theatres and sports stadiums have opened their doors, and says he wants to see a return to face-to-face lectures. | @JordsBaker<\/a> \u2014 The Age (@theage) May 17, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWhat obstacles do regional students face?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nWe\u2019ve had a glimpse of the solutions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nhttps:\/\/t.co\/FdnMPQrKVn<\/a><\/p>\n