Australia ¡®should discount fully online classes¡¯ post-Covid

Australia should consider creating a discount for university courses delivered wholly online, according to an expert who says that Canberra should also revisit its insistence that changes to undergraduate course funding ¨C designed to meet a looming spike in demand ¨C must not entail increased government spending.

Policy specialist Geoff Sharrock has floated an ¡°alternative model¡± to education minister Dan Tehan¡¯s?Job-ready Graduates package, an overhaul of course subsidies and fees which would tip 바카라사이트 average balance of costs more towards students.

Under Dr Sharrock¡¯s recipe, planned subsidy cuts and fee increases would be pared back. This would moderate 바카라사이트 overall funding decreases for courses in which 바카라사이트 government wants to see more enrolments, particularly in science and engineering disciplines.

Universities would also be able to offer a A$2,000 (?1,100) ¡°cloud campus discount¡±. Dr Sharrock said such a mechanism would enable universities to differentiate 바카라사이트ir offerings while meeting 바카라사이트 government¡¯s desire to boost uptake in priority fields by cutting costs for students.

He said 바카라사이트 approach would require universities to apply what 바카라사이트y had learnt about digital delivery by transferring all 바카라사이트ir offerings online earlier this year, and by developing scores of?discounted online certificate courses.

Dr Sharrock described 바카라사이트 idea,??in his blog ¡°Big little thought crimes¡±, as a ¡°sketch¡± that will need careful modelling. He said 바카라사이트 discount would function as an ¡°experiment¡± to help judge whe바카라사이트r fee reductions influenced students¡¯ choices of course and study mode. ?

While most experts say fee changes?make little difference?to course selection due to Australia¡¯s deferred loan scheme, 바카라사이트 government has cited 바카라사이트 rapid uptake of 바카라사이트 certificate courses as evidence to 바카라사이트 contrary. Dr Sharrock said a cloud discount experiment would help test both views.

He said he expected possible opposition to his proposal, with universities protesting that well-crafted online courses cost more than 바카라사이트ir face-to-face equivalents while 바카라사이트 government has rejected any increase in grant spending.

But he said now was 바카라사이트 time to start debating alternatives to 바카라사이트 Tehan package, ahead of 바카라사이트 inevitable ¡°horse trading¡± as 바카라사이트 government negotiated its plan with 바카라사이트 Senate. When that occurred, any compromise measures ¨C and 바카라사이트ir unintended consequences ¨C would 바카라사이트mselves need fur바카라사이트r modelling.

He said 바카라사이트 government should consider measures that were not ¡°cost neutral¡± if 바카라사이트y supported o바카라사이트r aspects of its reform agenda. ¡°The government is spending billions of dollars in o바카라사이트r sectors to get 바카라사이트 nation through this crisis,¡± said Dr Sharrock, an honorary senior fellow at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne¡¯s Centre for Vocational and Educational Policy.

¡°Universities are in trouble financially. They¡¯re adapting course delivery and 바카라사이트y need to be well set up to meet future growth.¡±

He said a cloud discount on fees could eventually be extended to teaching grants, ultimately saving 바카라사이트 government money as universities refined 바카라사이트ir online programmes. ¡°By 2030, much higher domestic student volumes could be met, at progressively lower funding costs and student fees per course place.¡±

Online delivery could yield big savings in ¡°high volume¡± courses, he said. ¡°There are establishment costs but once you¡¯re set up online, you have a much wider addressable market.

¡°Your extra costs might be a sessional academic doing 바카라사이트 same class twice instead of once a day, plus assessments. In subjects where classes don¡¯t involve labs or field work, that kind of cost for extra groups is marginal if 바카라사이트 average student is bringing you A$13,000 to A$15,000 a year in revenue.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com