DEHub: A New Vision for Australian Distance Education

Abstract

The University of New England (UNE) is one of the oldest tertiary Distance Education (DE) providers in Australia. Its reputation for the quality provision of DE dates back almost half a century. More than 75,000 students in Australia and overseas have earned their degree at UNE by distance. UNE has particular expertise in the provision of DE programs designed to meet the professional development needs of people in rural and remote communities across Australia. As a long-established regional university with an exemplary record of scholarship and demonstrated excellence in DE leadership Over the past decade there has been tremendous change in distance education (DE). The potential of the latest generation of educational technologies has remained largely unrealised, resulting in lost opportunities in terms of learning, graduate outcomes, labour market productivity and economic growth. This has been most acutely felt in rural and remote parts of Australia. Without an adequate skills base, regional areas will find it difficult, if not impossible, to adjust to the adverse consequences of long-term demographic and economic trends. UNE has a new vision to establish a Distance Education Hub (DEHub) with the specific aim to develop an Australian research and development agenda for distance education.