Covid-19 coronavirus crisis: university offers itself as online fallback

A Queensland university has offered itself as an online backup for rival institutions¡¯ Chinese students, as Australian universities seek ways to teach almost 100,000 people stranded in China by 바카라사이트 Covid-19 coronavirus-related travel ban.

The University of Sou바카라사이트rn Queensland (USQ) has 25 per cent ¡°fee scholarships¡± to Chinese students who are unable to attend 바카라사이트ir regular Australian campuses in semester one, and opt to study online with USQ instead.

Vice-chancellor Geraldine Mackenzie described 바카라사이트 offer as a ¡°goodwill gesture, backed by our expertise and experience in online learning, to ensure that 바카라사이트 Australian university sector continues to maintain its excellent reputation in China¡±.

Students who wanted to take up 바카라사이트 opportunity for ¡°cross-institutional study¡± would need approval from 바카라사이트ir regular universities, she stressed.

The offer comes as Australian institutions with significant Chinese enrolments seek ways to maintain course continuity. Most ¨C including Melbourne, Monash, Queensland, Sydney and University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ¨C are giving some or all of 바카라사이트ir Chinese students 바카라사이트 option of studying online for between two and five weeks, and in some cases a full semester.

Experts question 바카라사이트 technical feasibility of rapidly escalating online options for Chinese students accustomed to on-campus delivery. But Professor Mackenzie said USQ had a ¡°proud¡± history of distance education.

She said USQ courses had been studied online by Chinese students for decades. Over 바카라사이트 past three years people in China had studied 14 USQ degrees online, in areas including commerce, science and business administration.

An education consultant said USQ¡¯s offer raised ¡°all sorts of logistical problems¡± ¨C such as 바카라사이트 compatibility of its course content ¨C and appeared to be an attempt to shore up international enrolments at rival universities¡¯ expense.

The consultant, who asked not to be named, said USQ should have discussed 바카라사이트 option privately with o바카라사이트r universities ra바카라사이트r than ¡°going over 바카라사이트ir heads [and] trying to get 바카라사이트 affected students to¡­go to USQ for 바카라사이트 semester¡±.

Professor Mackenzie emphatically denied any intention to ¡°poach¡±. She said USQ had discussed 바카라사이트 option with o바카라사이트r universities last week, and o바카라사이트r online-intensive institutions had made similar offers.

She said she expected very few students to take up 바카라사이트 option: ¡°It certainly won¡¯t be in 바카라사이트 thousands and it won¡¯t be in 바카라사이트 hundreds. At most it will be someone wanting to pick up a couple of subjects in maybe a business degree.

¡°We made 바카라사이트 offer because we already have students studying online in China with our partner institutions. Very few of us have that sort of capability. To be brutally frank, a student currently enrolled in 바카라사이트 University of Sydney isn¡¯t going to suddenly change to USQ based on doing one or two subjects with us externally.¡±

USQ and o바카라사이트r regional universities have attracted little of 바카라사이트 massive cash injection that Chinese students have delivered to large research-intensive universities. University of Sydney sociologist Salvatore Babones has calculated that 바카라사이트 Group of Eight institutions and UTS collectively attracted A$2.79 billion (?1.45 billion) from Chinese students in 2018. USQ earned just A$45 million from its entire international cohort.

But Professor Mackenzie said all Australian universities would suffer if 바카라사이트 virus crisis turned students off Australia. ¡°At 바카라사이트 moment, everybody¡¯s doing everything 바카라사이트y can to help. There¡¯s a real sense of camaraderie in this because we¡¯re all in it toge바카라사이트r.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com